José Antonio Yorba
Encyclopedia
José Antonio Yorba also known as Don José Antonio Yorba I, was a Spanish soldier and early settler of Spanish
California
.
(San Santurnino) in Catalonia
, Spain
, Yorba was one of Fages'
original Catalan volunteers
. He became a corporal under Gaspar de Portolà
during the Spanish expedition of 1769. He was in San Francisco in 1777; Monterey in 1782; and in San Diego in 1789. In 1797 he was retired as inválido sergeant; and in 1810 was grantee of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
.
the 63414 acres (256.6 km²) Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
land grant. Covering some 15 Spanish leagues, Yorba's land comprised a significant portion of today's Orange County
including where the cities of Olive, Orange
, Villa Park
, Santa Ana
, Tustin
, Costa Mesa
and Newport Beach
stand today.
Upon his death in 1825 he was buried at his request in an unmarked grave in the cemetery at Mission San Juan Capistrano
. A cenotaph
was later placed in Yorba's honor.
Throughout the American and Mormon migration period, descendants of the Yorbas continued to marry into other prominent Spanish families, including the Cota, Grijalvas, Perralta, and Dominquez families. Many of today's recognizable American names in the Southern California area, including the Kraemers and Irvines
, also married into these Spanish families. In the early twentieth century, Samuel Kraemer
, who had married the last of the "grand" Yorbas, Angelina Yorba, tore down the historic Yorba Hacienda
after the city of Yorba Linda refused to accept it as a donation.
The legacy of the Yorba Family can be appreciated at the historic Yorba Cemetery, established in 1858, and currently surrounded by Woodgate Park.
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Spanish Soldier
Born in Sant Sadurní d'AnoiaSant Sadurní d'Anoia
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is a municipality in the comarca of the Alt Penedès in Spain, and the centre of production of a sparkling wine known as cava. It is situated in the north-east of the Penedès Depression at the confluence of the Avernó river and the Anoia river...
(San Santurnino) in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Yorba was one of Fages'
Pedro Fages
Pere Fages Beleta , nicknamed L'Ós , was a soldier, explorer, and the second Spanish military Governor of Las Californias Province of New Spain from 1770 to 1774, and the Governor of Las Californias from 1782 to 1791.-Life:...
original Catalan volunteers
Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia
The Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia was a military company of the Spanish Army serving in the Spanish colonial empire.-Origins:...
. He became a corporal under Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
during the Spanish expedition of 1769. He was in San Francisco in 1777; Monterey in 1782; and in San Diego in 1789. In 1797 he was retired as inválido sergeant; and in 1810 was grantee of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was a Spanish land concession in present day Orange County, California given by Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga in 1810 to Jose Antonio Yorba and his nephew Pablo Peralta...
.
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
In 1810, José Antonio Yorba was awarded by the Spanish EmpireSpanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
the 63414 acres (256.6 km²) Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was a Spanish land concession in present day Orange County, California given by Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga in 1810 to Jose Antonio Yorba and his nephew Pablo Peralta...
land grant. Covering some 15 Spanish leagues, Yorba's land comprised a significant portion of today's Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
including where the cities of Olive, Orange
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
, Villa Park
Villa Park, California
Villa Park is a city in northern Orange County, California, near and surrounded by the City of Orange, and close to Anaheim Hills, that incorporated in 1962. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 5,812, down from 5,999 at the 2000 census, achieving the status of the smallest city in...
, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
, Tustin
Tustin, California
-Top employers:According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Tustin had a population of 75,540. The population density was 6,816.7 people per square mile...
, Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
and Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
stand today.
Upon his death in 1825 he was buried at his request in an unmarked grave in the cemetery at Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...
. A cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
was later placed in Yorba's honor.
