USA > California > Alameda County > The centennial year book of Alameda County, California : containing a summary of the discovery and settlement of California, a description of the Contra Costa under Spanish, Mexican, and American rule, biographical sketches of prominent pioneers and public men > Part 4
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In 1834 the missions throughout the province had reached the zenith of their prosperity. Then San José had 2,300 Indians, to Santa Clara's 1,800, and San Francisco's 500. The number of ani- mals had also wonderfully increased. San José had 24,000 horned cattle, to Santa Clara's 13,000, and San Francisco's 5,000. In horses and mules, San José had 1,100, to Santa Clara's 1,200, and San Francisco's 1,600. In sheep, goats, and hogs, San José had 19,000, Santa Clara 15,000, and San Francisco 4,000. The harvest consisted of 10,000 bushels of wheat, maize, etc., in San José; 6,000 in Santa Clara, and 2,500 in San Francisco ; but it must be remembered that the latter's stock was mostly fed, and its crops raised, on this side of the bay, as sand was not a very productive soil.
We have no record of the number of cattle slaughtered, hides sold, or of the soap, leather, wine, brandy, wool, oil, cotton, hemp, linen, tobacco, salt and soda, that were raised and manufactured in connection with each of the missions, but we have no doubt that this one contributed largely to the general product. In the course
23
UNDER SPANISH RULE.
of a very few years it had an excellent orchard, of which, however, only a few pear trees, which are of a very large size, now remain.
Besides the lands of the missions, which were usually many leagues in extent, there were also farms for the soldiers of the presidios.
During the Spanish possession but few private ranchos had been established, and civilized people were only to be found at the mis- sions, the four presidios, and three pueblos of San José, Los Angeles and Santa Cruz.
It is impossible to give successfully the names of the Fathers who had charge of the mission in this county, but it is of no great importance. It has been shown that Friars Ysidro Barcinallo and Augustin Merin had charge of it at the start. The other Fathers, of whom it has been possible to procure any account, are Narcisco Durant, Ventura Fortuni, Lorenzo Keifus, Rafael Muro, Maria Real, and Father Gonzales. Only two of them were engaged in conduct- ing the affairs of the mission at one time, and they mostly continued many years together. Father Narcisco came to the mission in 1827; Father Muro was there at the time of secularization, in 1835, and so was Father Gonzales. For some time the mission was without a regular pastor, and Father Real, of Santa Clara, took charge of it.
The final fate of the mission will be considered and explained in its appropriate place, under the heading of Mexican Rule.
Elsewhere allusion is made to the foundation of the villa of Bran- ciforte, at Santa Cruz. Since it was written, the author has been favored with a copy of the following instructions for its management, which have recently been translated by a gentleman of Santa Cruz, and published in a local paper, and will be of interest to the readers of this work in connection with the other matters touched upon re- lating to the Spanish regime. That the rules prescribed were intended for the management of the Indians is evident ; but the blending of civic and ecclesiastical functions in the hands of the Governor is very apparent, and the dictum arbitrary. But then we must consider the system in force and the class to be dealt with :
Instructions to be observed by the Commissioner in charge of the Vil- lage of Branciforte, for the government and direction of
its inhabitants.
ARTICLE 1.
His first care shall be to maintain peace, good will and harmony among the colonists, and be vigilant in having good order.
24
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY.
Living in adultery, gaming and drunkenness will not be allowed, and he who commits such vices shall be punished, as also he who fails to appear and do duty upon the public works when ordered.
ARTICLE 2.
He will oblige all persons to attend the celebration of Mass on the days fixed by the law of the church, and to make responses in a loud voice ; and if any person should fail to observe the above, without good cause, they will be put in the stocks for three hours.
ARTICLE 3.
During the time of Easter, all persons will be careful to comply with its annual observance, and he will remit to the Governor a cer- tificate of their having done so.
ARTICLE 4.
He will not permit the actual colonist nor a sojourner to traffic with or trade with any Indian, male or female, of the mission, and much less to have illicit intercourse with them. And to this end he will prohibit going to their wigwams, whether at night or in the day- time. This rule must be scrupulously observed.
