José del Carmen Lugo (1813 – c. 1870) was a major 19th century Californio landowner in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

History

He was born in 1813 at the

Pueblo de Los Angeles In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

, in Spanish colonial Alta California, then a province of the

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...

. José del Carmen Lugo was the eldest son of Antonio Maria Lugo.

Mexican period

José del Carmen Lugo, in a joint venture with his brothers José María and Vicente Lugo and cousin

Diego Sepúlveda Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: ''Tiago'' and ''Didacus''. E ...

, began colonizing the

San Bernardino Valley The San Bernardino Valley ( es, Valle de San Bernardino) is a valley in Southern California located at the south base of the Transverse Ranges. It is bordered on the north by the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains; ...

and adjacent Yucaipa Valley. The land covered more than in the present day Inland Empire. Their colony charter was approved by the Mexican government in 1839. The valley was plagued by robberies and frequent raids by

California Indians The indigenous peoples of California (known as Native Californians) are the indigenous inhabitants who have lived or currently live in the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and after the arrival of Europeans. ...

resisting loss of their homeland. Many would-be colonizers would stay for only short periods of time. The Lugo families became strong allies with the Mountain Band of

Cahuilla The Cahuilla , also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California.Juan Antonio Juan Ignacio Antonio (born 5 January 1988) is an Argentine former professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally ...

. In 1842, the Lugo family bought the San Bernardino Asistencia, a former "sub-mission" of

Mission San Gabriel Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity * Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

. The adobe buildings were in disrepair. Lugo made repairs and soon he and his wife and two daughters moved into the asistencia. By 1842, the Mexican governorship of California was about to change. To protect their land, the Lugo family applied for and received the

Rancho San Bernardino Rancho San Bernardino was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José del Carmen Lugo, José María Lugo, Vicente Lugo, and Diego Sepulveda. The grant included a la ...

Mexican land grant The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

of . ;Mexican–American War During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, Lugo led a Californio

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. In December 1846, he was ordered to punish a band of

Luiseño The Luiseño or Payómkawichum are an indigenous people of California who, at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century, inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging from the present-day southern part of ...

Indians in retaliation for the Pauma Massacre. His militia forces, together with allied

Cahuilla The Cahuilla , also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California.Temecula Massacre to avenge the deaths of 11 Californio lancers. The latter were killed for stealing horses from the Luiseño. He was the leader of Californio forces during the

Battle of Chino The Battle of Chino, a skirmish of the Mexican–American War occurred on September 26–27, 1846, during which 24 Americans led by Benjamin D. Wilson, who were hiding in the adobe house of Rancho Santa Ana del Chino, were captured by a group o ...

and the Temecula Massacre. By January 1847, he was placed in charge of the Chino prisoners by General

José María Flores General José María Flores was a Captain in the Mexican Army and was a member of ''la otra banda''. He was appointed Governor and ''Comandante General'' ''pro tem'' of Alta California from November 1846 to January 1847, and defended Californi ...

. Lugo escorted the prisoners to the

Rancho Santa Ana del Chino Rancho Santa Ana del Chino was a Mexican land grant in the Chino Hills and southwestern Pomona Valley, in present-day San Bernardino County, California. It was granted to Antonio Maria Lugo in 1841 by Mexican Alta California Governor Juan Bauti ...

and released them. In March 1847, he met with the American

John Charles Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

in Los Angeles. Fremont requested that Lugo round up as many of Flores's abandoned horses as possible. Lugo rounded up about 60 horses between Los Angeles and San Bernardino.

