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| José María Patoni |
On This Page You Will Find Information About Jose Maria Patoni, His Wives and His Children
Various histories report that Jose Maria Patoni was born in Guanacevi, Durango, Mexico in 1828. He was the son
of Juan Bautista Patoni and his second wife Mercedes Sanchez. Early on he was trained in the family business, mining.
Later he joined the military and fought the United States in the Mexican American War. Jose Maria Patoni fought with
the Liberal forces of Benito Juarez in the Mexican civil war that followed the Mexican American War.
When the French invaded Mexico, Patoni fought for Benito Juarez and the Republic of Mexico against the French.
During the French Intervention he achieved the rank of Brigadier General following the second Battle of Puebla where he defended
the Fort of Engineers. In this battle, he was captured by the French, but managed to escape before they could send him
to France as a prisoner of war.
President Benito Juarez arguing the exegencies of war, appointed himself to another term as President of Mexico without
first holding an election. The Mexican Constitution provided that the President of the Supreme Court of Mexico would
become President of Mexico if an election could not be held. General Jesus Gonzales Ortega was the President of
the Mexican Supreme Court at this time and he claimed that he was in fact the Constitutional President of Mexico. Jose
Maria Patoni backed Ortega's claim to the Presidency of Mexico.
Patoni and Ortega were arrested and thrown into prison for voicing Ortega's Constitution right to the Presidency.
While they were being held in prison, Benito Juarez held an election and easily won a new term which had the effect of putting
the issue to rest. Juarez ordered Generals Patoni and Ortega released from prison.
General Jose Maria Patoni returned to Durango shortly after his release. The night he arrived, General Benigno
Canto had Patoni arrested and shot without any charges or a trial. Below is the detailed story as reported in New York
Times:
September 17, 1868, New York Times, page 8:
"MEXICO"
"The Murder of Patoni"
"The following account is given as the most correct regarding the infamous and inhuman
assassination of General Patoni, who was only lately released from his prison in Monterey, where
he had been the fellow-sufferer of Ortega.
Mr. Patoni had arrived the night previous at 9 o'clock, and
had stopped at the meson or inn of Santa Ana, at a short distance from the centre of the city. At about 1 o'clock
A.M., the Secretary of Gen. Benigno Canto, Chief of the First Brigade of the Fourth Division, asked the Political Chief of
the District, in the name of said General, where Patoni had stopped, and how many outlets the house
had. At about 3 o'clock, two officers of the said brigade, accompanied by some soldiers, went to the inn, and finding Mr. Patoni sleeping in a cot in his carriage, they awoke him up and took him between a file of soldiers
to the other side of the town, where he was shot, receiving four or five balls in the head and breast, where he immediately
expired.
At 6 o'clock A.M. the criminal judge was informed of the event, and he commenced an
examination of the affair, and at 8 o'clock the Political Chief made a verbal statement of the facts to the Governor, who
ordered the judge to institute a thorough investigation.
There are reasons to believe that the authors of this crime are the officers of the
First Brigade, and the opinion is pretty general in Durango that they acted by order of Gen. Canto. The Governor, therefore
addressed a communication to him, asking him what he knew about the event, and the answer of the General was that he
had no antecedents whatever of the event, offering at the same time to assist and expedite the action of the Court.
The impression produced by this event has been very great in Durango, on account of
the very sad thought that an armed force would have violated , in such an atrocious manner, the social guarantee of
a fellow-citizen, who set at liberty by the Government, was tranquily sleeping in the belief that he was protected by the
laws and the authorities.
The foregoing is an abstract from the communication which the Governor of Durango transmitted
to the Government. This functionary energetically condemns the crime, and requests the Supreme Government
of the Republic to send all aid of its power to the State authorities in the investigation of the crime and chatisement
of the perpetraitors, be they who they may.
The Government has answered the Governor of Durango, approving the measures dictated
in consequence of the above-mentioned crime, charging him to stimulate the Judge to proceed with greatest activity in the
examination of the case, in order that the guilty be speedily punished, and odering him to inform the Government by every
mail of the state of the case. At the same time it has ordered the that Gen. Canto deliver the command of his brigade
to Gen. Antonio Neri, he, Canto, remaining under arrest in his habitation until the facts of the case are brought to light;
and as Gen. Neri is at present in Guadalajara, the Government has ordered that if Neri be not in Durango when the order arrives,
Gen. Canto shall deliver the brigade to the next ranking officer. Finally, the Government has odered the arrest of the
secretary of Gen. Canto until the responsibility he may have had in the above mentioned crime, is investigated.
