Yorba Family: Prominent Landowners in Orange County - Essay Example

work] Yorba Family: Prominent Landowners in Orange County INTRODUCTION This is the story of the Yorba family, one of the prominent landowners of Orange County in California, told against the background of the history of Spain, Mexico, and United States, or California in particular. Through a review of literature on the Yorbas, the story starts briefly from the late 1700s with Jose, the father, and his expedition; then leads on the Bernardo, the third son of the Don; and ends in the late 1800s with what happened to the last of the Yorba lands. THE YORBAS The Expedition. In July 1769, Gaspar de Portol lead an expedition through what is now called Orange County in California (Hallan-Gibson, n.d.). The expedition was part of a military crusade colonizing the West coast of the New World in the 1500's, known today as the United States (Middlebrook, 2005). At that time, American Indians dwelled in Orange County until the period of Spanish colonization in the late 1700's. Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer, marched through the San Joaquin Valley, abruptly ending the quiet life of the Gabrielinos (Indians). With the Spaniards came forts, missions and herds of cattle (City of Irvine, 2007). The Spanish Empire wanted to colonize quickly on the West coast of the New World because their enemy, Britain, was preoccupied on the East coast with the Revolutionary War from 1763-1775 (Middlebrook, 2005). One of the members of the Portola expedition was a young soldier by the name of Jose Antonio Yorba (The Colton Letters, 2002), born in San Sadurni de Noya, Spain, in 1746 (Timeline, n.d.). After retiring from military service in 1797, Jose Antonio Yorba later returned as one of several large landowners who established ranchos in the area ("San Antonio," 2005). Yorba settled in the lush California valleys around the Santa Ana River south of Los Angeles. In 1809, he petitioned the King of Spain for a grant of land in this area covering 62,516 acres, which included the current communities of Irvine, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Tustin and several others (City of Irvine, 2007). Yorba Linda in Orange County was eventually named after him. The Spanish promoted intermarriage between Spanish soldiers and American Indians. For example, Corporal Jose Antonio Yorba, born in Spain, married an American Indian by the name of Maria Garcia Feliz at Monterey and had two children (Middlebrook, 2005). It is said, one boy drowned at age six, and another died in his mid-twenties. Yorba's wife also died early in 1781. Yorba then married a 16 year old by the name of Maria Josefa Grijalva, an older daughter of another Spanish military leader named Juan Pablo Grijalva who eventually received the highest rank in the Spanish expedition in California and also founded Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana (Middlebrook, 2005). In 1810, Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, 62,516 acres, was granted to Jos Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta by Spanish Governor Jos Joaqun Arrillaga; it was the only Spanish land grant wholly in Orange County (Hallan-Gibson, nd.). Most of Rancho Santa Ana became Orange County, CA, and one of the haciendas became Yorba Linda, birthplace of President Nixon (Harrison, 2000). At that time, the King of Spain began to parcel out lands for missions and for a few large, private land grants. In 1831, after gaining independence from Spain, the Mexican government secularized the missions, assumed control of land holdings and began dispensing ranchos to Mexican citizens who went for grants. (City of Irvine, 2007). In time, Jose Antonio Yorba passed his land to his heirs - the most notable being his son, Don Bernardo Yorba (The Colton Letters, 2002). On August 1, 1834, Bernardo, moved across the Santa Ana River from what is now Anaheim Hills, to establish Rancho Caon de Santa Ana. Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Three large Spanish/Mexican grants made up the land that later became the Irvine Ranch: Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, Rancho San Joaquin and Rancho Lomas de Santiago. The oldest was the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, an early Spanish grant to the Yorba family, confirmed by the Mexican government. (City of Irvine, 2007) The US-Mexican War lasted from 1846 to 1848. The Mexican government fled as US troops advanced and on February 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in which the Mexican government sold 55% of its territory, including Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah for $15 million to compensate for war damages (Middlebrook, 2005). California became the 31st state of the United States. At this time Orange County was only a part of the real estate in Los Angeles County (Middlebrook, 2005). To get valid title to their ranchos, the Congressional Act of 1851 forced landholders to reapply to the Board of Land Commissioners. Original grantees, however, had produced large families who were deeding, selling and trading portions of the large ranchos to family members and outsiders (City of Irvine, 2007). After California became part of the US, any land owner who did not have paperwork for their ownership lost possession of their land. Hence, most land owners lost their land as Spain and Mexico did not normally provide adequate paperwork showing proper boundaries for the land in California. The US government then took the land and sold it back at very affordable rates to local farmers and pioneers from the Eastern and Midwestern United States who came to California to dwell there (Middlebrook, 2005). In 1858 Pioneer landowner Bernardo Yorba died (OC Almanac, n.d.). Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana then fell prey to a complicated weave of titles. In 1868, outside investor Abel Stearns was successful in his attempt to dissolve the rancho and divide the property among the claimants, four of whom were prosperous sheep ranchers: Benjamin and Thomas Flint, Llewellyn Bixby and James Irvine (City of Irvine, 2007). This is, however, in contrast to what the Orange Country Almanac claimed. The OC Almanac (n.d.) said that in 1868, the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was partitioned among the Yorba and Peralta heirs and creditors. Among those acquiring portions of the rancho are Columbus Tustin, Nelson Stafford and John Fritsch who purchase 1,359 acres for $2,000. (SAHPS) (n.d.). Other versions said the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was partitioned into more than 70 separate parcels of land due to so many heirs ("St. Francis," n.d.) The rancho was the home of two of the oldest families in California, the Yorbas and the Peraltas. Consisting of 62,516 acres, the rancho extended along the east bank of the Santa Ana River from the mountains to the sea. It is said to have been the only true Spanish land grant on the western plain at the foot of Saddleback Mountain, because the rights to the other grants were made during California's Mexican Period. Settled ahead of time to provide homes for the third and fourth generations of the Yorbas and the Peraltas, it was eventually the location of at least 33 historic adobes. (SAHPS) (n.d.). Jose Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta. These were actually an uncle and a nephew who were with Portola in that important expedition of 1769. Jose Antonio Yorba was a corporal then who later retired from the army in 1797 and, with his father in-law, Juan Pablo Grijalva, began grazing cattle on the land that was to become Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Along with his nephew, Juan Pablo Peralta, he applied for their land grant (SAHPS) (n.d.). On July 1, 1810, Governor Figueroa granted the 62,516 acres known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana to Jose Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta. The towns of Olive, Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin and Costa Mesa were later developed from this acreage (Timeline, n.d.). The end of an era for Don Jose Yorba. Life was not all merriment for Don Jose for he had to spend an appreciable time and money proving his land claims before the courts. He was heavily indebted from huge interest rates with borrowed money. The floods of 1861-62 were followed by the drought of 1863-64. The baked hills and valleys of the Santa Ana were to a great extent littered with corpses and bones of cattle. As a result of these circumstances Don Jose was unable to keep up with the payments on his mortgage. He sold his vast holdings on the Rancho San Joaquin to James Irvine, Llewellyn Bixby and Thomas Flint (City of Irvine, 2007). He kept the 1,000-acre El Refugio, however, spending time there with his horses and his memories. A fire in 1871 partially destroyed the old adobe home. In 1873 he gave El Refugio to his family and moved to Caborca, Sonora, Mexico. He died there on April 17, 1875 (SAHPS, n.d.). Timeline (n.d.), however, negates this date and places the death of Jos Antonio Yorba on January 16, 1825. Bernardo Antonio Yorba. On August 4, 1801, Bernardo Yorba, the third son of Jos Antonio Yorba, was born in San Diego, CA (Timeline, n.d.). Don Bernardo, in his time, came to be known throughout the state as one of the most affluent and most friendly men in California. He was the greatest of the Mexican Rancheros (The Colton Letters, 2002). On August 1, 1834, Bernardo Yorba received from the Mexican government a land grant of 13,328 acres, known as Rancho Caon de Santa Ana (Timeline, n.d.) on the north side of the river encompassing much of what is now Yorba Linda. There, Yorba built his 100-room hacienda called San Antonio with a small church, a school for children and a cemetery ("St Francis," n.d.). Aside from the 100 living quarters, it had homes for the servants, workshops, warehouses for food, clothing and other supplies. It also had large orchards, vineyards and its own water power mill (Yorba-Davidson, 2007). In the northeast corner of Esperanza Rd and Echo Hill Ln, of Yorba Linda, Don Bernardo Yorba created the greatest rancho of California's Golden Age, combining the Santa Ana Grant awarded to his father by the King of Spain in 1810 and lands granted to him by Governor Jos Figueroa in 1834 (City guide, n.d.). Don Bernardo Antonio Yorba is remembered most for his huge adobe home he built in Santa Ana Canyon. It was said to have been one of the finest in California. He helped to develop the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, but in 1834 received a grant of his own further up the Santa Ana Canyon. His ranch was named Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana and his new house