ARTICLE 5.
Whatever individual wishing to become a colonist must have pre- sented to me some person who will vouch for his condition and abil- ity, and I will order that he have leave to settle, and will indi- cate the suertes (a suerte is about ten acres) of land that shall be given to him.
ARTICLE 6.
No colonist or sojourner shall depart from the village for the pur- pose of settling at some place that is populated, without first procur- ing my permission to do so.
ARTICLE 7.
The Commissioner will exercise the greatest care to prevent leth- argy among the colonists, and also sojourners, causing them all to la- bor and to sow and cultivate the lands that have been given to them. And he will provide me with a list of the names of those who have sowed and harvested annually, and at the proper time inform me how they are getting along.
ARTICLE 8.
He will notify the Governor what lands are unoccupied up to this
TYCH HOTEL
EURANT
A MISSION CHURCH AND BUILDING.
25
UNDER SPANISH RULE.
date, how much is agricultural and how much pasture land belonging to the village, and how much of the land is useful for both purposes, and the reasons why such are not occupied.
PABLO VAZENTE DE SOLA.
CHAPTER VII.
SOLDIERS AND CITIZENS.
Under this heading will be considered the military and civil ad- ministration of the early affairs of the territory. In the Contra Costa was neither presidio (garrison) nor pueblo (town), but San Francisco supplied the former immediately to the west of us, and San José the other immediately to the south of us. As from those two sources came directly our first population of European origin, this history would not be complete without some reference to them, and a short chapter shall therefore be devoted to their description.
The whole military force in Upper California, in its early days, numbered no more than 200 or 300 men. It was divided between the four presidios of San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco. There were but two towns or pueblos-Los Angeles and San José. Subsequently another was started near Santa Cruz, which was known as the Branciforte, so named after a Spanish Vice- roy. There is danger of the Mission of San José and the town of San José being confounded as one and the same place, which would be an error, as they were several leagues apart. As may be sup- posed, the garrisons were not kept in a very efficient condition. All around them betokened the disuse of arms and the absence of an enemy, for many years. The cannon of the Presidio of San Fran- cisco was covered with mould, and within the military enclosure was found a goodly number of women and children. The men were mostly away, looking after the Indians and performing the police duties of the missions. The soldiers of San Francisco District were divided in three squads-one at the Presidio, one at Santa Clara Mis- sion, and one at the Mission of San José. Here is copied from the Spanish archives, in San Francisco, a list of the soldiers connected with the Presidio in the year 1790, in which are found the names, positions, nativity, color, race, age, etc., of the soldiers, as well as those of their wives, when married. That year the soldiers num-
26
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY.
bered thirty-eight. Nasario Galinda, brother-in-law of Antonio Peralta, states that he once held the position of sergeant in this army, and had under his command, at the Mission of San José, fifteen men.
As among these people are found some of the first occupants of our soil, it is right to here produce the names of that little band of adventurous men, and show some of the present native population their pedigrees :
NAMES OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO, WITH THEIR WIVES, IN 1790.
Don Josef Arguello, commandant, age 39.
Don Ramon Laro de la Neda, Alferez de Campo, age 34.
Pedro Amador, sergeant, Spaniard, from Guadalaxara, age 51; wife, Ramona Noreiga, Spanish, aged 30; 7 children. [These were the parents of José Maria Amador, born in San Francisco in 1781, and now 95 years of age, and to whom further reference will be made hereafter.]
Nicolas Galinda, mestizo, Durango, 42.
Majio Chavoya, City of Mexico, 34; wife, a Bernal.
Miguel Pacheco, 36 ; wife, a Sanches.
Luis Maria Peralta, Spaniard, Sonora, 32; wife, Maria Loretto Alviso, 19.
Justo Altamirano, mulatto, Sonora, 45.
Ygnacio Limaxes, Sonora, 49 ; wife, Maria Gertruda Rivas, Span- iard, 38.
