Robert Livermore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 3 November 1799 Springfield,Essex, England |
| Died | 14 February 1858 (1858-02-15) (aged 58) |
| Citizenship | England, Mexico |
| Occupation | Rancher |
| Known for | Namesake ofLivermore, California |
| Spouse | Maria Josefa de Jesus Higuera Molina (1838–1858, ending in his death) |
Robert Thomas Livermore, also known asDon Roberto Livermore, (c. 3 November 1799[nb 1] – 14 February 1858) was an English-bornCalifornian ranchero. He emigrated toAlta California in 1822, eventually becoming a Mexican citizen and a prominent landowner in theBay Area.
He was born inSpringfield, Essex in England, to Robert Livermore and Mary Cudworth.[1] Livermore was astonemason's apprentice as a youth. At the age of 17, he decided to go to sea, joining the crew of an Englishmerchant ship. Arriving inBaltimore, Maryland, he enlisted in theUnited States Navy and traveled to South America. He subsequently was part ofLord Cochrane's crew in 1820 during thePeruvian War of Independence against Spain. After Peru, he signed on with an English trading ship bound for California.[1]
In 1822, hedeserted from his ship inSan Pedro, where he met another British ship-jumper - the ScotJohn Gilroy (namesake of the city ofGilroy).[2] At that time, there were only a handful of English-speakers inAlta California, and Livermore probably also met the AmericanJoseph John Chapman.
Livermore worked for a time atMission San Gabriel and then moved north, working as the mayordomo (ranch foreman) atRancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo ofJoaquín de la Torre, nearCastroville. On 20 June 1823, Robert was baptized at theMission Santa Clara into theCatholic faith, given the name Juan Bautista Roberto y José.[1][2] At about the same time, inMonterey, he requested and was given permission by GovernorPablo Vicente de Solá to remain in California.[2]
In 1834 Livermore and his business partnerJosé Noriega were keeping livestock atRancho Las Positas, where they also built an adobe. They purchased half of the land grant fromWilliam Gulnac in 1837, and officially received the grant in 1839[1] (technically, the land was granted toSalvio Pacheco and then sold to Livermore, as he was not a Mexican citizen[3]). The only other inhabitant of the area at the time, besides theOhlone, wasJosé Amador (his rancho was near the present city ofDublin), who received his land grant a short time earlier. Livermore and Amador both helped each other build their adobes.[4]
On 5 May 1838, Livermore married the widow Maria Josefa de Jesus Higuera Molina (1815–1879), daughter of Jose Loreto Higuera, grantee ofRancho Los Tularcitos, at theMission San José.[1] Josefa's grandfather, Ygnacio Higuera had been a member ofGaspar de Portolà's Expedition Sancta in 1769 and had accompaniedJuan Bautista de Anza in his expedition of 1775–76.[2] They first settled in theSunol Valley, but later moved to Las Positas, as he was making regular trips there to manage his rancho. Initially an adobe structure built by Livermore and Amador served as their house on the rancho. In 1850, a wooden two-story house was shipped aroundCape Horn and became the Livermores' new home. Later the adobe structure was rented toNathaniel Greene Patterson who used it as a small hotel, the first place of entertainment in the valley.[5]
The rancho's economy was based on cattle, hides, andtallow, as well as agriculture. Livermore planted the first wine grapes in the area and today, theLivermore Valley is one of California's premier wine-growing regions.[4][6]
Livermore studiously avoided involvement in politics, and all evidence indicates he got along well with both the Mexican and Anglo communities,[2] even becoming a Mexican citizen in 1844.[4] His only participation in the events surrounding the conquest of California was to help carry word from CommodoreJohn Drake Sloat toJohn C. Frémont atSutter's Fort that Monterey had been occupied by American forces, and that may have been partly motivated by the fact that Noriega had been captured during theBear Flag Revolt and was being held at Sutter's Fort.[2]
During theCalifornia Gold Rush, Livermore made no attempt to join the miners. Instead, in 1847 he and Noriega had purchasedRancho Cañada de Los Vaqueros and added it to their holdings.[2] Their lands were on the route from the southernSan Francisco Bay Area to the goldfields and so, a post office was established there in 1851, operating for two years.[1] He was known for his generosity and hospitality to passers-by, so much that the area became known as "Livermore's Valley".[7] WhenAlameda County, California, was formed in 1853, Livermore was appointed supervisor of roads in the county. In 1854 he purchased Noriega's half of Rancho Las Positas and deeded his half of Rancho Cañada de los Vaqueros to Noriega.[2]
When Livermore died in 1858, he left behind Maria Josefa and eight children. He was buried atMission San José, but his grave was "lost" for over 100 years. The1868 Hayward earthquake destroyed the church and it was replaced by a wooden structure. When that was torn down in 1981, workers discovered his original grave marker.[1]
The city ofLivermore, California is named after Livermore. Robert Livermore never lived there, butWilliam Mendenhall had met Livermore as part of Frémont's expedition, and he named it after him when Mendenhall founded the town in 1869.[1] The city is the site of theLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for which the 116th element of theperiodic table,livermorium, was named. Acultivar ofwalnut is also named 'Robert Livermore'.[8]
The Livermore Memorial Monument, located inPortola Park in Livermore, serves as a memorial. It is listed as aCalifornia Historical Landmark.[9]