The Mercado - Rizal Family.

The Mercado-Rizal family were considered to be one of the biggest families during their time.

Domingo Lam-co, the family's paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the
Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-
breed by the name of Ines de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and
Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

José Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and
Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother. He was the seventh of eleven children.

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)

The father of José Rizal was the youngest of the 13 offspring's of Juan and
Cirila Mercado. Born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818. He studied Latin
and Philosophy at the San José College in Manila. After his parents death
he moved to Calamba and became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-
owned hacienda. He was a hardy and independent man, a hardworking
man of few words. He died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80.
Rizal called his father affectionately "a model of fathers".

TEODORA ALONSO (1826-1911)

Dr. Rizal's mother was born in Manila on
November 8, 1826 as the second child of
Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She
went to school at the College of Santa Rosa. She was a remarkable
woman, she possessed refined culture, literary talent, business ability
and the fortitude of Spartan women. Rizal wrote about his loving mother
"My mother is a woman of more than ordinary culture; she is a
mathematician and has read many books."

She died in Manila on August 16, 1911, at the age of 85, in her house in
San Fernando Street, Binondo. Shortly before her death, the Philippine
government offered her a life pension. She Courteously rejected it saying,
"My Family has never been patriotic for money. If the government has
plenty of funds and does not know what to do with them, better reduce
taxes." Such remark truly befitted her as a worthy mother of a national here !

Their Children
SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)
Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Her nickname was Neneng. She had five children by her
husband Manuel T. Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)

Only brother and confidant of José Rizal and the second child. He became
as a second father to Jose Rizal. Studied at San José College in Manila.
Just like his father, Paciano became a farmer. It was his idea to send Jose
to continue his studies in Spain. After his younger brother´ excecution, he
joined the Philippine revolution and became a combat General. After the
Revolution, he retired to his farm in Los Boños where he lived as a
gentleman farmer and died on April 13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79. he
had two children by his mistress (Severina Decena).

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)

The third child. Her pet name was Sisa. She

married Antonio Lopez a teacher and musician
of Morong (Rizal).

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)

The fourth child. Ypia was her pet name.

Married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator
from Manila; she died in 1887 from child birth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)

The fifth child. Married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba. He was the nephew
of Father Casanas. Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied a
Christian burial because Dr. Rizal was his brother-in-law.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)

The sixth child. Her nickname was Biang. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of
Biñan, Laguna.
JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. The greatest Filipino hero and a
tremendous genius. His nickname was Pepe. During his exile in Dapitan he
lived together with Josephine Bracken, an Irish girl from Hong Kong. They
had a son with her but their baby son died a few hours after birth. Rizal named
him Francisco after his father and buried him in Dapitan. José was executed
by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)

The eighth among the Rizal children, died at the age of three due to an illness. Her pet name was
Concha. As an older brother, Jose, who was four at that time (in 1865), grieved so bitterly. He
recalled having cried so hard for the first time due to love and sorrow for their loss. According to
him, "Till then I had shed tears only for my own faults which my loving, prudent mother well knew
how to correct."

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)

Josefa Rizal or Panggoy had epilepsy. She was the ninth child of the
family. She died in 1945 at the age of 80. Due to her illness she never got
married and died as spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)

The tenth child. She was the longest living family

member. They gave her the pet name Trining.
Like her sister Josefa, she never got married and
also died an old maid at the age of 83.
 SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)

She was the youngest child of the Rizal-Mercado clan. Choleng was het pet
name. She later got married to Pantaleon Quintero, a native from
Calamba, Laguna.

REFERENCE:
http://www.knightsofrizal.be/rizal_family.php
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/215864892/Jose-Rizal-s-Family

Birth
Life and Family
The Mercado – Rizal Family

The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the
family’s paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy,
China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of
Ines de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish,
Malay and Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and
Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother.

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)

Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born in
Biñan, Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)

Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She
studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous,
religious, hard-working and well-read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14,
1827 and died in 1913 in Manila.

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)

Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan,
Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)

Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became
a farmer and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)

The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician.

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)

The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)

The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)

The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December
30,1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)

The eight child. Died at the age of three.

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)

The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)

The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)

The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

In Calamba, Laguna
19 June 1861
JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was
born in Calamba, Laguna.

22 June 1861
He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev.
Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor.
28 September 1862
The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which Rizal’s
baptismal records were entered, were burned.

1864
Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.

1865
When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the
age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first
time.

1865 – 1867
During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by
the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the
rudiments of Latin.

At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, seeing
Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and
taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of
nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He
advised Rizal: “Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as
thorough; be independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything.”

6 June 1868
With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother to take
the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of
delivery which nearly caused his mother’s life.

From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time
studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

1869
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled “Sa Aking Mga Kabata.” The poem was
written in tagalog and had for its theme “Love of One’s Language.”

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/ilocos-sur-polytechnic-state-college/life-and-work-of-
rizal/rizals-life-family-childhood-and-early-education/14375559

https://eyeofthetiger25.wordpress.com/birth-and-family-life/
 His parents, Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro (1818–1898) and Teodora Alonso
Realonda de Quintoswere prosperous farmers who were granted lease of a hacienda and an
accompanying rice farm by the Dominicans. Rizal was the seventh child of their eleven children
namely: Saturnina (Neneng) (1850–1913), Paciano (1851–1930), Narcisa (Sisa) (1852–1939),
Olimpia, Lucia (1857–1919), María (Biang) (1859–1945), José Protasio (1861–1896), Concepción
(Concha) (1862–1865), Josefa (Panggoy) (1865–1945), Trinidad (1868–1951) and Soledad (Choleng)
(1870–1929).

