Buried at Cementerio del norte Years of service 1755–1817 | Name Casimiro Alegre Rank Sergeant major | |
Commands held 1° Compania Milicias Urbanas of San Vicente Battles/wars British invasions of the River Plate, Portuguese invasion of the Banda Oriental (1811–12) Died 1825, Buenos Aires, Argentina Allegiance United Provinces of the River Plate Battles and wars British invasions of the River Plate, Portuguese invasion of the Banda Oriental | ||
Casimiro Alegre (1741–1825) was an Argentine militia officer, landowner and alcalde. He served during the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata as Commandant in the Regiment of Blandengues of the Frontier of Buenos Aires.
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Biography
Casimiro Alegre was born on 19 January 1741 in Buenos Aires, was the son of Matias Alegre (born in Asuncion) and Francisca Sosa. His father Matias, was devoted to livestock, had a ranch in Zárate northeast of the province of Buenos Aires.
In 1783, Alegre was married to Anastacia Espinosa, daughter of Francisco Antonio Espinosa (descendant of Antón Higueras de Santana) and Francisca Ramírez, a creole belonging to the family of Bernardo Ramírez and María Josepha de Peñalba (descendant of Toribio de Peñalva and Juan de Garay y Becerra).
The Espinosa family was originally from Burgos Mountains (Spain).
Alegre and his wife had nine sons Agustina, Juana Ventura, Juan Napomuceno, Ramón Florencio, Cipriano (born in St Cyprian's day of 1788), Francisco Javier (military), Cornelio, Mariano and Saturnino Alegre powerful landowners of centre-east of Buenos Aires.
Casimiro Alegre was a descendant of Esteban Alegre, who arrived at Río de la Plata in the expedition of Juan de Garay, also a descendant of Luis Alegre (expeditionary of Pedro de Mendoza). He was godson and nephew–in–law of Ramón López de Osornio (landowner). His sister Petrona Alegre Sosa was married to Francisco de Rivas, relative to José Benito Rivas, alcalde of Morón in 1812.
The Alegre family was intertwined through their descendants with numerous families from Argentina, among them was the family of Domitila Soreyra (relative of Ramón Sorayre, great-granddaughter of Francisco Sorayre and Sebastiana Casco (descendant of Gonzalo Casco), coming from the city to Rosario. On April 14, 1855 she was married in the parish Nuestra Señora de Montserrat to Justiniano Alegre Martínez, landowner in the area of Cañuelas. He was descendant (maternal line) of Juan Martínez (born in Ontinyent) and María del Tránsito Muñoz. Alegre and Domitila Sorayre were parents of five children Domitila, Leonarda, Eduarda, Rosa and Justiniano, who served as notary in Buenos Aires. Eduarda Alegre was baptized with that name for being born on October 13 (St Edward's day). And his sister Leonarda by St Leonard's day (November 6).
Domitila Alegre Sorayre was married to her relative Juan Manuel de Andrade (In-laws of Sinforoso Canaveri), a landowner, born in 1845 in the town of San Vicente. He was a remote descendant (maternal line) of Juana Ramírez de Céspedes and her husband, Jerónimo Vieyra, born in Portugal, who was arrived in the port of Buenos Aires about 1700. This family (Vieyra Ramírez) was related to Alonso Muñoz de Gadea and Tomás Silvestre Lasso de la Vega, an possible descendants of the family Lasso de la Vega (branch of Madrid), which were established at the beginning of the 17th century in the city of Córdoba.
The Sorayre family was linked to that of Matheo Guardia, killed during an Indian attack on his stay, in the vicinity of Arroyo Pavón (Santa Fe). The Sorayre's probably were originally from Chile, they were arrived at the city of Rosario by 1730s.
Other families linked to the Alegre family were the López Osornio, Miller, Sosa, de la Rosa and Roberto. They had large land possessions in the towns of San Vicente and Cañuelas. In 1837, Saturnino Alegre Espinosa, sold a plot of 225 hectares to its neighbor Hannah Brocksopp, a female landowner of English origin.
Casimiro was grandfather of Victoriano Alegre owner of a warehouse located in the neighborhood of Monserrat for the year 1870. He also was the ancestor of Tomás Alegre Manzanares, an officer who served in the Argentine Navy (deceased in 1911).
Casimiro Alegre was possibly a descendant (maternal line) of Hernando de Sosa, neighbor poblador and member of the town council of Corrientes in 1588. His grandson Pablo M. Alegre was married to Ana Keller, daughter of Jacobo Keller and Catalina Kruv, natives of Germany.
In 1872, was born Aniceto Federico Alegre Rodríguez (great-grandson of Casimiro Alegre), baptized on April 10 of the same year being his godfather Federico C. Cook, a powerful landowner of American origin. His sister, Dolores Alegre Rodríguez was the wife of Logardo Gilardoni, son of the Swiss builder Pedro Gilardoni and Josefa Thompson, an Argentine lady belonging to a family of English landowners established in the town of Lobos (Buenos Aires Province) towards the end of 1840s.
Militia career
Casimiro Alegre had chosen a militia career under the influence of his grandfather the Sergeant major, Bernabé Alegre husband of Potenciana Paredes, a Creole woman, descendant of Francisco de Paredes. He began his military career at the age of nineteen or twenty, serving in the Guardia del Juncal, a fortress built in the town of Cañuelas to prevent the advance of the Indians.
In 1777, Alegre was responsible for the construction of the barracks on the shores of Laguna of Monte, area populated by rebellious Indians. In 1779, he was promoted to Lieutenant of militia and appointed Captain in 1780.
The night of August 27, 1780, in Luján there had been an Indians attack composed of thousands of pampas warriors. The Consejo de guerra of Buenos Aires had appointed to Captain Casimiro Alegre, to lead the punitive expeditions against raids. These military expeditions were properly equipped with flintlocks, carbines, pistols, lances and sabers.
In the decades of 1780 and 1790 Casimiro Alegre served as alcalde de la hermandad in the towns of Almirante Brown (current territory), San Vicente, Magdalena and La Matanza (three times-1790, 1795, 1796). The alcaldes had to fulfill both administrative, judicial and also policial functions, dedicating themselves to the persecution of bandits in the rural areas of the province.
On September 16, 1795 Alegre was commissioned by the Viceroy, Pedro Melo de Portugal to make the appraisal of a land located in the current territory of Marcos Paz.
During the British invasion, the Capt. Casimiro Alegre served in the Regimiento Voluntarios de Caballería de la Frontera, formed with volunteers of Buenos Aires province, including militias of Magdalena, Quilmes, Ranchos and Chascomús. His son Francisco Javier Alegre, served as Alférez in the 1° Regimiento de Caballería de la Frontera (1st Cavalry Regiment).
Casimiro Alegre supported the May Revolution of 1810. He and his son Francisco had collaborated to buy horses, for the First Upper Peru campaign. And made available to the authorities of Buenos Aires, his whole regiment of militias, including all personal staff of his ranch of San Vicente.
In 1811, Casimiro Alegre participated in the defense of the Banda Orienta del Uruguay against Portuguese invasion. He was retired from the Argentine Army as Sergeant major, Commandant in the 1st Company of urban militias of San Vicente, province of Buenos Aires in 1817.