Grenier (Judson) Research Collection, 1809-2006; undated

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Summary

Title:
Judson Grenier Research Collection
Dates:
1809-2006; undated
Creators:
Grenier, Judson
Abstract:
This collection documents Dr. Judson Grenier's research into families connected to the Rancho San Pedro. Located in the South Bay of Los Angeles County, the Rancho San Pedro is one of the first great land grants, held by Juan Jose Dominguez and his heirs from 1874 into the 21st century. The materials in this collection focus largely on the Watson family and the Carson family, who are among the later heirs to the Rancho San Pedro lands. This collection gathers Grenier's research for California Legacy: the Watson Family, George Carson: Los Angeles Pioneer, and A Guide to Historic Places in Los Angeles County; as well as other projects. It also includes materials about Robert Gillingham- the main historian of the Rancho San Pedro, the Banning Family, South Bay history, and Los Angeles history; and this material was used primarily for research or educational purposes. The collection includes personal notes, letters, financial materials, photographs, maps, publications, and more.
Extent:
4.25 Linear Feet (three document boxes; three photograph boxes) and 6 boxes
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.

Background

Scope and content:

The Grenier Research Collection (1809-2006; undated) contains six boxes of research material used by Dr. Judson Grenier for his many books including: California Legacy: The Watson Family, George Carson: Los Angeles Pioneer, and A Guide to Historic Places in Los Angeles County. It also includes research material for Reminiscences of the Dominguez Ranch and the Carson Family: An Oral History by John Victor Carson and interview by Judson Grenier. Materials include biographical information, estate maps, invitations, letters, maps, notes, photographs, publications, sketches, and more. Photographs located in Series V-VII, and photographs regarding Manhattan Beach depict general city views of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area: residences, buildings, parks, universities, museums, points of historic interest as well as events and scenes from every day life to the 1980s. Many of these photos were either published in A Guide to Historic Places in Los Angeles County (Kendall/Hunt, c1978) and the Manhattan Beach historical series publication, or belong to Dr. Grenier's academic project African American Related Sites & Images while additional images were used for the 18-minute film Pueblo of Promise, which can be seen at the Sepulveda House Visitor's Center, in Downtown Los Angeles. A majority of the collection includes 8" x 10" black and white photographs, but also includes color photos, colorized cards, and oversize prints. A majority of the material in this collection are reproductions only.

The materials in this collection help create a valuable historical record, but they often reflect the times in which they were created, and they may use disturbing racial language and exhibit racist attitudes, including: Documents and photographs in the collection that note a site on Rancho San Pedro lands with an offensive, racist term is its name. Though the site no longer exists, the name appears throughout the collection.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Judson Grenier was born in Indiana in 1930. His education includes a Bachelor's Degree at the University of Minnesota (1951), a Master's Degree at the University of Southern California (1952), and Doctorate in History at University of California, Los Angles (circa 1956). During his academic training he interviewed author Upton Sinclair. After a few years as a journalist for the Los Angeles Mirror-News, he began his teacher career at El Camino College in Torrance, CA in 1956. In 1966 he began working at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) as the first chairman of the History Department. He taught at CSUDH for 27 years where he co-directed the California State University Oral History Project. At CSUDH he conducted research on several topics including the Dominguez Family lands on the Rancho San Pedro, the 1910 International Aviation Meet at Dominguez Field, the California State University and several other topics. He published the first history of CSUDH entitled "The Rainbow Years (1960-1985). With Donald R. Gerth, he published A History of the California State University and Colleges (ca. 1982). Additionally, he published works included the following: California Legacy: The Watson Family and George Carson: Los Angeles Pioneer (2014). Dr. Grenier was also edited the second edition of Robert Gillingham's 1961 book, The Rancho San Pedro in 1983. In 1981 he published the pamphlet, Reminiscences of the Dominguez Ranch and the Carson family : an oral history.

A longtime Manhattan Beach resident, Dr. Grenier also wrote or edited several pamphlets relating to Manhattan Beach including A Capsule History of Manhattan Beach, 1912-1976, The Streets of Manhattan Transportation at the Beach and Manhattan Beach Yesterdays . In 2005 he was honored for his research with a Fellows Award by the Historical Society of Southern California. Dr. Grenier was instrumental in promoting and advancing the Gerth Archives and Special Collections in the University Library at CSUDH. This work included locating and preserving many Dominguez Family Collections that remain in the Archives.

Acquisition information:

Donated by Judson Grenier.

Aquistion Information for Photographs: The materials were donated to the California State University Archives at California State University, Dominguez Hills in September 2007 by Dr. Judson Grenier. The majority of these photographs were gathered for teaching purposes and research use. Some photographs and images are published in A Guide to Historic Places in Los Angeles County (Kendall/Hunt, 1978) by the History Team of the City of Los Angeles American Revolution Bicentennial Committee. Some of the photos were taken personally by Dr. Judson Grenier. Many of the historical photos were donated to the Bicentennial Guide project. As for the historic locations in South Central Los Angeles, these photographs were donated by historian/librarian Miriam Matthews. On behalf of the locations depicted, members of the Associated Historical Societies of Los Angeles County contributed with donations as well. Most of the color photographs were taken by Dr. Grenier for the 18-minute film Pueblo of Promise shown in the Sepulveda House Visitor's Center Downtown Los Angeles. Additional photographs within this collection attributed to other institutions should contact those institutions directly for duplicates.

Processing information:

This collection was originally processed in 2024. In 2026, the collection was reaccessed to avoid redundancies. A majority of material related to the Dominguez Water Company, Dominguez Family, Rancho San Pedro, and Dominguez Adobe, were removed and placed into the Dominguez Water Company; and Rancho San Pedro Research/Robert Gillingham Collection. The Judson Grenier Photograph Collection was also merged into this collection. Original processing for the Judson Grenier Photograph Collection was completed in 2008 by Veronica D'Aquino.

Arrangement:

Contains 7 Series:

  1. Series I: Carson Family Research
  2. Series II: Dominguez Family Research
  3. Series III: South Bay and Los Angeles Research
  4. Series IV: Personal Materials
  5. Series V: Historical Places and Sites in Los Angeles County (Photographs)
  6. Series VI: Places & Events in Los Angeles Metropolitan Area (Photographs)
  7. Series VII: The Plaza (Photographs)
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Deena Marie Santos 2024; Karen Clemons 2026
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-04-13 21:34:05 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.

Location of this collection:
University Library, 5th Flr (5039)
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, CA 90747, US
Contact:
(310) 243-3895
archives@csudh.edu
Website