Juan Serrallés Colón, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the son of Sebastian Serrallés, a wealthy Spaniard from Catalonia who settled in Ponce in the early 19th century and went into the sugarcane business, and Juana Colon. Serrallés Colón was the owner of "Hacienda Mercedita" as well as the neighboring Hacienda Fe and Hacienda Laurel.[2][3]
Juan Serrallés was raised in Ponce and educated in Spain. When Juan Serrallés returned to the island, he returned to lead the work in his hacienda (plantation).[4]
"Don Q" rumedit
In 1865, Juan imported a still which he purchased in France and produced his first few casks of rum. He named the rum Don Q in honor of the legendary Spanish fictional character Don Quixote. Soon after, the "Don Q" brand of rum became very popular in Puerto Rico and the family business began to grow.[5]
In 1903 the Serrallés family, under the leadership of Juan Serrallés, installed the first continuous still in Puerto Rico. Juan Serrallés died in 1921 just as the production of rum was being halted because of the United States Prohibition Act of the 1920s. Juan's family continued to run the sugar side of the business but for the distillery side started to produce medical alcohol instead of the outlawed rum. It was called Alcoholado Superior 70.
Personal lifeedit
The Serralles Castle, built by Juan's son, Juan Eugenio Serralles Perez in the 1930s
Juan Serrallés Colón married Mercedes Perez (1845–1922), after whom he named his sugar plantation.[6] They had three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Juan Eugenio Serrallés, became the head of the Serrallés family business after Juan died in 1921. Juan's grandchildren – via Juan Eugenio's marriage to Rosa Maria Sanchez – were Rosa, Juan Eugenio, and Felix Juan.
Juan Eugenio built a huge castle in Ponce, called the Serralles Castle, for his three children some ten years after his father's death, a testament to the prosperity of the plantation business that Juan Serrallés had started the previous century. Eventually one of these grandchildren, Felix Juan, became the next in line to run the sugar plantation and rum distillery businesses, which he did until his death in 1985.
Currentlyedit
The sugarcane business ceased to operate in 1994, with only the rum distillery that Juan had spearheaded decades before still operating. Today, Juan Serrallés Colón's great-grandson, Felix Juan Serrallés, Jr., presides over Destileria Serralles, Inc.[7]
Legacyedit
The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has honored the memory of Juan Serrallés Colon by naming both a grade school and a high school[8] in Ponce after him. There is also an elementary school named after his wife Mercedes.[9]
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Serrallés and the second or maternal family name is Colón.
Footnotesedit
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, historian, writer and curator of Museo Castillo Serralles states Juan Serrallés Colón was born in 1834. See Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, El Museo Castillo Serrallés /The Serralles Castle Museum, published by Patronato del Castillo Serrallés , 1998, ISBN0-9650059-0-9, p. 96.
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, historian, writer and curator of Museo Castillo Serrallés states Juan Serrallés Colón died in 1897. See Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, El Museo Castillo Serrallés /The Serralles Castle Museum, published by Patronato del Castillo Serrallés , 1998, ISBN0-9650059-0-9, p. 96.
Referencesedit
^Hacienda Mercedita Foundry, Barrio Sabanestas(sic), Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico: Photographs, Written Historical and Descriptive Data. 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Benjamin Nistal-Moret, Hector Sanchez and Jean Yearby. Historic American Engineering Record. HAER Number PR-8. U. S. National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 20240. 1984. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
^Our Story: 9 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Destileria Serralles
^Hacienda Mercedita 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine: Foundry Barrio Sabanestas, Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico
^Rum: The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World. 4 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Charles A. Coulombe. Citadel Books. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp. Page 99. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
^A Spirited Tradition. Archived 18 July 2012 at archive.today Chase Lindsey. University of Oklahoma. Gaylord College of Journalism. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
^Serrallés Family. 10 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Genealogy Incorporated. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
^"Sucesión Juan Serrallés, Inc. Celebrates 150 Years of History" (PDF). Google Storage.
