Los
Angeles County
Biographies
MRS. PETRA (AVILA) FRATERS
Mrs. Petra (Avila) Fraters, a native
daughter of Los Angeles, was born November 29, 1871, of Spanish parents. Her father, Felipe Avila, a Castilian, was
born in Los Angeles May 26, 1833, and on the 18th of August, 1858,
married Maria-Antonia Ruiz, born in Los Angeles June 5, 1840. Anastacio Avila, the paternal grandfather of
Mrs. Fraters, was a native of Sinaloa, Mexico.
He married Juana Ballestero, a Spanish lady, born in Monterey,
California. The great-grandfather of
Mrs. Fraters, Cornelio Avila, who came from the province of Avila in Spain, was
sent to California by the King of Spain as an officer in charge of a colonizing
group.
“In 1771,” writes Caroline Avila,
“the Honorable Senor Don Cornelio Avila departed from the Province of Avila,
Spain, and arrived in a town in the state of Mexico. In 1777 he was ordered by the viceroy of
captains to organize a colony of immigrants to find the other colony that was
sent ahead, and he started his journey with his wife, Ysabel
Urquides, and a son, Anastacio Avila, who was born in
1775 in Sinaloa, Mexico. Other sons were
born during the journey. Since he was so
religious he brought with him a priest named Jose Rodriguez; he also carried
with him on this trip a crucifix that is still in existence, being owned by one
of his great-grandchildren, Caroline Avila.
During the journey the members of the party had to fight their way with
Indians and encountered many other difficulties. They finally arrived at ‘El Rio de la Prosuncula,’ now known as the Los Angeles River. There they sought refuge under a tree on the
side of the river of what is now known as Seventh Street. There were not more than five houses of abode
belonging to the families that had come over previously. At that time the river flowed into the Playa
del Rey, which the Indians called Gua Cha. From there Cornelio Avila went to San
Gabriel, where he remained a short time and then made his way to San Diego and
thence to Mexico. On his return to Los
Angeles in 1784 the river was then emptying into the ocean at Long Beach. Now there were fifteen houses of abode, and
there were no other houses for five or ten miles around. Cornelio Avila then re-established his house
of abode in the street known as ‘El Paso de la Tijeras.’ In 1784 on what is now
known as the Nolan homestead, the king told him to take, as a reward for his
bravery, all the land that he was able to take from the time the sun came up
until it went down. He mounted his horse
and departed from the Canada de los Avilas, as he had
named it, which is now known as Chaves Ravine; he arrived at the Salina, so
called because there was a salt mine this side of the hills of sand. It is now called Redondo Beach. He returned from the Salina at sunset to
Elysian Park. During this time, at the
Salina, all the people used to come and help themselves to the salt without
cost.
“Anastacio
Avila and Artillero Miliciana
of the Alta California Company went on a visit to Monterey, because they had to
return to Mexico. They arrived at the
house of Senora Teresa Sepulveda de Ballestero, whose husband, Juan Ballestero,
was one of the men who came here with Father Junipero Serra when he founded the
missions. These two had a child, a
daughter named Juana, and the story is told that during the visit of Anastacio
Avila and his friend, the child was but a baby in the cradle. While the mother was preparing the dinner the
baby was crying, so Anastacio to help quiet the child, rocked the cradle back
and forth, and as he was doing so, he told the mother to keep the child until
he returned from Mexico, which would be in twelve years. After twelve years he returned and he married
Juana Ballestero on the 8th of January, 1809, in San Gabriel. In the meantime, Juan Ballestero had moved to
Los Angeles and built his adobe house.
This is now known as the old Lugo House.
After Ballestero died, Don Vincente Lugo, who was married to a
Ballestero, bought the house from the heirs and lived there.
“Anastacio Avila built his house
this side of the Canada de los Avilas at the foot of
the hill. The people who built there did
so with the understanding that no taxes would be paid. The Americans, when they came here, auctioned
their land; other people bought the land as cheap as fifty cents an acre.
“After Cornelio Avila died, his sons
moved to various places, some in the Salina, some in Tajauta,
Centinela (Inglewood), Playa del Rey and others in El
Paso de la Tijera.
Cornelio Avila had five sons and four daughters, namely: Anastacio Avila,
Antonio Ygnacio, Francisco, Bruno, Bernardino, Florencia, Ysabel, Alifoncia and Augustina.
“Anastacio Avila, son of Cornelio
Avila, was the father of six sons and nine daughters, namely: Henrique, Jose-Maria, Antonio, Felipe,
Cornelio, Juan, Petra, Juana-Maria, Micaela, Josefa, Manuela, Juana, Cruz, Soledad and Isidora. There were
two named Cornelio, and the oldest was killed breaking a horse. The horse threw him fifty yards, and the
blinder worn by the animal is still in existence. It is embroidered in silver thread and white
silk thread, also blue and red.
Afterwards another son was born to Anastacio Avila and his wife, and he
was named Cornelio also. Antonio Avila,
noted for his bravery, was killed by an Indian during a fight. Anastacio Avila died July 20, 1850. Juana, his wife, died July 26, 1859.
“Felipe Avila, the father of Mrs.
Petra Fraters and the son Anastacio Avila, was born May 26, 1833. He married Maria-Antonia Ruiz August 18,
1858. She was born June 5, 1840, and
died January 5, 1880. Felipe Avila died
April 5, 1900. By this union there were eight
children: Ysabel,
deceased; Anastacio; Carolina; Victoria, Mrs. Felipe
N. Lugo; Felipe, Petra Avila, Mrs. Joseph Fraters; Hernaldo,
and Tomas.”
Mrs. Petra Fraters, by her marriage
with Joseph Fraters, a native son of California born of Portuguese parents,
became the mother of two children: Ysabel Fraters, born in Los Angeles February 26, 1903; and
Joaquin Fraters, born in Los Angeles November 7, 1907. The son is now studying for the priesthood.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. IV, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 255-258, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES