According to the local parish records, Antone Silver was born in the village of Salao on January 15, 1853 and was given the name Antonio da Rosa Fialho. His parents were Francisco da Rosa Fialho and Marianna Thomasia. Salao is located on the island of Faial, Azores very near the town of Cedros. Antone very likely grew up working with cattle, as that was the main work of people in that area at that time. When Antone was about 15, he signed onto a whaling ship that took him to California where he "jumped ship," moved into the hills east of Mission San Jose and took up cattle ranching. According to the US Census, by 1870 he had changed his name to Antone Silver.
Antone was successful with his ranching and on the 14th of July in 1883 he married Maria do Ceo de Simas, who was just 17 and had recently migrated from the island of Pico which is very near Faial, again in the Azores. Maria was the first of five Marias born to Francisco de Simas and Maria Rita Pereira. Each Maria was given a distinctive middle name at confirmation. Maria do Ceo was born on June 25, 1864 in the village of Terras just outside the whaling port of Lajes on the coast of Pico. Although Antone lived near Mission San Jose, the marriage took place in the St. Joseph Cathedral in San Jose, California.
Following marriage they moved to his mountain home near what is now the Calavaras Reservoir. The couple had nine children, six of whom grew to adulthood. Maria was just 27 when she lost her first child and 30 when the others passed on. All three died of diphtheria at the ages of two months, 17 months and 6 years, respectively. This loss undoubtedly influenced the move to a ranch very near Sunol, a small town at the confluence of the Arroyo de la Laguna and Alameda Creek. Her last two children, John and Joseph, were born at the new home. Marie died in 1907 at the age of 43 when Joseph was just 8 years old.
Antone lived another 33 years and continued to prosper eventually owning almost three sections of land in two locations, the mountain property and the home in Sunol. During his lifetime, he also owned several city lots plus at least one saloon in Pleasanton, California. He died on October 11, 1940 and was buried next to his beloved Maria in the St. Joseph cemetery in Mission San Jose, California.
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