Robert Livermore

Robert Thomas Livermore (b. October 1799, Springfield Village, Essex, England; d. February 14, 1858) was a rancher and landowner in the early days of California, whose holdings eventually formed the basis of the city that bears his name: Livermore, California.

As a youth, he was a mason's apprentice, but in 1816, he decided to go to sea, joining the crew of an English merchant ship. He subsequently was part of Lord Cochrane's crew in 1820 during Peru's attempt to become independent from Spain. After Peru he signed on with an English trading ship bound for California.

In 1822, he arrived in San Pedro and met John Gilroy. Livermore worked for a time at Mission San Gabriel and then moved north, working as the mayordomo (ranch foreman) at the rancho of José Joaquin de la Torre, near Castroville. On June 20, 1823, Robert was baptized at the Mission Santa Clara into the Catholic faith, given the name Juan Bautista Roberto y José. At about the same time, in Monterey, he requested and was given permission by Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá to remain in California.

In 1834 Robert and his business partner José Noriega were keeping livestock at Rancho Las Positas, where they also built an adobe. They purchased half of the land grant from William Gulnac in 1837, and officially received the grant in 1839. The only other inhabitant of the area at the time, besides the Ohlone, was José Amador (his rancho was near the present city of Dublin) who received his land grant a short time earlier.

On May 5, 1838 Robert married Josefa Higuera Molina at the Mission San José. Josefa's grandfather, Ygnacio Higuera had been a member of Gaspar de Portolà's Expedition Sancta in 1769 and had accompanied Juan Bautista de Anza in his expedition of 1775–76. The marriage gave Livermore family access to the existing nobility of California. They first settled in the Sunol Valley, but later moved to Las Positas, as he was making regular trips there to manage his rancho. Initially an adobe structure built by Livermore and Amador served as their house on the rancho. In 1850, a wooden two-story house was shipped around Cape Horn and became the Livermores' new home. Later the adobe structure was rented to Nathaniel Greene Patterson who used it as a small hotel, the first place of entertainment in the valley.

Livermore studiously avoided involvement in politics, and all evidence indicates he got along well with both the Mexican and Anglo communities. His only participation in the events surrounding the conquest of California was to help carry word from Commodore John Drake Sloat to John C. Frémont at Sutter's Fort that Monterey had been occupied by American forces, and that may have been partly motivated by the fact that Noriega had been captured during the Bear Flag Revolt and was being held at Sutter's Fort.

During the California Gold Rush, Livermore made no attempt to join the miners. Instead, in 1847 he and Noriega had purchased Rancho Canada de los Vaqueros and added it to their holdings. When Alameda County, California was formed in 1853, Livermore was appointed supervisor of roads in the county. In 1854 he purchased Noriega's half of Las Positas and deeded his half of Rancho Canada de los Vaqueros to Noreiga.

When Livermore died in 1858, he left behind Josefa and eight children. He was buried at Mission San José, but his grave was "lost" for over 100 years. An earthquake destroyed the church in 1868 and it was replaced by a wooden structure. When that was torn down in 1981, workers discovered his original grave marker.

Robert Livermore never lived in the city that bears his name. William Mendenhall had met Livermore as part of Frémont's expedition, and when he founded the town in 1869, he named it after Livermore.

References

*cite web | title=Robert Livermore - Biographic Notes | work=Inn-California | url=http://www.inn-california.com/Articles/biographic/livermorebio.html | accessdate=September 6 | accessyear=2005
*cite web | title=Robert Livermore | work=Livermore Heritage Guild | url=http://www.lhg.org/history%20folder/history.htm | accessdate=September 6 | accessyear=2005
*cite web | title=Short History of Robert Livermore | work=Livermore Heritage Guild | url=http://www.lhg.org/history%20folder/0arlivermore.htm | accessdate=September 8 | accessyear=2005Persondata
NAME=Livermore, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=California pioneer
DATE OF BIRTH=October 1799
PLACE OF BIRTH=Essex, England
DATE OF DEATH=February 14, 1858
PLACE OF DEATH=Alameda County, California