USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > The beginnings of San Francisco : from the expedition of Anza, 1774, to the city charter of April 15, 1850 : with biographical and other notes, Vol. II > Part 20
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MISSION street was the first street opened in the southern portion of the city and followed the road to the mission.
STEVENSON street, between Market and Mission, was named for Jonathan Drake Stevenson, colonel of the First New York volunteers. The blocks in the Hundred vara survey were so large that it was found necessary to run what were called sub-division streets through them. Many of these have names of no significance, such as Annie, Jessie, Clementina, etc.
NATOMA street, a sub-division street, was originally named Mellus street for Henry Mellus, Howard's partner; but after the quarrel between the partners it was changed to Natoma. The name is that of an Indian tribe on the American river.
HOWARD street was named for W. D. M. Howard.
FOLSOM street was named for Captain Joseph L. Folsom.
HARRISON street was named for Edward H. Harrison, quartermaster's clerk of First New York volunteers, collector of the port, member of the ayuntamiento, and member of the firm of DeWitt and Harrison.
BRYANT street was named for Edwin Bryant who suc- ceeded Lieutenant Bartlett as alcalde of San Francisco.
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Bryant served in the California battalion as first lieutenant of company H.
BRANNAN street was named for Elder Samuel Brannan.
BLUXOME street was named for Isaac Bluxome, Jr., a prominent business man.
TOWNSEND street was named for Doctor John Town- send, a native of Virginia who came overland with the Stevens party in 1844. He took part in the Micheltorena campaign as aid to Captain Sutter, was alcalde of San Francisco in 1848, and member of the ayuntamiento, 1849. He died of cholera in December 1850, or January 1851.
VALENCIA street was named for the family of José Manuel Valencia, a soldier of Anza's company.
GUERRERO street was named for Francisco Guerrero. His biography is in chapter xv.
DOLORES street was named for the mission and con- tains the mission church.
SANCHEZ street was named for the family of José Antonio Sanchez, a soldier of Anza's company.
NOE street was named for José de Jesus Noé. A brief biography of him is given in chapter xv.
CASTRO street was named for the family of Joaquin Isidro de Castro, a soldier of Anza's company.
The streets of the Potrero Nuevo ("The Potrero") are mostly names of states for the streets running north and south, and those running east and west are the con- tinuation of the numbered streets of the Mission Dolores. The streets in the Potrero Viejo (South San Francisco) were mainly numbered "avenues" and lettered streets. These names the commission insisted on changing, giving the following names to the avenues:
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ARTHUR avenue, for Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of the United States.
BURKE avenue, for General John Burke of the Revolu- tionary army.
CUSTER avenue, for General George A. Custer United States army, killed in a battle with the Sioux under Sitting Bull, on the Little Big Horn river in Montana, June 25, 1876.
DAVIDSON avenue, for Professor George Davidson, the eminent scientist and engineer.
EVANS avenue, for Rear-admiral Robley D. Evans of the United States navy.
FAIRFAX avenue, for Thomas Fairfax, sixth Baron Fairfax, who became an American colonist, friend of Wash- ington, and died near Winchester, Virginia, March 12, 1782.
GALVEZ avenue, for Don José de Galvez, visitador- general of Spain and member of the council of the Indies, who organized the expedition commanded by Portolá, 1768-69.
HUDSON avenue, for Henry Hudson, English navigator, discoverer of Hudson river and Hudson's bay.
INNESS avenue, for George Inness the noted American landscape painter.
JERROLD avenue, for Douglas William Jerrold, English dramatist and humorist.
KIRKWOOD avenue, for Samuel J. Kirkwood, war gov- ernor of Iowa.
LA SALLE avenue, for Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, French explorer, discoverer of the Ohio river.
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McKINNON avenue, for Father Mckinnon, chaplain of First California volunteers, Spanish war, who died in the Philippines.
NEWCOMBE avenue, for Samuel Newcombe, the dis- tinguished astronomer.
PALOU avenue, for Fray Francisco Palou, companion of Junipero Serra, and his historian.
QUESADA avenue, for Gonzalo Ximinez de Quesada, Spanish explorer and conqueror of New Granada.
REVERE avenue, for Paul Revere, American patriot and hero of the midnight ride.
SHAFTER avenue, for General William R. Shafter, com- mander of the United States army in Cuba.
