Contra Costa-Santa Clara County CA Archives Biographies.....Soto, Silverio I. C. 1831 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 29, 2005, 4:31 pm Author: W. A. Slocum & Co., Publishers (1882) SILVERIO I. C. SOTO.—The subject of this sketch, whose portrait will be found in the pages of the History of Contra Costa county, is a descendant of two of the oldest Spanish families of California, his father being a Soto and his mother a Pacheco. The paternal ancestor of Mr. Soto was, for many years, Secretary to Governor Arguello, and was one of the prominent men of his time. He, whose name is at the head of this memoir, was born in the county of Santa Clara, May 16, 1831. There he was educated, and resided until he attained the age of twenty-four years, when he came to Contra Costa county, and has maintained a continuous domicile therein ever since. His residence is picturesquely situated in the midst of a grove of well-grown willows. Here he has made for himself a home, more beautiful than which there is none in the district. In January, 1852, he married Carmelita Higuerra, a native of California, by whom he has had eleven children. On coming to Contra Costa he settled in a house originally built by Asa Bowen and Frank Lighston, of San Jose, his brother-in-law, the building he now occupies. He was shortly after followed by his three brothers, who each took up their residences in the neighborhood, and on a portion of the Soto Tract of a thousand acres, a part of the San Miguel Rancho, the property of the grandmother of our subject. The original homestead is now divided among the four brothers, the subject of this sketch being engaged in general farming. He has two children deceased; those living are as follows: Ignacio L., Frank L., Margaret L., Alvarado J., Presentacion M., Silverio J., B. I., Emelina B., Abraham, Louisa and Florencia. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION; TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE; ALSO, Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN; AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC. ILLUSTRATED. SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCUM & CO., PUBLISHERS 1882. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/contracosta/bios/soto53gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 3.0 Kb