John Marzetti

John Marzetti
Born(1836-08-28)August 28, 1836
Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany
DiedDecember 25, 1899(1899-12-25) (aged 63)
Columbus, Ohio, US
Burial place
Mount Calvary Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio
Occupations
SpouseMarie Simons
Signature

John Marzetti (July 28, 1836 – December 25, 1899) was an Italian-American grocer, restaurateur, real estate developer, and philanthropist who resided in Columbus, Ohio. Accounts differ as to whether Marzetti is related to Teresa Marzetti, another Italian immigrant who founded the T. Marzetti Company in Columbus in 1896, or if he is the namesake for the midwestern pasta casserole Johnny Marzetti.

Biography

Marzetti with his wife and children in 1886

Marzetti was born in Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, in 1836 and emigrated to the United States as a child. He went on to work in shipping on the Ohio River before arriving in the city of Columbus in the summer of 1861, barefoot with only five cents in his pocket. He sold a pocket watch for twelve dollars and purchased two barrels of apples with the proceeds, selling them at the corner of High and Gay streets in Downtown Columbus and reinvesting the proceeds to purchase more fruit. It was also in 1861 that Marzetti married his wife, Marie Simons. They had five children: John Jr., Edward, Joseph, Mary, and Ella. John Jr., who also went by Johnny, became a real estate developer like his father before dying in 1872.

One of Marzetti's downtown Columbus properties in 1896

By 1873, Marzetti purchased a lot of land near where he had sold his first apples for $20,000 and his net worth was estimated between $50,000 and $70,000. Offerings at his grocery stores eventually included oysters, cigars, fruit, liquor, and even Best's Beer, along with restaurants serving prepared meals. Marzetti also expanded his investments into commercial ventures including a motor omnibus operating from Union Station to High Street and the construction of a three-story commercial building on High Street.

Marzetti also was a donor to charitable institutions throughout Columbus, including St. Patrick School, Columbus City Schools, and the Holy Name Society of St. Joseph Cathedral. A Catholic, he was also one of the primary funders for St. John the Baptist Church, the Catholic church serving Italian-Americans in Columbus, donating the land upon which the church was built in 1896, as well as $6,000 of his own money. He continued to support the church after its completion, auctioning off a parcel of his land to fund its operation, and hosting fundraisers for its benefit at his home. He was also a donor to Sacred Heart Church in Cincinnati, another Italian Catholic church in Ohio. Marzetti became bedridden with chronic gastritis in the early winter of 1899, and died of a cerebral hemorrhage on December 25, 1899, leaving an estate valued at $100,000 ($3.87 million in 2025). His funeral was at St. John the Baptist and he is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Columbus.

References

  1. 1 2 Lyttle, Eric (January 30, 2018). "The disappearance of Johnny Marzetti". Columbus Monthly. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Searching for Johnny Marzetti". Chicago Tribune. October 31, 2018. pp. 6–4. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "John Marzetti dead, cerebral hemmorage the cause". The Columbus Dispatch. December 25, 1899.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Taylor, William Alexander; Clarke (S. J.) Publishing Company, Chicago (1909). Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. Chicago–Columbus: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. – via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
  5. 1 2 3 "The week before the Fourth of July, 1861, John Marzetti arrived in Columbus, barefooted, hungry, and ragged, and had but five cents". The Columbus Dispatch. January 4, 1876.
  6. ↑ "R.E. Neil to John Marzetti, city business lots at or near corner of High and Gay streets, $20,000". The Columbus Dispatch. February 20, 1873.
  7. ↑ "John Marzetti has just received from Best's brewing company a supply of Milwaukee beer, the best manufactured in the United States. It is shipped in patent refrigerators. Sold to families by the bottle". The Columbus Dispatch. July 18, 1874.
  8. ↑ Hooper, Osman Castle (1920). History of the city of Columbus, Ohio, from the founding of Franklinton in 1797, through the World War period to the year 1920. Columbus: Memorial Pub. Co. – via Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center.
  9. ↑ "North High Street Railroad". The Columbus Dispatch. May 24, 1877.
  10. ↑ "Contracting news". The Sanitary News. Vol. XIV. Chicago: Dearborn Publishing Co. August 17, 1889. p. 189 – via New York Academy of Medicine Rare Book Library.
  11. ↑ "Steam on Street Railroads". American Railroad Journal. Vol. XXXIII. New York: Simmons-Boardman Pub. June 2, 1877. p. 683 – via University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
  12. ↑ "The St. Patrick's school wish to returo their thanks to John Marzetti, for the donating of $7.00 to purchase a very fine medal for the best scholar..." The Columbus Dispatch. June 26, 1876.
  13. ↑ "The children of the Second arenue school were made happy at the noon hour to-day, the last day of the term, by a bountifal supply of refreshments furnished John Marzetti; ice cream, cakes, etc. John was present and enjoyed the sight, feeling 'as happy as a big sunflower.'". The Columbus Dispatch. June 21, 1877.
  14. ↑ "Thanks: The ladies in charge of the tables oi Holy Name Society at the late Cathedral Fair, beg leave in this way to render thanks to the following named business bosses, to whose generous contributions and aid they are largely indebted for the success which crowned their efforts: ... John Marzetti". The Columbus Dispatch. May 12, 1879.
  15. ↑ "A Crisis in St. John's Parish which Bishop Moeller Has to Decide". The Columbus Dispatch. October 18, 1900.
  16. ↑ "Maccaroni Dinner Housewarming at the Italian Church Parsonage—the New Chapel". The Columbus Dispatch. December 1, 1898.
  17. ↑ "Mr. Peter Merkle of East Broad street won the $1,200 lot on Euclid avenue offered by John Marzetti for the benefit of the new Italian Catholic church, St. John the Baptist. The drawing took place at the church on Sunday evening and refreshments were served while the Knights of St. George band furnished music". The Columbus Dispatch.
  18. ↑ "Italian Lawn Fete". The Columbus Dispatch. September 16, 1899. ITALIAN LAWN FETE: A delightful affair in Italian circles was the lawn fete given last evening at the residence of Mr. John Marzetti 1100 North High street, for the beneft of the church of St. John the Baptist, of which Father Cestell is in charge. Refreshments were served and music and dancing enjoyed.
  19. ↑ "During the visit of Rev. Fr. Lotti to Columbus he was presented with the sum of $200 for the benefit of his new church in Cincinnati by Mr. John Marzetti. The church, which has been erected by Italians of Cincinnati, will be dedicated next month by Mgr. Satolli". The Catholic Columbian. May 13, 1893.
  20. ↑ History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio: Their past and present, including ... biographies and portraits of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. Cincinnati: S.B. Nelson & Co. p. 769.
  21. ↑ "By the will of the late John Marzetti, recently probated, the church of St. John the Baptist receives a bequest of $500. The testator left an estate valued at $100,000, which is left in trust for a period of fifteen years before division, the widow to receive for her support $1000 per annum. The eldest daughter Mary, and Mr. Thomas Swift were appointed executors". The Catholic Columbian. January 20, 1900.