African Ancestry in California

African Ancestry in California
More about Queen Califia

Califia's life and land "at the right hand of the Indies" were described in a novel written about 1510, by Garcia Ordonez Rodriguez de Montalvo, a Spanish writer, and was entitled "Las Serges des Esplandian". To some extent, this document helped to precipitate the Spanish hunt for gold in North America. In fact, thirty years later, when the explorer Cortes landed with his crew in what is known today as Baja California, it is said that he announced to his men (of which 300 were of African descent) that they had arrived in Califia's land. By 1770, the entire Pacific coast controlled by Spain had been given the name California, and the Spanish speaking people who lived there were called Californios. A portion of the original of this document was translated by Edward Everett Hale for The Antiquarian Society, and the story was printed in the Atlantic Monthly magazine in 1864.

The best known depictions of Queen Califia are murals done by well known artists. One seven foot high panel showing Califia as a Black woman with her Amazons is in The Room of the Dons at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco, and was created for the opening of the hotel in 1926, by Maynard Dixon and Frank Von Sloun. Another famous depiction, created by Louise Lloyd and entitled "The Naming of California", can be seen in Sacramento in the Senate Rules Committee Hearing Chamber on the 4^th floor of the State Building.

Changing of Race in the Melting Pot

It is interesting to note that, beginning in 1781, a document called a "cedula" could be purchased which would officially change one's racial designation. Many such records can be found at the Bancroft Library in San Francisco and at other California libraries, museums and historical societies. In addition, although Old Mexico had previously used a variety of terms to describe blood quantum similar to Louisiana's methods, once a couple reached California to the north, any of their children born there were automatically classified as Spanish if one parent was Spanish.

For all practical purposes, early California could truly be described as a melting pot. Most people of African descent from 1816-1840 were absorbed into the mix, so that there were few if any real "Negro communities" prior to the Gold Rush. By 1848, the Californio was often tri-racial (Indian, Spanish and African), and included many immigrant bloodlines. The lower economic classes of Californios gradually became more Indian, partly due to intermarriage with California Indians. The upper classes of Californios often "married light", to European-born Spaniards when possible, or to other European or American whites.

Los Angeles - The area that became the second Pueblo was discovered in 1769, during the development of the trail between San Diego and San Francisco. Described in the notes of the priests and soldiers as “a delightful place”, it was “by a river" which they named El Rio de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula (the River of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula). They experienced three earthquakes during their stay, but still they noted the possibilities for a settlement in their report. Twelve years later, El Pueblo was founded as the city with the long name that has been shortened around the world to "LA".

Most members of the 11 founding families came from Sinaloa, Mexico, where a third of the population had some degree of African ancestry. Of these 11 men, 11 women and 22 children, 26 persons were of African ancestry, two were Caucasian, and the remainder were either Indians or Indian/Caucasian (Mestizos). Between 1781 and 1790, eight of the original settlers of  African ancestry had been officially re-classified as "Espanol", and some of the Indians had been re-classified as "Mestizos". The whitening of the founders had begun. By 1860, one of the few reminders of LA’s Black History was a street downtown called Calle de los Negros, where saloons and gambling dens were found.

Ranchos

While numerous Ranchos undoubtedly belonged to people of Black ancestry at some time in the past, the following are known to have been owned by those of African-American descent:
 
The Pico Family: This family, for whom Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles is named, is probably the most famous. The sons of Los Angeles founder Santiago de la Cruz Pico, a mestizo, and his mulatto wife Maria de la Bastida, acquired the first Rancho in what is now Ventura County. The Pico brothers owned a number of large Ranchos, including Rancho Jamul in San Diego, San Onofre (the nuclear plant) and Rancho Santa Margarita (which became Camp Pendleton), Los Coyotes and Rancho Paso de Bartolo Viejo (a large portion of the City of Whittier), and half of the San Fernando Valley. An uncle, Jose Dolores Pico, owned a Rancho in Salinas. In 1845, a grandson, Pio Pico, became Governor of California.