THOMAS avenue, for General George H. Thomas, "The Rock of Chickamauga."
UNDERWOOD avenue, for General Franklin Underwood, United States army.
VAN DYKE avenue, for Walter Van Dyke, justice of the supreme court of California.
WALLACE avenue, for William T. Wallace, chief justice of the supreme court of California.
ARMSTRONG avenue, for General Samuel Strong Arm- strong, founder of Hampton Institute.
BANCROFT avenue, for George Bancroft, American his- torian, secretary of the navy, United States minister to Great Britain and Berlin.
CARROLL avenue, for Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
DONNER avenue, for the leader of the party of immi- grants who perished in the Sierra Nevada.
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EGBERT avenue, for Colonel Egbert, United States army, killed in the Philippines.
FITZGERALD avenue, for Edward Fitzgerald, English poet and translator.
GILMAN avenue, for Daniel C. Gilman, American educator, former president of the University of California.
HOLLISTER avenue, for Sergeant Stanley Hollister of California, killed in Cuba.
INGERSON avenue, for Doctor H. H. Ingerson, a citizen of San Francisco.
KEY avenue, for Francis Scott Key.
LE CONTE avenue, for Professor Joseph Le Conte, teacher, scientist, and author.
MEADE avenue, for General George G. Meade, a com- mander at Gettysburg.
NELSON avenue, for General William Nelson, a loyal Kentuckian.
OLNEY avenue, for Richard Olney, American lawyer and statesman.
PULASKI avenue, for Count Casimir Pulaski, Polish general who served in the Revolutionary war.
RICHTER avenue, for Captain, Remhold Richter, First California volunteers, killed in Philippines.
SAMPSON avenue for Admiral William T. Sampson, United States navy.
TOVAR avenue, for Don Pedro de Tovar, ensign-general of Coronado's army.
UGARTE avenue, for Father Juan de Ugarte, founder of missions in Lower California; first ship builder of the Californias, 1719.
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For the lettered streets of South San Francisco the following names were adopted by the commission:
ALVORD street, for William Alvord. BOALT street, for John H. Boalt. COLEMAN street, for William T. Coleman. DONAHUE street, for Peter Donahue. EARL street, for John O. Earl. FITCH street, for George K. Fitch.
GRIFFITH street, for Millen Griffith.
HAWES street for Horace Hawes.
INGALLS street, for General Rufus Ingalls. JENNINGS street, for Thomas Jennings (Sr.) KEITH street, for William Keith. LANE street, for Doctor L. C. Lane. MENDELL street, for George H. Mendell. NEWHALL street, for Henry M. Newhall. PHELPS street, for Timothy Guy Phelps. QUINT street, for Leander Quint.
RANKIN street, for Ira P. Rankin.
SELBY street, for Thomas H. Selby.
TOLAND street, for Doctor H. H. Toland. UPTON street, for Mathew G. Upton.
BERNAL Heights and Bernal avenue, were named for the family of Juan Francisco Bernal, a soldier of Anza's company.
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PERALTA avenue, for the family of Gabriel Peralta, corporal of Anza's company.
DE HARO street was named for Alcalde Francisco de Haro.
The commission in selecting new names for numbered and lettered streets was limited in its choice by the neces- sity of preserving an alphabetical order.
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APPENDIX C BUCARELI TO RIVERA
Instructions of the viceroy to the comandante of California regarding the establishment at San Francisco. (Provicial State Papers Miscellaneous ii., 259, Spanish Archives of California.)
"In consequence of what you and the Reverend Father President of your missions have represented to me in your last letters, I have now resolved upon the occupa- tion of the Port of San Francisco, persuaded that this port may serve as the base for future operations, and have decided that Captain Don Juan Bautista de Anza, who at present is in this capital, shall lead a new expedition by land from his presidio of Tubac, taking adequate provisions of fruits and cattle, which being finished and the land surveyed by him, he must return by the same road with the ten soldiers he will take, and give me an account of the results.
"Besides the escort (of ten soldiers) that will accompany him, he will take a lieutenant and a sergeant and he has orders to recruit in the province of Sonora twenty-eight men who will volunteer to go and make their homes in that country, and who, it is calculated, with their wives and children, will make a company of one hundred persons.
