José María Verdugo (c. 1751 – 1831) was a Californio soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784.
Biography José María Verdugo Carrillo was born about 1751 in Presidio de Loreto, Baja California, New Spain to Juan Diego Verdugo and María Ygnacia de la Concepción Carrillo.Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Patron ordinance submission sheets, 1969-1991, Salt Lake City, UtahMarie Northrop Spanish-Mexican Families of Early California, 1769-1850, Vol. II, pp. 318-19 José María Verdugo came to California with his brother, Mariano Verdugo, in the 1769 Rivera expedition. Verdugo married María de la Encarnación López in 1779, and they had 11 children.Marie Northrop Spanish-Mexican Families of Early California, 1769-1850, Vol. I, pp. 352-53
In 1784, Verdugo requested and received a grant from his army commander Governor Pedro Fages to settle and graze his cattle on what became Rancho San Rafael, also known as La Zanja.Hubert Howe Bancroft, History of California, Vol. I, 1542-1800, pp. 661-662 Corporal Verdugo's grant consisted of eight square leagues () of land stretching roughly from the Arroyo Seco in present-day Pasadena to the Mission San Fernando. In 1798 he retired from the army to become a full-time rancher, and title to his property was established by Spanish Governor Diego de Borica.
After a long illness, Verdugo died on 13 April 1831, at Mission San Gabriel, leaving his property to his son Julio Antonio Verdugo and daughter María Catalina Verdugo.Juliet M. Arroyo, 2005, Early Glendale, California, Arcadia Publishing, Glendale history The Verdugos He was buried at the cemetery at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.
Relatives Julio Antonio Verdugo (1789 - 1876), son of José María Verdugo, married María de Jesus Romero, and had the following children: Teodoro, Chrisóstimo, Fernando, Pedro, José María, Querino/Quirino, Rafael, Guillermo, Vittorio, Rafaela (first married to Fernando Sepúlveda then to Tomás Ávila Sánchez), and Maria Antonia (Señora Chabolla).
María Catalina Verdugo (1792–1871), the blind unmarried daughter of José María Verdugo, lived at the Catalina Adobe with Julio Verdugo's son, Teodoro's family.Adobes of Rancho San RafaelEarly days in the rolling hills of Rancho San Rafael by Michael D. WhiteVerdugo Adobe was preserved by developer by Katherine Yamada, published in the Glendale News-Press
American actress Elena Verdugo is one of José María Verdugo's descendants.Elena Verdugo, Emmy-Nominated Actress on 'Marcus Welby, M.D.,' Dies at 92, hollywoodreporter.com. Accessed April 22, 2026.
Namesakes Verdugo Mountains Verdugo City, California Verdugo Park
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