Oreña Family Papers

Finding aid prepared by Andie M. Reid; supplementary encoding by Diann Benti in June 2017.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Manuscripts Department

The Huntington Library

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2191

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Descriptive Summary

Title: Oreña Family Papers

Dates: 1838-1955

Collection Call Number: mssHM 70914-70978

Creator: Oreña family

Extent: 65 items in 3 boxes

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: This collection contains the papers, dating from 1838 to 1955, of the Oreña family, who held properties in present-day Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Los Angeles, California.

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]. Oreña Family Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Purchased by the Huntington Library from Mr. and Mrs. C. Bishop in September 1987.

Material removed to Rare Books Department

One item in the collection, Finezas de Jesus sacramentado para con los hombres: e ingratitudes de los hombres para con Jesus sacramentado by Joao Jose de Santa Teresa (1658-ca. 1733) (Call number: 622529), was transferred into the Huntington Library's Rare Books Collection in February 2009. The monograph was published by Antonio Oliva in Gerona, Spain sometime during the late eighteenth century. The item also contains Gaspar Oreña's signature on the first page.

Biographical Note

A native of Spain, Gaspar Oreña (1824-1904) came to the United States in the late nineteenth century. He married the widow of a prominent Californio family from Santa Barbara, Maria Antonia de la Guerra, after the death of her first husband, Cesareo E. Lataillade. Several of Oreña's children – namely, Leopoldo, Dario, Orestes, Arturo, and Serena – assumed the responsibilities of the maintaining or selling the family's properties in present-day Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. At some point, one of the Oreña children married into the Koch family. The Koch family also figures significantly in the collection, particularly those materials that relate to William de Koch, an agent of the Wells Fargo Co., and his son, Edward Oreña de Koch.

Scope and Content

The collection is divided into the following series:

The chronologically arranged documents demonstrate the range of legal, financial, and real estate-related transactions initiated by or concerning the Oreña Family and their associates. Included in this series are title deeds, land claims, and land grants pertaining to the family’s properties in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Also included are receipts and invoices.

The chronologically arranged manuscripts include four works pertaining to the Oreña Family as well as other early California families, namely the de la Guerra family. The series also contains two typewritten manuscripts: the first is Occurrences in California, as reported by Angustias de la Guerra Ord and the second is Carlota Koch's "La Guipuzcoana," which chronicles the lives of Gaspar Oreña, Cesareo Lataillade, Maria Antonia de la Guerra, and those of their acquaintances.

The chronologically arranged correspondence includes personal and business letters to and by the Oreña Family members and their associates. Among the authors is Alfred Robinson (b. 1806-d.1895), author of Life in California (1891).

Four photographs of the Columbus Library in Seville, Spain comprise the fourth series. These black-and-white photos were taken in September 1955. The photographer, who included only his/her initials of "AK," indicated that the images are not available for publication.

Finally, three items comprise ephemera. These include two 1891 arguments issued by the Supreme Court of the State of California relating to the case of C.E. Lataillade, Plaintiff and Appellant, vs. Gaspar Oreña, Defendant and Respondent. The final item in this series is an autographed note written on a fragment of an ANP-ANETA News Bulletin, dated Apr. 23, 1951.

Encoder's Note: Diacritics have been omitted for encoding.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically in 3 boxes in the following series: Documents, Manuscripts, Correspondence, Photographs, and Ephemera.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.

Personal Names

Oreña family

Corporate Names

California. Supreme Court

Algemeen Nederlandsch-Indisch Persbureau

Biblioteca Colombina

Midland Pacific Railway Company

Real Fabrica de Tapices de Santa Barbara

Subjects

Guerra family

Land tenure--California--Ventura County

Missions--California--History--Sources

Real property--California--Los Angeles

San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906--Sources

Shipping--Spain--Seville

California--History--19th century--Sources

Los Alamos (Calif.)