Ygnacio Soto, 41 ; wife, Barbara Espinosa.
Juan Bernal, mestizo, Sonora, 53; wife, Maxima I. de Soto.
Jph. Maria Martinez, Sonora, 35 ; wife, Maria Garcia, mulatto, 18. Salvado Iguera, L. C., 38 ; wife, Alexa Miranda, Sonora, 38.
Nicolas Berryessa, mestizo, 25 ; wife, Maria Gertrudis Peralta, 24. Pedro Peralta, Sonora, 26 ; wife, Maria Carmen Grisalva, 19.
Ygnacio Pacheco, Sonora, 30; wife, Maria Dolores Cantua, mestizo, age 16.
Francisco Bernal, Sinaloa, 27 ; wife, Maria Petrona, Indian, 29. Bartolo Pacheco, Sonora, 25 ; wife, Maria Francisco Soto, 18. Apolinario Bernal, Sonora, 25.
Joaquin Bernal, Sonora, 28 ; wife, Josefa Sanchez, 21. Josef Aceva, Durango, 26.
Manuel Boranda, Guadalaxara, 40 ; wife, Gertrudis Higuera, 13.
Francisco Valencia, Sonora, 22; wife, Maria Victoria Higuera, 15.
27
UNDER SPANISH RULE.
Josef Antonio Sanchez, Guadalaxara, 39 ; wife, Maria Dolora Mox ales, 34.
Josef Ortiz, Guadalaxara, 23.
Josef Aguila, Guadalaxara, 22 ; wife, Conellaria Remixa, 14.
Alexandro Avisto, Durango, 23.
Juan Josef Higuera, Sonora, 20.
Francisco Flores, Guadalaxara, 20.
Josef Maria Castilla, Guadalaxara, 19.
Ygnacio Higuera, Sonora, 23; wife, Maria Micaelo Bojorques, 28. Ramon Linare, Sonora, 19.
Josef Miguel Saens, Sonora, 18.
Carto Serviente, San Diego, Indian, 60. Augustin Xirviente, L. C., 20.
Nicolas Presidario, Indian, 40.
Gabriel Peralta, invalid, Sonora.
Manuel Vutron, invalid, Indian.
Ramon Bojorques, invalid, 98. Francisco Remero, invalid, 52.
A recapitulation shows that the inmates of the Presidio consisted altogether, men, women and children, soldiers and civilians, of 144 persons. There were 38 soldiers and 3 laborers. Of these, 1 was a European, other than Spanish, 78 Spaniards, 5 Indians, 2 mulat- toes, and of other casts, 44. The document was signed by Pedro Beno Cambon.
Under date of 1793, was discovered an inventory of the rich men of the Presidio, showing that Pedro Amador was the proprietor of 13 head of stock and 52 sheep ; Nicolas Galinda, 10 head of stock ; Luis Peralta, 2 head of stock ; Manuel Boranda, 3 head of stock ; Juan Bernal, 23 head of stock and 246 sheep; Salvador Youere, 3 head of stock ; Aleso Miranda, 15 head of stock ; Pedro Peralta, 2 head of stock ; Francisco Bernal, 16 head of stock ; Barthol Pacheco, 7 head of stock ; Joaquin Bernal, 8 head of stock ; Francisco Valen- cia, 2 head of stock ; Berancia Galindo, 6 head of stock ; Hermeneo Sal (who appears to have been a secretary or something besides a soldier), 5 head of stock and 3 mares. Adding up, we find that they had between them 115 head of stock, 298 sheep and 17 mares. These men were evidently bent on ranching, and consequently, we find the names of nearly every family of them occupying lands on the Contra Costa to-day, having received large grants from the Spanish and Mexican Government at a later date. To think of what some of
28
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY.
these families have gained and lost in so short a time! The grant to Luis Peralta, whose name is third on this list, comprised within its ample acres the City of Oakland, and the towns of Alameda and Berkeley, and time will probably prove that it was one of the most valuable grants ever made to a single individual, although its worth was then far from being appreciated ; nor could its future value be possibly anticipated, for gold had not been discovered at Coloma.