Descendants
He married his first wife Maria Garcia Feliz in 1773. After her death, he married Maria Josefa Grijalva, daughter of Juan Pablo Grijalva, in 1782.| The children of Jose Antonio Yorba I and Maria Gracia Feliz (1753 - 1781 ) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birth/Death | Married | Notes |
| Pedro Antonio Yorba | 1774 - 1780 | Died in childhood | |
| Francisco Xavier Yorba | 1776 - | ||
| Diego Maria Yorba | 1780 - | ||
| The children of Jose Antonio Yorba I and Maria Josefa Grijalva (1766 - 1830) | |||
| Name | Birth/Death | Married | Notes |
| Francisco Yorba | 1783 - 1783 | Died in childhood | |
| Jose Antonio Yorba II | 1785 - 1844 | Maria Josefa Verdugo(1805), Maria Catalina Verdugo (1834), Maria Catalina Manriquez (1836) | Maria Verdugo was then daughter of Jose Maria Verdugo Jose Maria Verdugo José María Verdugo was a soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784.-Spanish soldier:... . After Josefa died in 1816, Jose Antonio Yorba II married her sister, Maria Catalina Verdugo. |
| Tomas Antonio Yorba | 1787 - 1845 | Maria Vicenta Sepulveda | |
| Ysabel Maria Yorba | 1789 - 1871 | Jose Joaquin Maitorena | Grantee of Rancho Guadalasca Rancho Guadalasca Rancho Guadalasca was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1836 by Governor Mariano Chico to Ysabel Yorba. The grant was in the southern part of the county, bordering on Los Angeles County... . Santa Barabara house |
| Maria Raymunda Yorba | 1793 - 1851 | Juan Bautista Alvarado | |
| Maria Presentacion Yorba | 1791 - 1835 | Leandro Serrano | Leandro Serrano was the grantee of Rancho Temescal Rancho Temescal (Serrano) Rancho Temescal was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California given by Governor José María de Echeandía to Leandro Serrano. The word Temescal is Spanish for "sweat bath" or "sweat lodge." The grant extended along the Temescal Valley south of present day Corona and... |
| Jose Domingo Yorba | 1795 - 1796 | Died in childhood | |
| Francisca Dominga Yorba | 1797 - 1814 | Jose Francisco Maria Ortega | |
| Maria de las Nieves Yorba | 1798 - 1798 | Died in childhood | |
| Bernardo Antonio Yorba Bernardo Yorba Bernardo Yorba , was a native of Nueva California and the son of Spanish soldier, José Antonio Yorba. Bernardo became one of the most successful ranchers in Alta California with thousands of cattle and horses grazing on land grants totaling more than 35,000 acres... |
1801 - 1858 | Maria de Jesus Alvarado, Felipa Dominguez, Andrea Elizalde | Among Yorba's many children, Bernardo Yorba would rise the farthest, accumulating ever larger territories for the family's massive cattle herds. Bernardo Yorba introduced irrigation agriculture into California on the Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana was a land grant in present day Orange County, California given by Mexican governor José Figueroa in 1834 to Bernardo Yorba. The name means "Canyon of Santa Ana". The grant included present day Yorba Linda.-History:... . The Hacienda de San Antonio Yorba Hacienda The Yorba Hacienda was a domestic dwelling constructed by Bernardo Yorba on the Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana Mexican land grant, and located in the present city of Yorba Linda, California. It was notable as the seat of the wealthiest member of the Yorba family and as the most palatial adobe hacienda... , which was amongst the largest adobe dwellings in Alta California Alta California Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,... . The city of Yorba Linda Yorba Linda, California Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, approximately northeast of Downtown Santa Ana, and southeast of Downtown Los Angeles.... is named after Bernardo Yorba. |
| Juan Pablo Yorba | 1803 - 1804 | Died in childhood | |
| Teodosio Juan Yorba | 1805 - 1863 | Inocencia Reyes, Maria Antonia Lugo | Prisoner in 1838. Grantee of Rancho Arroyo Seco Rancho Arroyo Seco (Yorba) Rancho Arroyo Seco was a Mexican land grant in present day Amador County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Teodocio Yorba. The name means "dry creek". The grant east of Sacramento encompassed present day Ione.-History:... in 1840. Grantee of Rancho Lomas de Santiago Rancho Lomas de Santiago Rancho Lomas de Santiago was a Mexican land grant given by Mexican Governor Pío Pico to Teodosio Yorba in 1846. The name means "Hills of St. James"... in 1846. |
| Maria Andrea Ygnacia Yorba | 1807 - 1824 | José Maria Avila | |
| Martin Yorba | 1810 - 1812 | Died in childhood | |
Throughout the American and Mormon migration period, descendants of the Yorbas continued to marry into other prominent Spanish families, including the Cota, Grijalvas, Perralta, and Dominquez families. Many of today's recognizable American names in the Southern California area, including the Kraemers and Irvines
James Irvine (landowner)
The Irvine family were agricultural pioneers and prominent landowners in California who gave their name to the city of Irvine, CA.-James Irvine I:James Irvine was born in County Down, Ireland on December 27, 1827, the second to the youngest of nine children...
, also married into these Spanish families. In the early twentieth century, Samuel Kraemer
Samuel Kraemer
Samuel Kraemer was an important rancher, farmer, and businessman who lived and worked in Anaheim, California.The son of Elenora Schraw and Daniel Kraemer, he grew up to acquire numerous land parcels and business interests throughout today's Orange County...
, who had married the last of the "grand" Yorbas, Angelina Yorba, tore down the historic Yorba Hacienda
Yorba Hacienda
The Yorba Hacienda was a domestic dwelling constructed by Bernardo Yorba on the Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana Mexican land grant, and located in the present city of Yorba Linda, California. It was notable as the seat of the wealthiest member of the Yorba family and as the most palatial adobe hacienda...
after the city of Yorba Linda refused to accept it as a donation.
The legacy of the Yorba Family can be appreciated at the historic Yorba Cemetery, established in 1858, and currently surrounded by Woodgate Park.
See also
- Californios