Francisco María Castro
Encyclopedia
Francisco María Castro was a landowner in an area of Alta California
which later became part of Contra Costa County, California
.
Francisco María Castro was the third son of Joaquin Ysidro de Castro, one of the founding settlers of the Pueblo of San José
and Maria Marina Botiller. He had come as a boy with his family to California from Mexico with the De Anza Expedition in 1775. His brother José Mariano Castro (1765-1828) was the grantee of Rancho Las Animas
; his brother Carlos Antonio Castro (b.1775) was the grantee of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas
; and his brother José Joaquín Castro (1768-1838) was the grantee of Rancho San Andrés
.
Castro was a corporal in the artillery company of Presidio of San Francisco
. He married María Gabriela Berreyesa
(1780-1851) of the Berreyesa family
on February 16, 1795. The two made their home in San José and produced thirteen offspring between 1796 and 1824. After serving as alcalde and in other public offices, Castro was granted Rancho San Pablo
in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello
. The land had previously been grazing land for cattle belonging to the Mission San Francisco de Asís
, but was secularized by the new Mexican republic. He and his family moved to the rancho some time after 1824. He died in 1831 at San Pablo
. His sons Víctor Castro
and Juan José Castro were the grantees of Rancho El Sobrante
in 1841.
Castro Street, Castro Creek
, the Castro Rocks
, Castro Point
, Castro Cove
and Castro Ranch Road in Richmond
are named after his family.
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
which later became part of Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
.
Francisco María Castro was the third son of Joaquin Ysidro de Castro, one of the founding settlers of the Pueblo of San José
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and Maria Marina Botiller. He had come as a boy with his family to California from Mexico with the De Anza Expedition in 1775. His brother José Mariano Castro (1765-1828) was the grantee of Rancho Las Animas
Rancho Las Animas
Rancho Las Animas was a Spanish land concession in present day Santa Clara County given in 1802 by Viceroy Félix Berenguer de Marquina to José Mariano Castro. The rancho was regranted in 1835 to Castro's widow Josefa Romero de Castro by Mexican Governor José Figueroa...
; his brother Carlos Antonio Castro (b.1775) was the grantee of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas
Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas
Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Carlos Antonio Castro...
; and his brother José Joaquín Castro (1768-1838) was the grantee of Rancho San Andrés
Rancho San Andrés
Rancho San Andrés was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Joaquín Castro. The grant on Monterey Bay extended from La Selva Beach on the north to Watsonville Slough on the south...
.
Castro was a corporal in the artillery company of Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
. He married María Gabriela Berreyesa
María Gabriela Berreyesa Castro
María Gabriela Berrelleza was born November 26, 1780, and christened the same day at Mission Santa Clara de Asís in upper Las Californias, near present day San José . She was the first child of the family of María Gertrudis Peralta and Nicholas Antonio Berrelleza...
(1780-1851) of the Berreyesa family
Berreyesa family
The Berreyesa family was a substantial clan of Basque-heritage Spanish-speaking settlers in early Northern California who held extensive land in the greater San Francisco Bay Area...
on February 16, 1795. The two made their home in San José and produced thirteen offspring between 1796 and 1824. After serving as alcalde and in other public offices, Castro was granted Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo was a land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello to Francisco María Castro , a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José. The grant was reconfirmed by Governor José...
in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello
Luis Antonio Argüello
Luis Antonio Argüello was the first native governor of Alta California from 1822 to 1825, during the period California was under Mexican rule, twelfth overall. He was the only governor to serve under the Mexican empire, and the first native Californian to hold that office...
. The land had previously been grazing land for cattle belonging to the Mission San Francisco de Asís
Mission San Francisco de Asís
Mission San Francisco de Asís, or Mission Dolores, is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco and the sixth religious settlement established as part of the California chain of missions...
, but was secularized by the new Mexican republic. He and his family moved to the rancho some time after 1824. He died in 1831 at San Pablo
San Pablo, California
San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city of Richmond surrounds nearly the whole city. The population was 29,139 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor is Paul V. Morris, and the current Vice Mayor is Cecilia Valdez. Current Councilmembers include Arturo M....
. His sons Víctor Castro
Víctor Castro
Víctor Ramón Castro was a landowner in an area of Alta California which later became part of Contra Costa County, California.Víctor Castro was the son of Francisco María Castro, a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio, one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José, and grantee of Rancho San...
and Juan José Castro were the grantees of Rancho El Sobrante
Rancho El Sobrante
Rancho El Sobrante was a Mexican land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Juan Jose Castro and Victor Castro...
in 1841.
Castro Street, Castro Creek
Castro Creek
Castro Creek is a creek in Richmond, California in the western part of the city adjacent to the Chevron Oil Refinery. Wildcat Creek drains into it directly and though other Wildcat Marsh tributaries into Castro Cove of San Pablo Bay...
, the Castro Rocks
Castro Rocks
Castro Rocks are several rocks in Richmond, California protruding from the waters San Francisco Bay between Castro Point and Red Rock Island.The rocks lie almost directly under the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge ....
, Castro Point
Castro Point
Castro Point is a cape in western Richmond, California, United States.-History:Castro Point was once the east shore landing for the Richmond-San Rafael Car and Passenger Ferry that crossed the San Pablo Bay. It was also the western terminal for the East Shore and Suburban Railway connecting trains...
, Castro Cove
Castro Cove
Castro Cove is an embayment of the San Pablo Bay in Richmond, California between Point San Pablo and the confluence of Wildcat Creek into Castro Creek.-Overview:...
and Castro Ranch Road in Richmond
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
are named after his family.