Los Angeles County Prefecture Records, 1825-1850

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Summary

Title:
Los Angeles County Prefecture Records
Dates:
1825-1850
Creators:
Prefecture of Los Angeles.
Abstract:
Three volumes containing records, in Spanish, documentin g the governance of the southern portion of Alta California from the Mexican Constitution of 1824 through the creation of the Los Angeles Prefecture in 1837 and the conquest by the United States in 1846 to the California State Constitution of 1850.
Extent:
3 volumes (in 6 boxes) + photostat reproduction (3 boxes)
Language:
Spanish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Los Angeles County Prefecture Records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains three volumes with records of the governance of the southern portion of Alta California from the Mexican Constitution of 1824 through the creation of the Los Angeles Prefecture in 1837 and the conquest by the United States in 1846 to the California State Constitution of 1850.

These volumes include alcalde correspondence, 1823; ayuntamiento minutes from 1832; judicial records of civil and criminal cases; records of the Los Angeles prefecture from 1834; register of cattle brands and marks, 1833-52; notarial records; petitions for land; claims for mines; deeds, mortgages, contracts, bankruptcy papers, and wills; inventories of personal and household goods; court-martial papers; censuses; and decrees and proclamations. These documents are in Spanish.

  • HM 81572: Volume A (1825-1847)
  • HM 81573: Volume I (1834-1849)
  • HM 81574: Volume 2 (1840-1850)

List of some notable items:

Archives of the Prefecture of Los Angeles, Vol. I, 1834-1849
  • S. Argüello to the Judge of the Peace. Concerning the jurisdiction of secular and ecclesiastical authority in the granting of divorces. Los Angeles, May 6, 1842. Folio 150.
  • Re. Santa Catalina Island. Petition of Luis Vignes and Juan Ramirez for the island in order to raise there donkeys and sheep, this being the only possible industry that might flourish there due to the rugged formation of the island. Sept. 4, 1840. Fol. 320-321.
  • Re. Cañada de la Brea - judicial possession of. Mar. 15, 1841. p.352, 354, 576.
  • Rancho of Julio Verdugo - Mar. 29, 1841. p. 354
  • Concerning horse races in Los Angeles - 1841. p. 376 et seq.
  • Re. El Toro land - p. 383
  • Re. San Dieguito - p. 390 (1843)
  • Re. Sta. Monica - p. 402 (1843)
  • Re. Rancho La Cienega - p. 404 (1843)
  • Re. Lompoc - p. 413
  • Sketch of Argüello (in pencil). - after p. 415, on a blank page.
  • Re. Salsipuedes Rancho - p. 416 (1840)
  • Raymundo Carrillo - a good number of his papers. p. 450 et seq.
  • S. Argüello - corresp. concerning the granting of land titles, 1841. p. 483.
  • Los Angeles City administration - a good deal of information found in Argüello's correspondence, mainly around page 593 and following.
  • Micheltorena, Manuel - Copy of letter to Argüello dated San Fernando, Oct. 25, 1842. Concerning the appearance at Monterey of Commodore Jones, firing upon the port, etc. This is a very spirited letter, voicing his patriotism and enjoining all Californians to take up arms against the invaders. p.593.
  • R.B. Mason - Proclamation. Aug. 7, 1848 (printed). p. 730
  • B. Riley - Proclamation to the People of ¯California, june 3, 1849. p. 762.
Archives of the Prefecture of Los Angeles, Vol. II
  • Horse-racing - rules, etc. Sept. 2, 1839 (p. 4 - 28)
  • Re. Limantour -p. 170-71.
  • Re. J. Salazar - p. 171, 172, et seq.
  • Julio Cayetano - p. 180
  • Jose Antonio Yorva [Yorba?] - inventory of property, etc., after his decease. p. 192.
  • Luis Bauchet - inventory of property, p. 205
  • Enrique Sepulveda - documents concerning his property, inventories made after his decease, etc. p. 231
  • Carlos Baric - documents concerning his property, claims on his estate, etc. p. 263 et seq.
  • Agustin Martin - (Frenchman) p. 289
  • Demetrio Villa - Conveyance of property. p. 326
  • Jose Arnaz - re. property, p. 337
  • Juan Bautista Leandry - disposition and inventory of property after his decease, 1849, p. 388-414.
  • Rancho Santa Anita - Deposition of Marion B. Roldan that Victoria Reid & her children had given their consent to Hugo Reid to sell the Rancho. May 28, 1847. p. 490
  • Frenchmen in Los Angeles. Petition to investigate the murder of one of their countrymen. July 16, 1847. p. 490
  • Tiburcio Tapia - Inventory of his property, p. 600
  • Padron de sonoreños (census) - 1847, p. 631
  • A.W. Flügge - documents referring to the Brig Primavera, p. 650, 652-674.
  • Ranchos - List of ranchos with the number of men belonging to each and the amount of firearms, 1848, p. 732.
  • Juan Perez - inventory made for the settlement of his estate. p. 733.
  • Election in Los Angeles - list of voters present at the house of Abel Stearns, p. 798. List of voters in the house of Matias Gabicho (Dec.17, 1849), p. 807. Returns, Dec. 21, 1849, p. 811 et seq.; final returns, p. 851.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by The Huntington Library staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Brooke Dykman Dockter and Brooke M. Black.
Date Prepared:
© 2015
Date Encoded:
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services and updated by Brooke M. Black, October 2000 and June 2015. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Brooke Dykman Dockter and Brooke M. Black, and updated by Diann Benti in February 2017.

Access and use

Restrictions:

The original volumes do not circulate due to their fragile condition. Photostatic copies open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services. For more information, contact Reader Services. A full copy of the volumes is available to the general public at the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office.

Terms of access:

These records are the property of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (which retains a copy for the use of the general public), and were put on long term deposit at the Huntington in 1938 through the offices of the Historical Society of Southern California. Please contact the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk with any questions concerning permission to publish or reproduce any of the records.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Los Angeles County Prefecture Records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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