until 1890 when he moved to C. W. Howard's Z Ranch, once occupied by Mrs. 

 Parsons' father, Peter Wittenberg. 94 



In 1901 Mrs. Parsons rented the ranch to the son of her neighbor, Oliver 

 Muscio. The lease did not include two fields by the county road, and required 

 Muscio to "deliver two tons of hay to her barn on the west side of the county 

 road." 95 



Erminio (Herman) Franzi rented the dairy after Muscio left. His family 

 stayed at the Parsons Ranch until about 1945. Franzi, who died in 1911, and 

 his wife Angelina had a daughter and three sons, Florentino, Atillio and Elfie, 

 who became dairymen in their own right and operated the dairy together. Jim 

 Colli recalled his employment as a milker at the Parsons Ranch in 1922 for 

 Florentino Franzi; brother Elfie also worked as a milker and became the last 

 surviving brother to run a dairy in the area. Electricity was installed on the 

 ranch in 1925. 96 



Children from the Parsons Ranch and surrounding homes attended the 

 Olema School, established in 1860 on Shafter lands across the road from James 

 Winan's house. A schoolhouse in the town of Olema was called Garcia School, a 

 matter that caused some confusion over the years. In 1915 the school was 

 renamed Five Brooks School, and Garcia School was renamed Olema School. At 

 some time between 1873 and 1895 a new schoolhouse was built on the Parsons 

 property at the foot of the ranch road on the east side of the county road. The 

 Marin County Department of Education closed Five Brooks School in 1927, and 

 students were reassigned to Olema School. Ralph and Emma Benevenga 

 remodeled the abandoned schoolhouse, moved across the road some years 

 earlier by John Denman, in the mid- 1940s. 97 



After the death of Minerva Parsons the title went by decree in 1921 to 

 her daughter, Ella Denman. Ella had married John R. Denman in 1888 and 

 moved to Petaluma, but returned to the family property about 1934 after 



94 Marin County Journal. November 6, 1879 and April 21, 1881; Marin Journal. October 2 and 

 9, 1890; Population Schedules, 10th U. S. Census, 1880. 



96 Leases Book F, pp. 272-273, MCRO; Marin Journal. September 7, 1901. 



96 T 



^Population Schedules, 12th U. S. Census, 1900; interviews with Jim Colli, Earl Lupton, 

 Emma Benevenga and Tom Pinkerton, who helped his father wire the ranch with electricity 

 around 1925. 



""Plat . . . Bolinas to Olema," 1867, California Historical Society; School Registers, Marin 

 County Department of Education, San Rafael; interview with Emma Benevenga. 



200 



