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The Rosso FamilyThe Rosso family immigrated from Italy in 1895 fleeing criminal prosecution. The family now owns and operates a series of food related businesses in Oregon. History Early History In 1855, Ignacio Rosso was born in a small village in western Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. His parents were poor farmers, Antonio Rosso and Giovanna Demarcchio. It is known that Ignacio married Benetta Colombo in 1877. They had their first child in 1880, and named him Paolo. Benetta and her children fled to America in 1895. Ignacio had been arrested for serious crime and gave Benetta an urgent message, "I have wronged, you must go now. To save yourself leave NOW." The family sold everything they owned and Benetta and her children fled to America. Benetta died one week after they arrived at Ellis Island in America. Her death left Paolo to take care of his four younger siblings. He met and married Francesca Davidson in 1905. He worked in factories until 1904, when three fingers on his left hand were mangled after being caught in a meat grinder. He was not able to work in a factory after his accident due to his limited physical capabilities. On August 23, 1906, he opened a street-vendor pastry operation to make ends meet, as he and his family were starving. Using his mother's pastry recipe and a neighbor's oven, he baked pastries. He sold them on a street corner in New York, which unbeknownst to him, would be the beginning of a successful series of businesses. The Family Business The little street-vendor pastry operation was a huge success. It was in such high demand that Paolo decided to open a small bakery. The bakery was also a success. Paolo and his three younger brothers all decided that they were to move west. They decided moving to Portland, Oregon, was the best choice. They raised enough money to move themselves and their families west in 1935, and arrived in Portland on Paolos 55th birthday, February 11, 1935. They opened their bakery on February 16, just five days later. Paolo ran the bakery until his death on April 10, 1949. He was 79 years old. After his death, his second son Vernon took over the bakery. Vernon was an elite businessman, and opened two Rosso Delis before he retired and let his son Pietro take over the company on January 18, 1960. He was a mediocre business man, whose only memorable accomplishment was changing the name of the businesses. Pietro stepped down in 1972. There was a short-lived ownership by Bertram Pane, Vernons son-in-law, but it ended when Bertram was caught stealing money from the bakeries. After Bertram was quietly released, Vernons son William took over in late 1972. When he stepped down in 1984, Vernons youngest son, Frank took over. Frank opened two coffee shops to expand the bakeries. They were huge successes. Frank ran the businesses until 2002, when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack. His son Thomas took over, and has since opened a hugely popular diner. The bakery, diner, coffee shops, and deli's are quite successful. * This believed to be the reason by a series of entries in Donato's diary. Present Day All of the Rosso businesses have long been renamed the Schmidt Bakeries, giving them a title that is far easier to spell. Pietro renamed the businesses in 1964. After Thomas took over in 2002, he opened a diner. The original Rosso Bakery, now the "Schmidt Bakery", is still in operation. It is adjacent to Franks Coffee in Portland, Oregon. All businesses that were opened remained in their original location and are still in operation. The Religion One specific entry in Donato's diary states "we are going too flea the many who presecut us heer, simpley for le nostro religgiona," possibly meaning la nostra religione, or "Our Religion" in Italian. A handwritten manuscript titled "Ever Eternal Dreams", found inside of the cut pages of Paolo's bible, describes a sort of religion. This religion was said to be a religion taught to Paolo and his siblings by their father, Ignacio. The religion seems to have been created either by Ignacio or his father, Fritz, and is still practiced by a majority of their descendants. The religion goes by many names, but is mainly called "Church of Self Destiny", due to its teachings. Family Tree ''& (Name) denotes spouse (Name) denotes company president'' Ignacio&(Benetta) Ignacios Children: Donato Mateo Paolo&(Francesca) Lorenzo Lillian Paolos Children: Gregory Vernon&(Christine) Grady Phillip Francesca Faye Vernons Children: Pietro Maria&(Bertram) Cecelia Elizabeth William Frank&(Suzanne) Franks Children: Thomas Rudy Benjamin Sandy Julia
References: Interview with Thomas "Schmidt" Rosso. October 7th, 2004. The Schmidt Businesses HQ; Gresham, Oregon. A Lynching and A Pastry Stand: The History of the Rossos, Rudy Rosso. Unpublished. A Letter of Resignation from Bertram Pane. Family Documents, Including the Diary of Donato Rosso, a brother of Paolo; A letter from Paolo to his children; and accounting documents.
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