July 12– Anthony Ray will explore

In 1846, one of the saddest moments of the American conquest of California occurred with the killing of three Californios. Jose de los Reyes Berryessa and his two young relatives Francisco and Ramon de Haro were killed on the shores near San Rafael by Kit Carson under commands given by his superior John C. Fremont. This incident marked a low point for the Bear Flaggers and would come to back to haunt Fremont during his 1856 presidential bid as the first Republican candidate. Several narratives recorded in the following decades show that the murders were not lost from Californio or American memory. However, collective memory can easily be lost or erased. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Californio identity was whitewashed in favor of a “Spanish fantasy past” that allowed for easier assimilation into American culture. This presentation will explore the narratives created about the murders, how they helped to shape Californio identity during the transition to an American society and culture, and how fragile that memory was.

Originally from southern California, Anthony Ray is a Salt Lake City-based musician, historian, and theologian. He is a descendant of the Berryessa family and has been researching his family for the past twenty years. Anthony has worked professionally as a choral musician, performing with the Sunday Night Singers, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the LA Philharmonic, Sound of Ages, and several other professional choral ensembles. He is currently a graduate history student at the University of Utah and focuses on the Spanish and Mexican periods of the American Southwest. Additionally, he is working concurrently on a master’s degree in theology from St. John’s School of Theology in Collegeville, Minnesota and focuses on sacramental and liturgical theology.