Name/Title
Dona Maria Martina Arellanes de MartinezDescription
There were many families and individuals who helped shape the beginnings of Pinole in the 19th century. The earliest of these newcomers was the family of Don Ygnacio Martinez, who settled in the valley in 1837. Don Ygnacio named his holdings Rancho El Pinole, and brought his wife, Maria Martina, and most of his 11 children to live in the large adobe home he had built there. They were called Californios, people of Spanish-speaking heritage but born in California. But the quiet pastoral life of the Californios was soon to end.
Doña Maria Martina Arellanes Martinez was the wife of Don Ygnacio Martinez. They were married in 1802. Don Ygnacio and Doña Maria had 11 children, two sons and nine daughters. Don Ygnacio died in 1848, and Doña Maria became a strict matriarch of the family. Legend has it that she whipped her son, Vicente Jose, for marrying below his station. She lived at the family adobe until 1866, when it was lost for non-payment of taxes.Copyright
Copyright Holder
Pinole Historical Society