Pasetti/Tyioran family history

The Pasetti/Tyioran farm on Giese Road dates back to the early 20th Century.

The William Pasetti family were Italian immigrants. William was married to Emelda, and they had four girls: Irene, Sylvia, Florence and Lottie. There was one son, Severo (who was nicknamed “Speed”).

When the family first moved to the farm in 1924, Lottie, the youngest, was only 4 years old. She and her three sisters all went to Wagner School, about ¼ mile down the road. At the school, they had many different teachers. Lottie was there for eight years and graduated at 14 years old. The teachers had to build a fire in a pot-bellied stove during the winters, shovel snow and teach all eight grades in the same room. She remembers the wonderful Christmas programs they had by candlelight. Walter Smith was one of her teachers and was very dedicated in giving the programs. Mr. Smith lived with another farm family, Art and Lillian Schimelpfenig, as a border. Even after he left the school, the Pasetti family remained good friends with him. Mr. Smith taught the Pasetti children and their mother, Emelda, the English language and he loved Emelda’s cooking. Mabel Melhorn acted as a school nurse and music teacher at the school, because she lived across the road from the school and took a keen interest in all the children.

When Lottie’s brother “Speed” was 15 years old Mr. Pasetti brought him from Italy to live with the family on the Batavia farm. After Speed arrived, he worked very hard improving the farm buildings. He built the Silo, grainery, a much larger garage, and added a large porch to the house. He learned much about pattern making from his uncle in Italy. Later, as an adult, Speed, opened his own pattern making shop with Hank Pierson in Batavia called Central Pattern Works, and became very successful. He also made the communion rail and did much work for Holy Cross Church in downtown Batavia.

Even though they all worked hard, they had wonderful times on the farm visiting their friends and riding their bikes. Lottie and Florence often rode over to the Pahnke house (Site 17) and played croquet. They took piano lessons from Evelyn Pahnke, who only charged 25 cents an hour. There was a little organ in the school and Evelyn played the organ for all the school programs. Later, Evelyn became a piano teacher and lived in Batavia for many years. Evelyn also taught piano for Mooseheart and at the Girls Home in Geneva, which is no longer existent.

Lottie would ride bareback on her horse, Louie, to her friend Mandy’s house and Mandy would come over to the Pasetti farm and help Emelda fix a big meal for all the farmers who helped during harvest time. The surrounding farm families like the Schwans, Holters, Pahnkes, Schimelpfenigs, Sandors and Melhorns were all close neighbors, but the Holters were the family that had the barn dances. Chris Feldott played the accordion for the dances held at many of the local barns. The Schwans gave Lottie a baby goat named Skippy, which became her cherished little pet.

As time went on, Lottie’s father, William, who was very hard working and a brilliant man, became ill with a mental illness and was admitted to a hospital. Lottie’s mother and siblings, along with a Romanian farm hand, Peter Tyioran, had to carry on the farm work.

In 1934, when Lottie was 14 years old, she went to Batavia High School, starting two months late for the fall term. Emelda turned the farm over to her son Speed to manage. The farm could not be sold at that time, because Mr. Pasetti was declared incompetent. Lottie finished one year at Batavia High School and then the family moved to Geneva and she attended Geneva High School for the remaining three years, going back and forth on her bicycle. She graduated in 1938.

At the age of 17 Irene married Angelo Arbizzani in 1930. Irene and Angelo had three daughters, Gloria, Anita, and Joyce. Emelda let them live on the farm for a few years and then in 1939, they moved to another location in the Fox Valley.

Florence married John Piccinini, and they had two daughters, Janet and Rita.

Sylvia married Michael Forni, and later Leno Forni, and had one son, Mike.

Speed married Ann Forni and they had three children, Ramona, Diane and William.

Lottie later became an Army Nurse in World War II, and met her husband John Bolle, a pharmacist, while she was in the Army. They were both affiliated with Cook County General Hospital in Chicago. Lottie and John had five daughters: Mary, Jeanne, Patricia, Linda and Loretta.

Irene and Lottie still live in the Fox Valley area, and have many fond memories of their childhood days on the farm.

Peter Tyioran later acquired the farm and lived there with his wife, Rose, until 1968, when they sold their land to the State of Illinois and moved to Aurora.

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Farm families