John Reed (early Californian)

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John Thomas Reed
Born1805
Dublin, Ireland
Died1843
Corte Madera, Alta California
Cause of deathBled to death
Known forBuilding a saw mill in Mill Valley

John Thomas Reed (born 1805, Dublin, Ireland; died 1843, California) was an early California European settler who was the grantee of Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio in what is now Marin County, California.[1]

Life[]

Reed went to Acapulco, Mexico in 1820 to apply for a land grant. In 1826, he arrived in Yerba Buena (later named San Francisco). While awaiting his land grant, he established a San Francisco Bay ferry service using a sailboat.[2]

In 1834, the governor of Alta California José Figueroa granted Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio to Reed. The grant encompassed what is now southern Corte Madera, the Tiburon Peninsula, and Strawberry Point.[3] A large central portion of the Tiburon peninsula is presently known as Ring Mountain, most of which is in public ownership and is habitat for a diverse set of native biota.[4]

Reed constructed the first sawmill in Marin County in 1834.[5] The mill cut wood for the San Francisco Presidio. He also raised cattle and horses and had a brickyard and stone quarry. Reed also did brisk businesses in hunting, skins, tallow, and other products until his death in 1843.[6][7][8]

Family[]

In 1836, John Reed married Hilaria Sánchez (1817–1872) who was the daughter of the commandant of the Presidio and the sister of alcaldes Francisco Sanchez and José de la Cruz Sánchez.[9][10] The four children of John and Hilaria Reed were: John Joseph (1837–1899) who married Carlotta Saurez; Hilarita (1839–1908) who married Benjamin Lyford (1841–1906); Maria Inez who married Thomas Boileau Deffebach (1822–1884); and Ricardo who died as a child. Hilaria Sanchez married Bernardino Garcia after Reed's death in 1843.[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Corte Madera, 2003
  2. ^ Hogle, Gene NAC Green Book of Pacific Coast Touring (1931) National Automobile Club p.41
  3. ^ Map of Marin County Ranchos Archived 2016-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Ring Mountain, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham
  5. ^ Marin County State Historical Landmarks, 2008
  6. ^ Corte Madera del Presidio (Corte de Madera del Presidio) Rancho
  7. ^ A Brief History of Mill Valley by Doris Bassett Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ History of early Mill Valley by Henri M. Boussy
  9. ^ San Francisco History Alcaldes & Mayors
  10. ^ San Francisco History. Seventy-five Years in San Francisco. Appendix H. The First San Francisco Directory. Mission Dolores
  11. ^ Heirs To Rancho Corte Madera Del Presidio
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