My most respectable Uncle and recipient of my greatest love and affection. I take this great opportunity to send my greetings in company of my most appreciative mother and brothers who to the present find ourselves fine and hope to find you the same.
Well, Uncle I received your message that you sent with Garsillo, but I cannot go and cannot take my mother, the reason being that I am obligated and in debt and I do not want to go without paying what I owe. I cannot tell you how this will affect my mother. I would like you to come and take her as soon as you can. Receive fondest thoughts from all the family in general.
It would seem that the date on the letter is actually from July 15, 1875. If the letter had been sent in 1815 to Jose Joaquin Verdugo (1795-1832), he would have only been 20 years old, an unmarried and an unlikely uncle. But if the letter was sent in 1875 to his son, Jose Joaquin Juan Pedro Verdugo (1832-aft. 1880), Jose Joaquin would have been 43 years old, married with two daughters and far more eligible of the title “My most respectable Uncle” than his 20 year old father would have been some 60 years earlier.
Relatively few Ranchos were granted prior to 1815, while many had been received by 1875 following the secularization of the missions. Of the potential Rancho San Juan locations, two are in the northern counties with no clear family connections; and one in San Diego that was abandoned in 1840. The lands of San Juan Capistrano again seem most likely as it was the San Juan Township, the Rancho San Juan is most likely Forster’s ranch at San Juan Capistrano or, less likely, the Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana in Anaheim which was given in 1837 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Juan Pedro Pacifico Ontiveros (1795-1877).
Juan Pedro Pacifico Ontiveros was the son of Juan Patricio Ontiveros and Maria Antonia Rodriguez. Juan Patricio Ontiveros was the brother of Maria De La Asumpcion Ontiveros, who with Jose Esteban Perez (1765-1821) had at least three children that survived into adulthood:
· Maria Luisa Perez (1807-1840) had a daughter with, but does not appear to have married, Jose Domingo Olivas. She is also perhaps "Luisa Perez", the wife of Ricardo Uribes.
· Maria Francisca 'Pancha' Perez (1814-1885) married Felipe Lugo.
Jose Esteban Perez and Maria De La Asumpcion Ontiveros also adopted a girl, Gabriella Perez (1804-?), on March 24, 1804. Her parents were unknown, the child was found at the door of Esteban Perez. Gabriella Perez married Marcos Bera, a soldado, at Mazatlan. Sargento Pablo Rodriguez, Sargento Jose Antonio Gongora (1778-1831) and Jose Herculano Olivas (1794-a.1835) witnessed the marriage.
Jose Esteban Perez had died by the time of his youngest daughter’s baptism; Maria Ventura Perez (1821-?) was baptized at Mission San Diego de Alcala on May 18, 1821. The child’s burial is recorded on the same day. Her padrinos were Jose Francisco Lisalde (1794-1843) and Maria Agatha Josefa “Agueda” Briones (1794-1823). However, we later find a 13-year old Angeles Ventura Perez living in the home of Felipe Lugo and Francisca Perez in the 1836 census. If they are the same person, news of her death may be incorrect. A 10-year old Maria Basilia Perez (1830-aft. 1900…3GGM) is also listed at the residence. 18-year old Basilia is still found living in the Lugo home as of the 1844 Census, as are a 15-year old Maria Perez and a 12-year old Maria Pulqueria Perez (1832-?), the daughter of Maria Luisa Perez and Jose Domingo Olivas (1807-?). He was the son of Anza Expedition member Juan Matias Olivas and Maria Juana de Dios Ontiveros (1769-1846).
Maria Francisca 'Pancha' Perez (1814-1885) refers to Maria Basilia Perez, in a previous family letter, as her sister. In baptism records for June 14, 1824 from the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, Maria Basilia Alvarez (Perez?) is listed as the natural child of Maria Ontiveros (widow of Esteban Perez) and of Jose Alvarez, soldier(s). Another document from the Early California Population Project describes Maria Basilia Perez as “nacida el dia anterior como a las 9 de la noche”, “born the day before about 9 pm”; and as the child of Jose Perez, soldado, and Maria Ontiveros, widow of Esteban Perez. One theory is that Maria De La Asumpcion Ontiveros had Maria Basilia Perez with Jose Tiburcio de Jesus Alvarez (1791-1828), the son of soldado Juan Pedro Alvarez (1760-1828) and Maria Elena Teresa de Jesus Graciano (1762-1808).