Manuel Nieto: The mulatto son of a Black man and a Spanish woman, he owned Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos for a total of 167,000 acres of grazing land, southeast of Los Angeles. Rancho Los Cerritos encompassed the land that is now known as the City of
Long Beach.

Francisco Reyes: A mulatto, he owned Rancho San Fernando, which formed a large portion of the (now) San Fernando Valley. In the 1790s he sold it, and later became the mayor of Los Angeles.

Jose Bartolome Tapia: The son of Felipe Tapia, a mulatto, and Juana Cardenas, a mestiza, he owned Rancho Malibu.

Tiberio Tapia: Grandson of a Black man and a mestiza, he owned Rancho Cucamonga near Los Angeles, and served 3 times as mayor of Los Angeles.

Maria Rita Valdez: Her Black grandparents (Luis Quintero) were among the founders of Los Angeles, and she owned Rancho Rodeo de Las Aguas, now known as Beverly Hills.

Gold Rush

Slave owners who tried to use their slaves to mine gold for them often had problems. One of the "laws" in prospecting was that the gold belonged to the man who discovered it. The miners felt that having your slaves find gold for you violated this "law", and often forced slave owners out of the area. Many slave owners prospected in isolated areas or put ads in newspapers trying to sell their slaves; others allowed their slaves to buy themselves with their profits. Howard Barnes, a slave of the Boggs family from Missouri, is said to have sold pies at $1.00 each to pay for his freedom on the installment plan.

Two Black men are known to have delivered mail for the miners by Pony Express during this time: William Robinson carried the mail from Stockton to the miners, and George Monroe carried the mail between Merced and Mariposa. Monroe later became a stage driver, and was chosen to drive President Ulysses Grant to Yosemite, where an area called Monroe Meadows was named in his honor.

Recreation was rowdy, especially if the settlement was not near a big town where casino gambling and dance hall girls were available. The camps had bull fights, cock fights, dog fights, bear fights, foot races, billiards, bowling, boxing and wrestling (with nose biting and ear gouging allowed), and plenty of carefree betting on the winner. Surprisingly, many camps also had chess clubs, and often played against other camps by mail. Sometimes they had dances, and designated which men would be "girls" during the party by pinning a patch of colored cloth to their sleeve.

The people who fared the best during the Gold Rush Era were not the miners, but those who worked at other trades. Someone had to provide supplies and services to the miners, such as tools, haircuts, food items, cooks, rooms, baths, laundry service, and entertainment. Many of these were African-American entrepreneurs, especially barbers and cooks. Fortunes could be made, and often were. Prices that could be charged were often unbelievable: eggs $1.00 each, potatoes $.50 each, bread $1.00 per slice, shovels $10-20.00 each, a blanket $100.00, a butcher knife $30.00, a tin pan for gold washing $30.00. Although not begun by African-Americans, several current-day familiar name brands got their start then.

By the mid-1850s, hydraulic equipment had been brought in and mining became big business, so sophisticated that the ‘49ers were put out of business. As they moved away to try their luck at the gold fields in other States, many of the camps became ghost towns. Many former miners did stay, and became shop keepers, businessmen and farmers. By 1860, agriculture was the largest industry in the area.

Black Mining Camps

Among the earliest Black Miners were sailors who jumped ship from Massachusetts whaling ships. Being used to foreign places and hard work, and having a degree of independence from long voyages, they did  well as miners. When reports of their success began to appear in Eastern antislavery journals, other Blacks were probably encouraged to join the Gold Rush.

In 1848, at the start of the Gold Rush Era, there were only a few dozen African Americans who were documented as living in all of California. Within 4 years, their population had increased to more than 2,000 with more than half involved in gold rush-related activities.

