"[1] He was the author of "Compendium of History of Santo Domingo", published in four volumes in 1867, 1887, 1900 and 1906 respectively, and made numerous contributions in the fields of culture, literature and education.

His father, born to Italian Bartolomé Costa (b. Verona, Veneto) and Vicenta Toso (Ramírez) Carvajal of Genoese descent,[9][10] was a clergy involved in politics who represented Santo Domingo from 1827 to 1832 in the legislative Assembly of Haiti as a deputy.

[12] His uncle, José del Carmen García, was one of the signatories of the Manifesto of January 16, 1844, and then served as lieutenant of artillery in the Battle of Azua, on 19 March 1844.

Tomás (Toso) Ramírez Carvajal, was a lawyer and mayor of the Royal Audiencia in 1820 and Captain of the Spanish cavalry[15][16][17] with a decisive role in the Battle of Palo Hincado.

In 1848, at only 14 years old, José Gabriel García joined the army and was assigned artillery brigade of the Plaza of Santo Domingo, commanded by Colonel Ángel Perdomo (military officer).

Accused of conspiracy and pursued by the government of Pedro Santana, who had initiated the reintegration of Dominican Republic to Spain, he had to leave the country in 1861, settling in Venezuela for five years.

In 1867, José Gabriel García and Emiliano Tejera together with the archbishop Fernando Arturo de Meriño, among others, established the first public library of the Dominican Republic.

The donated collections that formed this first public library came from the personal library of the writer Rafael María Baralt[22][23][24] In 1854, José Gabriel García founded and was the first president of the Amantes de las Letras Society along with poet Manuel Rodríguez Objío and Manuel de Jesús Galván which was the first cultural society in Dominican Republic and created with the purpose of advancing the intellectual progress of the country by providing access to books, newspapers and magazines.

In the 1910s, J.R. Vda García became another pioneer this time in the photography industry in the Dominican Republic by being the first company to provide the photo equipments and services of the Eastman Kodak in the country.

[44] Eduardo García Reina, was also the pioneer of the gift shops in the Colonial City when he established the store Recuerdos Dominicanos in the Isabel la Católica street around the same time along with the Kodak business.

The remains of his father Gabriel Costa lie in the Primate Cathedral of America and his maternal grandmother, Manuela Rita García, is buried in the vault of the Convent of the Dominican Order.