We find Maria Basilia Perez’ (1830-aft. 1900) marriage record of September 10, 1851 to Pedro de Alcantara Lopez, the son of Tiburcio Lopez and Maria de Los Angeles Guillen. She is listed as “Rosalia Perez”, the daughter of Esteban Perez and Maria Ontiveros. Vicente Lugo (1822-1890) and his wife, Maria Andrea del Carmen Ballesteros (1824-1897), were witnesses. Vicente Lugo was the son of Antonio Maria Lugo, and the brother of Felipe Lugo, the husband of Maria Francisca 'Pancha' Perez (1814-1885) (Maria Basilia’s sister). The wedding was performed by Anacleto Lestrade. In the book Some Alta Cal Pioneers & Descendents Div 2, Vol. 4, by Dorothy Gittinger Mutnick (Contra Costa Co. Hist. Soc. 3rd prntg Dec 2004) it lists a wedding from the same date and names the couple as Lopez y Perez [Alvarez]. Listing them as PEDRO [DE ALCANTARA] LOPEZ Y GUILLEN (at) L.A. Plaza Church Marriage (on) 9/10/1851 [to] MARIA BASILIA PEREZ [ALVAREZ] Y ONTIVEROS. Note: Esteban Perez and Maria Ontiveros do not appear to have a daughter named Rosalia.
Tiburcio Lopez and Maria de Los Angeles Guillen were married
February 4, 1828 at Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. Tiburcio was the son of
Mission San Gabriel Majordomo Jose Maria Claudio Lopez and Maria Luisa de Cota.
Maria de los Angeles Guillen was the daughter of Jose Miguel Antonio Guillen
and Maria Eulalia Perez (1766-1878). Francisco
Fernando Morales, Santiago Rios,
and Jose Manuel (the widow of Dominga Saez), were witnesses (testigos) at the wedding. Francisco
Fernando Morales at the time of his marriage in 1800 was a soldier of the
Monterey Company. His daughter, Maria
Felipa de Jesus Morales, is found in the 1834 Santa Barbara Census living
with Maria Eulalia Perez (1766-1878).
Maria Basilia Perez (1830-aft. 1900) and Pedro de Alcantara Lopez, per records, appear to have had two sons:
·Jose Bernabe “Chato” Lopez (1852-1943)
·Ramon Nonato Lopez (bef. 1856-?).
At Jose Bernabe Lopez’ baptism on June 15, 1852, his godparents were Jose Maria Morales (?-1856) and Maria Uribes (1829-?); they were the parents of Jose Martin (Morales) Cruz, (who would later marry Mauricia Verdugo; a daughter of JJJP Verdugo and Basilia Perez). Jose Bernabe’s first marriage was to Rosa Villalobos (b.1860-a.1892), the daughter of Juan “Juanito” Villalobos and Maria Dolores “Isadora” Verdugo (a sister of JJJP Verdugo) on January 17, 1869; Rosa’s parents lived at the Rancho San Jose de Palomares. Juan Castelo (Castillo) (1878-?) and Maria Salvadora Verdugo (1825-1900) were witnesses. Jose Bernabe Lopez was a resident of the Rancho San Jose de Arriba, a rancho previously held by the Mission San Gabriel and part of Ricardo Vejar’s Rancho San Jose. Jose Bernabe’s second marriage, as a widower, was to Maria Silveria Esiquia Asufina Lopez on September 12, 1892. She was the wife (and widow?) of Jose Ascencion Yorba and daughter of Jose Bernardino Lopez (1812-1854) and Maria Rafaela Crisanta Perez (1815-?). Jose Bernardino Lopez was a brother of Tiburcio Lopez and the son of Jose Maria Claudio Lopez and Maria Luisa de Cota. Maria Rafaela Crisanta Perez was the daughter of Juan Antonio Lazaro "Crispin" Perez y Nieto and Maria Tomasa Ontiveros, the daughter of Juan Patricio Ontiveros (brother of Maria De La Asumpcion Ontiveros) and Maria Antonia Rodriguez. Antonio Zurita and Maria Marcelina Francisca Avila (1832-1903) were witnesses to the marriage.