This event has profoundly affected the whole population, and has caused a most poignant
grief in the President and all the members of the cabinet."
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| Signature of Jose Maria Patoni |
Jose Maria Patoni was married at least twice. He had at least two sons by his first wife, Dolores Ruiz.
They were Carlos Patoni who was born in Guanacevi in 1853 and Jose Maria Patoni (2) . I have found birth records
for children of both Carlos Patoni and Jose Maria Patoni (2). These birth records state that Jose Maria Patoni (1) is
the grandfather and Dolores Ruiz is the grandmother. See "Children of Carlos Patoni and Maria de la Luz Echavarri." See
"Children of Jose Maria Patoni (2)."
Jose Maria Patoni (the son of Juan Bautista Patoni and Mercedes Sanchez) + Dolores Ruiz
=
Carlos Patoni (Born 1853 in Guanacevi)
Jose Maria Patoni (the son of Juan Bautista Patoni and Mercedes Sanchez) + Dolores Ruiz
=
Jose Maria Patoni (2)
Olivia Olivia García Cano Peña has provided the following information:
José María Patoni(2) + Victoria Mireles = Victoria Patoni Mireles
Victoria Patoni Mireles + Delfino Torres Prado =
Juan Angel Torres Patoni
Javier Torres Patoni
Rosa María Edna Torres Patoni
Olga Torres Patoni
Jaime Torres Patoni
Rosa María Edna Torres Patoni had three children - Edna, Rosa María and Javier.
On December 27, 2007, Olivia García Cano Peña wrote that her grandmother, Rosa María Edna Patoni, used to sing opera.
She sang with María Callas, Placido Domingo, Antonieta Stella, Victoria de Los Angeles, Giuseppe Campora and Bastianinni.
"She is now 87 and looks perfect." Olivia Garcia Cano Pena's mother was Edna Pena Torres.
General Canto would be found guilty of the murder of Jose Maria Patoni several years later and sentenced to prison.
Pastor Rouaix tells us in his history that Carlos Patoni left Mexico following his father's assissination and went to
the United States of America. Carlos Patoni would get his college education there.
I do not yet know what happened to Dolores Ruiz. Marie Whitfield had provided me with a copy of a picture of Dolores
Ruiz and Carlos Patoni dated 1866. Something happens to her between 1866 and the birth of Jose Maria Patoni and Josefa
Flores' first child in 1867. If you know what happened to Dolores Ruiz, please let me know.
Jose Maria Patoni's second wife was Josefa Flores. Jose Maria Patoni had at least two children
with Josefa Flores: Jose Primitivo Patoni and Jose Ursolo Patoni. Jose Primitivo Patoni was baptised
on August 15, 1867 at two days of age. Jose Primitivo Patoni's baptism occurred in Monterrey, State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico
(See LDS Film #0605163). General Jesus Gonzales Ortega was his godfather. It is intersting to note that Jose
Maria Patoni was being held as a political prisoner along with General Jesus Gonzales Ortega in Monterrey.
Jose Maria Patoni had maintained that General Ortega was the constitutional President of Mexico and that Benito Juarez had
appointed himself to an illegal term without holding an election. I it is my opinion that Jose Maria Patoni's
political position regarding General Ortega's right to the Presidency of Mexico probably cost Patoni his life.
Jose Maria Patoni's second son with Josefa Flores was Jose Maria Ursolo Patoni who was born after Jose
Maria Patoni's assissination. Jose Maria Patoni was baptised on October 29, 1868 (See LDS Film #0654882). It appears
that Jose Maria Ursolo Patoni was born on October 25, 1868 in Durango, Durango, Mexico.
Jose Maria Patoni (the son of Juan Bautista Patoni and Mercedes Sanchez) + Josefa Flores
=
Jose Primitivo Patoni (Born about August 13, 1867, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico)
Jose Maria Patoni (the son of Juan Bautista Patoni and Mercedes Sanchez) + Josefa Flores
=
Jose Maria Ursolo Patoni (Born October 25, 1868, Durango, Durango, Mexico)
José María Patoni en Espanol
José María Patoni Politico en Espanol
Map of State of Durango Showing the Village of José María Patoni - See lower quarter of map
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