1. Robert Livermore emigrated to Alta California in 1822, eventually becoming a Mexican citizen and a prominent landowner in the Bay Area.
10 Facts About Robert Livermore
1. 2.
Robert Livermore was born in Springfield, Essex in England, to Robert Livermore and Mary Cudworth.
3.
Robert Livermore subsequently was part of Lord Cochrane's crew in 1820 during the Peruvian War of Independence against Spain.
4.
At that time, there were only a handful of English-speakers in Alta California, and Livermore probably met the American Joseph John Chapman.
5.
On 5 May 1838, Robert Livermore married the widow Maria Josefa de Jesus Higuera Molina, daughter of Jose Loreto Higuera, grantee of Rancho Los Tularcitos, at the Mission San Jose.
6.
Robert Livermore studiously avoided involvement in politics, and all evidence indicates he got along well with both the Mexican and Anglo communities, even becoming a Mexican citizen in 1844.
7.
Robert Livermore was known for his generosity and hospitality to passers-by, so much that the area became known as "Livermore's Valley".
8.
When Robert Livermore died in 1858, he left behind Maria Josefa and eight children.
9.
Robert Livermore was buried at Mission San Jose, but his grave was "lost" for over 100 years.
10.
Robert Livermore never lived there, but William Mendenhall had met Livermore as part of Fremont's expedition, and he named it after him when Mendenhall founded the town in 1869.