San Antonio, after his favorite saint. Yorba was a farmer who worked the land and raised his 20 children in the area (City guide, n.d.). Pamela Hallan-Gibson (n.d), however, records that the ranch was named Rancho Caon de Santa Ana, and not Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana as mentioned by City Guide (n.d.). Hallan-Gibson (n.d.) said - In 1834, Rancho Caon de Santa Ana was granted to Bernardo Yorba by Mexican Governor Jos Figueroa, who also granted Rancho Los Alamitos to Juan Jos Nieto. The later two were originally part of the Rancho Las Bolsas. The 13,328-acre grant contained some truly beautiful land. When traveling the Riverside Freeway through Santa Ana Canyon, one is suggested to look to the north to see the rambling Santa Ana River, the trees along the valley floor, and the hills and canyons which rise to the north. This was said to be once Don Bernardo's land. (SAHPS) (n.d.). The timeline of Hallan-Gibson (n.d), also says that in 1837, San Juan Cajn de Santa Ana was granted to Juan Pacfico Ontiveros which is contrary to what the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Site (n.d.) said. Hallan-Gibson (n.d) recorded - Rancho Cienega de las Ranas [was] granted to Jos Seplveda and San Juan Cajn de Santa Ana was granted to Juan Pacfico Ontiveros, both by Mexican Governor Juan B. Alvarado. Addition land, La Bolsa de San Joaqun, was granted in 1842 to Seplveda. Together his two ranchos formed Rancho San Joaqun. This was also the same account given by Middlebrook (2005). In sum, it was Juan Pacfico Ontiveros whose rancho was named San Juan Cajn de Santa Ana, and Don Bernardo Antonio Yorba's rancho was Rancho Caon de Santa Ana (Hallan-Gibson, n.d; Middlebrook, 2005). Before his death in 1860, Don Bernardo began the construction of a public chapel made of adobe. On April 18, 1860, the chapel was dedicated with a Mass for the repose of the soul of Don Bernardo and named the Chapel of San Antonio de Padua de Santa Ana (rc.net, 2005). Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana. The Santa Ana Historical Preservation Site (n.d.) called Bernardo's rancho, the Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana. It said, the spacious two-story adobe housed not only the large Yorba family but also many retainers. Estimates of its size range from 50 to over 100 rooms. Approximately 20 of these rooms were occupied by artisans and tradesmen who worked at the rancho (SAHPS, n.d.). Further, there were more than 100 "lesser" employees where some lived at the ranch, while most of the Indian workers lived in a nearly village of their own. The Rancho had two orchards and some plots planted to wheat. It took an average of 10 steers a month to supply the needs of the people who lived on the ranch. Meanwhile, the vineyards and crops were irrigated by water from ditches dug from the Santa Ana River (SAHPS, n.d.). Bernardo Antonio Yorba married Maria de Jesus Alvarado, the daughter of Xavier Alvarado of San Diego, on April 16, 1823. Maria gave birth to one son and three daughters in the five years between her marriage and her death, (SAHPS) (n.d.). A year after Maria de Jesus died, Bernardo married 15-year-old Felipa Dominguez, daughter of Juana and Mariano Dominguez. Bernardo expanded his home and his rancho thrived as his family acquired 12 more children. Sadly, Felipa died after having given birth to her twelfth child, Filepe, on September 8, 1851. (SAHPS) (n.d.). The following year, Don Bernardo married Andrea Elizalde as his third wife. However, the marriage was conducted by proxy. Andrea was only 22, some 29 years younger than the Don who remained at his rancho while a friend traveled to Los Angeles to take the marriage vows at the Plaza Church. Andrea was the daughter of Juana and Nicolas Elizalde. With her, Don Bernardo had four sons: Francis, Bernardo, Xavier, and Gregorio. In 1858, at the age of 57, Don Bernardo died, leaving behind a large and prosperous rancho, including approximately 37,000 acres of land and over $100,000 in assets (SAHPS, n.d.). He had 7,000 head of cattle appraised at $84,000 and his other holdings were over $30,000 (Yorba-Davison, 2007). Eighteen years later, in 1875, his widow sold the square league that she and her children had inherited for only $3 an acre to John Bixby. Most of the 20 children of the Don and his three wives survived into adulthood, got married, and had families of their own (SAHPS) (n.d.). At last count, there were hundreds of descendants of Don Bernardo whose influence was felt throughout Southern California. (SAHPS) (n.d.). Enter the Americans. California then was a department of Mexico called Alta California, and Alta California was without a strong presence of Mexican authority ("Sonoma," 2007). Power was welded by the landowners, shifting alliances among the local families, who were California-born but of Spanish blood, and who considered themselves distinct from Mexicans. These 'Californio' families -- the Peraltas, Sepulvedas, Picos, Yorbas, Figueroas, Castros, Carrillos, Vallejos and others -- drew their wealth from their vast land holdings of thousands and thousands of acres. By the 1840s, the Californios had come to realize their days as the ruling power were numbered. In 1844, the United States had elected James K. Polk as President on a platform that espoused 'Manifest Destiny' -- the expansion of the U.S. to its 