Henry D. Fitch
Encyclopedia
Henry Delano Fitch was an early settler of San Diego, California
.
. He was a sea captain and trader. During 1826-30, he was master of the Mexican brig María Ester, calling at California ports.
During 1830-31 he was master of the Leonor and brought 50 Mexican convicts to San Diego, where 23 of them remained. He settled in San Diego, as the first American settler there. On April 14, 1829 he was baptized into the Catholic Church as Enrique Domingo Fitch. This was required in order to own land and have other rights. Fitch became a Mexican citizen in 1833.
Fitch eloped with Josefa Carrillo, who was born December 29, 1810 to Joaquin Victor Carrillo, and Maria Ygnacia de la Candelaria López. They were going to be married the day after Fitch was baptized, but suddenly Josefa's uncle (and Fitch's godfather) Domingo Carrillo appeared and ordered a halt to the marriage by order of the Governor, José María de Echeandía. The reason is not known, but its thought that Echeandía loved her or disliked Fitch. They eloped on the brig Vulture to Valparaíso, Chile
where they were married, on July 3, 1829. They returned to San Diego July 21, 1830 with a one-month-old son. They had eleven children, 7 boys and 4 girls born between 1830 and 1848.
Fitch kept a general store in Old Town San Diego for many years and was the only store there in 1845. He bought and sold hides, tallow, and furs, outfitted otter hunters, and made trading voyages along the coast. Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
called him "coarse", which is expected for an old sea captain. Dana also called him a "big vulgar shop-keeper and trader".
Fitch was active in public affairs. In 1835 Fitch was San Diego's first attorney (sindico procurador), and held other public offices. In 1845, he made the first survey and map of the pueblo lands. During August 1846–June 1847 he was
Suplente (substitute) and Juez de Paz (Justice of the Peace or Mayor) of San Diego.
He received the Rancho Sotoyome
land grant, near Healdsburg, California
, in 1841 with the help of his brother-in-law Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
, and began to develop it. Fitch died in San Diego in 1849, and was the last person buried on Presidio Hill. The family moved to Rancho Sotoyome soon after his death.
Fitch's wife Josefa died in 1893.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
Life
Henry D. Fitch was born 1799 in New Bedford, MassachusettsNew Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. He was a sea captain and trader. During 1826-30, he was master of the Mexican brig María Ester, calling at California ports.
During 1830-31 he was master of the Leonor and brought 50 Mexican convicts to San Diego, where 23 of them remained. He settled in San Diego, as the first American settler there. On April 14, 1829 he was baptized into the Catholic Church as Enrique Domingo Fitch. This was required in order to own land and have other rights. Fitch became a Mexican citizen in 1833.
Fitch eloped with Josefa Carrillo, who was born December 29, 1810 to Joaquin Victor Carrillo, and Maria Ygnacia de la Candelaria López. They were going to be married the day after Fitch was baptized, but suddenly Josefa's uncle (and Fitch's godfather) Domingo Carrillo appeared and ordered a halt to the marriage by order of the Governor, José María de Echeandía. The reason is not known, but its thought that Echeandía loved her or disliked Fitch. They eloped on the brig Vulture to Valparaíso, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
where they were married, on July 3, 1829. They returned to San Diego July 21, 1830 with a one-month-old son. They had eleven children, 7 boys and 4 girls born between 1830 and 1848.
Fitch kept a general store in Old Town San Diego for many years and was the only store there in 1845. He bought and sold hides, tallow, and furs, outfitted otter hunters, and made trading voyages along the coast. Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family who gained renown as the author of the American classic, the memoir Two Years Before the Mast...
called him "coarse", which is expected for an old sea captain. Dana also called him a "big vulgar shop-keeper and trader".
Fitch was active in public affairs. In 1835 Fitch was San Diego's first attorney (sindico procurador), and held other public offices. In 1845, he made the first survey and map of the pueblo lands. During August 1846–June 1847 he was
Suplente (substitute) and Juez de Paz (Justice of the Peace or Mayor) of San Diego.
He received the Rancho Sotoyome
Rancho Sotoyome
Rancho Sotoyome was a Mexican land grant given to Henry D. Fitch. Sotoyome or "Satiyomes" was the name of a Wappo tribe. The grant, in present day Sonoma County, California, extended along the Russian River encompassing the Alexander Valley and present day Healdsburg.-History:San Diego sea captain...
land grant, near Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 11,254...
, in 1841 with the help of his brother-in-law Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
, and began to develop it. Fitch died in San Diego in 1849, and was the last person buried on Presidio Hill. The family moved to Rancho Sotoyome soon after his death.
Fitch's wife Josefa died in 1893.
External links
- Biography from Smythe's History of San Diego, p. 280-284 (San Diego Historical Society).
- "A San Diego Landlord—Captain Henry Delano Fitch", by Hannah Clayborn
- "Captain Henry Fitch, San Diego Merchant, 1825-1849", The Journal of San Diego History 27:4 (1981) by Adele Ogden
- "A California Romance in Perspective: the elopement, marriage and ecclesiastical trial of Henry D. Fitch and Josefa Carrillo", The Journal of San Diego History 19:2 (1973) by Ronald L. Miller
Research resources
- Guide to the Fitch Family Papers at The Bancroft Library
- "Henry Delano Fitch: A Yankee Trader in California: 1826-1849." USC Ph. D. thesis, 1972 by Ronald L. Miller