"With this consideration I have arranged that the packet boat destined to supply with provisions the presidio and mission of Monterey, shall carry sufficient (provisions) for their maintenance for one year, and have so ordered the commissary at San Blas, Don Francisco Hijosa, to act, taking care to send them entirely separate, and dis- tinctly marked that you may know them. When they
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are received they must be put in a safe and suitable place where they may be preserved and kept on deposit until the arrival of Anza's expedition, and the domiciliation of the families he will transport takes place, at which time, as they have this destiny only, the use of these provisions must begin, without permitting them to have any other application. If Don Juan Bautista de Anza should have need of any (provisions) in order to return to Sonora they must be furnished him from those that may be in the presidio or in the missions.
"With this arrangement I believe I will have supplied the people you lack, as represented in your letter of 16th of June last, and with the sending of the arms, asked for in that of the 8th of October, which I suppose are in San Blas, or near that port, the needs for the defence of your establishments, which you state as urgent, will be supplied.
"The proposed occupation of the Port of San Francisco has for its object not only the utility which may inspire us with larger ideas, but that there may be in that place a constant and sure sign indicating the authority of the king; and as I consider the erection of the proposed mis- sions very proper in order to accomplish this purpose and propagate religion among the gentiles that inhabit the neighboring lands, I earnestly beg and charge the Rev- erend Father Junípero, that in making selections of suit- able religious men for these missions from among his subordinates, he will earnestly impress upon them the importance of the undertaking, as upon this depends their success; and it becomes a singular service to God and to the king, to which you must contribute, on your part, all necessary assistance.
"The indicated expedition will be under your orders in the custody of said port, from the very moment that Captain Don Juan Bautista de Anza arrives at your
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presidio and delivers it up to you; it being understood that the said captain has to assist also in the survey of the Rio de San Francisco, so as to be able to report to me what he has seen, and he will then return by the same road with the ten soldiers belonging to his presidio.
"God preserve you many years."
Mexico, December 15, 1774.
El Bailio Frey Don Antonio Bucaréli y Ursúa, Señor Don Fernando de Rivera
y Moncada.
"P. S. The object of this expedition is to conduct troops for the escoltas of the two missions that I have resolved to establish in the Port of San Francisco. There is nothing so interesting as this undertaking in its relation to future plans when we know, through advices we have received by sea, of the abundant harvest of souls awaiting the apostolic zeal of the missionary fathers, and I say to the Reverend Father Junípero that, in order to give effect to the pious intentions of the king and that these establishments may mutually aid each other, I will, on my part, give all the support in my power, on your send- ing me the information that you are in accord with Father Serra.
"I have been informed of the abundant crops that have been raised this year in your country, and as the plenti- fulness of provisions can facilitate the conversion of the gentiles, I command this important matter to Padre Fray Junípero.
"Between the two missions and not far from the coast, the fort should be erected for the shelter of the troops in order that they may go to the aid of either when the six men assigned to each mission are not sufficient. You may also take from the presidio in your charge some of
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the men whom you consider most suitable as being accus- tomed to the country, and exchange them for others among the company Captain Anza will bring. You can arrange this with him, understanding that he is fully advised of everything."
Señor Don Fernando de Rivera y Moncada.
El Bailio Bucaréli.
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APPENDIX D
THE MURDER OF BERREYESA AND THE DE HAROS
The story of the death of José de los Reyes Berreyesa and Francisco and Ramon de Haro has been told in many of the accounts of the Bear Flag war and most of the narrators agree that it was an unprovoked murder. The Los Angeles Star published on September 27, 1856, a signed statement of Jasper O'Farrell, who saw the shooting and also a letter from José de los Santos Berreyesa, son of the murdered man. These statements may have been published in other newspapers, but if so the papers have disappeared and there is no record of the statements, so far as I know, save that of the Los Angeles Star, and of that day's issue I have only succeeded in finding one copy. From the fact that the records of this testimony have become so scarce it would seem as if some one had attempted to destroy them. This being the case I have thought it best to put the statements of O'Farrell and Berreyesa on record in this work and am able to do so through the courtesy of Mr. J. M. Guinn of Los Angeles, secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California, whose collection contains this valuable copy of the Star. It has been claimed that the statements were published in the newspapers for their political effect on the presi- dential campaign of 1856. That is probably true but it cannot in any way alter the facts.
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BERREYESA'S ACCOUNT
San Francisco, Sept., 22, 1856.