Genre

Deeds--California

Land claims--California

Land grants--California

Land titles--California

Leases--California

Letter books--California

Letters (correspondence)--California

Receipts--California

Box 1

Documents 1838-1952

HM 70914 The petition of Jose Antonio de la Guerra y Carrillo for a land grant of Rancho Los Alamos (1838-1840)

Note: this is a Photostat facsimile of the transcription of Guerra y Carrillo’s case

HM 70915 United States. General Land Office. Land grant to José Antonio de la Guerra y Carrillo for Rancho Los Alamos (1872, Sep. 12)

HM 70916 Molera, P.B. Certification of the acreage of Cuyama Rancho in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties (in English and Spanish) (1875, Jul. 16)

HM 70917 Deed from Ellen Weixel to Gaspar Oreña for parcels of land in Los Angeles and Anaheim (1881, Jan. 19)

HM 70918 Chamberlain, Chas H. Receipt for timber culture received of Dario Oreña (in English with some Spanish) (1885, Jun. 29)

HM 70919 Deed from Cesareo Eugenio Lataillade to Gaspar Oreña for a parcel of land in Santa Barbara County (1885, Jul. 20)

HM 70920 Receipt received from Pablo Valencia for the amount of $200.00 in payment for 160 acres of land in Santa Barbara County (1887, Jul. 18)

HM 70921 Deed from Pablo Valencia to Cesareo Eugenio Lataillade for 160 acres of land in Santa Barbara County (1888, Jan. 9)

HM 70922 Deed from Juan Ygnacio Valencia to Dario Oreña for 99 48/100 acres (1888, Jan. 11)

HM 70923 United States. General Land Office (San Francisco). Land claim of Juan Ygnacio Valencia for property in Santa Barbara [Between 1880 and 1889]

HM 70924 Deed from Juan Ygnacio Valencia to Leopoldo Oreña for property situated in San Luis Obispo County (1890, Mar. 28)

HM 70925 [Oreña, Leopoldo]. List of documents sent to San Francisco on behalf of Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish and some English) [Before 1894, Dec.]

Note: estimated date based on Dec. 30, 1894 letter from Leopoldo Oreña to "Friend Mr. Powell" in which author states that all of his father's documents had been sent to San Francisco

HM 70926 Sixty home repair receipts entrusted to J. G. Whitaker on behalf of Gaspar Oreña (in English with some Spanish) (1896, May-Aug.)

HM 70927 [Oreña, Gaspar]. Six articles stipulating the terms under which a railway may be constructed on a given acreage (in Spanish) (1902, Jun. 18)

HM 70928 Memorandum of agreement between Arturo G. Oreña et al. and G.W. Chrisman for the sale of 678 acres of land in Ventura County (1906, Sep. 26)

HM 70929 Deed from Maria Antonia de la Guerra de Oreña et al. to Gilpin W. Chrisman for land within Rancho Santa Ana of Ventura County for the amount of $10.00 (1907, Jan.)

HM 70930 Deed from Orestes J. Oreña to G.W. Chrisman for land within Rancho Santa Ana of Ventura County for the amount of $14,500.00 (1907, Jan. 23)

Note: accompanying this document is another document dated Jan. 15, 1907 (typewritten: 1 p.; 25 cm.; signed by G. W. Chrisman) authorizing an extension for the Sep. 1906 agreement. A penciled note on the header of the deed, however, states that the extension was not used

HM 70931 California. Superior Court (Santa Barbara County). Complaint of Refugia Abadie de Lataillade, Plaintiff, vs. Caesar Lataillade, Defendant (1912, Jun. 13)

Also included is the deposition of Jose Moraga, who testified in the above case

HM 70932 Contractual agreement between Serena O. de Koch, Orestes J. Oreña, Arturo G. Oreña, Dwight H. and Mabel S. Hart, Howard J. and Minnie L. Latiner, and Central Business Properties (1928, Apr. 2)

HM 70933 Lease between Serena O. de Koch and Joe V. Rodrigues for his use of the Oreña portion of Los Alamos Rancho (1930)

