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PART II. CHAPTER VI. PROMINENT SPANISH FAMILIES
The names and annals of Spanish families, conspicuous in the social, commercial,
religious, and political life of Old San Diego, will always be treasured as an interesting
and vital part of local history. It would be quite invidious to attempt to present them in
the order of their importance. Hence, the alphabetical plan is adopted in this arrangement
of facts obtained from a great variety of sources:
AGUILAR, Blas, son of Corporal Rosario, born at San Diego, 1811, outside the
Presidio walls. Was majordomo at Temecula in 1834. Settled at San Juan Capistrano
and was a petitioner for land in 1841. Was alcalde there in 1848. Married Antonia
Guiterrez.
AGUILAR, Rosario. Corporal of the mission guard at San Diego soon after the
year 1800. Had a house on site of the present town, in 1821. Majordomo of San Diego
Mission 1838. Juez de paz in 1841. Removed to San Juan Capistrano soon after and
obtained land there. Died there in 1847 leaving several children, of whom Blas Aguilar,
mentioned above, was one. His daughter Rafaela was married to José Antonio Serrano.
AGUIRRE, José Antonio. A native of Basque, Spain, born about 1793. At the time
of the Mexican revolution he was a merchant at Guaymas. Remaining loyal to Spain, he
was driven out of Mexico and settled in Upper California. Owned brigs Leonidas and
Joven Guipuzoana, and engaged in coast, Island, and China trade. On arrival of the
Híjar colony at San Diego in 1834, gave a ball in Híjar's honor. It was at this ball that
certain modern dances are said to have been first introduced into California. He divided
his residence between San Diego and Santa Barbara, at which latter place he owned
the finest residence in 1842. In 1843, he was grantee of the Tejon rancho. In 1848 and
1849, engaged in trade with William Heath Davis, and in 1850 he and Davis, with four
others, founded new San Diego. He was at San Diego April 1, 1850, and appears in a
list of the voters at Old Town. In September of the latter year he served on the first
grand jury
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in San Diego county under American rule. He married Francisca, daughter of Prefect
José Antonio Estudillo, of San Diego, and after her death married her sister, María del
Rosario Estudillo. He was a large man and on that account was sometimes called
"Aguirron" (big Aguirre). He was a fine type of the old Spanish merchant and left a large
estate to his widow and four children. A son, Miguel Aguirre, lives in the neighborhood of
the San Jacinto rancho. A daughter was married to Francisco Pico and lives in the same
vicinity. His widow married Colonel Manuel A. Ferrer, of San Diego.
ALIPAS, Damasio and Gervasio; mentioned by Juan Bandini as members of the
revolutionary junta of fourteen which began the revolt against Governor Victoria in November,
1831. A third brother, Santos Alipás, was one of the men killed in the Pauma
massacre, in December, 1846.
Damasio Alipás married Juana Machado, daughter of José Manuel Machado,
and had three daughters: Ramona, whose first husband was William Curley and her