The Delfina de la Guerra Papers contain the personal papers of Delfina de la Guerra, the last member of the de la Guerra family to reside in Casa de la Guerra. The materials in the collection include photographs, letters, clippings, objects, and pressed flowers.

Delfina de la Guerra was born on March 21, 1861 and died April 25, 1953. She was the daughter of Pablo Antonio de la Guerra and Josefa Moreno y Castro. She was the sister of María Francisca Antonia (Francisca), Carlos Pablo, María Paulina (Paulina, died the year Delfina was born), Ana María Elena (Elena, died when Delfina was five), Herminia Andrea, and Ynez (no birth or death date given), as well as two siblings who died before Delfina was born (including her twin brother). It is not known how Delfina supported herself, her family fortunes having dwindled and wage-earning men deceased by the time she came of age. She did volunteer as a translator/interpreter at the East Side Social Center, where her sister Herminia was a social worker. Various sources mention that Delfina gave Spanish lessons to Irene Hoffmann, wife of Bernhard Hoffmann, and this is how the relationship formed that eventually led to the restoration of the Casa de la Guerra and development of El Paseo commercial complex.

1.5 Linear Feet in 5 boxes

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist and Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital facsimiles of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Collection is open to researchers. Please use digital facsimiles when possible.