^Crece el número de Héroes en Ponce. 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. 12 February 2014. p.6.
^Escuela a punto de que se la trague la tierra: La vida de los estudiantes y maestros de la escuela elemental Mercedes Pérez de Serrallés podría correr peligro ya que el plantel está a punto de colapsar. Darisabel Texidor Guadalupe. 13 May 2013. PrimeraHora.com Accessed 26 July 2020.
^Martínez Rivera – Landrón Family Tree. 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Family Tree Maker. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN0965005909. p. 99.
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN0965005909. p. 99.
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN0965005909. p. 99.
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN0965005909. p. 99.
^Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN0965005909. p. 99.
External linksedit
Don Q Rum
Mercedes M. Serralles
December 03, 2023
juan, serrallés, colón, juan, eugenio, serrallés, colón, note, 1836, 1921, founder, hacienda, mercedita, ponce, puerto, rico, what, become, destileria, serralles, producers, brand, puerto, rican, bornjuan, eugenio, serrallés, colón1836, ponce, puerto, ricodied. Juan Eugenio Serralles Colon note 1 1836 1 1921 was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles producers of Don Q a brand of Puerto Rican rum Juan Serralles ColonBornJuan Eugenio Serralles Colon1836 a Ponce Puerto RicoDied1921 age 85 b Ponce Puerto RicoOccupationBusinessman Contents 1 Family and early years 2 Don Q rum 3 Personal life 4 Currently 5 Legacy 6 Descendants 7 See also 8 Notes 9 Footnotes 10 References 11 External linksFamily and early years editJuan Serralles Colon born in Ponce Puerto Rico was the son of Sebastian Serralles a wealthy Spaniard from Catalonia who settled in Ponce in the early 19th century and went into the sugarcane business and Juana Colon Serralles Colon was the owner of Hacienda Mercedita as well as the neighboring Hacienda Fe and Hacienda Laurel 2 3 Juan Serralles was raised in Ponce and educated in Spain When Juan Serralles returned to the island he returned to lead the work in his hacienda plantation 4 Don Q rum editIn 1865 Juan imported a still which he purchased in France and produced his first few casks of rum He named the rum Don Q in honor of the legendary Spanish fictional character Don Quixote Soon after the Don Q brand of rum became very popular in Puerto Rico and the family business began to grow 5 In 1903 the Serralles family under the leadership of Juan Serralles installed the first continuous still in Puerto Rico Juan Serralles died in 1921 just as the production of rum was being halted because of the United States Prohibition Act of the 1920s Juan s family continued to run the sugar side of the business but for the distillery side started to produce medical alcohol instead of the outlawed rum It was called Alcoholado Superior 70 Personal life edit nbsp The Serralles Castle built by Juan s son Juan Eugenio Serralles Perez in the 1930sJuan Serralles Colon married Mercedes Perez 1845 1922 after whom he named his sugar plantation 6 They had three sons and two daughters His eldest son Juan Eugenio Serralles became the head of the Serralles family business after Juan died in 1921 Juan s grandchildren via Juan Eugenio s marriage to Rosa Maria Sanchez were Rosa Juan Eugenio and Felix Juan Juan Eugenio built a huge castle in Ponce called the Serralles Castle for his three children some ten years after his father s death a testament to the prosperity of the plantation business that Juan Serralles had started the previous century Eventually one of these grandchildren Felix Juan became the next in line to run the sugar plantation and rum distillery businesses which he did until his death in 1985 Currently editThe sugarcane business ceased to operate in 1994 with only the rum distillery that Juan had spearheaded decades before still operating Today Juan Serralles Colon s great grandson Felix Juan Serralles Jr presides over Destileria Serralles Inc 7 Legacy editThe Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has honored the memory of Juan Serralles Colon by naming both a grade school and a high school 8 in Ponce after him There is also an elementary school named after his wife Mercedes 9 Descendants editDescendants