Francisco MERCADO (1731 – 1801) was Socorro’s 5th great grandfather.  He was also Jose Rizal’s great grandfather

Francisco Mercado was born 1731 in Biñan, Laguna, Philippines. His parents were Domingo LAM-CO  and Ines de la ROSA. He married on 26 May 1771 in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines to Bernarda MONICHA.  Francisco died in 1801.

Biñan, Laguna, Philippines

Bernarda Monicha was a Chinese Mestiza born in  San Pedro Tunasan  or Biñan,  Laguna Philippines.   Not much is known of Bernarda save she was an orphan girl generally thought of as a relative of a certain coadjutor priest in Biñan,.  She was known for her sweet and lovable nature.

Children of Francisco and Bernarda:

Domingo and Ines named their son Francisco Mercado believed as a gesture of gratitude to  a family friend Friar Francisco Marquez and Mercado,  a Spanish mestizo friar renowned for his botanical studies.  The surname “Mercado”, which means “market” in Spanish, was quite appropriate, too, since many ethnic Chinese were merchants, and many having adopted the same surname. This Spanish name saved the son from prejudice against Chinese surnames yet retaining a link to the Chinese merchant.

Francisco Mercado turned out to be a well-to-do rancher with a large herd of carabaos.

In 1771, Francisco Mercado married Bernarda MONICA, a native of the nearby hacienda of San Pedro Tunasan, then, like Biñan, was populated by many Chinese migrants, or Chinese mestizos.  They had two sons named Juan and Clemente.  For a short period, he settled his family at the hacienda of San Juan Bautista in Calamba.  However, hostility towards the Chinese immigrants as well as natives of Chinese descent- a backlash from the British invasion of Manila in 1762, during which the local Chinese supported the British against the Spaniards- forced Francisco Mercado to return his family to Biñan.

Francisco Mercado owned the largest herd of carabaos in Biñan.  He was active in local politics.  He was elected as the town’s capitan del pueblo around 1783.  Popular and good-natured, he often stood as godfather during baptisms and weddings, as Biñan’s church records revealed.

Francisco Mercado owned the largest herd of carabaos in Biñan

Since his early manhood, he became a familiar figure in court litigations involving agrarian disputes with the religious orders of Biñan.  It was the characteristic uprightness and courage of Francisco in the face of overwhelming odds that gave currency to the reputation of the Mercado clan as irreconcilable foes of rapacity and  injustice.

Sources:

http://pinoygenealogy.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/jose-rizals-family-tree/

Doctor Jose Rizal and the writing of his story By Valdez, Et Al