Hon. P. A. Roach
My dear sir:
"In reply to your question whether it is certain or not that Col. Fremont consented to or permittted his soldiers to commit any crime or outrage on the frontier of Sonoma or San Rafael in the year 1846, to satisfy your inquiry and to prove to you that what is said in relation thereto is true, I believe it will be sufficient to inform you of the following case: Occupying the office of first alcalde of Sonoma in the year 1846, having been taken by surprise and put in prison in said town in company with several of my countrymen, Col. Fremont arrived at Sonoma with his forces from Sacramento. He came, in company of Capt. Gillespie and several soldiers, to the room in which I was confined, and having required from me the tranquillity of my jurisdiction, I answered him that I did not wish to take part in any matters in the neigh- borhood, as I was a prisoner. After some further re- marks he retired, not well satisfied with the tenor of my replies. On the following day accompanied by soldiers he went to San Rafael. At the time that the news of my arrest had reached my parents, at the instance of my mother, that my father should go to Sonoma to see the condition in which myself and brothers were placed, this pacific old man left Santa Clara for San Pablo. After many difficulties he succeded in passing (across the strait), accompanied by two young cousins, Francisco and Ramon Haro, and having disembarked near San Ra- fael they proceeded towards the mission of that name with the intention of getting horses and return to get
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their saddles, which remained on the beach. Unfortu- nately Col. Fremont was walking in the corridor of the mission with some of his soldiers and they perceived the three Californians. They took their arms and mounted- approached towards them, and fired. It is perhaps true that they were scarcely dead when they were stripped of the clothing, which was all they had on their persons; others say that Col. Fremont was asked whether they should be taken prisoners or killed and that he replied that he had no room for prisoners and in consequence of this they were slain.
"On the day following this event Fremont returned to Sonoma and I learned from one of the Americans who accompanied him, and who spoke Spanish, that one of the persons killed at San Rafael was my father. I sought the first opportunity to question him (Fremont) about the matter, and whilst he was standing in front of the room in which I was a prisoner, I and my two brothers spoke to him and questioned him who it was that killed my father, and he answered that it was not certain he was killed, but that it was a Mr. Castro. Shortly after- wards a soldier passed by with a serape belonging to my father and one of my brothers pointed him out. After being satisfied of this fact I requested Col. Fremont to be called and told him that from seeing the serape on one of his men that I believed my father had been killed by his orders and begged that he would do me the favor to have the article restored to me that I might give it to my mother. To this Col. Fremont replied that he could not order its restoration as the serape belonged to the soldier who had it, and then he retired without giving me any further reply. I then endeavored to obtain it from the soldier who asked me $25, for it, which I paid,
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and in this manner I obtained it. This history, sir, I think will be sufficient to give you an idea of the conduct pursued by Col. Fremont in the year 1846."
I remain your friend
Jose S. Berreyesa.
STATEMENT OF JASPER O'FARRELL, EsQ., IN REFERENCE TO THE ABOVE MENTIONED ACT
I was at San Rafael in June 1846 when the then Captain Fremont arrived at that mission with his troops. The second day after his arrival there was a boat landed three men at the mouth of the estero on Point San Pedro. As soon as they were descried by Fremont there were three men (of whom Kit Carson was one) detailed to meet them. They mounted their horses and after advancing about one hundred yards halted and Carson returned to where Fremont was standing on the corridor of the mission, in company with Gillespie, myself, and others, and said: "Captain shall I take these men prisoners?" In response Fremont waved his hand and said: "I have got no room for prisoners." They then advanced to within fifty yards of the three unfortunate and un- armed Californians, alighted from their horses, and delib- erately shot them. One of them was an old and respected Californian, Don Jose R. Berreyesa, whose son was the alcalde of Sonoma. The other two were twin brothers and sons of Don Francisco de Haro, a citizen of the Pueblo of Yerba Buena. I saw Carson some two years ago and spoke to him of this act and he assured me that then and since he regretted to be compelled to shoot those men, but Fremont was blood-thirsty enough to order otherwise, and he further remarked that it was not the only brutal act he was compelled to commit while under his command.
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"I should not have taken the trouble of making this public but that the veracity of a pamphlet published by C. E. Pickett, Esq., in which he mentions the circumstance has been questioned-a history which I am compelled to say is, alas, too true-and from having seen a circular ad- dressed to the native Californians by Fremont, or some of his friends, calling on them to rally to his support, I therefore give the above act publicity, so as to exhibit some of that warrior's tender mercies and chivalrous exploits, and must say that I feel degraded in soiling paper with the name of a man whom, for that act, I must always look upon with contempt and consider as a murderer and a coward."
