March 11, 2005

Paths to Evergreen

Chaboya family and descendants of Evergreen’s ‘Rancho Yerba Buena’

By Colleen Cortese
Special to the Times

“They came, they stayed, had families and their descendants are us.”

—Maurice Bender, Los Californianos

In 1775, Evergreen was an isolated wilderness populated by the historic people who had lived in the Bay Area for thousands of years—one day to be known as the Ohlone.

To this land of talking animals, magic, dreams, songs and visions, came the new visitor. Although eventual famine, forced labor and epidemics of European diseases would greatly reduce the number of native people, the poetry of their songs, myths and stories live on in those who are present today in Evergreen.

The Ranchos of the Chaboyas, from the 1876 Thompson West Atlas.

From 1770 to 1777, notable literary personalities were emerging across the country, amid the tumult of the American Revolution. Thomas Paine, the propagandist, wrote “Common Sense,” which awakened the American spirit to independence. The Boston Tea Party, where a group of citizens swarmed British ships to dump tea cargos into the harbor to revolt taxation, marked another turning point of the American Revolution.

While the fine cities of the American colonies fought for freedom, Alta California was emerging under a new leadership. Friars, soldiers and settlers began to arrive.

In 1774, a Spanish military officer set off from Tubac, Mexico, with 20 soldiers, a dozen servants and a herd of 200 cattle. They intended to find an overland route from Mexico to Mission San Gabriel in California.

Juan Bautista de Anza accomplished his goal by discovering the elusive overland route. For the second expedition, de Anza was joined by Father Pedro Font, three officers, 18 veteran soldiers from the presidios of Sonora and Tubac, 20 recruits, 29 women (wives of the soldiers), four volunteer families, 128 children, 20 muleteers, three vaqueros, three servants, three Indian interpreters, 695 horses and mules and 355 cattle.

De Anza also recruited some 170 settlers. De Anza’s diary indicates 240 people were a part of this expedition, but recent letters suggest it might have been closer to 300. (Meredith Hindley, Expeditions to California)
By Jan. 12, 1777, the Franciscan padres founded Mission Santa Clara as the first California mission to honor a woman—Saint Clare of Assisi. A chain of 21 California missions eventually emerged.

On Nov. 29, 1777, within a year after the opening of the first overland route from Mexico to Alta California, Governor Felipe de Neve authorized the establishment of California’s first civil settlement. Lieutenant Jose Joaquin Moraga arrived in the Santa Clara Valley with 14 settlers and their families to found El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe near the present civic center.

Marcos Chaboya
The story of Antonio Chaboya’s (Chabolla) Rancho Yerba Buena y Socayre is especially interesting knowing that Antonio is the son of Marcos Chaboya, who was born in Spain, came to California from Mexico City before 1786, and served as a soldier at the Presidio in San Francisco until 1793 (1958 Soberanes – 1884 Bancroft).

We now know that Marcos was a Corporal (Cabo) and was 34 years old at the time of the 1790 census (1790 San Francisco Census, Sheila Ruiz Harrell).

We have no records of Marcos’ arrival with the de Anza party as a soldier, and records do not indicate where Marcos Chaboya originated, but old family stories passed on by early settlers in Evergreen say it was Catalonia, Spain (1986 Nieman).

This region of Spain called Catalonia forms the northeast corner of the Iberian Peninsula, where palms, orange, lime and olive groves prospered. A few meadows and woodlands pastured cattle, sheep and goats.

Vineyards produced a rough, strong wine. Marcos may have had some agricultural experience growing up in this territory. It would seem likely Marcos would have experienced some difficulty adjusting to the cold and misty climate of the Presidio in San Francisco.

The Catalan language differs considerably from Castilian Spanish. The warm coastal cities along the Mediterranean Sea include Tarragona and Barcelona. These important harbors sent many tall ships to the new land (1944 Encyclopedia Britannica).

Eleven ships docked in San Francisco between the years 1774 and 1786. Marcos may not have been on the Spanish frigate “Aranzazu,” which arrived in San Francisco on Feb. 11, 1786, simply because he was married that same month on Feb. 27.

It would not seem possible for this young soldier to arrive here and get married just 16 days later. He may have arrived on the Spanish Man of War “Favorita,” docking July 27, 1783. One other possibility would have been that Marcos came with an exploring expedition, under the command of Don Ygnacio Ortega, Sept. 15, 1779, on the ship “Favorita.”

