Camillo Ynitia

Infobox Person
name = José Camillo Ynitia (Heumon)


caption = No known images available.
quotation =
birth_date = 1803
birth_place =Marin County, California, USA
death_date =c. 1856
death_place = Marin County, California, USA
occupation = Farmer, rancher
spouse = Elena, Candida, Cayetano, Susanna Maria
parents = Aurelio (Inutia), Aurelia (Mineru)
children = Juan Pablo, Maxima Antonia, Maria Antonia

Camillo Ynitia (original native name Heumon) was born in 1803, probably in the Miwok village of Olompali (located just north of present-day Novato, California) where his father had built an adobe-brick home. Camillo was a notable leader of the Coast Miwok, a Native American people. Camillo was known as the last Hoipu (Headman) of the Miwok community living at Olompali. [Seif, 2006.] Camillo was the only Native American on the northern frontier of Alta California to secure and keep a large land grant for his tribe. The Mexican governor deeded him in 1843 the "Rancho Olompali", a large tract of land that is between present-day Novato and Petaluma, California. A part of this land now comprises the Olompali State Historic Park. [Mason, 1971:112.]

Childhood

Camillo was born to Aurelio (Inutia) and Aurelia (Mineru) and baptized January 9, 1819. [Seif, 2006.] His surname is taken from his father's original native name. His father Aurelio was a Oye Chief of the Hueman tribe and came from the tribe located where Sausalito is now. It is of Coast Miwok. The name "Olompali" comes from the Coast Miwok language and likely means "southern village" or "southern people." (It was also spelled "Olompolli" or "Olompoli"). In 1775 the Presidio of San Francisco sent an exploring party into the north bay country and Chief Olompali had made them welcome. Camillo's father had built the very first (adobe) home north of the San Francisco Bay at Olompali. Historians think that the natives that built the house had learned how to make adobe bricks at the Mission San Francisco. Camillo inherited and resided in this original home through his life. His birthplace was in "a sheltered valley, with an abundance of game", adjacent to the salt water Bay, with abundant mollusks and fish. [Mason 1971:112-113.]

Adult life

In 1835, the Mexican government sent General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo into the Marin and Sonoma Counties, in order to bring military control in the region from the presidio in Sonoma, California. According to the book "Historica de California" Vallejo's first day arriving north of the Bay in June 1835 is probably his first meeting with Camillo Ynitia and the people of Olompali: General Vallejo recounts sailing into the North Bay, and first stopping in San Rafael, to form an alliance with a Coast Miwok tribe there, before moving towards Sonoma County to gather all tribes and arrange as many alliances as possible among all tribes. [Lynch 1997.]

In 1836, Camillo and Vallejo signed a peace treaty, aligning the Olompali people with the Mexican-Americans.

In 1843, because of this treaty with Vallejo and the Mexican-Americans, Camillo was one of the two Native Americans to be deeded a large grant from the Mexican-American Government. (The other native to receive a land grant was Vallejo's close friend, the Suisunes Chief Solano.) With Vallejo's aid, Camillo petitioned the Mexican Governor for land for his people and received the "Rancho Olompali" grant, which included Olompali and his birthplace home. This land grant was confirmed by the American government after control of California was transferred to the United States. The land grant was recorded in California state records, as follows:

Camillo built his own home partly with the bricks his father had used earlier. The adobe home as adapted by Camillo had walls 32 inches thick, and ceilings 8 feet high. He owned 600 cattle, and was a notable breeder who owned numerous horses and sheep. He raised wheat and some think sold it to the Russians at Fort Ross. He eventually had to sell most of the rancho land to James Black on August 13, 1852 for $5,200, but retained 1480 acres called "Apalacocha." He died in 1856, either abruptly or of a short illness. [Mason 1971:114-115.]

Family

Camillo married four times. He married his first wife Elena 22 Oct 1822; she died in April 1830. He next married Candida on 22 May 1831; she died 13 Mar 1835. He then married Cayetana on 13 Jul 1835. By Cayatena he had a son, Juan Pablo, and two daughters, Maxina Antonia and Maria Antonia. Juan Pablo was born in 1839; he died in a boating accident on 28 May 1851 along with the father of the man who would marry Maria Antonia. Maxima Antonia (known as Mary Maxima later in life) was born 18 Nov 1841, and was baptized on 5 Dec 1841. Maria Antonia was born in Aug 1845, and was baptized on 31 Oct 1845. Her godfather was William Richardson, the namesake of Richardson Bay. Cayatana died 21 Nov 1850, and Camillo married his fourth wife, Susanna Maria on 5 Jan 1852. [Seif, 2006.] . Camillo also adopted another girl, who married John Pingston, a "free man of color". They had a son, Juan Jose Pingston. Camillo conveyed approximately 20 acres in the extreme southwest corner of Apalacocha to John on 14 Feb 1853.

Camillo's daughter Maxima Antonia was married first to Henry Holden Bennett, an American, on 12 Jun 1854, likely with Camillo's encouragement. Then after Bennett's death in 1856, Maxima married Henry Harper Willard. Henry and Maxima had 13 children. After Henry's death in 1888, Maxima married Armstrong McCabe on 31 Jul 1891. Maria Antonia married Joseph Knox and had two children. After Camillo's death, Maxima and Maria purchased a part of "Rancho de Sanel" in the Sanel Valley of Mendocino County, and moved there with their husbands and helped found the town of Sanel, later named Hopland. On 26 Nov 1860, "Being in want of money for a Maintenance," Maxima and Maria sold Apalacocha, to John Knight, their Mendocino attorney, for $3,693. With that transaction, the last of aboriginal Olompali passed into American ownership.

Bear Flag Revolt

During the "Bear Flag Revolt", on 24 June 1846, the "Battle of Olompali" occurred when a violent skirmish broke out between a troop of American Bear Flaggers from Sonoma and a Mexican force of 50 from Monterey, under the command of Joaquin de la Toree, at Camillo's adobe. Several men were wounded and one man was reportedly killed, the only fatality associated with the brief California revolution.

Recognition

Much of the original "Rancho Olompali" and the ruins of the original Camillo Ynitia adobe is now within the Olompali State Historic Park. In 1915, Camillo's adobe house was owned by the James and Josephine Burdell and they built a 26-room mansion around it. They used to take people on tours and show the home. [Mason 1971:109.]

William Heath a contemporary said that Camillo was "fine, intelligent and shrewd." Stephen Richardson called him "clean-cut, capable, and all around." [Mason 1971:113.]

The Legends

It is said that Camillo buried all his gold from his sale to James Black on a mountainside, because when he died he had very little money on record. One theory is his last wife or family knew where the gold was and unburied it later to assist them in purchasing cattle and part of "Rancho de Sanel" in Mendocino County.

Notes

Sources

* Lynch, Robert M. "The Sonoma Valley Story". Sonoma, CA: Sonoma-Index Tribune, 1997. ISBN-10| 096538570-1 (treaties 1836)
* Mason, Jack. "Early Marin." Petaluma, CA: House of Printing, 1971.
* Seif, Dena (2006). [http://eee.uci.edu/clients/tcthorne/notablecaliforniaindians/camilla.htm University of California Irvine "Camillo Ynitia, Coast Miwok (1803-1856) - Catholic, Rancho Grant Owner"] File retrieved Apr. 6, 2007.
* Shumway, Burgess M., "California Ranchos: Patented Private Land Grants Listed by County." San Bernardino, CA: The Borgo Press, 1988. ISBN 0-89370-935-2
* Thomas, Robert C., "Drake at Olompali" printed by Apala Press 1979. ISBN-10|0-9602546-0-9