José Manuel Machado (1781 - 1852) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

soldier, ranchero, early citizen and regiador on the

ayuntamiento ''Ayuntamiento'' ()In other languages of Spain: * (). * (). * (). is the general term for the town council, or ''cabildo'', of a municipality or, sometimes, as is often the case in Spain and Latin America, for the municipality itself. is mai ...

of the Pueblo of San Diego.

Biography

José Manuel Machado was born in 1781, but details of his life before joining the Spanish army are unknown. Genealogy of the Machado Family, Vol. XLI, No. 3, Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly, from Orin M. Zink, The Machado-Stewart Family and Their Home, The Journal of San Diego History, SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Winter 1969, Vol. 15, Number 1, Rita Larkin, Editor
/ref> The elder Machado came as a corporal of the Leather Jacket Company to garrison the Presido of San Diego in 1782. During his many years of service the younger Machado advanced rapidly in rank holding many military offices. He commanded the military guards at Mission San Luis Rey and

Mission San Diego Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality *Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * O ...

. He was involved in the founding of the mission stations at Las Flores,

Pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County * Pala, Järva County, ...

and

Temecula Temecula (; , ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a tourist and ...

. In 1808, Machado was married to María Serafina Valdez, the daughter of Eugenio Valdez a fellow soldier from the garrison at Los Angeles. In the following years they would have 15 children.Rosemary Masterson, The Machado-Silvas Family, The Journal of San Diego History, SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Winter 1969, Volume 15, Number 1, Rita Larkin, Editor.
/ref> Following Mexican independence from Spain, Machado was a loyal officer of the Mexican army and administered the garrison rancho of the San Diego Presidio, later the

Rancho de la Nación Rancho de la Nación was a Mexican land grant in present-day southern San Diego County, California, given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to John (Don Juan) Forster. The grant encompassed present-day National City, Chula Vista, Bonita, Sunny ...

. For loyal service he was granted the Rancho El Rosario in 1827 on lands of Misión El Descanso in

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

. During the early 1830s he became a citizen of the new Pueblo of San Diego where he built a one-story adobe house for his family below the presidio, on what became 2724 Congress Street. In 1836 he was a Regiador (city councilman) in the ayuntamiento of the San Diego Pueblo. There is a conflation here of Juan Machado (1756-1810 - married Maria Carmen De la Luz y Valenzuela) and his son, Jose Manuel Machado (1781-1852 - married Maria Serafina Valdez) - The eldest Machado arrived in San Diego about 1781 and then continued to San Gabriel Mission where his son was born. His son followed in his father's footsteps and grew to also become a Spanish Leather Jacket soldier. The younger Machado then went back to San Diego as a young man where he married Valdez and parented many children, including Juana De Dios Machado - considered the "mother" of San Diego. José Manuel Machado died October 18, 1852, and was buried in the El Campo Santo Cemetery in the

Old Town, San Diego Old Town is a neighborhood in San Diego, California. It contains and is bounded by Interstate 8 on the north, Interstate 5 on the west, Mission Hills on the east and south. It is the oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the f ...

. Jose Manuel Machado
from findagrave.com, accessed May 21, 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Machado, Jose Manuel 1781 births 1852 deaths Spanish soldiers 19th-century Mexican politicians Politicians from San Diego History of San Diego People of Alta California Leticia Machado