Move site
Marcos moved his family to the Pueblo de San Jose before 1796. As one of the first pueblo settlers, he assisted in establishing the San Jose Mission as early as 1797 (Guinn, 1904). The pueblo population had grown from the original 66 colonists to more than 150 in 1798 (San Jose History Museum). Marcos Chaboya served the pueblo as the Alcalde from1796 – 97. (1888 Bancroft)

The early pueblo was having problems with constant flooding along the Guadalupe Creek. With winter rains upon them, and faced with the danger of high water washing away their adobe homes, the local government dealt with the situation.

On Jan. 8, 1797, Governor Diego de Borica wrote to Gabriel Moraga, requesting information on San Jose and its problems. Two days later, on Jan. 10, 1797, Alcalde (Mayor) Marcos Chaboya wrote to Borica, requesting permission to move the town to a more favorable site (1986 Arbuckle).

In 1976 the Junior League of San Jose published a map showing the adobe buildings and dates of construction for the pueblo in about 1803 – 1854. Ralph Rambo, noted author and cartographer, drew and numbered the 110 known adobes of this period. Among those are two“Chabolla” dwellings that are located on our present Market Street at Santa Clara Street. The dates of construction are unknown (1976 Junior League).

Marcos married Maria Teresa de Jesus Bernal on Feb. 27, 1786, in San Francisco at Mission Dolores (Spanish 1769 records).

The next article in the Paths to Evergreen history series focuses on the Bernal family, which is the family of Antonio Chaboya’s mother.

Colleen Cortese – copyright 2005 – Evergreen History.

INTRODUCING EVERGREEN HERITAGE ROOM
Preserving Evergreen’s Past —Recording the Present Envisioning the Future

SAVE THIS DATE
Thursday, March 31
from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Light Refreshments
Free Parking

Evergreen Valley College
New Library, Educational Technology Center
San Felipe Road entrance

For more information contact Vicki Atherton
(408) 274-7900 ext. 6503
Victoria.Atherton@evc.edu

The new Evergreen Valley College Library/Education Technology Center will provide a permanent home to display and make the collection available to the public. We envision this as an opportunity to make our local history visible to all those who call Evergreen home.

PLEASE JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE HISTORY OF EVERGREEN

Heritage records of early Spanish families abound

Those families who have directly descended from this early Spanish period have a wealth of information relating to their multi-generational heritage. The records kept during this period are guarded with care and pride.

Mission records are available to verify births, baptism, marriage and death, especially in this Bay Area. There are extensive records from Mission Dolores, Mission San Jose and Mission Santa Clara de Asis; the written records from Spanish expeditions, military records, ship records and the communications from the Presidio and Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe.

The archives from Santa Clara University, Bancroft California Pioneer Register 1542 – 1848 and numerous well known historians have collected and published the Alta California story. We are also fortunate to have the Chaboya family stories from the descendants, their photos, maps and documents.

In 1968, a group of the descendants of Spanish Alta California formed Los Californianos for the purpose of preserving the heritage of the early Hispanic history. Research, publications, along with authentic oral, written and pictorial history is made available. Many of the members have become experts on their genealogy.

It was 1987-88 that I met Evelyn Martinez. She was working on developing a group who shared a passion for tracing their Hispanic Californian roots. Today she has a very active group, Los Fundadores, who present historic exhibits and assist in genealogy research and culture.

Both of the groups, Los Californianos and Los Fundadores, will be participating with their exhibits in the opening of the Evergreen Heritage Room on Thursday, March 31, at Evergreen Valley College Library, from 4 to 6 p.m.

And so I began! Never would I have dreamed that after all these years I would still be searching for further Chaboya information. I have many of the family to thank for their contribution of photos and stories. We continue to honor them for their contribution to California history, especially here in Evergreen.

For more information on Los Californianos, go to the Web site: www.loscalifornianos.org.

Contact Evelyn Martinez via e-mail, EMartinez07@aol.com, for more information about Los Fundadores.

To learn about California Spanish Genealogy and the Anza 1775 expedition, go to the Web site: www.sfgenealogy.com/spanish/anzaexp.htm

The National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, has information on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/juba/