John Reed (early Californian) facts for kids

John Thomas Reed (born 1805 in Dublin, Ireland; died 1843 in California) was an important early European settler in California. He was given a large piece of land called Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio, which is now part of Marin County, California.

Early Life and Moving to California

John Reed was born in Ireland in 1805. When he was about 15 years old, in 1820, he traveled to Acapulco, Mexico. He went there to ask for a "land grant," which was a way for the government to give large areas of land to people.

In 1826, Reed arrived in Yerba Buena. This place was later renamed San Francisco. While he waited for his land grant to be approved, he started a ferry service. He used a sailboat to carry people and goods across San Francisco Bay.

Building a New Life

In 1834, the governor of Alta California, José Figueroa, officially gave Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio to John Reed. This large land grant included what is now southern Corte Madera. It also covered the Tiburon Peninsula and Strawberry Point.

A big part of the Tiburon peninsula is now known as Ring Mountain. This area is mostly public land and is home to many different native plants and animals.

John Reed built the very first sawmill in Marin County in 1834. This mill cut wood that was used for the San Francisco Presidio. The Presidio was a military fort.

Besides the sawmill, Reed also raised cattle and horses on his ranch. He had a brickyard, where bricks were made, and a stone quarry, where stone was dug out. He also traded in hunted animals, animal skins, and animal fat (tallow) until he passed away in 1843.

Family Life

In 1836, John Reed married Hilaria Sánchez. She was born in 1817 and passed away in 1872. Hilaria was the daughter of the leader of the Presidio. Her brothers, Francisco Sanchez and José de la Cruz Sánchez, were also important local leaders.

John and Hilaria Reed had four children together:

• John Joseph (1837–1899), who married Carlotta Saurez.
• Hilarita (1839–1908), who married Benjamin Lyford.
• Maria Inez, who married Thomas Boileau Deffebach.
• Ricardo, who sadly died as a child.

After John Reed's death in 1843, Hilaria Sanchez married Bernardino Garcia.