(Signed) Jasper O'Farrell.
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THE BEGINNINGS OF SAN FRANCISCO
APPENDIX E
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The San Francisco fire of 1906 destroyed the Spanish Archives of California, consisting of perhaps three hundred thousand documents, forming the records of California under Spanish and Mexican rule. That part of the archives constituting the land titles of California was saved by reason of the expedientes being kept in a large iron safe which withstood the heat of the fire, and while badly baked and sweated the papers were found legible when the safe was opened some three months later. The other papers consisting of royal proclamations military reports, mission reports, court proceedings, journals, diaries, correspondence, and all the multitudi- nous documents relating to the details of government, had been collected by the United States authorities and placed in custody of the United States surveyor-general for California. The loss is very great though not neces- sarily irreparable, for under the system of Spain which was followed by Mexico, a number of certified copies of each report, order, etc., were made, and these copies may be found in Mexico, in Madrid, in Seville, and in other places. They have found their way into the British museum and into various libraries of the United States. When making his history of California Mr. H. H. Ban- croft put a number of men at work on these manuscripts and took from them such memoranda as he desired to use in his study. He did not make copies, save in a few instances, nor are his extracts more valuable, as he claims, for historical purposes than the originals. In 1858 Congress passed an act authorizing the collection of all papers, documents, books, etc, of every description
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belonging or pertaining to the former government of Cali- fornia, appointed the United States surveyor-general for California custodian, and made it the duty of the secre- tary of the interior to collect said documents wherever they might be found and place them with the custodian. Under this law Edwin M. Stanton, afterwards secretary of war, collected the manuscripts and bound the mis- cellaneous or historical documents in two hundred and seventy-four volumes, classified as Department Records, Department State Papers, Provincial State Papers, etc., titles having no meaning whatsoever, for the papers were jumbled together without regard to date or character. For a number of years I spent all my spare time delving into this mine of historical information and some of my most valuable and interesting records have come from it.
From this storehouse comes the story of Anza's great expedition for the founding of San Francisco. From it I have also obtained a complete census (padron) of Cali- fornia in the year 1790, as well as padrones of the various presidios, missions, pueblos, and ranchos from 1781 to 1845. These census lists together with the filiaciones, hojas de servicio, and mission registers have enabled me to give the origin and family record of the first settlers of California, thereby making the narrative of this history somewhat more personal and interesting than it would otherwise be.
The greatest source of historical information is the Bancroft collection, now belonging to the University of California. This has been pretty fairly described in Bancroft's history and through the courtesy of Mr. Frederick J. Teggart, the curator, I have made extensive use of it. The mission registers (Libro de Misiones) are, in most instances, in the possession of the parish priests- successors of the missionaries. I have made a complete transcript of the registers of births, marriages, and deaths,
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(de razon) of the mission of San Francisco from 1776 to 1850, the mission of San Francisco Solano, and those of Santa Clara and Santa Barbara, following the lines of San Francisco families.
The most interesting and valuable of the documents, not yet printed, are the diaries of the two expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza. Anza's diary of 1774 is in the archives of Mexico; that of 1775-76, was in the archives of California-copies of both are in the Bancroft library. The diary of Pedro Font (borrador) is in the Academy of Pacific Coast History, and Font's full diary or report is in the John Carter Brown library at Providence, R. I., a certified copy of which, comprising six hundred and seventy pages (MS.) is in my possession.
For the account of the discovery and first attempt at settlement of California, we must go back to Bernal Diaz del Castillo's "Historia Verdadera de la Conquista." Diaz was born in Medino del Campo about 1498; died in Guatemala about 1593. He accompanied Pedrarias to Darien in 1514, and thence crossed to Cuba; was with Córdoba in the discovery of Yucatan in 1517, and with Grijalva in 1518; he subsequently joined Cortes and served through the conquest of Mexico, and accompanied Alvarado to Guatemala in 1524. In all these campaigns he was a common soldier, though he subsequently became a captain. He began writing his history in 1558, at San- tiago de los Cabelleros in Guatemala. It was first pub- lished in Madrid in 1632, and has remained a standard historical authority for the conquest of Mexico.
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