Joseph Dettenhamer was a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1904 via New York City. He married Hungarian immigrant Ella Banovitz in 1910 after meeting her in San Francisco. They settled in San Jose, where they began their own orchard business on their property at 105 Bascom Avenue and officially attained their citizenship in 1937. Joseph's brother, Frank Dettenhamer, also immigrated to the United States and lived in San Francisco. The brothers wrote to each other regularly and on occasion Frank would help with the fruit harvests in San Jose. Ella Marie (photo on the right) was born in 1914 and attended Burbank School, and Notre Dame High School. After she graduated in 1932 she became one of the first employees (#54) at Moffett Field, where she worked as a secretary in the supply department. Ella Marie never married and lived at the family home taking care of her parents and uncle until their deaths. Ella Marie lived on the property until she sold it in 1991 to a developer who built medical offices.