'natural' western boundary of the Pacific Ocean. American pioneers traveled west to Alta California from Missouri in large wagon trains, inspired by the writings of John Marsh that had been published in many Eastern papers. By 1845, there were more than 800 Americans in Alta California ("Sonoma," 2007). Post Bernardo Yorba. In 1862, a dreadful set of natural disasters struck Orange County and changed everything. First, a flood swept through the region and set up the perfect conditions for a small pox outbreak that killed many Americans (Middlebrook, 2005). Not long afterwards within the same year a massive drought dried up all of Orange County crops and cattle ranches. The once rich ranchers who received land from the Mexican and Spanish government before the US-Mexico War lost all of their cattle, forcing them into bankruptcy. Huge interest rates were set by merciless North American businessmen at a rate of 3% interest due per month on average. Local farmers also went bankrupt and lost their land. Throughout this American migration period, descendents of the Yorbas continued to marry into other prominent Spanish families in an attempt to preserve their lands and heritage. In the early twentieth century, Samuel Kraemer, who had married the last of the "grand" Yorbas, Angelina Yorba, tore down the historic Rancho San Antonio after the city of Yorba Linda refused to accept it as a donation (Answers.com). Kraemer was a businessman, oil millionaire, andrancher who built much of downtown Anaheim in the 1920s (Yorba-Davidson, 2007). Today, the legacy of the Yorba Family can still be appreciated at the historic Yorba Cemetery, the oldest private cemetery in Orange County. This was the same cemetery built by Bernardo Yorba months before he died in 1828 (Timeline, n.d.). conclusion Jose Antonio Yorba, a soldier in the expedition of Gaspar de Portol in July 1769, was the father of Don Bernardo Yorba whose families became the first in California. Jose's land grant of 62,516 acres was a reward for his military service for the King of Spain at that time. These lands, however, were lost through either deeding, selling and trading of portions of the large ranchos (City of Irvine, 2007), or through natural calamities like the floods of 1861-1862, followed by the drought of 1863-1864 (City of Irvine, 2007). On the other hand, Bernardo had a 13,328-acre grant. With three sets of families, and a total of 20 children, and maintaining a very large household of100 rooms, he died still with large assets. Four years after his death in 1858, however, a flood swept through the region (Middlebrook, 2005). Within the same year a massive drought forced ranchers into bankruptcy. Eventually in 1875, Bernardo's widow sold whatever was left of his land. Meanwhile, the historic Rancho San Antonio was said to be given for donation but the city of Yorba Linda refused to accept it (Answers.com). What remained of these lands is the Yorba Cemetery, the oldest private cemetery built by Bernardo Yorba months before he died (Timeline, n.d.). The story of the Yorbas is actually a story of how lands are acquired and how they are lost. The Yorbas knew how to develop their lands and make them progressive. Natural calamities and the nature of business, however, made them lose these lands. The role of interest on borrowed money, for example, showed how one can go bankrupt in the end. References Answers.com. Jose Antonio Yorba. Information. www.answers.com/topic/jose-antonio-yorba (accessed May 12, 2007). City Guide.Yorba Linda, California. http://www.orangecounty.net/cities/YorbaLinda.html (accessed May 11, 2007). City of Irvine website. History. http://www.ci.irvine.ca.us/about/history.asp (accessed May 11, 2007). Hallan-Gibson, Pamela (n.d.). A Timeline of Orange County History. From Orange County -the golden Promise.http://www.orangecountyhistory.org/Timeline.html (accessed May 11, 2007). Harrison, Bruce H. Family Forest. Benjamin Davis "Don Benito" Wilson. Millisecond Publishing Co., Inc. May 20, 2000. http://www.familyforest.com/captainslog/17.html (accessed May 11, 2007). Middlebrook, John-Robin. History of Orange County, California. Legends of the Golden State. June 11, 2005. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/CA-OrangeCounty.html (accessed May 11, 2007). OC Almanac. Headline History. Orange County. 1848 to 1865. http://www.ocalmanac.com/History/hi01c.htm (accessed May 11, 2007). Santa Ana History Preservation Society (SAHPS). (n.d.). Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The Grijalva, Yorba, Peralta, and Sepulveda Families. http://www.santaanahistory.com/articles/ranchos.html (accessed May 11, 2007). Sonoma Valley Neighbors. History of Sonoma. http://www.sonomavalleyneighbors.com/index.phppageId=30363 (accessed May 11, 2007). St. Francis of Assisi. History. http://www.stfrancis-yorbalinda.com/history.htm (accessed May 11, 2007). The Colton Letters. Wiseman & Burke Newsletter. 2002. http://www.wiseman-burke.com/arch68.htm (accessed May 11, 2007). Timeline. Yorba Linda history. http://www.yorbalindahistory.org/timeline (accessed May 11, 2007). rc.net (Website). San Antonio de Padua del Caon History. Last modified: February 13, 2005. http://www.rc.net/orange/san_antonio/history.htm (accessed May 11, 2007). Yorba-Davison, Angela. A Bit of Family (Yorba) History. http://poplarfoundationqh.com/index.html (accessed May 11, 2007). Read More