Cornelio Avila
Encyclopedia
Cornelio Avila was the founder of a large and prominent southern California family.
in 1783 with his wife Maria Ysabel Urquidez (1750–1801) and 9 children - Jose de Santa Ana Avila y Urquidez (1770–1806), Francisco Jose Avila (1772–1832), Agustina Avila (1775- ), Anastacio Avila (1776- ), Antonio Ignacio Avila (1781–1858), Ildefonsa Avila (1782- ), Bruno Ygnacio Avila (1788–1861), Maria Hilaria Avila (1789 - ), and Jose Maria Avila (1790–1831).
in 1842, and alcalde
of San Luis Obispo in 1849.
in 1813. After his death she married Jose Antonio Machado of Rancho La Ballona
.
Francisco Avila was a native of Sinaloa, Mexico. He was one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. Francisco came to Los Angeles sometime after 1794. In 1810, Francisco Avila became alcalde of the pueblo of Los Angeles. The pueblo's population at the time grew to 415 inhabitants.
In 1823, the Mexican government granted him 4439 acres (18 km²) of land Rancho Las Cienegas
, near La Brea Pits, approximately seven miles west of the pueblo. Avila grazed cattle here and turned it into a profitable venture. The Avila land grant was bordered on three sides by four other ranchos (Rancho La Brea
, Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera
, Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas
and Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes
), which in later years led to many boundary disputes involving Avila and the other owners.
The Avila Adobe
built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, still stands today in the heart of historic Olvera Street.
Francisco Avila married Maria del Rosaria Verdugo (1793–1822) the daughter of Mariano Verdugo
and Maria Gregoria Espinosa in 1810. Maria del Rosaria Avila died in 1822, and Francisco married Maria Encarnacion Sepulveda, the daughter of Francisco Sepulveda owner of Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
. Francisco Avila died on April 5, 1832, and his four children (Januario Avila, Pedra Avila de Ramirez, Francisca Avila de Rimpau, and Louisa Avila de Garfias) were granted the patent to Rancho Las Cienegas in 1871.
.
. After the death of her husband, Ascencion lived with Pio Pico
, and had two daughters by Pio Pico, Griselda and Joaquina.
in 1842. He married Maria Soledad Thomasa Capistrano Yorba. He was a "judge of the plains" at Los Angeles in 1844, and justice of the peace at San Juan Capstrano in 1846.
.
from Ygnacio Machado in 1845 through an exchange of property. Bruno Avila, owned a modest adobe town house near present-day 7th and Alameda Streets in the pueblo of Los Angeles. It was a three-room structure on a small tract of land with a fenced in vineyard. Machado traded his entire rancho, including the adobe hacienda, for Bruno Avila's pueblo property. Bruno Avila moved into the Centinela adobe and went into the business of raising cattle on the land, which was adjacent to his brother's Rancho Sausal Redondo. Within ten years, Bruno accumulated several thousand head of cattle. In 1854 he borrowed $400 from John G. Downey and agreed to pay six- percent interest per month, or seventy-two percent per year, which was the standard lending rate at the time for private loans. The following year he borrowed $1400 from Hillard P. Dorsey at a similar interest rate. Avila, who put up Rancho La Centinela for collateral, was unable to repay the loans and subsequently lost his rancho in 1857. The land was seized and auctioned off at a Sheriff's sale.
in 1819 - 1821. In 1843, he was the grantee of the 3559 acres (14.4 km²) Rancho La Tajauta
.
for two terms 1868 - 1872.
in 1831. He and fifty other Los Angeles leaders were imprisoned by Alcalde Vicente Sanchez for plotting against Victoria. An army of 150 men raised in San Diego by Jose Antonio Carrillo and Pio Pico marched into the pueblo and released all prisoners. Victoria led a force from Monterey to stop the insurrection in Los Angeles. The two armies clashed at the Battle of Cahuenga Pass
and Jose Maria Avila was killed. Josephina Palomares then married Luis Arenas,who also had a son. They had four children of their own.
Cornelio Avila
Cornelio Avila (1745- 23 Nov 1800) was born in Villa Del Fuerte, Mexico. He was a Spanish soldier who came to California who came to settle in the two-year-old Pueblo de Los AngelesPueblo de Los Angeles
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was the Spanish civilian pueblo founded in 1781, which by the 20th century became the American metropolis of Los Angeles....
in 1783 with his wife Maria Ysabel Urquidez (1750–1801) and 9 children - Jose de Santa Ana Avila y Urquidez (1770–1806), Francisco Jose Avila (1772–1832), Agustina Avila (1775- ), Anastacio Avila (1776- ), Antonio Ignacio Avila (1781–1858), Ildefonsa Avila (1782- ), Bruno Ygnacio Avila (1788–1861), Maria Hilaria Avila (1789 - ), and Jose Maria Avila (1790–1831).
