Juana was named after her maternal grandmother Juana Vila Pons, and Saint Germain (Spanish:San Germán), Bishop of Paris. Juana was born in Saint Augustine, East Florida, New Spain (now Saint Augustine, Saint Johns County, Florida, USA). She was christened on June 5, 1801, at the Parish of Saint Augustine.

The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, ceding West and East Florida to the United States, was ratified by Spain in 1820 and the United States on July 10, 1821. West and East Florida were united on March 20, 1822, to form the new U.S. Florida Territory.

Jane, as she was known, had grown up speaking Menorquí, a dialect of Balearic (believed to be a variant of the Eastern Catalan language). Her Menorquí was probably modified by influence from the Castilian Spanish and English which were being used in Saint Augustine. She married Emanuel C Crespo on April 25, 1821, at the Parish of Saint Augustine. He spoke the Castilian dialect of Spanish and that was probably the predominate language in their home. Manuel and Jane have nine children: 1 boy and 8 girls.

On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th US state. In 1855 or 1856, they moved to Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. Manuel died in 1859. In 1860, Jane was living with her daughters Antonia Wallace, Salina Price and her family, and Balvina Culp; this included five grandchildren.

Union forces raided Jacksonville in March 1862. During the raid, soldiers seized belongings from her home, the home of her daughter Catalina, and the home of her daughter's friend Mrs Thomas. On November 7, 1863, Catalina filed a claim against the US Army for the loss of their property.

The city was occupied a second time in October 1862, and again in March 1863. In early February 1864, Major General Quincy A Gillmore moved his Union forces into Jacksonville and left the city in the charge of Brigadier General Truman Seymour. The city remained in Union hands into 1865.

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(bio by: Raymond B.)