ADULT MALE RESIDENTS OF THE PUEBLO OR TOWN OF SAN JOSE DE
GUADALUPE, ACCORDING TO A RETURN MADE IN 1790.
Antonio Romero, Ygnacio Archuleta, Claudis Alviris, Manuel Gonzales, Bernardo Rozales, Manuel Armaquita, Tiburcio Vasquez, Francisco Avilla, Balenio Meza, Leferino Lugo, Joaquin Castro, Antonio Alegre, Pedro Bojorques, Antonio Aceber, Nazario Jaero, Pedro Carguelas, Miguel Ojuno, Pedro Luis Nervo. The occupa- tions of these persons were as follows: Farm workers or labradors, 17; artizans, 1. According to race there were 1 European, 12 Spaniards, 3 Indians, 2 mulattoes, and of other castes, 11. The whole popu- lation of the Pueblo consisted of 32 men, 15 women, 15 boys, and 16 girls ; in all, 78 souls.
The most conspicuous name among those mentioned is that of Vasques, being the same exactly as that of the notorious highway- man who was executed in San José, in 1865. The name was numer- ous, and there was a Tiburcio Vasquez in San Francisco in 1842, when a census was made, and also in 1848. But, no doubt, the San José family is the one from which the notorious outlaw sprung.
For the purpose of comparison, a memoranda is here also presented of the population of the only other puebla in the territory, Los Angeles, in 1793. The inhabitants of the place then, all told, was 151; of these 3 were Europeans, 46 Spaniards, 27 mestizos, 11 Indians, and 64 mulattoes. Until the American conquest these were the two principal towns in the State, and at present they are very flourishing, having a population of about 15,000 each. But the change is a remarkable one. American and European enterprise and industry have given them an impetus which they are not likely to lose for many years to come.
In the search among those well-preserved and beautifully-written old documents, the author discovered, under date of 1797, a letter of Luis Peralta, dated at Santa Clara and addressed to the Governor, requesting him to have Bernandio Galinda (a wounded soldier) re-
29
UNDER SPANISH RULE.
moved to Monterey for the treatment of his injuries, as there was no medical assistance to be had where he then was. It is in a good, plain hand. Another letter, of the same period, was from Gabriel Moraga to the Governor at Monterey, recommending that the site of the pueblo be removed to the other side of the river, as where origin- ally established it was too low; and it was so removed. After this soldier (by rank a lieutenant), who was the first to take possession of the site of San Francisco, in 1776, and who, subsequently, explored and named the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, is called the handsome valley in the Contra Costa Range, a few miles northeast from Oakland, and where his descendants now reside.
30
. HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY.
HOME SCHOOL
FOR
YOUNG LADIES,
OAKLAND, CAL.
MISS H. N. FIELD, Principal.
DEPARTMENTS : English and Classical, Ancient and Modern Languages, Drawing and Painting, Vocal and Instrumental Music, and Physical Culture.
It is the desire of the Principal to combine, as far as possible, the influ- ence of home with thorough and practical training in the different branches of education. To secure this object, a limited number of Boarding Pupils will be received, and each will be under the immediate super- vision of the Principal.
WM. G. DINSMORE'S DRUG STORE,
(Proprietor Celebrated " MOZART " brand Cigars,)
1059 BROADWAY, DEALER IN
OAKLAND, CAL.
DRUGS, MEDICINES, CHEMICALS,
TOILET AND FANCY ARTICLES,
Patent Medicines,
BRUSHES, SOAPS, PERFUMERY.
Prescriptions Carefully Compounded at all hours, Day or Night A FULL ASSORTMENT OF
HUMPHREY'S HOMEOPATHIC SPECIFICS.
LUBIN'S AND GOSNELL'S TOILET GOODS.
UNDER MEXICAN RULE.
CHAPTER VIII.
