Happy Birthday Bellita!
In honor of my baby girl I will give my audience a little California history lesson. My daughter’s mother side of family was one of the first settlers in San Jose. In a matter of fact, my daughters great great great (I’m not sure how many greats) Grandfather was the first Mayor of San Jose (Antonio Chaboya). At one time the whole of San Jose was only four ranchos, the Chaboya’s owned Rancho Yerba Buena. Today San Jose has names like Yerba Buena High School, Chaboya Middle School, Chaboya Medical Clinic, etc.. Btw the young man in the pic is my stepson, I may not be married to his mother any longer but I still consider him my son since I raised him.
Back in those days the extreme south east side of San Jose today known as the Evergreen area was a vacation spot for the downtown movers and shakers and part of Rancho Yerba Buena. I’m told it took more than a full days wagon ride to get from downtown San Jose to this Evergreen area. Today it’s a more popular spot with a few San Francisco 49er’s who call that spot home. There is some history of General Daniel D. Bidwell (Civil War) and his troops squatting on the property of Yerba Buena Ranch for a few weeks with a promise to pay for supplies used and never paid back anything. Bidwell Park in Chico, CA is a very beautiful park I know well.
I didn’t make this family tree, but it is buried in some library in Evergreen and it was created over twenty-five years ago and before my baby and stepson were born. My baby girl hasn’t fully appreciated this tree, but I’m sure she will especially when she has kids one day.
I don’t know how 3rd wife Mariana Higuera is related to Great Great Great Grandma Ramona Higuera, I’ll leave that to my baby girl to figure out when it interests her, but yikes! No doubt there has to be some relation. You can also see Ramon Chaboya is the 2nd son out of six kids, I think Tiburcio the first son may have died early?
My baby’s vine goes through Antonio de Jesus in the image above…
Anybody familiar with San Jose will also now know where some of our street names come from. lol God Bless
For the record, The Eagle (me) can trace his roots back into Spain and some Breton’s and Turnbull’s. For those that don’t know, I say WelcomeTheEagle is my indigenous name because it’s Alberto Benavides Aguilar De La Santa Maria De La Ribera Tercer Palma De La Cantina! This last part means 3rd palm tree from the bar. See, I can tell you even from what palm tree I came from. lol
Benavides is either “son of David” or Bienvenidos (Welcome)
Aguilar = Eagle’s Lair
Alberto = ooooh Alberrrrrrto, like Rico Suave!
Somehow I was skipped from all stock and bonds and inheritances so I still need your help. So please support The Eagle! It’s getting tight, but no worries I’m Mexican, I’ll just start using my other SS# but you’ll have to start calling me Jorge Perez. lol That’s funny.
If there is anyone that can connect to this map please let me know, this tree is ready to be updated.
Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!! I love you.
This is an awesome post Albert! Thank you.
What a beautiful daughter, and a handsome son.
I'm 4th generation California - Rhy's 5th.
My grandfather was one of the first realtors in Riverside and my other grandfather bushwhacked the first dirt "road" from Riverside down to Balboa Island where he started a little boat club.....my grandmother made sandwiches for James Cagney and Shirley Temple etc.....
The story of how Irvine got so much prime real estate - Irvine sent out his four sons on their horses and they got to own all the property they could cover on horseback in a single day. (!)
Alas. Southern California became such a maze of freeways by the time I was 19, I hitchhiked up to Alaska and only returned to poor old SoCal for a few years here and there.
Exceptionally fine genes!