Maria Silveria Esiquia Asufina Lopez was, in her second marriage, with Jose Bernabe “Chato” Lopez, the mother of Albertina Lopez (1874-1965). Albertina (nicknamed “Bertie”) was the wife of Jose Miguel Adolfo Verdugo (1873–1939). Jose Miguel Adolfo Verdugo was the son of Adolfo Verdugo (c.1854-?) and Maria Lucia de los Angeles Morillo (bef. 1850-?). Maria Lucia de los Angeles Morillo was the daughter of Jose Brigido "Justo" Morillo (1799-1882) and his third wife, Maria Antonia Canedo (1823-1882). Jose Brigido Morillo was the son of Francisco Xavier Morillo (1770-1825) and Maria Lucia Balbina Perez (1771-1817), and the brother of Jorge Morillo, stepfather of Jose Joaquin Juan Pedro Verdugo. Maria Lucia Balbina Perez was the daughter of Diego Perez and Antonia Rosalia Cota, and the sister of Maria Eulalia Perez. Miguel Adolfo Verdugo and Albertina were the parents of:
· Miguel Albertino Verdugo (1896-1978) married Jean M. Batten (c. 1910-?)
· William Domingo Verdugo (1897–1984) married Sophia E. Rowland (1899-1957). She was the daughter of Robert Pedro Rowland (1869-1917) and Ramona Rorberta Yorba (1874-1951). They had one child:
o William Rowland Verdugo (1919-2000)
William Domingo Verdugo married a second time to Rosa Bilderain (c.1903-?). She was the daughter of Albert Bilderain (c.1872-?) and Anita Cota (c.1875-1912). Anita Cota was the daughter of Miguel Gregorio de Cota Jr. (1842-1911) and Maria Manuela Nestora Sepulveda (1856-1920). Miguel Gregorio de Cota Jr. was the son of Miguel Gregorio de Cota Sr. (1802-1858) and Maria Manuela Antonia de Ortega (1813-1879). Miguel Gregorio Cota Sr. was the son of Juan Ygnacio Guillermo de Cota (1768-1844) (and grandson of Roque Jacinto Cota) and Maria Manuela de Jesus Lisalde (1777-1803). Maria Manuela Antonia de Ortega was the daughter of Jose Maria Ortega and Maria Francisca Lopez. Maria Manuela de Jesus Lisalde was the daughter of Pedro Antonio Lisalde and Maria Tomasa Lopez (c.1756-1788). She was the daughter of Sebastian Antonio Lopez (1735-c.1826) and Maria Felipa Neria (1736-1764). Sebastian Antonio Lopez and Maria Francicisca Lopez were siblings of Juan Francisco Lopez and Jose Maria Claudio Lopez, they were the children of Jose Ygnacio Maria de Jesus Lopez and Maria Facunda de Mora. William Domingo Verdugo and Rosa Bilderain had a son:
· Gilberto Eugene Verdugo (1926-2016)
Miguel Albertino Verdugo is found on his WWI draft registration as Mike A. Verdugo. He is found again on his draft registration for WWII in 1942, and lists his mother Albertina as “a person who will always know your address” at 2012 Cedar in Alhambra, CA. The same address is listed on his WWI form. Miguel was an actor and musician per listings in news clippings and telephone listings from the period. He performed in John Steven McGroarty’s popular “The Mission Play”, described in a flyer as “A Pageant-Drama of Franciscan Romance and Glory”. It was first staged in 1912 across from the San Gabriel Mission.
At Ramon Nonato Lopez’ (b. bef. 1856) confirmation on January 6, 1856 at Mission San Gabriel Arcangel & Nuestra Senora Reina de Los Angeles Church no godparents are named. Ramon Nonato Lopez married Maria Juliana Manriquez (c.1856-a.1920) on June 12, 1880 at the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. She was the widow of Vicente Bermudez (1843-b.1880) and the daughter of Juan Bautista Manriquez (c.1809-a.1880), his wife Maria Jacova Villalobos (c.1812-a.1880). Ramon is listed as a resident of Mision Vieja. Jesus Marron and Maria de Jesus Alvina Lopez (1832-1927) were witnesses. Maria Jacoba Villalobos (1812-a.1880) was the daughter of Maria Casilda Soto and either Jose Basilio “Cecilio” Villalobos or an unknown father, as there are conflicting records. Maria de Jesus Alvina Lopez was the sister of Pedro de Alcantara Lopez (1830-?) and the daughter of Jose Tiburcio Lopez and Maria de Los Angeles Guillen.