Note: month and day are missing

HM 70934 Lease between Dario Oreña, Serena O. de Koch, and Arturo G. Oreña to B.W. Stowell for his use of a parcel of land on Rancho Cuyama (1932, Nov. 1)

HM 70935 Stuyck, Gabino. Receipt and invoice for Edward Oreña de Koch for knotted rugs (in Spanish) (1951, Apr. 7-9)

HM 70936 Shipping invoice, seller's invoice, insurance policy, and billing statements for Edward Oreña de Koch's purchase and transport of two cases of Spanish artisan works (in Spanish and English) (1951, May 8-18)

HM 70937 Shipping invoice, insurance policy, and billing statements for Edward Oreña de Koch's purchase and transport of one case of Spanish artisan works (in Spanish and English) (1952, Nov. 24)

HM 70938 Contract between land owners in the Counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Kern and Midland Pacific Railway Company [Undated]

Note: contract appears incomplete: the names of the land owners, their signatures, and the date of the contract are missing

Box 2

Manuscripts and Correspondence 1868-1875

HM 70939 Ord, Angustias, b. 1815. Ocurrencias en California, Relatadas a Thomas Savage en Santa Barbara por Mrs. Ord (Dona Angustias de la Guerra) (in Spanish with prefatory note in English by Thomas Savage) (1878, Apr. 1)

Note: Spanish dictation recorded by Thomas Savage in 1870; manuscript incomplete

HM 70940 Koch, [Carlota]. "La Guipuzcoana." Included: a photocopied version of said manuscript [c. 1936]

Note: manuscript appears incomplete

HM 70941 "Interesting notes written by Mother on the de la Guerra genealogy" (in Spanish) [Undated]

Note: notes written on a blue envelope

HM 70942 Notes on the life and genealogy of Pedro de Moctezuma (in Spanish). Also included is a short biography of Miguel de Cervantes (in English) [Undated]

HM 70943 Martinon, A. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1868, Apr. 20)

Note: this letter is glued to a piece of cardstock to which another letter is attached. The second letter is a single-sheet correspondence from Bernardo Llata to Gaspar Oreña, dated May 6, 1870 (in Spanish)

HM 70944 Martinon, A. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1868, Apr. 27)

Note: this letter is glued to a sheet of cardstock to which another document is attached. The second is an 1873 invoice for Gaspar Oreña from Santa Clara College

HM 70945 Whiting, W.P.C. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (1869, Jan. 5)

HM 70946 Cuyas, Antonio. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1869, Apr. 14)

HM 70947 Doran, Paschal. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (1870, Mar. 4)

HM 70948 de la Cuesta, Roman. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1870, Oct. 23)

HM 70949 Yndart, U[lpiano]. 1 telegram to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1872, Jul. 22)

HM 70950-70951 Llata, Bernardo. 2 letters to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1873)

HM 70952 de la Cuesta, Roman. 1 letter to Bernardo Llata (in Spanish) (1873, Dec. 8)

HM 70953 de la Cuesta, Roman. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1875, Jul. 8)

HM 70954 Robinson, Alfred, 1806-1895. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish and English) (1875, Jul. 20)

Note: small newspaper clipping glued to upper-center portion of letter

Box 3

Correspondence, Photographs and Ephemera 1881-1951

HM 70955 Koch, William de. Letter book (in Spanish and English) (1881-1883)

Included: between pages 184 and 185 are two newspaper clippings: one documenting the development of the Los Angeles property formerly owned by Gaspar Oreña and the other concerning Mrs. Oreña de Koch's experiences in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906

HM 70956 [Oreña], Leopoldo. 1 letter to "Querido Papa" (in Spanish) (1883, Jan. 31)

Note: Leopoldo Oreña most likely writing to Gaspar Oreña

HM 70957 Koch, William de. Letter book (in Spanish and English) (1886-1890)

Included: preceding page 89 is an autographed, signed letter (dated Apr. 23, 1887) from a representative of the HM Newhall Co. to William de Koch

HM 70958 Oreña, Leopoldo. 1 letter to Pedro Zabala (in Spanish) (1894, Mar. 4)