It has been said that Black miners preferred integrated settings, and prospected most often with Chinese, Latin American and European miners, or miners who had come from New England. Many of the photographs that show Black miners depict them in integrated settings, and in some areas mining camps were also named for them. On old California maps, there are at least 30 mining camps in which either the word “Negro”, “Nigger”, or “los Negros” is used as part of the name of the camp. Black miners are known to have worked in the following settlements:

Negro Bar – settled on the American River in 1849, it was later called Mormon Bar; now a part of the City of Folsom [permanent].

Negro Slide – situated in Plumas county on a mountainside, between Goodyear Bar and St. Joe’s Bar

Negro Tent – originally a tent where food and tools could be purchased from Black miners, it was situated on a ridge between Camptonville and Goodyear; eventually expanded and became a hotel and restaurant 

Negro Hill - situated near Sacramento on the Mokelumne River; one Black miner is said to have made over $80,000 here before leaving

Little Negro Hill - located on the American River, it had a store, boarding house and houses; shared with Chinese and Portuguese miners, this settlement is estimated to have had 400 people

Downieville [permanent] - founded by a Scotsman, Maj. William Downie in1849, with 10 Black sailors, an Irishman, an Indian and a Hawaiian; also called Downie's Canyon.

Kentucky Ridge - established by ex-slaves near Hangtown (now Placerville [permanent], it lasted 2 years before an attack by rival whites caused the founders to move away Nigger Heaven - eventually proved rich in oil rather than gold; the black owners then leased some of the land to the Standard Oil Company

Recognition by U.S. National Historic Parks in California

1. The San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park honors seamen. Many African Americans have been involved in the sea trades during the history of our country, especially in whaling, shipbuilding, as crewmembers in our Navy, and sailors on foreign ships since early times. 2. The San Francisco Presidio, now an addition to Golden Gate National Recreation Area, was guarded by Buffalo Soldiers for several years during the late 1800s and early 20th Century. Some units were sent from The Presidio to work at several of the early National Parks.
3. Yosemite, Sequoia and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks were guarded by Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry and 24th Mounted Infantry from 1898-1904. Often their units consisted of only 25 men at a time, responsible for covering huge areas of land. To read their story and see samples of their reports, please visit www.shadowsoldier.org/
4. Capt. Charles Young of the 9th Cavalry was the first African American park supervisor at Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. He was responsible for the road construction to develop these parks for tourism, and to recommend the patented lands within the park which should be purchased. At the time of his appointment to this job in 1903, he was the only active commissioned African American graduate of West Point.
5. The Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. This area was a naval ammunition base, and the site of the largest explosion within the borders of the U.S. during WWII. Three hundred and twenty men (of which 202 were African-American) died and two ships were destroyed as a result, and men were court-martialed for refusing to return to work. This tragedy was primarily due to the lack of proper training in handling explosive materials and the racially unjust conditions under which the sailors had been forced to work, and helped to bring about changes in the Navy’s policies.

It should also be noted that the African-American Civil War Memorial and Museum, located at “U” Street and Vermont Avenue N.W., in Washington DC, also bear witness to the dedication of the more than 200,000 Black Civil War soldiers. A beautiful bronze statue and a Wall of Honor listing these men by name (cared for by the National Park Service), are fitting tributes to our ancestors who fought for freedom. A website at  www.afroamcivilwar.org/discover.html gives more information and directions to the memorial and the museum. The Park Service also has a website, where these Soldiers, Sailors, and their units are indexed for research at www.itd.nps.gov/.

Fighting Against Second-Class Citizenship

Early in the Gold Rush, because of concerns that denying African-Americans their rights might cause a delay in California being granted statehood, the State constitution was written declaring it to be a “free” state. Within a year or so, however, the melting-pot theory of the mines began to be hard-fought by some white Americans, who called themselves “nativists”.  These men felt that only Americans should be allowed to mine for gold on U.S. soil, and pushed for discriminatory laws against foreign miners, especiallythose who were Chinese or Mexican.

