Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Rancho San Pedro Research/Robert Gillingham Collection
- Dates:
- 1809-2003; undated
- Creators:
- California State University, Dominguez Hills and Gillingham, Robert C. (Robert Cameron), 1896-
- Abstract:
- This collection includes correspondence, brochures, news clippings, papers, articles, and copies of historical documents related to the Rancho San Pedro such as maps, deeds, wills, and legal documents. Subjects include the Dominguez Adobe and Claretian Seminary, families descended from the Dominguez sisters, companies owned by these descendants, and the history of the Rancho San Pedro. A majority of this collection contains drafts of a series of articles entitled "Stories of the Rancho San Pedro", most likely written by Robert C. Gillingham. For more material related to the Rancho San Pedro, please consult the Rancho San Pedro Collection.
- Extent:
- 4 boxes and 1.60 Linear Feet
- 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 Rancho San Pedro Research/Robert Gillingham Collection (1809-2003; undated) contains four boxes and 1.6 linear feet of articles; copies of historical documents related to the Rancho San Pedro such as deeds, wills, petitions, grants, obituaries, maps, legal documents; and other material that document the history of the Rancho lands. A majority of this collection contains drafts of a series of articles entitled "Stories of the Rancho San Pedro", mostly likely written by Robert C. Gillingham. These stories cover topics such as The Dominguez family, Carson Family, Del Amo Family, Dominguez Adobe, Rancho lands, and Watson Family. Also included in this collection are research notes; appendices; material related to the Dominguez Adobe sesquicentennial and bicentennial celebrations; and news clippings. Lastly, this collection contains material regarding Robert Gillingham's Rancho San Pedro research including early drafts, reviews, and letters regarding Gillingham's book The Rancho San Pedro; indexes of Rancho San Pedro historical records; lectures on the history of Rancho San Pedro and the Dominguez Family; and Gillingham's correspondence mostly regarding Rancho San Pedro and Dominguez family research. For more material related to the Rancho San Pedro, please consult the Rancho San Pedro Collection.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Originally encompassing over 75,000 acres the Rancho San Pedro was granted to Juan Jose Dominguez by the King of Spain in 1784. Juan Jose had served as a Spanish soldier in California and received the land following his retirement. Juan Jose built one of the first adobes in the region and lived there for varying periods until his death in 1809. The Rancho San Pedro was then willed to Jose Cristobal Dominguez (a nephew) who in turn willed it to his sons. One of the sons, Manuel, eventually took sole ownership of the property. Manuel built a new adobe structure where he lived with his wife (Maria Engracia) and their children. He was also very involved in local politics and served as mayor of Los Angeles on three separate occasions as well as becoming one of the first county supervisors and delegate to the first constitutional convention of California in 1849. When California became a state in 1849 Manuel was responsible for proving the legality of the original land grant thus ensuring his ownership. A United States land patent was granted to him for the Rancho lands in 1858. The area covered by the patent ran from Redondo Beach in the west, to Compton in the east and the harbor in the south. Manuel used the land to graze cattle and raise crops. His brand, a lemon shaped mark, became a highly recognizable symbol on the ears of his cattle. In 1882 Manuel Dominguez died and left his estate, including the remainder of the Rancho lands, to his six daughters.
Five of the daughters married, three to Anglos, and went on to create corporations which would administer their holding. These corporations, The Dominguez Estate Company, the Carson Estate Company, the Watson Estate Company, the Francis Estate Company and the Del Amo Estate Company oversaw the daughters' interests in the land. By 1930, when oil was discovered on Rancho land, most of the agrarian activities associated with the Rancho had ceased. It is estimated that the 350 oil wells developed on the land produced over $1 million year of income for a period of over 20 years. Today only two of the original estate companies survive, the Carson Estate Company and The Watson Land Company, but much of the of the heritage of the original owners of the Rancho and their descendants can be found as both local street and city names in communities which were part of the original Spanish land grant.
The original adobe structure built by Juan Jose Dominguez was replaced by a more permanent structure built by Manuel Dominguez. This more modern adobe served as the main family residence for many years. In the 1920's the Del Amo family gave the property to the Claretian order and built a structure to be used as a seminary. The Adobe continued to be used as a residence of the Dominguez family until 1924. In 1945 the Adobe became an official California State Landmark (No. 152). In 1976, to commemorate its 150th anniversary, the adobe underwent a complete restoration and again was recognized by being placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Today the Adobe is open to the public tours. The seminary building is now used by the Claretians as a retirement retreat.
Robert C. Gillingham was born in Michigan in 1896 and moved to Compton, California in 1906. He attended Compton Union High School, earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Pomona College, and served in the first World War. Gillingham later earned his PhD from the University of Southern California and, in 1927, became Dean of Compton Junior College, a position he held for 35 years. During this time, he also spent 17 years as the chairman of the Compton City Planning Commission. His interest in local history led him to write The Rancho San Pedro, first published in 1961 and financed by the Dominguez Estate Company. He also published over sixty articles on Compton history for the Compton News-Tribune, which were later compiled into the book Yesterdays of Compton.
- Acquisition information:
- Many items can be traced to Robert C. Gillingham, the author of The Rancho San Pedro. Other materials were donated through the years by faculty members and off-campus sources.
- Processing information:
-
The collection was first processed in the fall of 1997 and was opened to research without restrictions. In 2005, the collection was reassessed, with materials added and rearranged into a better working organization. During this process, photographs were removed to the Rancho San Pedro Collection. Materials that were clearly used by Gillingham to write the "Stories of Rancho San Pedro" series and The Rancho San Pedro were separated into the Robert C. Gillingham Working Papers Collection; some of his research materials are still scattered throughout this collection.
In 2026, this collection was again reaccessed to eliminate redundancies across multiple collections, as well as to streamline information. This resulted in The Rancho San Pedro Reference Collection and Robert C. Gillingham Working Papers Collection being combined to create this collection, now titled The Rancho San Pedro Research/Robert Gillingham Collection. Material related to Gillingham's work on Compton can now be found in the Compton History Collection.
This finding aid was created as part of the Early Los Angeles/Rancho San Pedro Manuscript Cataloging Project, a CSU Dominguez Hills Library project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project started in 2005. Project Director was Greg Williams. Project Archivists were Thomas Philo and Jennifer Allan Goldman.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-27 20:40:54 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is open for research.
- 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 StreetCarson, CA 90747, US
- Contact:
- (310) 243-3895