Asuncion Family Collection

Anastacio “Tony” Polistico Asuncion was born in 1898 in the Bohol province of the Philippines. Tony served in both World War I and World War II. After World War I, he immigrated alone from the Philippines to Hawai’i and eventually to California. Upon arriving in California, Tony worked around the East Bay area as an agricultural laborer.

While working in agriculture in the East Bay area, Tony met Paula Montelongo. Paula was born near San Antonio, Texas, and is of Mexican descent. Her exact birth date is unknown. She had five children from her previous marriage. After she divorced her ex-husband, Paula moved to the East Bay area and worked in the strawberry industry. Tony and Paula got married sometime around 1946 to 1947. Together, they had five children. They eventually settled in Watsonville, where they worked for Reiter Berry Company and lived in two labor camps, one on San Andreas Road and another in Rio del Mar.

Their son, Anastacio “Stosh” (b. 1950) worked in the fields alongside his parents. Stosh went on to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz. He graduated with a B.A. in History and a teacher's credential. He worked as a middle school teacher in the Berryessa Union School District for thirty-three years.

Tony retired from working in the strawberry fields during his 60’s due to a lung infection caused by exposure to pesticides. Tony passed away in 1980 and Paula passed away in 1990.

The Asuncion Family Collection was donated to Watsonville is in the Heart in 2023 by Tony's and Paula's son, Stosh. It contains eight family photographs and an essay titled, "Watsonville's Filipino Bachelor Community" that was written by Stosh when he was a student at UCSC in 1970. The collection also includes sixteen photographs that show elderly Filipino manong, labor camps, and Filipino-owned businesses in Watsonville that accompanied Stosh's 1970 essay.

Anastacio "Stosh" Asuncion