U.S. period

The United States won the

and annexed California in 1848. In May 1849, U.S. military Governor

Richard Barnes Mason Richard Barnes Mason (January 16, 1797July 25, 1850) was an American military officer who was a career officer in the United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is on ...

appointed Lugo as the first Mexican-''Californio'' mayor of Los Angeles after U.S. control began. He served after American Stephen Clark Foster (1848 – mid 1849, and before Alpheus P. Hodges (mid 1850–1851). In August 1849 he was elected Justice of the Peace of Los Angeles and served until January 1850. In 1852, Lugo sold

to Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich, apostles of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

. Lugo's fortunes changed for the worse in later years. In 1854, he signed a note at five per cent interest per month, compounded monthly, and mortgaged all of his property including his home in Los Angeles. He lost his house and his land in Los Angeles to cover the note. José del Carmen Lugo died in poverty in 1870.

Other Lugo family members

The Lugos were a prominent early family in California during the periods of Spanish and Mexican rule. They were among the colonists who became known as ''

Californios Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sinc ...

''. José del Carmen Lugo was the son of Antonio Maria Lugo, who was the son of original immigrant Francisco Salvador Lugo.

Francisco Salvador Lugo

Francisco Salvador Lugo (1740–1805), born in

Sinaloa, Mexico Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and ...

, came to

Las Californias The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexican sta ...

in 1774. He was a soldier in the province and was stationed in northern California until 1781. Next he was assigned as part of the founding of the

. Francisco Lugo was one of the soldiers who escorted the

Los Angeles Pobladores Los pobladores del pueblo de los Ángeles (English: ''The townspeople of Los Angeles'') refers to the 44 original settlers and 4 soldiers from New Spain (Mexico) who founded the Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles in 1781, which is ...

(farming families and colonists) in 1781 from northern Mexico into California. His name is listed on the plaque of those present at the founding of Los Angeles on September 4, 1781. Lugo married Juana Maria Martinez y Vianazul. Together they had nine children: Rosa Maria de Lugo (1761–1797), Maria Tomasa Ygnacia Lugo Martinez (1763–1816), Salvador Lugo (1766–1784), Geronimo Teodoro Lugo (1773–?), Jose Ignacio de Lugo (1775–1800), Maria Antonia Isabel Lugo (1776–1855), “Antonio Maria Lugo (1778–1860)”, Juan Maria Alejandro de Lugo (1780–1830), and Maria Ygnacia de Lugo (1783–1798).

Antonio Maria Lugo

Antonio Maria Lugo (1778–1860) was born at

Mission San Antonio de Padua Mission San Antonio de Padua is a Spanish mission established by the Franciscan order in present-day Monterey County, California, near the present-day town of Jolon. Founded on July 14, 1771, it was the third mission founded in Alta Californi ...

in present-day

Jolon, California Jolon (; Spanish: ''Jolón''; Salinan: ''Xolon'') is small unincorporated village in southern Monterey County, California. Jolon is located in the San Antonio River Valley, west of Salinas Valley. The origins of Jolon date to 1771, when the S ...

, the seventh son of Francisco Salvador Lugo. After 17 years of service at the

Presidio of Santa Barbara A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were cen ...

, in 1810 Corporal Lugo received his discharge and settled with his family in the

. Antonio Lugo was granted the Spanish concession Rancho San Antonio in 1810, which was confirmed in 1838 by Mexican governor Juan Alvarado. In 1816, he served as the ''alcalde'' (mayor) of Los Angeles. In 1841, Lugo was granted

by governor Alvarado. On Rancho San Antonio he built Casa de Rancho San Antonio the oldest home in Los Angeles County, California. Antonio and his wife Dolores Lugo had five sons: José del Carmen (this article), José Maria, Felipe, José Antonio, and Vicente Lugo; and 3 daughters: Vicenta Perez, Maria Antonia Yorba, and María Merced Lugo. Maria married Stephen Clark Foster, the first American mayor of Los Angeles after the

.The Lugos
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lugo, Jose del Carmen Californios Land owners from California People of Mexican California 1813 births 1870s deaths Year of death missing Mayors of Los Angeles Mexican military personnel of the Mexican–American War People from San Bernardino County, California People from Yucaipa, California History of San Bernardino County, California 18th century in Los Angeles 19th century in Los Angeles 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople