José de los Reyes Berryessa facts for kids

José de los Reyes Berreyesa (born January 6, 1785) was an important person in early California history. He was born at Mission Santa Clara de Asís when California was part of New Spain, which was ruled by Spain.

He was the third child in his family. José later became an army sergeant at the Presidio of San Francisco, a Spanish military fort.

In 1805, he married María Zacarias Bernal. They had 13 children together. In 1834, their family moved to the Almaden Valley in what is now Santa Clara County, California. There, they began farming and living on the land.

Rancho San Vicente: A Special Land Grant

In 1842, José de los Reyes Berreyesa received a special gift from Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. It was a land grant for the land he had been farming. This land was called Rancho San Vicente. It was about 4,438 acres (18 square kilometers) and was located in the southern part of Almaden Valley.

This land grant included rocky hills. In 1844–1845, a valuable mineral called cinnabar was found there. Cinnabar is a rock that contains mercury, sometimes called "quicksilver."

This discovery led to the opening of the New Almaden quicksilver mine in 1846. Mercury was very important for mining gold and silver. It was especially needed after the California Gold Rush began in 1848. Other people also claimed parts of the land where the mercury was found, leading to disagreements.

The Bear Flag Revolt and a Sad Event

In 1846, a big event called the Bear Flag Revolt happened in California. During this time, three of José de los Reyes Berreyesa's sons were put in prison by John C. Frémont in Sonoma, California. One of his sons, José de los Santos Berreyesa, was a local leader called an alcalde (like a mayor).

José de los Reyes Berreyesa, who was 61 years old, went to see his sons. He traveled with two of his cousins. After they arrived in San Rafael, California, the three men were shot and killed by some of Frémont's soldiers, including Kit Carson. Their belongings were taken.

When José de los Santos Berreyesa asked about his father, Frémont did not directly answer. A soldier was later seen wearing his father's special blanket, called a serape. Frémont would not help the sons get the serape back. The brothers had to pay $25 to buy it from the soldier.

Later, Kit Carson said he was sorry for what happened. He explained that Frémont had ordered him to do it.