José de los Reyes Berreyesa
| José de los Reyes Berreyesa | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 6, 1785 Mission Santa Clara de Asís, Las Californias, Viceroyalty of New Spain |
| Died | June 28, 1846 Alta California, Mexico |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Children | José de los Santos Berreyesa |
José de los Reyes Berreyesa, also spelled Berrelleza (6 January 1785−28 June 1846), was born at Mission Santa Clara de Asís in Las Californias province of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain (colonial México).
He was the third child and first son in the family of María Gertrudis Peralta and Nicholas Antonio Berrelleza. He served as an army sergeant at El Presidio Real de San Francisco.
In 1805, he married María Zacarias Bernal at Mission Santa Clara. The couple had 13 children during 1807–1833, with 10 living past infancy. They moved in 1834 to cultivate and hold land in the Almaden Valley, located in present day Santa Clara County, California.
In 1842, José de los Reyes Berreyesa received from Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado a grant giving him one square league, or 4,438 acres (18 km2), of the land he had been cultivating, called Rancho San Vicente. It was located at the south end of Almaden Valley, near the Santa Teresa Hills.
The grant included a large section of the rocky hills upon which a rich source of mercury-carrying cinnabar ore was found in 1844–1845. The discovery was made public and the New Almaden quicksilver mine (mercury mine) began producing a small amount of rich ore in 1846. Mercury was an important part of gold and silver mining operations, and was in demand the world over, and especially after 1848 in the California gold fields.
The neighboring grant, Rancho Los Capitancillos, was held by Justo Laros who claimed the mercury mine was part of his land. Andres Castillero also claimed the mercury mine was part of his land.
Robert Walkinshaw and some other men squatted on the rancho land in February 1845, and began to take lumber and limestone away to sell in August.
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