Page:History of California, Volume 3 (Bancroft).djvu/787

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GUERRA — GUERRA Y NORIEGA.
769

His wife was Maria Concepcion Ortega, and his children — 6 of them born before '40 — were José Ant. J., Ramon (sheriff of S. Luis Ob.), Alejandro, Guillermo, Dolores, Catarina, Sola (?), Cristina, and Juana. G. (Juan J.), son of G. y N., b. about 1810, educ. in England; later at the Mont. school under Hartnell and P. Short; died in '33, unmarried; ment. i. 432. I have a long letter, in good English, written by him in '28 from Stonyhurst College, Engl. G. (Máximo), said to have been exiled in '29, and again in '39. iii. 78, 84-5, 580. G. (Miguel), son of G. y N., b. '23, wife Trinidad Ortega, child. Gaspar, Ulpiano, Leon, Maria wife of Alex. S. Taylor), Josefa, Olimpia, Joaquina, and Paulina. Died at Sta B. in '78.

Guerra (Pablo), son of G. y N., b. '19, educated in Hartnell's school at Mont., where he is ment. in the padron of '36. His baptismal name was Pablo Andrés Antonio Maria Saturnino; and in '40 he is called Pablo Gaspar. From '38 he was vista, and from '42 contador and acting administrator of the Mont. custom-house. iii. 598; iv. 97, 309, 339, 353, 357, 364, 377, 431, 556, 570, 590; in '44 grantee of Nicasio rancho. iv. 672; in '45 elector de partido. iv. 515, 540, 651. In '46 Don Pablo was active against the Amer., trying to reconcile the hostile factions of his people, and favoring an Engl. protectorate. v. 43-4, 61, 68-9. On the raising of the U. S. flag he went south; served as Castro's commissioner to Stockton. v. 235, 268-9; and after Castro's departure returned to Mont., where he was arrested in Nov. on the outbreak of Flores' revolt, and kept a prisoner till Feb. '47. v. 363. He was alcalde of Sta B. in '47, and was suspected of complicity in a revolutionary movement in '48. v. 631, 586. His next public service was as memb. of the constit. convention in '49; and subsequently he was state senator for several terms, acting lieut-gov., U.S. marshal, and district judge from '64 to within a short time before his death, in '74. Don Pablo was by far the most prominent of the Guerra family, except his father; a man of good ability and education; of gentlemanly manners, though somewhat haughty and overbearing; a good speaker in Spanish and English; and one whose family name gave him an influence in the south greater than he could otherwise have acquired. It has been customary to eulogize him far beyond his merits; he was a politician of not the best type, trimming his sails adroitly to catch the breeze of popularity, and changing somewhat abruptly from secessionist to union man in the race for office; yet his record in office seems always to have been an honorable one. In private life also he is reported to have been liberal and honest, though health and property were largely sacrificed to his fondness for brandy and cards. He married Josefa Moreno in '47 at S. Carlos; his children were Francisca (Mrs Dibblee), Delfina, Ernina, Paulina, and a son whose name I do not find.

Guerra y Noriega (José de la), 1801, nat. of Spain, b. Mar. 6, 1779, son of Juan José de la G. (died 1820) and Maria Teresa de Noriega (died 1815), both, and especially the mother, of old and distinguished Span. families. In boyhood he wished to be a friar, a freak that caused his parents much sorrow; but soon he went to Mex. to be a clerk in the store of his uncle, Pedro Noriega. In 1793 he left the store – much to the displeasure of Don Pedro, who afterwards relented and gave him much aid – and became asst in the office of Habilitado gen. Cárcaba, by whose influence he was enrolled as cadet in the army and attached to the S. Diego comp. Respecting this and most other parts of his life I have more original corresp. than I have room to utilize. In 1800 he was promoted to alférez of the Mont. comp., and came to Cal. on the Concepcion in Aug. 1801. At Mont. he was habilitado, and acting com. much of the time, in 1802-6, being mentioned in con. with many minor affairs. ii. 50, 78, 132-3, 135, 140, 150, 153, 155; having in 1804, with permission of the king, married Antonia, daughter of Raimundo Carrillo, with the condition that she and her children should not be entitled to montepio unless he were killed in battle. In 1806 he was promoted to lieut of the Sta B. comp., and sent to S. Diego as habilitado in 1806-9, being knocked down in a quarrel with Lieut Ruiz, which greatly alarmed his friends as likely to interfere with his rapid promotion. ii. 85, 99-100, 117, 540. From 1808 he received large consignments of goods from his uncle Pedro in Mex., the sale of which