Guassac Family Papers, 1895-1936

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Summary

Title:
Guassac Family Papers
Dates:
1895-1936
Creators:
Guassac family
Abstract:
This collection contains papers from the Guassac family between 1895 and 1936, specifically related to Jose Dolores Guassac, his children, grandchildren, and other relatives. This includes family birth records, personal and business correspondence, legal and financial papers, documents related to tribal administration, and personal journals. The majority of the documents are related to either Dolores Guassac or his sons Luciano and Sebastian Guassac.
Extent:
0.25 Linear feet (1 box)
Language:
and Collection materials are in English and Spanish.
Preferred citation:

Guassac Family Papers, MS 186, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of the papers of Jose Dolores Guassac and his family, including his sons Sebastian and Luciano Guassac. The documents are dated between 1895 and 1936, and pertain to personal, legal and tribal issues. Several documents are in Spanish. The papers include family correspondence and birth records, personal journals, legal and financial documents, and documents related to tribal administration, as well as several miscellaneous items including a local newsletter called the “Carlisle Arrow,” a handwritten recipe for soap and a pro-prohibition propaganda poem. The collection includes many of Luciano Guassac’s personal correspondence as well as his personal journal. The legal documents include court summons and legal complaints against several male members of the Guassac family for issues such as driving off a steer and allowing a horse to run free. Tribal administration papers include numerous governmental documents and letters from the United States Indian Service, including a certification of Dolores Guassac’s appointment as Captain of the San Jose Tribe. The documents in this collection provide a unique perspective into Indian and Caucasian relations during the turn of the century, and clearly document the role of the U.S. government in tribal issues during that period.

Biographical / historical:

Jose Dolores Guassac was born in 1857 in Mesa Grande, California, according to the online International Genealogical Index. He was often called Dolores as a first name instead of Jose. Guassac had at least one brother, Pablo Guassac. Jose married his spouse, Madelina, in 1891. The family name was alternatively spelled Wassac in addition to other variants. Guassac was elected Captain of the San Jose tribe in 1898. He was also affiliated with the Mesa Grande Band, which along with many other tribes has historically been grouped under the more general heading of Diegueño Mission Indians. Relatively few biographical details about Guassac are available. The collection also includes papers concerning his sons, Sebastian and Luciano Guassac, as well as other members of the family about whom even less is known. It appears that some, if not all, of Dolores’ sons were sent away to boarding school to learn English and receive a higher level of education. Sebastian Guassac followed in his father’s footsteps by serving as Captain of the Mission tribe in the 1930s.

Acquisition information:
Accession number 830505A.
Processing information:

Collection processed by Katrina White on August 1, 2011.

Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Arrangement:

Items in this collection are arranged by subject.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Katrina White
Sponsor:
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Date Prepared:
August 1, 2011
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2012-02-13T16:18-0800

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

Preferred citation:

Guassac Family Papers, MS 186, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Location of this collection:
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92101, US
Contact:
(619) 232-6203
Website