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Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Camarillo family papers
Identifier/Call Number: MVC070
Physical Description:
3.85 Cubic Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1852-1952
Abstract: The Camarillo family of Ventura County traces its heritage back to Juan Camarillo, Sr. Born on May 27, 1812 in Mexico City
to Luis and Maria Camarillo, Juan came to California with the Hijar-Padres Expedition in 1834. He married Martina H. Hernandez,
the great-granddaughter of Jose Francisco Ortega, in 1840 or 1841 at the Santa Barbara Mission. They had 14 children, but
only six survived: Adolfo, Juan, Adelaida, Aldegunda, Maria, and Arcadia. Juan Camarillo, Sr. died in 1880, leaving ownership
of the land to his wife. Martina owned the land, which was managed primarily by her son Adolfo, until her death on April 15,
1898. Adolfo, born on October 29, 1864 in Ventura, took over management of the family ranch at the age of 16, following the
death of his father. He oversaw the ranch's transition from cattle to primarily lima beans, citrus, and walnuts. His son,
Frank A. Camarillo, oversaw the family's business until his death in 1952. The collection includes Adolfo Camarillo's diaries,
correspondence, photographs, deeds, family records, business records, and ephemera.
Physical Location: Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior
to your visit.
Language of Material: Materials are primarily in English but include materials in Spanish
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. All requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the
Research Library staff via email: library@venturamuseum.org.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have
not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org
[Identification of item], Camarillo family papers, (Collection MVC070), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura,
California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Fitzgerald; gift; 1989. Sewell; gift; 1995.
Processed by Krystell Jimenez, 2021.
Our collections are processed using MPLP methods so that we can prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities
for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended
in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org.
Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.
The Camarillo family of Ventura County traces its heritage back to Juan Camarillo, Sr. Born on May 27, 1812 in Mexico City
to Luis and Maria Camarillo, Juan came to California with the Hijar-Padres Expedition in 1834. He married Martina H. Hernandez,
the great-granddaughter of Jose Francisco Ortega, in 1840 or 1841 at the Santa Barbara Mission. They had 14 children, but
only six survived: Adolfo, Juan, Adelaida, Aldegunda, Maria, and Arcadia. He arrived in Ventura in 1857, began acquiring land,
and eventually came to own all of Rancho Calleguas, which he purchased from the Ruiz family. He died on December 4, 1880,
and passed the land onto wife, Martina.
Martina owned the land, which was managed primarily by her son Adolfo, until her death on April 15, 1898. Adolfo, born on
October 29, 1864 in Ventura, took over management of the family ranch at the age of 16, following the death of his father.
He oversaw the ranch's transition from cattle to primarily lima beans, citrus, and walnuts. He married Isabella Menchaca in
January 1888. Following a fire in 1892, Adolfo built the large-frame house that still sits on the ranch. He was a devout Catholic
and served on numerous political bodies within the county. He also became famous for breeding white Arabian-Morgan horses
that became known as Camarillo horses. He died on December 10, 1958 at the age of 94.
Juan E. Camarillo, Jr. was born on April 4, 1867 in Ventura. He never married. Juan was also known as a devout Catholic. He
donated land for St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, and in 1913 he commissioned the construction of St. Mary Magdalene Memorial
Chapel in Camarillo. He moved to Argentina in 1916, where he lived for around 15 years, before returning to Ventura. He died
at his ranch house on August 21, 1936.
In 1908 there was a family dispute over Martina's will and the sisters filed a lawsuit. Arcadia testified in court that their
mother had wanted to destroy her former will and write a new one in which all her children had equal rights to the ranch,
but their brother Adolfo had tricked Martina and intentionally mistranslated the Spanish "hijos" to mean only sons rather
than children. Arcadia alleged that she had been denied her rights and financially neglected by her brother when she had asked
for help. Juan alleged that Arcadia had attempted to blackmail him for an "infamous crime." The courts settled in favor of
Adolfo. For those interested, further resources on the family's history and contributions to local institutions are available
at the MVC Research Library.
The collection includes Adolfo Camarillo's diaries for the period 1885-1941, as well as notes and transcriptions created by
staff, correspondence, photographs, deeds, business records, and ephemera. The correspondence includes both personal and business
letters, with a number of letters being to and from siblings. Subjects covered include management of the family farm, land
ownership, disputes over Martina's will, and family involvement in county politics. Box 3 contains the contents of two albums
that were foldered for better preservation; however, original order has been maintained and the contents of each page of the
album have been foldered together.
This collection has been arranged at the collection level, with detailed box descriptions included.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Camarillo -- Buildings -- Churches -- St. Mary Magdalen
Rancho Calleguas -- Records and correspondence
Camarillo (Calif.) -- History
Family farms
Mexican American families -- California -- Ventura County
Agriculture -- California -- Camarillo