William Edward Petty Hartnell, a.k.a. Don

Don (honorific)

Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...

 Guillermo Arnel (April 24, 1798 – February 2, 1854) was a prominent early immigrant to 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,...

 who played a vital role in the history of Monterey County, California

Monterey County, California

Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...

 as well as the history of California

History of California

The history of California can be divided into several periods: the Native American period; European exploration period from 1542 to 1769; the Spanish colonial period, 1769 to 1821; the Mexican period, 1821 to 1848; and United States statehood, which continues to the present day...

.

Early life

William Hartnell was born in Backbarrow, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, and attended the College of Commerce in Bremen, Germany. He went to Chile in 1819 to work in the Santiago branch of John Begg & Co., a firm where his uncle, Edward Petty Hartnell, had helped him secure a job. With the waning of Spanish power in the region, the English trading company gradually expanded its commercial activities from Valparaiso (port of Santiago) to Callao (port of Lima, Peru) and other northern ports on the Pacific coast of South America. While in Lima, he met Hugh McCulloch, a Scottish merchant, who persuaded him to become partners in a rawhide and tallow

Tallow

Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.In industry,...

 trade in California. They established a new trading company in 1822 called McCulloch and Hartnell, commonly called Macala y Arnel. It was at this time that he adopted the named "Arnel," as it was easier for the Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

-speaking residents to pronounce.

Arrival in Alta California

The pair arrived in Monterey

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

 in 1822 and, with funding from the company, proceeded to contract with the missions

Spanish missions in California

The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...

, as they had lots of cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

. Hartnell was personable and successfully persuaded Governor Pablo Vicente de Solá

Pablo Vicente de Solá

Pablo Vicente de Solá , the last Spanish governor of Alta California from 1815-1822....

 to permit the British subjects to do business and live in Alta California. Governor Luis Antonio Argüello

Luis Antonio Argüello

Luis Antonio Argüello was the first native governor of Alta California from 1822 to 1825, during the period California was under Mexican rule, twelfth overall. He was the only governor to serve under the Mexican empire, and the first native Californian to hold that office...

 granted them the right to do business in any port in Alta California, whereas other foreigners were restricted to Monterey and San Diego

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

. Their business did well, but McCulloch soon returned to South America, leaving Hartnell in charge. During this time, he also served as a tutor to prominent families in the area, with Juan Bautista Alvarado

Juan Bautista Alvarado

Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo was a Californio and twice Governor of Alta California from 1836 to 1837, and 1838 to 1842.-Early years:...

 and Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...

 as two of his more notable charges.

A letter from his sister informing him of uncle Edward's business failures caused him to become quite depressed, as his success would not have been possible without his uncle's help in the beginning, and he began drinking heavily. A Catholic priest, Father Luis Martinez, helped him through these times, and as a result, Hartnell converted to Catholicism

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

. He was baptized on October 13, 1824, and at the same time he added his uncle's name to his own. On April 30, 1825, Hartnell married 16-year-old Maria Teresa de la Guerra. She was the daughter of Don José de la Guerra y Noriega

José de la Guerra y Noriega

José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega was a soldier and early settler of California.-Biography:José de la Guerra was born 1779 at Novales, Cantabria, Spain. As a boy he wished to be a friar...

, the richest and most influential man in the Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

 area at the time. They moved to Monterey in June. During twenty-five years of marriage the Hartnells had 19 children and adopted five additional children.

The hide and tallow business continued to prosper, despite Governor José María de Echeandía's revoking of his port usage rights and greater competition. However, in 1826, John Begg & Co. went bankrupt and Hartnell had to pay off his portion of the company's debt as well as the expenses he had incurred while in Alta California, amounting to over $18,000. He was able to do this and save his business thanks to his father-in-law.

In 1830 Hartnell became a Mexican citizen and was now able to own land. By May 1833, his hide and tallow business had gone under and he was looking for a new venture. He entered into partnership with Feliciano and Mariano Soberanes, taking control of Rancho El Alisal

Rancho El Alisal

Rancho El Alisal was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to brothers Feliciano and Mariano Soberanes and to William Edward Petty Hartnell. Alisal means Alder tree in spanish...

 in December, 1833. The adobe

Adobe

Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...

 house he built was said to be the first house in the area to have glass

Glass

Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...

 windows. There was also a silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

 mine

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 on Hartnell's property which was the first mine discovered in California.

Schoolmaster

He was moderately successful at ranching, but he preferred to do something else. On December 10, 1833, he announced he was opening a school named "El Seminario del Patrocinio de San Jose" or "Colegio de San Jose" (for short), hoping to make a living as a schoolmaster. This school was financially supported by the Governor of 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,...

, José Figueroa

José Figueroa

General José Figueroa , was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.This also involved the issuing of...

. The focus of the school was to prepare students for university study, although pupils as young as eight were admitted. Classes were initially held in Hartnell's house, but later moved to other buildings on Rancho El Alisal. Although the school received praise, it was forced to shut down in 1836, after the death of Governor Figueroa and when the Mexican government forced all Spaniards to leave California, including the two Jesuit priests who taught the classes.

Following this, Hartnell was appointed to several county posts by his former pupil-turned-governor Alvarado, including tax collector, treasurer, and customs administrator. He also oversaw the secularization of the missions, but had to resign that post due to threats from the rancheros In 1841, he was granted Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio

Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio

Rancho Todos Santos y San Antonio was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to William Edward Petty Hartnell. The grant extended along San Antonio Creek and encompassed present day Orcutt., northwest of Lompoc-History:W....

 by Alvarado. He sold Rancho El Alisal to Alvarado in 1841, and moved with his family to Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

. In 1844 he was also granted Rancho Cosumnes

Rancho Cosumnes

Rancho Cosumnes was a Mexican land grant in present day Sacramento County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to William Edward Petty Hartnell...

 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena

Manuel Micheltorena

Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...

.

In February 1845, Governor Pío Pico

Pío Pico

Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...

 ended all of Hartnell's government jobs, in retaliation for Hartnell's dismissing of him as administrator of Mission San Luis Rey. However, Hartnell's brother-in-law Pablo de la Guerra

Pablo de la Guerra

Pablo de la Guerra , from the de la Guerra family of Santa Barbara, California, was the Acting Lieutenant Governor of California, 1861-1862...

 was able to secure him a job establishing a treasury

Treasury

A treasury is either*A government department related to finance and taxation.*A place where currency or precious items is/are kept....

 in the city of San Francisco.

Post-statehood

After the U.S. action against California, Hartnell served in various functions for the American government. Being one of the few people who could speak both English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 fluently, he was able to play a major role in the transition from Mexican to American rule. He translated the important Mexican laws into English for John C. Frémont

John C. Frémont

John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...

, and translated the first California Constitution

California Constitution

The document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in November 1849 in advance of California attaining U.S. statehood in 1850, was superseded by the current constitution, which...

, as well as all the laws drawn up in the Constitutional Convention of California, into Spanish.

Legacy

Hartnell College

Hartnell College

Hartnell Community College is a 2-year community college in Salinas, California, USA. It was founded in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, and renamed in 1948 for William Edward Petty Hartnell...

, as well as its school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

, Hartnell Junior College District, in Salinas

Salinas, California

Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...

 bears his name. Hartnell Gulch Park and Hartnell Street can be found in Monterey. Salinas also contains Hartnell Park, just three blocks away from the campus, and Hartnell Road (just south of the city).

Research resources

• Guide to the William Edward Petty Hartnell Papers at The Bancroft Library