Jose de Santa Ana Avila
Jose de Santa Ana Avila y Urquidez (1770–1806), was born in Pueblo De Baca, Mexico, one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. Jose de Santa Ana married Maria Josefa Osuna y Alvarado in 1792. He was a soldier at Santa Barbara 1801 - 1806.Miguel Avila
Miguel Avila (1796–1874) was a son of Jose de Santa Ana Avila. In 1816 he enlisted in the Monterey company, and in 1824 was corporal of the guard at Mission San Luis Obispo. In 1826 he had married Maria Innocenta Pico (1810-), daughter of Jose Dolores Pico. Miguel Avila was the grantee of Rancho San MiguelitoRancho San Miguelito
Rancho San Miguelito was a Mexican land grant in present day San Luis Obispo County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Miguel Ávila, and an addition granted in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico...
in 1842, and alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of San Luis Obispo in 1849.
Maria Ignacia Marcia Avila
Maria Ignacia Marcia Avila (1793–1858) was a daughter of Jose de Santa Ana Avila y Urquidez and Maria Josefa Osuna y Alvarado. She married Jose Delores Sepulveda of Rancho de los Palos VerdesRancho de los Palos Verdes
Rancho de los Palos Verdes was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to José Loreto and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda. The name means "range of green trees"...
in 1813. After his death she married Jose Antonio Machado of Rancho La Ballona
Rancho la Ballona
Rancho La Ballona was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California confirmed by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Ygnacio and Augustin Machado and Felipe and Tomas Talamantes...
.
Francisco Avila
Francisco Avila (1772 - April 5, 1832) was a wealthy ranchero and alcalde (mayor) of the pueblo of Los Angeles 1810 - 1811.Francisco Avila was a native of Sinaloa, Mexico. He was one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. Francisco came to Los Angeles sometime after 1794. In 1810, Francisco Avila became alcalde of the pueblo of Los Angeles. The pueblo's population at the time grew to 415 inhabitants.
In 1823, the Mexican government granted him 4439 acres (18 km²) of land Rancho Las Cienegas
Rancho Las Cienegas
Rancho Las Cienegas was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1823 to Francisco Avila. "La Cienega" is derived from the Spanish word cienaga, which means swamp or marshland and refers to the natural springs and wetlands in the area between the Baldwin Hills...
, near La Brea Pits, approximately seven miles west of the pueblo. Avila grazed cattle here and turned it into a profitable venture. The Avila land grant was bordered on three sides by four other ranchos (Rancho La Brea
Rancho La Brea
Rancho La Brea was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1828 to Antonio Jose Rocha and Nemisio Dominguez by José Antonio Carrillo, the Alcalde of Los Angeles. Rancho La Brea consisted of one square league of land of what is now Wilshire's Miracle Mile, ...
, Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera
Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera
Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Vicente Sánchez...
, Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas
Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas
Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas was a land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in Maria Rita Valdez de Villa. Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas , is named for the streams that emptied into the area from out of the canyons above it, Cañada de las Aguas Frias and Cañada de los Encinos...
and Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes
Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes
Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes was a land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1821 to Bernardo Higuera and Cornelio Lopez by Pablo Vicente de Sola, the Spanish Governor of Alta California. In 1843, this Spanish grant was confirmed by Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena...
), which in later years led to many boundary disputes involving Avila and the other owners.
The Avila Adobe
Avila Adobe
The Avila Adobe, was built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, and has the distinction of being the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, California. It is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street and is now a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, a Los Angeles State Historic Park...
built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, still stands today in the heart of historic Olvera Street.
Francisco Avila married Maria del Rosaria Verdugo (1793–1822) the daughter of Mariano Verdugo
Mariano Verdugo
Mariano de la Luz Verdugo was a Spanish soldier and later Mayor of the Pueblo of Los Angeles.Mariano de la Luz Verdugo was born at San Javier, Baja California, to Juan Diego Verdugo and María Ignacia de la Concepción Carrillo...
and Maria Gregoria Espinosa in 1810. Maria del Rosaria Avila died in 1822, and Francisco married Maria Encarnacion Sepulveda, the daughter of Francisco Sepulveda owner of Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica
Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Francisco Sepulveda soldier and citizen of Los Angeles...
. Francisco Avila died on April 5, 1832, and his four children (Januario Avila, Pedra Avila de Ramirez, Francisca Avila de Rimpau, and Louisa Avila de Garfias) were granted the patent to Rancho Las Cienegas in 1871.
Antonio Ygnacio Avila
Antonio Ygnacio Avila (1781–1858) was one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. He married Rosa Maria Ruiz (1789–1866) in 1804. He was the grantee of the 22458 acres (90.9 km²) Rancho Sausal RedondoRancho Sausal Redondo
Rancho Sausal Redondo was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Antonio Ygnacio Avila by Juan Alvarado Governor of Alta California. The Spanish words, Rancho Sausal Redondo, mean a large circular ranch of pasture with a grove of willows on it...
