Pio de Jesus Pico (1801-1894) California's Elite
The real power base in California was transferred to a small number of Spanish families, descendants of the original soldiers sent to man the presidios during Spain's period of the colonization of California. The number of these "respectable" Spanish families was very small, thus they were inter-linked by marriage through necessity. Although blood ties were established there were still conflicts. Disputes arose, especially between the northern and southern half of the state. These conflicts had a comic soap-opera-like flair to them. With very few casualties, the battles were characterized by "bombastic pronouncements, chess like marches and counter marches, and noisy but bloodless artillery duels, just out of range, in which both sides retrieved each other's cannonballs and fired them back." After the fighting was over all contestants agreed upon a victor who then governed without ill will...that is until the next dispute arose.
Edward Stokes married into a family with strong blood connections to the PICO FAMILY. His wife was the neice of two men who helped shape California's history.
José María Pico whose birth year is unknown, was the son of Santiago Pico of Sinaloa, Spain. José María Pico was stationed at San Luis Rey and was also a soldier of the San Diego Company in 1782. He was married in 1789 to María Estaquia Lopez, a native of Sonora. They were the founders of the Pico family of Southern California. The Pico's ancestry is said to have included a mixture of ethnicities, including Mexican, African, Indian, and Italian. They had three sons and several daughters. José María Pico died at San Gabriel in 1819.
Sons:
1) Andrés Pico, Colonel in the Californio Army
2) José Antonio Bernardo Pico,
3) Pio Pico, married in 1834 María Ignacia Alvarado,
Daughters:
1) Concepcion, married Domingo A. I. Carrillo;
2) Estefana, married José A. E. Carrillo, (the brother of Domingo
A. L. Carrillo above);
3) Jacinta, married José A. E. Carrillo, (the widowed
husband of her deceased sister Estefana);
4) Ysadora, became the wife of the Anglo foreigner, John Forster;
5) Tomasa, married into the Alvarado family (as did her brother
Pio Pico);
6) Feliciana.
Through the marriages of their children, the Pico family was united with great families of that day. Juan B Alvarado was Governor of California in 1836. Carlos Antonio Carrillo became Governor of Southern California in 1837. And the foreigner, John Forster owned the first stage line.
Pio de Jesus Pico (1801-1894)
He was a resident of San Diego who became governor. Pio Pico's character has been variously estimated and he has been much abused for various causes. He seems to have been a man of little education and only moderate intelligence. He was fairly honest but without any gifts of statesmanship which would have qualified him for important achievements in the difficult times in which he lived.
Pio Pico was born at San Gabriel in 1801, and removed to San Diego after his father, Jose Maria Pico, died in 1819, where he kept a small shop.
Pio loved to gamble. A Mrs. Carson once met him going to the races claiming he had his mule panniers loaded down with silver which he was taking to bet on the horse. Gambling with Father Menendez, he lost all he had at San Vicente, Lower California. Later he won back twelve mules and stripped the padre at San Diego.
Pio has been described as an ignorant fellow who ruled by the sword. Once on going to Los Angeles for a visit, he was ordered by Alcalde Avila to go to work on an aqueduct; but being on horseback and armed with a musket, he escaped and returned to San Diego.
In 1821 he put up a hut made from hides at Los Angeles and opened a dram shop, the price of a drink being "two-bits." Being very profit motivated, he introduced the use of an ox-horn to drink from. It contained a false wooden bottom to reduce the quantity of liquor being drank.
Public Records show that Pio
He married María Ignacia Alvarado in 1834, but married life did not seem to settle him down. He played an active, but not always creditable part in the troubles of this time.
Pio Pico became governor in 1845, and was the last Mexican governor. He later became a staunch American, but was as obsessed as previous Mexican Governors with the idea of giving away to "the people", the lands that the Catholic Church had administered, so that the land would remain in the hands of his countrymen. In 1846, Pico fled to Mexico to prevent the conquering Americans from capturing him and taking him prisoner. He later reclaimed his title to the land he had previously acquired and invested in more real estate, becoming wealthy and influential. Pico became a private citizen, successful businessman, and served on the Los Angeles City Council.
Around 1850, Pio Pico bought the Rancho Paso de Bartolo Viejo [near present day Whittier] from the heirs of Juan Crispin Perez. He built his mansion in 1852 and lived at "El Ranchito" from 1852 to 1892. According to some accounts, the house at one time included 33 rooms. El Ranchito was a gathering place for his neighbors as well as business acquaintances traveling the large distances between settlements.
He spent his last years in Los Angeles and wrote quite a little concerning California history. In 1883 a flood wiped out most of the mansion, leaving only the foundation and a few walls. Pico borrowed money and rebuilt the house, this time on a more modest scale. Bad weather, bad luck in business, and other businessmen conspired to deplete his assets. Despite the fact that it appeared fraud was perpetuated against him, Pio Pico's land was subdivided and his fortune was wiped out. He died shortly after on September 11, 1894.