Is Ramon Nonato Lopez the Ramon of the letter? Was it his mother Maria Basilia Perez (1830-aft. 1900), in her second marriage that he was asking Don Joaquin Verdugo to “…come and take her…” ? It seems to be a possibility, although technically Jose Joaquin Juan Pedro Verdugo (1832-aft. 1880), if he married Ramon’s mother Maria Basilia Perez, would be his stepfather.
Ramon Nonato Lopez, born sometime before 1856, appears to be the second child of Pedro de Alcantara Lopez and Maria Basilia Perez (1830-aft. 1900). It seems possible that Pedro de Alcantara Lopez died sometime after the birth of Ramon and Maria Basilia Perez remarried Jose Joaquin Juan Pedro Verdugo (1832-aft. 1880) given the presence of so many connected family members at Jose Bernabe’s and Ramon Nonato Lopez’ weddings and baptisms. Jose Maria Morales (?-1856) and Maria Uribes (1829-?) were the parents of Jose Martin (Morales) Cruz (1854-1920) who would marry Maria Mauricia Faviana Verdugo (1863-1941)), Maria Salvadora Verdugo (1825-1900…3GGA) and Dolores Verdugo were JJJP Verdugo’s sisters. Dolores Verdugo’s husband, Juanito Villalobos was Juan Villalobos, a son of Maria Casilda Soto and Jose Basilio “Cecilio” Villalobos. Maria Casilda Soto’s daughter, Maria Jacoba Villalobos married Juan Bautista Manriquez, their daughter, Juliana Manriquez, married Ramon Nonato Lopez. Additionally, Mauricia Verdugo would later marry an Albert Manriquez.
Jose Joaquin Juan Pedro Verdugo (1832-aft. 1880) married Maria Basilia Perez (1830-aft. 1900…3GGM) sometime around or before 1864, based upon the birth dates of their two daughters:
· Maria Mauricia Faviana Verdugo (1865-1941) was born September 22, 1865 and baptized January 20, 1866 at the Parish San Salvador de Jurupa, with Juan Castelo (Castillo) and Salvadora Verdugo, standing again, as (padrinos) godparents.
· Maria Margarita Verdugo (1868-1924) married Jose "Vicente" Nicolas Melendrez (1864-1905) of Mision Vieja on November 24, 1885. He was the son of Vicente Melendrez (1825-?) and Maria Antonia Rodriguez. Victor Manzanarez and Juliana Manriquez (Ramon Nonato Lopez’ wife) were witnesses.
The Parish of San Salvador de Jurupa refers to the first two non-native settlements of Agua Mansa and La Placita in the San Bernardino Valley located on opposite banks of the Santa Ana River; they were also the largest settlements between Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico and the Pueblo de Los Angeles in the 1840s.
In 1845, Juan Lorenzo Bruno Bandini donated parts of his land grant Rancho Jurupa to a group of colonists from Abiquiu in Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico on the condition that they would assist in protecting his stock from local Indian raids. Ten families moved to 2,000 acres on the "Bandini Donation" on the east side of the Santa Ana River and formed the village of La Placita. A second group colonized the west side of the river, forming the town of Agua Mansa. The group that formed Agua Mansa was led by Jose Tomas Salajar, and included Cristobal Slover and Louis Rubidoux.
The adobe church of La Placita collapsed in quicksand in 1852 and a new church was built in Agua Mansa. Completed in 1853, the church was dedicated to San Salvador; the church survived the Great Flood of 1862, which swept away most of the adobe buildings built along the river and left the area strewn with sand and gravel. The town was rebuilt on higher ground, but its prosperity did not return. It was the first non-mission parish in Southern California and the chapel's bell now hangs at the Glenwood Mission Inn.