SPANISH SUPREMACY OVERTHROWN - THE MISSION SYSTEM AT ITS HEIGHT, AND THEN ITS DESTRUCTION-THE FIRST OVERLAND AMERICAN ADVENTURER COMMUNICATING WITH FATHER
DURAN AT THE MISSION OF SAN JOSE.
In 1823 Mexico, after throwing off the Spanish yoke, and closing a short-lived monarchy under Iturbide, became an independent repub- lic. In 1810, 1813, and 1815 had the flag of revolt been unsuccess- fully raised. In 1820 it was again raised, but with better success. It was aided by a successful revolution in the mother country. Span- ish policy had deprived the natives of any share in the government. The development of the country was hampered. The severest restrictions were imposed upon the colony. The possession of gold was all that was cared for. All native industrial pursuits were for- bidden, and the manufacture and production of wine, flax, olives, etc., prohibited. To engage in any outside enterprise was a capital offense. Education was neglected, and revolt was justified.
General Santa Anna headed the revolution of 1823, and dethroned Iturbide, who had taken the title of Augustin I. He formed a pro- visional government and provided a constitution fashioned after that of the United States. The country was divided into nineteen states and four territories. The two Californias formed one territory, with a voice in Congress, but no vote. The office of Commandant of Cal- ifornia remained as before ; and the Governor, Don Pablo de Sola, continued to be the Executive of the Province for a short time.
After him, Don Luis Arguello, a Californian by birth, became Governor ad interim. Don José Noriega was sent to the Mexican Congress to represent California ; but, as he was by birth a Spaniard, he was rejected. Arguello was never formally appointed Governor, and was succeeded by Don José Maria Echandia, the first regular
32
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY.
Governor under the Republic. This man was opposed to church gov- ernment and the continuance of the missions, with which he com- menced to meddle. Soon the Franciscans were to suffer the fate of the Jesuits. In 1826 instructions were forwarded by the Federal Government of Mexico to the Governor of California for the libera- tion of the Indians. This was followed, a few years later, by another act of the Legislature, ordering the whole of the missions to be secu- larized and "the Religious," meaning the friars, to be withdrawn. It was stated, that at first the missions were only intended as tem- porary expedients for civilizing the Indians and settling the country. The churches were to be placed under regular ecclesiastical control, with secular, or regular clergy, to administer their affairs and attend to the spiritual wants of the people, as now. In 1834 the act of Congress liberating the Indians from the missions was put in force, and Administrators were appointed to take charge of the property.
Then commenced the decline of those semi-civil, semi-religious in- stitutions, which appear to us now as phenomena of the past. The Administrators, it is alleged, instead of protecting, plundered. In eight years (1842) the Indians liberated declined from 30,650 to 4,450. The number of horned cattle fell from 424,000 to 28,220 ; the number of horses, mules, etc., from 62,500 to 3,800; sheep, goats and hogs from 321,500 to 31,600 ; and the production of grain, from 70,000 to 4,000 hectolitres.
At the Mission of San José the depletion was as follows : Indians in 1834, 2,300; in 1842, 400. Horned cattle, in 1834, 24,000; in 1842, 8,000. Horses, mules, etc., in 1834, 1,100; in 1842, 200. Sheep, goats and hogs, in 1834, 19,000 ; in 1842, 7,000; for the dif- ference in the production of grain there is no comparative statement. The friends of the missions (among whom is ranked Hon. J. W. Dwinelle, formerly of this county ) maintain that the proceeding was unjust and the result ruinous and demoralizing. They claim that the results obtained by the Fathers, whom they say were cultivated men-soldiers, engineers, artists, lawyers, and physicians-were won- derful. Others, such as the authors of the "Annals of San Fran- cisco," assert that the mission system was injurious ; that the Indians were left worse men and women than when they entered the missions; that the friars were ignorant men and held tyrannic sway over their savage vassals, while they grew rich and indolent. The student who cares to learn the truth of these things for himself, can find ample authorities for his enlightenment on the subject. It is the present
33
UNDER MEXICAN RULE.
author's business simply to cite facts-not to draw conclusions; which most readers, after all, will do, according to pre-conceived prejudices and opinions.
