Francisco Guerrero (1811 - 1851)

Born 1811 in Tepic, New Spain (colonial Mexico)

Husband of Josefa Silveria (de Haro) Denniston — married 1841 in Yerba Buena, Alta California, Mexico

Died 13 Jul 1851 at about age 40 in San Francisco, California

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Biography

Guerrero was born in Tepic, New Spain (colonial México). He came to Alta California with the Hijar-Padres Colony in 1834, and settled in Yerba Buena (San Francisco). He was married to Josefa De Haro (daughter of Alcalde Francisco De Haro), and had five sons.

He was the third Alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (old San Francisco) in 1836. Guerrero served again as the sixth Alcalde in 1839.

In 1844 he was granted Rancho Corral de Tierra, located in present day San Mateo County, California. A section of the land grant is now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Francisco Guerrero was murdered in 1851 by Francis LeBras, in American San Francisco. He is buried at the Mission Dolores cemetery in the City.

Guerrero Street in San Francisco is named in his honor.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Guerrero_(politician)

On 16 Oct1839 the Governor "ad interim," Manuel Jimeno, granted Francisco 7766 acres [one square league] along the Pacific Ocean with Montara Mountain to the north, the first ridge of the coastal range to the east and El Arroyo de en Medio [in the middle, the place where cattle were rounded up for the annual rodeo] to the south. This grant was approved by the Departmental Assembly on May 22, 1840. Additional land was granted on 1 May 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena and approved by the assembly 12 Jul 1845. This stretch of land near Pillar Point was called El Corral de Tierra. The name perhaps reflected the way the hills seemed to encircle it to form a great natural corral of earth, or perhaps the fact that the point itself was used as a corral by simply fencing off its narrow neck."(5) Only half of El Corral de Tierra was granted to Francisco, the other half went to Tibucio Vasquez.

Francisco did not live on his land, his home was in San Francisco near Mission Dolores.(6) Even when many Mexican land grant holders fled San Francisco to live on their grants during the Mexican American War, Francisco and his family remained in San Francisco.

Francisco died on 13 Jul 1851 at the age of 40. The cause of death was a fractured skull caused by being beaten with a slungshot (bag of shot) by Francis LeBras, a Frenchman.(7) LeBras was acquitted perhaps on the urging of others who had feared the testimony of Guerrero regarding land grants. The attack was investigated by a Vigilante Committee and in newspapers. A Coroner's inquest was held on the 14 thru 16 Jul 1851. The site of the murder was the corner of Twelfth and Mission streets. In 1906 the first station of the Ocean Shore Railroad connecting San Francisco to the old coastal lands of the Guerrero Rancho was constructed on the same site.

Francisco Guerrero and Maria Josefa Silvera De Haro (see De Haro) were married on 4 Sep 1841 at Mission Dolores (9) and had the following children

Agustin (Hipolito) Guerrero, born 13 Aug 1842 and died 7 Jan 1882. Julian Emeterio Guerrero was born on 16 Feb 1844 and died 18 Mar 1844. Nicolas Ramon Guerrero was born on 10 Aug 1846 and died in Jun 1848. Victoriano William Guerrero, born abt 23 Dec 1848 and died 29 Aug 1928. Francisco Macedonio Guerrero was born on 12 Sep 1851and died in Feb 1853.

Source: San Mateo County Genealogy Blog - http://smcgs.blogspot.com/2015/12/smc-families-guerrero.html

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Guerrero_(politician)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Corral_de_Tierra_(Palomares)

• https://www.mistersf.com/etcetera/index.html?etcmayors.htm

• http://smcgs.blogspot.com/2015/12/smc-families-guerrero.html

• Californio Society - California in Transition, 1780-1880. Californios, elite families that received large land grants from Spain and Mexico, flourished during the 1830s to 1880s. The hand-drawn diseño maps underscore their vital connection to land ownership. The more formal surveyed maps that followed US acquisition of California show changing values regarding land ownership. As Californios lost land and power in the late 19th century, they tried to adapt to these changes by using social networks to maintain their identities as elites. The formal portraits were one way to bolster this image. Photographs of the Ramona Pageant from the 1950s testify to the mythologizing of California's Mexican and Spanish pastoral heritage less than 100 years later. https://calisphere.org/exhibitions/6/californio-society/

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42876853/francisco-guerrero: accessed February 13, 2024), memorial page for Francisco Guerrero (1811–13 Jul 1851), Find A Grave: Memorial #42876853, citing Mission Dolores Cemetery, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.