The Journal of San Diego History
Summer 1985, Volume 31, Number 3
Raymond Starr, Book Review Editor
Contents of This Issue

Book Notes

Spanish-Mexican Families of Early California: 1769-1850, Volume II.

By Marie E. Northrop. Burbank: Southern California Genealogical Society, 1984. Index. Illustrations. 380 Pages. $30.00.

For a decade, Southern California historians and genealogists have relied upon Marie Northrop's Spanish-Mexican Families as a basic research tool. Now she has published a second volume, which adds over two hundred and sixty-five more early California families, with a total of over a thousand names. Although heavily weighted toward Los Angeles, the book contains material for all of Southern California. It includes for each entry information about birth, marriage, death and burial, spouse and children. Sometimes there is additional information (for example, we learn on the second page that Jose Abrego arrived at San Diego in 1834 on the Brig Natalia at age 22; he became a hatter in Monterey and married well.) The book is endorsed and published by the Southern California Genealogical Society. If you've used the first volume, you will undoubtedly want to look into this followup book.