The Administrator appointed for the Mission of San José was José de Jesus Vallejo, elder brother of General and Ex-Governor G. M. Vallejo, and who yet resides there, enjoying the repose of old age, and troubling himself little about the affairs of the world, although of late years his once ample fortune has dwindled, like that of his compa- triots. Among the Mayor Domos who were employed to manage the lands, the crops, and the cattle, were José Maria Amador, and Luis Suñol, the former now residing in Santa Cruz County and the latter deceased. Both of these men have valleys named after them in this county.
Most of the mission lands finally fell into strange hands, the greater part of them having been secured by E. L. Beard, Esq., who re- sides at the Mission, and who possesses one of the most lovely places in the State.
The Indians soon dispersed after the Fathers were deprived of their power, and scattered over the surrounding country. A rem- nant of them is to be found in the Alameda Cañon and near Pleas- anton. These continue to visit the Mission once a year, on Good Friday, when they assemble more for a feast than a fast, and take great pleasure in assisting at the mock ceremony of " hanging Judas." They are a degraded set, and certainly could not possibly have been in a worse condition under the Fathers than they are now. They do some work on the neighboring ranches ; but they, too, are feeling ad- versely the presence of the Mongolian, and their labor is not prized as it used to be. They live in small huts, and wear away their lives in primitive simplicity and unrelieved obscurity.
Before closing with the Mission, it is necessary to remark that three different structures have at various times been placed on the site of the present church, owing to destruction and injury by earth- quakes. The last of these occurred on the 21st of October, 1868, when the country about here received the greatest shock it is known to have ever experienced. A drawing of the adobe building, show- ing its condition, was at the time made by Miss Carmelita Vallejo, who has kindly placed it at the author's disposal, and is here repro- duced in an engraving. The injured building was subsequently re- moved, and a wooden structure put up in its place. Some of the detached adobe outhouses yet remain standing. The old orchard
3
34
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY.
and the vineyard continue in charge of a person employed by the pastor of the church, and produce more or less revenue. But the general aspect of the place is changed, and a different class of men now worship and administer there. '
It would not be right to close this chapter without making allusion to, and narrating something of the history of one who may be called the last of the Mission Fathers. That is Father Maria Gonzales, a man who must yet be remembered by many persons in the southern part of the county ; by some with affection, by others with respect, and by none with ill-will.
This pious and exemplary person died at the Franciscan College, Santa Barbara, on the 3d of November, 1875. He was born in Guadalaxara, Mexico, and was about 72 years of age at the time of his death. He came to California from the Convent of Guadaloupe, and was a missionary at Old San José for many years. On the death of Bishop Garcia, the first Catholic Bishop of California, at Santa Barbara, in 1846, Father Gonzales, who was his Secretary, was made " Custodian of the Mitre" and Administrator of the Church and College property, and it remained under his management until 1850, when the vacant see was filled by the appointment of Bishop Alemany: He was Superior of the Franciscans on this coast, and con- tinued so until about three years before his demise. He was the oldest missionary in the country, having come to California in the palmy days of the missions, before confiscation and dispersion, and adhered to his post, even when compelled to depend for food and raiment on his former attendants. His missionary career lasted nearly two generations, and he exhibited many of the characteristics of a true apostle, feeding, clothing and instructing the savage, and making little account of his own personal necessities. More than once he was offered the Episcopacy, but ever declined, in his great humility, to be a bishop. He was a man entitled to be respected by all, irrespective of religious convictions, and, as the historian of his former field of labor, the author simply performs an act of justice by offering this slight but disinterested tribute to his memory. Virtue and goodness are of no particular creed, and adorn humanity. Father Gonzales was the relic of a system and of a body of men that have forever passed away, and for good or for evil controlled the destinies of this coast for the better part of a century. With their claims and controversies we have nothing to do. If we cannot espouse their cause, neither are we disposed to prejudice their lives.
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