HM 70959 [Oreña, Leopoldo]. 1 letter to "Friend Mr. Powell." (1894, Dec. 30)

HM 70960 Powell, C.M. 1 letter to Leopoldo Oreña (1895, Jan. 3)

Note: letter is a copy of the original

HM 70961 Oreña, Leopoldo. 1 letter to "Amigo Enrique" (in Spanish) (1895, Feb. 8)

HM 70962 Oreña, Gaspar. 1 letter to Leopoldo Oreña (in Spanish) (1895, Mar. 9)

HM 70963 [Oreña, Leopoldo]. 1 letter to "Friend Aguirre" (1895, Apr. 4)

HM 70964 Lucas, W.T. 1 letter to Leopoldo Oreña (1895, Jul. 23)

HM 70965 Oreña, Gaspar. 1 letter to Leopoldo Oreña (in Spanish) (1896, Dec. 10)

HM 70966 Oreña, Gaspar. 1 letter to "Friend John." (1897, Jul. 2)

Note: this is a transcribed copy of the letter, probably made by Leopoldo Oreña

HM 70967 Oreña, Orestes. 1 letter to Leopoldo Oreña (in Spanish) (1898, Aug. 26)

Note: attached to the top of this letter is a document (24 cm.) in pencil noting the information taken from the deed between Juan Ygnacio Valencia and Leopoldo Oreña

HM 70968 [Ord], Rebecca. 1 letter to Gaspar Oreña (in Spanish) (1901, Feb. 25)

HM 70969 Oreña, Leopoldo. 1 letter to Caleb Sherman (1902, Oct. 6)

HM 70970 [Oreña, Orestes]. 1 letter to "Mi querido papa" (in Spanish) (1902, Oct. 11)

[Oreña, Orestes]. 1 letter to "Mi querido papa" (in Spanish)

HM 70971 Blake, Isaac E. 1 letter to Orestes J. Oreña (1903, Nov. 16)

HM 70972 Scarabicchi, George. 1 letter to "Reverend Mister Rector of the Catholic Church of Santa Barbara of California" (in English and Italian) (1906, May 29)

HM 70973 Hancock, Allan, 1875-. 1 letter to William Koch (1918, Oct. 25)

Note: Also included is an autographed letter response to Hancock, which is a copy

HM 70974 Koch Gieffers, Bertha. 1 letter to "It was a great pleasure for me to hear from you..." (1921, Apr.–May)

Note: these are typewritten extracts of letters sent by Bertha Koch Gieffers

HM 70975 Ralse, David. 1 letter to Serena Oreña de Koch (in Spanish) (1938, May 2)

HM 70976 Stuyck, Gabino. 1 letter to Edward Oreña de Koch (in Spanish) (1951, Apr. 30)

HM 70977a Columbus Library: Salon de Cristobal Colon. 1 black-and-white photograph (1955, Sep.)

HM 70977b Columbus Library: Salon de los Duques de Montpensier. 1 black-and-white photograph (1955, Sep.)

HM 70977c Columbus Library: Salon de San Fernando No. 3 (a). 1 black-and-white photograph (1955, Sep.)

HM 70977d Columbus Library: Salon de San Fernando No. 3 (b). 1 black-and-white photograph (1955, Sep.)

In the Supreme Court of the State of California: C.E. Lataillade, Plaintiff and Appellant, vs. Gaspar Oreña, Defendant and Respondent, Petition for Re-hearing / Garber & Bishop, Attorneys for Respondent (1891)

In the Supreme Court of the State of California: C.E. Lataillade, Plaintiff and Appellant, vs. Gaspar Oreña, Defendant and Respondent, Respondent's Final Brief / Garber, Boalt & Bishop, Attorneys for Respondent. Note: Leopoldo Oreña signed the top of the cover; and (1891)

HM 70978 Autographed note written on a fragment of an ANP-ANETA News Bulletin. Note: although the Bulletin is dated Apr. 23, 1951, the note is undated (1951)