The nativists also strongly supported the Fugitive Slave Act of 1852, and soon pushed for a California version, which declared that any slave brought here before 1849 who did not return to his master would be jailed. This caused many difficulties for former slaves who had legally bought their freedom, although some had white friends who were willing to help them. Some white attorneys and a few early sympathetic judges also worked on their behalf. Several rulings were made in court cases to the effect that, since African-Americans could not testify in court, their statements that they were runaways were inadmissible. Others were deemed free, provided they had escaped within California, and had not crossed the border into another State.

There were also a number of wealthy Blacks, particularly in the San Francisco area, who spent much of their time and money helping runaways and those less fortunate obtain their freedom. Several had been involved in abolition societies in the northeast and in the Underground Railroad, and still had connections to Frederick Douglass. Among the leaders were Henry M. Collins, Jonas Townsend, Rev. Jeremiah Sanderson, Frederick Barbados, Peter Lester, Jacob Francis, David Ruggles, and Mifflin Gibbs. Many African-American  citizens also fought against attempts to impose second-class citizenship on them by sending petitions to the legislature. Usually rejected, the petitions still focused attention on the issues.

The first civil rights organization, called The Franchise League of San Francisco, was formed in 1852. Black newspapers, such as The Mirror of the Times, The San Francisco Elevator, and The Pacific Appeal began publishing news of importance to African-Americans.

In 1855, African Americans began to hold statewide Colored Citizens’ Conventions, where they discussed problems and possible solutions. They also listed their places of employment at that time, and the value of their property, attempting to show that they were not a burden to the State. At the 1857 Convention, property ownership was listed by county in the following amounts:

San Francisco $450,000 Nevada co. $260,000
Mariposa co. $ 75,000 Shasta co. $ 76,000
Butte co. $ 96,000 Yerba co. $ 94,000
Siskiyou co. $ 65,000 Sierra co. $ 65,000
Tuolumne co. $ 90,000 Plumas co. $ 20,000
Santa Clara co. $ 21,000 El Dorado co. $250,000
Sacramento co. $ 84,703 Amador co. $ 50,000
Alameda co. $ 50,900 San Joaquin co. $ 80,000
Napa co. $ 30,000 Sonoma co. $ 5,000

By 1858, a Bill was proposed by whites attempting to regulate the immigration of Free  Negroes, similar to the laws enacted in the southeastern States 50 years earlier. A prominent Black clergyman, Rev. J.J. Moore, was allowed to speak before the legislature, however, and the Bill did not pass. As more whites began to arrive, they began to form trade unions which pushed African-Americans out of the jobs they had normally held. Many African-Americans became discouraged and left California to pursue lives in Victoria, British Columbia, invited by the Canadian government.

During the Civil War, wheat and wool grown in California helped the Union troops. Most volunteers never left the State, although one battalion did serve in Virginia. In 1863, the right to testify against whites in court was finally granted, and the filing of civil law suits against discrimination by African-Americans began. Other civil rights organizations, such as The Universal Negro Improvement Association, The Afro-American League, and the NAACP began forming to assist African-Americans as larger numbers of former slaves and free people began to immigrate to California.

Some of these newcomers brought their families and took advantage of The Homestead Act. They agreed to stay for 5 years and make improvements on the land. African-Americans who were former Union soldiers were allowed to use their time in service as part of their residency requirement. Others who could afford the price, paid $1.25 per acre for land. By 1871, schools became a target for activists, but it took almost 20 years to be assured of equal education under the law. By the 1900s, hard work had begun on gaining more economic opportunities and better housing.

Black History in San Diego

Thanks to Milton Hines of the San Diego African American Genealogy Group for contributing the booklet "Black Pioneers in San Diego", by Larry Malone and Gail Madyun, published by the San Diego Historical Society, which was the source of much of the following information.

