I first caught the "genealogy bug" at age 13 and have been searching for and finding my early Californio ancestors for the past 59 years! I am a direct descendant of some who came as early as 1769 with Gaspar de Portolá, and of 22 of the 240 who came with Juan Bautista de Anza to settle California in 1775-76 ... and 7 more of those who arrived a bit later with Fernando de Rivera y Moncada in 1781.

Discovery of my New Mexico ancestors, those near Santa Fe and on the San Ildefonso Indian Reservation, show through DNA results that I'm related to members of the Tewa Tribe! Through Mom I'm also Yaqui from Northern Mexico.

Now that my adult grandchildren are interested in learning of their ancestors we're adding families who arrived in CA for the Gold Rush!
Their names include: Steiner, Sinsheimer, Sinton, Coblentz, Walter, Werthiem, Lazar, Koshland, Frauenthal, Rubel, and Hessberg - just to name a few!!

Shortly before my dad died in May 2013 he asked if I thought I might ever find his grandfather David Newton Harrell. I said I didn't know, but I'd sure try - and WOW - the finds for our Harrell family are are arriving almost daily! I'm searching new places now - Gates County, NC and Cross County, AR - and in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Virginia!

Family names on Dad's side are:
Harrell, Chapman, Brown, Ryals, Morrow, Hubbard, Yarborough, McCauley, Boyt, Thompson, Mathis, Johnson, Wells, Williams, Brantley, and probably a few others I've overlooked!

Family names on Mom's side (almost entirely in California 1769-1900) are:
Ruiz, Valenzuela, Cordero, Duran, Bojorques, Pico, Moreno, Galindo, Ortega, Carrillo, Lopez, Pico, Bastida, Sinova, Romero, Pinto, Ruelas, Higuera, Fernandez, Quintero, Rubio, Pacheco, Soto, del Valle, Espinosa, Miranda, Gutierrez, and Osuna - and I'm sure I've overlooked some of these ancestors!
Mom's Gonzales and Enriques are from New Mexico.

My Californio roots are VERY deep!

NOTE: Recently I've received several "edits" suggesting changes. I try to use every historical record available when creating my memorial pages but some things slip past me.

There are many situations here on Find A Grave that make it impossible to accurately identify the early California Hispanic folks, specifically the women because they kept their maiden names rather than take on their husband's name as in other locations.

Listing and identifying the actual locations of many births and deaths is also difficult since so many of our families began here in California in 1769, or earlier for our Native American families. There is no way to enter that info in the fields provided. California can only be entered as part of The United States ... and for many of our families this is just not historically correct.

I do what I can to make things as clear as possible.

My family knows I'm obsessed and addicted
... I just call it my passion!
... and my addiction just became more intense!

Please contact me at [email protected]

I first caught the "genealogy bug" at age 13 and have been searching for and finding my early Californio ancestors for the past 59 years! I am a direct descendant of some who came as early as 1769 with Gaspar de Portolá, and of 22 of the 240 who came with Juan Bautista de Anza to settle California in 1775-76 ... and 7 more of those who arrived a bit later with Fernando de Rivera y Moncada in 1781.

Discovery of my New Mexico ancestors, those near Santa Fe and on the San Ildefonso Indian Reservation, show through DNA results that I'm related to members of the Tewa Tribe! Through Mom I'm also Yaqui from Northern Mexico.

Now that my adult grandchildren are interested in learning of their ancestors we're adding families who arrived in CA for the Gold Rush!
Their names include: Steiner, Sinsheimer, Sinton, Coblentz, Walter, Werthiem, Lazar, Koshland, Frauenthal, Rubel, and Hessberg - just to name a few!!

Shortly before my dad died in May 2013 he asked if I thought I might ever find his grandfather David Newton Harrell. I said I didn't know, but I'd sure try - and WOW - the finds for our Harrell family are are arriving almost daily! I'm searching new places now - Gates County, NC and Cross County, AR - and in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Virginia!

Family names on Dad's side are:
Harrell, Chapman, Brown, Ryals, Morrow, Hubbard, Yarborough, McCauley, Boyt, Thompson, Mathis, Johnson, Wells, Williams, Brantley, and probably a few others I've overlooked!

Family names on Mom's side (almost entirely in California 1769-1900) are:
Ruiz, Valenzuela, Cordero, Duran, Bojorques, Pico, Moreno, Galindo, Ortega, Carrillo, Lopez, Pico, Bastida, Sinova, Romero, Pinto, Ruelas, Higuera, Fernandez, Quintero, Rubio, Pacheco, Soto, del Valle, Espinosa, Miranda, Gutierrez, and Osuna - and I'm sure I've overlooked some of these ancestors!
Mom's Gonzales and Enriques are from New Mexico.

My Californio roots are VERY deep!

NOTE: Recently I've received several "edits" suggesting changes. I try to use every historical record available when creating my memorial pages but some things slip past me.

There are many situations here on Find A Grave that make it impossible to accurately identify the early California Hispanic folks, specifically the women because they kept their maiden names rather than take on their husband's name as in other locations.

Listing and identifying the actual locations of many births and deaths is also difficult since so many of our families began here in California in 1769, or earlier for our Native American families. There is no way to enter that info in the fields provided. California can only be entered as part of The United States ... and for many of our families this is just not historically correct.

I do what I can to make things as clear as possible.

My family knows I'm obsessed and addicted
... I just call it my passion!
... and my addiction just became more intense!

Please contact me at [email protected]