Juan Moya | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1806 (1806) Presidio La Bahia (Goliad), Texas |
| Died | 1874 (aged 67–68) Goliad, Texas |
| Occupations | landowner andMexican army's captain |
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Juan Moya y Delgado (1806–1874) was aTejano landowner andMexican army captain who fought in theTexas Revolution. Moya and two of his sons were accused of murder and lynched.
Juan Moya was born around 1806 in thePresidio La Bahia (Goliad), Texas. His father was José Miguel Delgado and his two brothers are Pedro and Nepomuceno.[1] His family descended from the firstSpanish settlers who were from theCanary Islands and settled inSan Antonio de Béjar in 1731.
In 1795, Moya's father obtained land from the government inSan Patricio County and lived on Delgado's Ranch called Rancho San Miguel de Buena Virtud (later renamed to Rancho de Buena Vista). On November 26, 1831, José Miguel Delgado and his three sons obtained lands from the McMullen-McGloin Colony. Juan and his family stayed on the Rancho de Buena Vista. At this time, he was married to María Antonia Martinez and had a one-year-old son named Agustín.
On November 30, 1834, Moya got more land by the Power and Heweston Colony inBee County. InGoliad Juan Delgado (likely to be the same person as Juan Moya) was granted land as well. He and his family primarily stayed at their ranch in Bee County (which was known at the time as Rancho Moya - Spanish for: Moya Ranch). It was later renamed as the John Quincy Rancho after it was acquired by J.M. O'Brien.
Moya joined the Mexican Army during theTexas Revolution between 1835 and 1836 and served as captain in the Mexican Centralist Army. His ranch, Moya Rancho, was used both by the GeneralMartin Perfecto de Cos (who become it in his headquarter) and by GeneralVicente Filisola (who used it as his campside, following his withdrawal toMexico).
Ten years later, around 1846, Juan Moya, his wife and seven children decided to settle inVictoria County. He would occasionally return to Bee andGoliad during land title disputes arising from the Texas Revolution.
Moya and two of his sons Antonio and Marcelo were accused of murdering the Swift family who were nearby neighbors. They were imprisoned. On June 8, 1874, they were lynched by a group of people who believed them to be guilty of the crime. The Moya family cemetery is near Berclair, Goliad County, on the land of Juan Delgado.[1]
Following his death, Moya's Rancho was divided into two parcels. One was received by Lea Pryor[2][1] and the other half received by the Moya family. However, the family lost the most of their land in court battles. Moya's descendants still live inGoliad and in all the neighboring counties. In 1974 the family founded the Moya Association of Texas. It has about 2,000 members from seven states. The association's role is to commemorate the memory of the earlyCanarian community and of the first settlers and cattle ranchers of Texas. On September 10, 1982, GovernorWilliam P. Clements rewarded the family for retaining the Canarian culture, a unique aspect of Texas heritage.[1]