San Diego’s early African American population grew very slowly. Although there had been Black-Mexicans in the area since the time of Cortes, they had basically been assimilated into the Mexican culture and society. The city was founded as the first Pueblo and Presidio in Upper California in 1769, and has many historical landmarks. Many of these can be seen at http://www.sandiegohistory.org

The first documented American Black to arrive in San Diego was John Brown, a sailor who deserted the ship O'Cain in 1804. In 1816, three Black crewmen deserted the schooner Albatross. By 1880, there were still only 55 Blacks enumerated in the San Diego census. Most of these had come to California from the rural southeast as slaves, former slaves and employees of whites who brought them.

Nathaniel Harrison is believed to have been the first permanent Black resident of the county. He was born a slave in 1820 in TN, and arrived in San Diego in 1848. He built a cabin on 160 acres on Mt. Palomar, and made a living for more than 50 years by raising and selling livestock and working on other nearby ranches. A street sign in Pauma Valley points the way to Nathaniel Harrison Grade.

Between 1860 and 1870, the majority of Blacks lived in the area called Julian, where there were several Black farmers: James Hamilton, James Brown, Jesse Tull, Thomas Jackson, and Fred Coleman. It was there that Ernest Morgan and Elvira Price ran the Bon Ton Restaurant. Isaac Atkinson ran a bakery in Julian before he moved to San Diego proper and started a Black newspaper, The Colonizer, in 1892. Fred Coleman discovered gold in Julian in 1869, and a gold rush of sorts began there, which resulted in a boom town called Coleman City. Coleman later constructed and operated toll roads between El Cajon and the town.

Probably the best known early Black woman there was America Newton, who arrived from MO in 1872 and settled in Julian. She earned her living by washing the miners' clothes, and the trail running past her cabin was named America Grade. In 1887, Albert and Margaret Robinson built, owned and operated the Hotel Robinson for 28 years. This hotel, still in operation and now known as the Julian Hotel, is a National Historical Landmark as the oldest continuously  operated hotel in southern California.

Thanks to railroad connections made to the north and east, San Diego began to grow, and by the 1890s, there was a real downtown area. Most Blacks worked as servants and unskilled laborers, or as teamsters, coachmen, cooks, sailors, porters, bootblacks, waiters and longshoremen. Many helped in the construction of the Cuyamaca Flume, which brought much needed water to San Diego. By this time, there were also some Black businesses which had customers of all races:

Henry H. Brown, saloon George Millen, blacksmith Daniel Fry, blacksmith Joseph Steward, lawyer Isaac Wooden, City employeeWalter Meadows, jeweller Amos Hudgens, barber Reuben Williams (aka Reuben the Guide), tours Dr. Burney, rancher Edward Anderson, laundry, garbage collection, and a mortuary that is still in operation

Political, religious and social activities grew as the population increased. Solomon and Cordelia Johnson brought in a chapter of the NAACP. S.A. McFarland and Rev. George Washington Woodbey became politicians. A brass band of 13 musicians was formed. Black couples entered and won local dance contests. Early organizations, social clubs and churches were:

Colored Voters Political Club McFarland Political Club McKinley Political Club
Sliver Gate Colored Republican Club Hotel FlorenceSocial Club The Acme Social Club
The Violet Club (elite females) Second Baptist Church Bethel AME Church
Colored Employees Social and Aid Club Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Known members of Fidelity Lodge No. 10, Prince Hall Masons were: Charlie Goodwin, Walter McDonald, C.M.Dickens, Walter Meadows, Gus Thompson and Richard Marshall, who later became Grand Master of California's Prince Hall Masons.

The Ku Klux Klan became somewhat active in the 1920s, but directed most of its activities against Mexicans. This was probably due to the comparatively small population of African Americans at that time.

Segregation held sway, particularly through restrictive covenants in housing and property ownership, although a few Blacks did own large homes in mixed areas. Schools did not officially hire African American teachers until 1941.

