Samar (province): History
=== Pre-history ===
Around 2 million to 8000 B.C., based on geologic findings, during the ice ages (2 million years – 8000 B.C.), the islands of Mindoro, Luzon, and Mindanao were connected as one big island through the islands of Samar, Leyte and Bohol.
In 8550 B.C., diggings in Sohoton Caves in Basey, Samar showed stone flake tools. In 1200 A.D., other diggings along the Basey River revealed other stone flakes used until the 13th century.
In 1543, the explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, first came to the island and named it Las Islas Filipinas.
In 1596, many names, such as Samal, Ibabao, and Tandaya, were given to Samar Island prior to the coming of the Spaniards in 1596. During the early days of Spanish occupation, Samar was under the jurisdiction of Cebu.
On October 15, 1596, the first Jesuit missionaries arrived in Tinago (now Dapdap) in Tarangnan. From Tinago, the missionaries, Fr. Francisco de Otazo, Bartolome Martes and Domingo Alonzo began teaching Catechism, healing the sick and spreading the Christian faith into the interior settlements.
On June 1, 1649, the people of Palapag led by Agustin Sumuroy revolted against the decree of Governor General Diego Fajardo requiring able bodied men from the Visayas for service at the Cavite Shipyards. Like wildfire, the revolt quickly spread to the neighboring town in the Northern and Western coast of Samar and to the nearby provinces of Bicol, Surigao, Cebu, Camiguin and as far as Zamboanga. It was suppressed in 1650 by the combined forces of the Spaniards, Lutaos, and Pampangos.
In 1735, Samar and Leyte were united into one province with Carigara, in Leyte, as the capital town. In 1747, Samar and Leyte were separated for administrative effectiveness. In 1762, complaints from the Jesuits that the division was not working well, thus it was reunited again by the approval from the King of Spain.
In 1768, Jesuits were expelled in all Spanish dominions. The Franciscans arrived on September 25, 1768, and took over the administration of 14 of the 17 parishes which were under the spiritual care of the Jesuits for almost 172 years. The administration of the remaining three parishes namely Guiuan, Balangiga and Basey in the south of Samar were given to the Augustinians.
In 1777, the two provinces were divided for the last time, it was approved in Madrid in 1786 and had been effective in 1799.
In 1803, Guiuan, Balangiga and Basey were turned over to the Franciscans for the lack of Augustinian priests.
The 1835 Census showed Samar had 18,671 native families and also had 174 Spanish-Filipino families.
On August 11, 1841, Queen Isabella II of Spain signed a Royal Decree declaring Samar as a province. …