Rizal was a 5th-generation patrilineal descendant of Domingo Lam-co (traditional Chinese: 柯儀南;
simplified Chinese: 柯仪南; pinyin: Kē Yínán; Pe̍ h-ōe-jī: Kho Gî-lâm), a Chinese immigrant
entrepreneur who sailed to the Philippines from Jinjiang, Quanzhou in the mid-17th century.[13]
Lam-co married Inez de la Rosa, a Sangley of Luzon.
José Rizal also had Spanish and Japanese ancestors. His grandfather and father of Teodora was a
half Spaniard engineer named Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo.[14] His maternal great-great-grandfather
was Eugenio Ursua, a descendant of Japanese settlers.

In 1849, then Governor-General of the Philippines Narciso Claveria, issued a Decree by which native
Filipino and immigrant families were to adopt Spanish surnames from a list of Spanish family
names. Although the Chino Mestizos were allowed to hold on to their Chinese surnames, Lam-co
changed his surname to the Spanish "Mercado" (market), possibly to indicate their Chinese
merchant roots. José's father Francisco adopted the surname "Rizal" (originally Ricial, the green of
young growth or green fields), which was suggested to him by a provincial governor, or as José had
described him, "a friend of the family". However, the name change caused confusion in the business
affairs of Francisco, most of which were begun under the old name. After a few years, he settled on
the name "Rizal Mercado" as a compromise, but usually just used the original surname "Mercado".

Upon enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, José dropped the last three names that make up
his full name, on the advice of his brother, Paciano Rizal Mercado, and the Rizal Mercado family,
thus rendering his name as "José Protasio Rizal". Of this, Rizal writes: "My family never paid much
attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it, thus giving me the appearance of
an illegitimate child!"[16] This was to enable him to travel freely and disassociate him from his
brother, who had gained notoriety with his earlier links with native priests who were sentenced to
death as subversives. From early childhood, José and Paciano were already advancing unheard-of
political ideas of freedom and individual rights which infuriated the authorities.[17][18] Despite the
name change, José, as "Rizal" soon distinguished himself in poetry writing contests, impressing his
professors with his facility with Castilian and other foreign languages, and later, in writing essays
that were critical of the Spanish historical accounts of the pre-colonial Philippine societies. Indeed,
by 1891, the year he finished his El filibusterismo, this second surname had become so well known
that, as he writes to another friend, "All my family now carry the name Rizal instead of Mercado
because the name Rizal means persecution! Good! I too want to join them and be worthy of this
family name...".[16]

https://christianpolongalviar.weebly.com/family-background.html
Jose Rizal Family
Jose Rizal’s thirteen-member-family consisted of his father Francisco Mercado II, his mother
Teodora Alonso Realonda, himself, nine sisters and one brother.

Jose Rizal came from a wealthy family in Calamba, Laguna,

Considered one of the largest families in those times, the 13-
member-family consisted of his father Francisco Mercado II, his
mother Teodora Alonso Realonda, himself, nine sisters and one
brother.

Rizal’s Lineage
The Rizal paternal ascendant was Domingo Lam-co, a full-blooded
Chinese who lived in Amoy, China and arrived in the Philippines in
the closing years of the 17th century. Domingo Lam-co was married
to a Chinese half-breed named Ines de la Rosa. The Mercado-Rizal
family had also Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Negrito blood aside
from their Chinese blood.

Rizal’s Parents
Jose Rizal’s father Francisco was the youngest of 13 children of Juan
and Cirila Mercado. He was born in Binan, Laguna, studied in San
Jose College of Manila and died in Manila.

Teodora, the mother of Jose Rizal, was a business-minded, religious

and hard working individual who was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on
November 14, 1827. She was the second child of Brijida de Quintos
and Lorenzo Alonso. Teodora had Spanish and Japanese ancestors
while the father of Teodora was a half Spaniard engineer known as
Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo. She studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa.
Teodora died in Manila in 1913.
The parents of Jose Rizal were both farmers who were granted by the
Dominicans with the lease of a hacienda together with a rice farm.

Rizal’s Siblings
Saturnina Rizal was the eldest of the offsprings of Francisco Mercado
and Teodora Alonso Realonda. She married Manuel Hidalgo who
hailed from Tanauan, Batangas.

The only brother of Jose Rizal was Paciano Rizal and was the second
child. Paciano studied at the San Jose College in Manila and worked
as a farmer and later as a general of the Philippine Revolution.

The other sisters of Jose Rizal were Narcisa,Olympia, Lucia, Maria,

Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad and Soledad. Soledad was the youngest
child and later was married to Pantaleon Quintero.

How Jose Obtained the ‘Rizal’ Last Name

The Rizal surname was obtained by Francisco Mercado as suggested
to him by a provincial governor after the Governor General of the
Philippines, Narciso Claveria, issued a decree in 1849 by which native
Filipino and immigrant families were to adopt Spanish surnames
from a list of Spanish family names.

Jose Rizal also obtained the surname Rizal after dropping three other
names that made up his full name. Jose Rizal also retained Protasio as
his other family name. His family never actually recognized their
Rizal surname, but Jose Rizal was forced to use it so that he can
travel freely and disassociate himself from his brother Paciano, who
was notorious because of his links with native priests who were
executed after they were found to be subversives.
https://www.joserizal.com/jose-rizal-family/