In the mid-1940s, World War II created changes in the number and types of jobs available in the San Diego area and other western cities. Opportunities opened for workers in factories and shipyards, and some of the rapid growth of the African American population in San Diego resulted when military men decided to settle there after the War. Since that time, Black population growth has continued at a steady pace.

African-American Genealogical Societies and Groups in California

California African-American Genealogical Society
(CAAGS)
P.O. Box 8442
Los Angeles, CA 90008
Online contact: Ronald Batiste
“Website Under Construction” The African American Heritage Society
City of Long Beach Public Library
560 Hill Street
Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 570-1050
African American Genealogical Society of Northern California
P.O. Box 27485
Oakland, CA 94602-0985
Online contact: baobabtree@aagsnc.org
http://www.aagsnc.org Gaslamp Black Historical Society
P.O. Box 1122469
San Diego, CA 92112-2469
http://www.harlemofthewest.com"
San Diego African American Genealogy Research Group
P.O. Box 740240
San Diego, CA 92174-0240
Contact: Margaret Lewis High Desert Black Heritage Committee
P.O. Box 31
Victorville, CA 92393
(760) 243-7486
African American Genealogy Society of Sacramento, CA
P.O. Box 277681
Sacramento, CA 95827-7681
Online Contact: Denise Griggs
http://www.aagssc.org Orange Co. California African-American Genealogical Society
Online Contact: Vanessa Schatz
“In the Process of Formation” (OCAAGS)
African American SIG (Special Interest Group) of the Tracy Area Genealogical Society (TAGS)
Online Contact: Evelyn Tolbert
Website: http://www.rootsweb.com/~catags

National African-American Genealogical Societies

Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
(AAHGS)
P.O. Box 73086
Washington, DC 20056-3086
Online Contact: Diane Thompkins
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdaahgs
(Has 21 Chapters in various States) International
Society of Sons & Daughters of Slave Ancestry (ISDSA)
P.O. Box 436937
Chicago, IL 60643-6937
Online Contact: isdsa@aol.com
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilissdsa

Some Suggested Reading

* Blacks in Gold Rush California, Rudolph Lapp, Yale University Press, 1977.
* In Search of the Racial Frontier, Quintard Taylor, Norton & Co., 1998.
* Black California: The History of African Americans in the Golden State, B. Gordon Wheeler,Hippocrene Books, 1993.
* Seeking El Dorado: African Americans in California, De Graaf, Murphy & Taylor, Autrey Museum of Western Heritage with the University of Washington Press, 2001.
* The Black West, William Loren Katz, Touchstone Books, 1996.
* Black Pioneers, John W. Ravage, University of Utah Press, 1997.
* Anyplace But Here Arna Bontemps & John Conroy, Hill & Wang, 1966.
* Pioneers of Negro Origin in California, Sue Bailey Thurman, Acme Publishing, 1952.
* Blacks in the West, W. Sherman Savage, Greenwood Press, 1976.
* Our Roots Run Deep: the Black Experience in California, 1500-1900, John Templeton, (2 volumes), Aspire Books, 1996.
* California’s Black Pioneers: a Brief Historical Survey, Kenneth C. Goode, McNally & Loftin, 1974.

* The Negro Trail Blazers, Delilah L. Beasley, Negro University Press, 1919.
* Afro-Americans in the Far West: a Handbook for Educators, Jack Forbes & David J. Weber, Berkeley, 1969.
* Black Oakland, Donald Hausler, Self Published, 1987. (At one time this was available only at the Oakland Public Library.)
* California 1850: A Snapshot in Time, Janice Marschner, Coleman Ranch Press, 2001.
* Founding the Far West, David Alan Johnson, Berkeley, 1992.
* L.A. Unconventional: The Men & Women Who Did L.A. Their Way, Cecilia Rasmussen, The Los Angeles Times, 1998.