.
Ascencion Avila
Maria Ascencion Avila (1811 - ), daughter of Antonio Ynacio Avila, married Pedro Antonio Jose Sanchez (1806 - ), and by him had six children, one of whom was Tomas Avila SanchezTomas Avila Sanchez
Tomas Avila Sanchez , Californio soldier and public official. He served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and served as Los Angeles County Sheriff.-Biography:...
. After the death of her husband, Ascencion lived with Pio Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
, and had two daughters by Pio Pico, Griselda and Joaquina.
Juan Avila
Juan Avila (1812–1889), son of Antonio Ygnacio Avila, was the grantee of Rancho NiguelRancho Niguel
Rancho Niguel was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Juan Avila. The rancho was named for a local Indian village called "Niguili." The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Laguna Canyon and Laguna Beach, past Aliso...
in 1842. He married Maria Soledad Thomasa Capistrano Yorba. He was a "judge of the plains" at Los Angeles in 1844, and justice of the peace at San Juan Capstrano in 1846.
Rafaela Avila
Rafaela Avila (1818- ) married 1843 Emigdio Véjar (1810–1863) grantee of Rancho Boca de la PlayaRancho Boca de la Playa
Rancho Boca de la Playa was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Emigdio Vejar. The name refers to the wetlands estuary at the 'mouth of the beach,' or 'boca de la playa' in Spanish...
.
Bruno Ygnacio Avila
Bruno Ygnacio Avila (1788–1861) was one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. Bruno Avila regained for his family Rancho Aguaje de la CentinelaRancho Aguaje de la Centinela
Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Ygnacio Machado. The name means "Sentinel of Waters" in Spanish, and probably refers to Centinela Springs...
from Ygnacio Machado in 1845 through an exchange of property. Bruno Avila, owned a modest adobe town house near present-day 7th and Alameda Streets in the pueblo of Los Angeles. It was a three-room structure on a small tract of land with a fenced in vineyard. Machado traded his entire rancho, including the adobe hacienda, for Bruno Avila's pueblo property. Bruno Avila moved into the Centinela adobe and went into the business of raising cattle on the land, which was adjacent to his brother's Rancho Sausal Redondo. Within ten years, Bruno accumulated several thousand head of cattle. In 1854 he borrowed $400 from John G. Downey and agreed to pay six- percent interest per month, or seventy-two percent per year, which was the standard lending rate at the time for private loans. The following year he borrowed $1400 from Hillard P. Dorsey at a similar interest rate. Avila, who put up Rancho La Centinela for collateral, was unable to repay the loans and subsequently lost his rancho in 1857. The land was seized and auctioned off at a Sheriff's sale.
Anastasio Avila
Anastasio Avila (1776 - ) was one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. He was alcalde of Los AngelesAlcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
in 1819 - 1821. In 1843, he was the grantee of the 3559 acres (14.4 km²) Rancho La Tajauta
Rancho La Tajauta
Rancho Tajauta was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Anastasio Avila. The grant was named for the Gabrielino/Tongva place name of Tajáuta...
.
Enrique Avila
Enrique Avila, son of Anastasio Avila, was 2nd alcalde of Los Angeles in 1847. Enrique Avila served on the Los Angeles County Board of SupervisorsLos Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five-member nonpartisan governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district. They were as of December 2, 2008:*District 1: Gloria Molina...
for two terms 1868 - 1872.
Jose Maria Avila
Jose Maria Avila (1790–1831) was one of several sons of Cornelio Avila. He was alcalde of Los Angeles in 1825. He was married to Josephina Palomares, daughter of Ygnacio Palomares, they had one daughter. He was one of the leaders of the revolt against Governor Manuel VictoriaManuel Victoria
Manuel Victoria was Governor of the Mexican territory of Alta California from January 1831 to 6 December 1831.The revolt leading to his twelve month abbreviated tenure and subsequent exile were due to his nullifying the order of his predecessor, José María de Echeandía, to secularize the missions...
in 1831. He and fifty other Los Angeles leaders were imprisoned by Alcalde Vicente Sanchez for plotting against Victoria. An army of 150 men raised in San Diego by Jose Antonio Carrillo and Pio Pico marched into the pueblo and released all prisoners. Victoria led a force from Monterey to stop the insurrection in Los Angeles. The two armies clashed at the Battle of Cahuenga Pass
Battle of Cahuenga Pass
The Battle of Cahuenga Pass of 1831 was fought near Los Angeles between the unpopular Mexican Governor of California , and local settlers. Two men, Pacheco on the one side and Avila on the other, were killed...
and Jose Maria Avila was killed. Josephina Palomares then married Luis Arenas,who also had a son. They had four children of their own.