Cooper-Molera family papers, 1803-1970

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Summary

Creators:
Cooper, Juan Bautista Rogers, Molera, E. J. (Eusebius Joseph), Molera, Andrew J., Molera, Frances Mary, Cooper family (Monterey County, California), and Molera family (Monterey County, California)
Abstract:
Papers of the Cooper and Molera families of Monterey County, California. Includes some nineteenth-century materials from patriarch John B. Rogers Cooper and papers from his descendants, many of which relate to the operations of El Sur Ranch.
Extent:
11 linear feet (7 cartons, 8 volumes, 2 oversize folders)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Cooper-Molera family papers, BANC MSS 78/57 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers of the Cooper and Molera families of Monterey County, California. Includes some nineteenth-century materials from patriarch John B. Rogers Cooper and papers from his descendants, many of which relate to the operations of El Sur Ranch.

Among the John B. Rogers Cooper materials are ship log books dating from 1811 to 1846 and account books and other financial material dating from 1804 to 1832.

The largest part of the collection consists of the papers of Cooper's grandson Andrew J. Molera. These papers mostly document the operations of the El Sur Ranch and consist of correspondence, materials relating to ranching and agriculture, and a large number of invoices and receipts.

Other family members with scattered papers in the collection include Eusebio Joseph Molera (Cooper's son-in-law), Ana Cooper Wohler and Herman Wohler (Cooper's daughter and son-in-law), and Frances Mary Molera (Cooper's granddaughter).

Biographical / historical:

John Rogers Cooper (1791-1872) came to Monterey, California from New England in 1823 as captain of the trading schooner Rover. In Alta California, Cooper became a Mexican citizen and took the name Juan Bautista Rogerio Cooper. He married Encarnacion Vallejo (1809-1902), sister of General Mariano Vallejo.

In 1829, Cooper purchased Rancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo, which sat between the Salinas River and the Tembladero Slough, near present Castroville. Rancho El Sur, a land grant made in 1834 by Governor Jose Figueroa to Juan Bautista Alvardo, was transferred to Cooper in 1840 in exchange for Rancho Bolsa del Potrero y Moro Cojo. Cooper's claim on Rancho El Sur was confirmed by the United States in 1866.

Until the late 1920s, Rancho El Sur was a working ranch and farm operated by descendants of John B. Rogers Cooper, including daughter Amelia Cooper (1844-1918) and her husband Eusebio Joseph Molera (1846-1932), and Amelia's and Eusebio's children, Andrew J. Molera (1875-1931) and Frances Mary Molera (1879-1968). On this land currently sits Andrew Molera State Park.

Acquisition information:
The Cooper-Molera family papers were gifted to the Bancroft Library by The National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977.
Processing information:

Processed by Lara Michels in 2015.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner. The copyright for unpublished manuscript material in this collection is held by the donor. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Cooper-Molera family papers, BANC MSS 78/57 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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