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Los Angeles Land Papers
mssLos Angeles Land papers  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Administrative Information
  • Scope and Content
  • Indexing Terms
  • Subjects
  • Geographic Areas
  • Genre

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Los Angeles Land Papers
    Dates: 1850-1889
    Collection Number: mssLos Angeles Land papers
    Collector: Greenburg, Kenneth S.
    Extent: 237 items in 1 box
    Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
    1151 Oxford Road
    San Marino, California 91108
    Phone: (626) 405-2191
    Email: reference@huntington.org
    URL: http://www.huntington.org
    Abstract: These papers document the transfer of land during the first few decades of American ownership of Los Angeles, California. This collection consists of the original documents certifying the sale, purchase, pre-emption, or surveying of land by sheriffs, clerks, notary publics, and surveyors of Los Angeles County between 1850 and 1889.
    Language of Material: The records are in English and Spanish.

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Administrative Information

    Publication Rights

    The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item]. Los Angeles Land Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    The collection was given to the Huntington Library by Kenneth S. Greenburg from May 1968 to July 1970.

    Scope and Content

    These papers document the transfer of land during the first few decades of American ownership of Los Angeles, California. This collection consists of the original documents certifying the sale, purchase, pre-emption, or surveying of land by sheriffs, clerks, notary publics, and surveyors of Los Angeles County between 1850 and 1889. Some of these legal proceedings partially document the transfer of land ownership from Californio to American hands. Many of these documents are “pre-emption” claims to land made mostly by new American immigrants to California under the Possessory Act of April 20, 1852 which gave individuals the right to claim 160 acres of public lands for the purposes of mining or agriculture. The “inventories of women’s separate property” were a result of the California State law enacted on April 17, 1850 entitled “Act defining the rights of Husband and Wife.”

    Arrangement

    This collection includes 237 items organized into nine folders which include: mortgage agreements and releases; inheritances and wills; certificates of sale due to taxes owed, law suits, and foreclosure; claims of preemption; land documents of individuals significant to Los Angeles history including: Abel Stearns, Pío Pico, Ignacio del Valle, and Francis P.F. Temple; lease agreements; and additional miscellaneous legal documents relating to land transfer.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  
    Del Valle, Ignacio.
    Pico, Pío, 1801-1894.
    Stearns, Abel, 1798-1871.
    Temple, Francis Pliny F., 1821-1880.

    Subjects

    Mexicans -- California -- Los Angeles.
    Real property -- California -- Los Angeles.
    Women -- California.

    Geographic Areas

    California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
    Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

    Genre

    Agreements California 19th century.
    Bills of sale California 19th century.
    Claims California 19th century.
    Deeds California 19th century.
    Land deeds California 19th century.
    Leases California 19th century.
    Maps California 19th century.
    Mortgages California 19th century.
    Wills California 19th century.