of Juan Serralles Colon16 Juan Serralles Colon b 1845 Ponce Puerto Rico d 19218 Juan Eugenio Serralles Perezb 1878 amp Mercedes M Julia Jorge Juan Pedro Juan17 Mercedes Perez b 1845 Ponce Puerto Rico4 Felix Juan Serralles Sanchezb 3 February 1911 Ponce Puerto Rico d November 1985 Mercedita Puerto Rico amp Rosa M Juan E 9 Rosa Maria Sanchez Montalvo2 Felix Juan Serralles Nevares 13 b 1934 Ponce Puerto Rico amp Roberto Juan Frances Margarita Juan Oscar Michael10 Oscar Nevares Lopez b 30 August 1888 Toa Alta Puerto Rico 10 5 Francisca Victoria Nevares del Valle 11 b 7 November 1914 Toa Baja Puerto Rico11 Margarita del Valle Morales b 8 September 1894 Arecibo Puerto Rico1 Felix Juan Serralles Yordanb 1958 amp Dianne Mercedes Gisele Mercedes 14 Juan Oscar Roberto Juan 15 12 6 13 3 Hercilia Daiana Yordan 12 b 1937 Ponce14 7 15 See also edit nbsp Puerto Rico portalList of Puerto Ricans Serralles Castle Destileria Serralles Don Q Ponce Puerto RicoNotes edit In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Serralles and the second or maternal family name is Colon Footnotes edit Neysa Rodriguez Deynes historian writer and curator of Museo Castillo Serralles states Juan Serralles Colon was born in 1834 See Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum published by Patronato del Castillo Serralles 1998 ISBN 0 9650059 0 9 p 96 Neysa Rodriguez Deynes historian writer and curator of Museo Castillo Serralles states Juan Serralles Colon died in 1897 See Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum published by Patronato del Castillo Serralles 1998 ISBN 0 9650059 0 9 p 96 References edit Hacienda Mercedita Foundry Barrio Sabanestas sic Municipality of Ponce Puerto Rico Photographs Written Historical and Descriptive Data Archived 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Benjamin Nistal Moret Hector Sanchez and Jean Yearby Historic American Engineering Record HAER Number PR 8 U S National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington D C 20240 1984 Retrieved 18 April 2017 Our Story Archived 9 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Destileria Serralles Hacienda Mercedita Archived 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Foundry Barrio Sabanestas Municipality of Ponce Puerto Rico Rum The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World Archived 4 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Charles A Coulombe Citadel Books New York Kensington Publishing Corp Page 99 Retrieved 26 December 2011 A Spirited Tradition Archived 18 July 2012 at archive today Chase Lindsey University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism Retrieved 26 December 2011 Serralles Family Archived 10 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Genealogy Incorporated Retrieved 26 December 2011 Sucesion Juan Serralles Inc Celebrates 150 Years of History PDF Google Storage Crece el numero de Heroes en Ponce Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Reinaldo Millan La Perla del Sur 12 February 2014 p 6 Escuela a punto de que se la trague la tierra La vida de los estudiantes y maestros de la escuela elemental Mercedes Perez de Serralles podria correr peligro ya que el plantel esta a punto de colapsar Darisabel Texidor Guadalupe 13 May 2013 PrimeraHora com Accessed 26 July 2020 Martinez Rivera Landron Family Tree Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Family Tree Maker Retrieved 26 December 2011 Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum Patronato del Castilo Serralles Ponce Puerto Rico 1998 ISBN 0965005909 p 99 Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum Patronato del Castilo Serralles Ponce Puerto Rico 1998 ISBN 0965005909 p 99 Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum Patronato del Castilo Serralles Ponce Puerto Rico 1998 ISBN 0965005909 p 99 Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum Patronato del Castilo Serralles Ponce Puerto Rico 1998 ISBN 0965005909 p 99 Neysa Rodriguez Deynes El Museo Castillo Serralles The Serralles Castle Museum Patronato del Castilo Serralles Ponce Puerto Rico 1998 ISBN 0965005909 p 99 External links editDon Q Rum Mercedes M Serralles Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Juan Serralles Colon amp oldid 1186393221, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
