Josefa Moreno
Dona Josefa Lopez Moreno 1793-1820
Dona Josefa Lopez Moreno was born in Pensacola in 1793 to Don Joseph Anthony Lopez and Dona Maria Victoria Calder. In 1815, she married Don Francisco Moreno, a man who later gained the informal title "King of Pensacola" due to his wealth and influence. He possessed a large Spanish land grant in what is now the Naval Air Station's land, owned a hotel, and provided banking services from a chest full of gold under his bed. They lived at 215 East Zaragossa Street, and she gave him three children, Angela, Francisco, and Josefa. After Josefa passed away, Francisco Moreno remarried twice and produced a total of 27 children, making him the progenitor of many local families.
Josefa died on February 8th, 1820, at the age of twenty-seven. She is buried in a large brownstone above-ground tomb along with Francisco, her daughter Josefa, and three more family members. The marble tombstone that bears their names is engraved with a bouquet of flowers, which represents the short, yet beautiful nature of life.
Researched and written by Richard Adams, University of West Florida Public History program.
