José Molina (mayor)
José Molina (a.k.a. José Molinas) was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1822.[1]
José Molina | |
|---|---|
| 19th Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| In office 1822–1822 | |
| Preceded by | José Casimiro Ortíz de la Renta |
| Succeeded by | José Mercado |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1782[1] Cataluña, Spain[1] |
| Died | c. 1862 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Spaniard |
| Occupation | Farmer;[2] Hacendado[3] |
Biography
Molina was born in Cataluña, Spain, around 1782. In 1827 he was a landowner and slave owner, and owned an hacienda. He lived in Ponce's Barrio Oeste (now [2018] known as Barrio Segundo). He married Petrona Villar, from Ponce, and had seven children: Maria Socorro (ca. 1813), Carmen (ca. 1821), Felicita (ca. 1823), Rita (ca. 1825), Margarita (ca. 1826), Jose Maria (ca. 1828), and Dolores (ca. 1829).[1]
Molina is best remembered for heading a collection of funds to be donated by well-to-do residents in Barrio Playa for the construction of a watch tower on the east side of Barrio Playa, at Point Peñoncillo, in order to add to the security of the Port of Ponce which, at the time, was being threatened by pirates. This collection was in response to concerns from military commander Ramon Gonzalez.[1]
References
- Eli D. Oquendo-Rodriguez. Pablo L. Crespo-Vargas, editor. A Orillas del Mar Caribe: Boceto histórico de la Playa de Ponce – Desde sus primeros habitantes hasta principios del siglo XX. First edition. June 2017. Editorial Akelarre. Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones del Sur Oeste de Puerto Rico (CEISCO). Lajas, Puerto Rico. Page 25. ISBN 978-1547284931
- Eduardo Neumann Gandía. Verdadera y Auténtica Historia de la Ciudad de Ponce. 1913. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. p. 14.
- Francisco Antonio Scarano. Sugar and slavery in Puerto Rico: the municipality of Ponce, 1815-1849. Appendix A: "On the National Origin of the Hacendados." page 443. Ph.D. Thesis. Columbia University. 1978. (Citing Archivo General de Puerto Rico, Protocolos Notariales-Ponce, 1817-19, Alexandro Ordoñez, 181, ff. 110-111, 1820-22, Matias Vidal, 1821, ff. 291-297.)