Orange
County
Biographies
PRUDENCIO S. YORBA
Prudencio S. Yorba, a successful
rancher of Yorba, Orange County, was born November 1, 1864, a son of Prudencio
and Dolores (Ontiveras) Yorba. The Yorba
family may be taken as a type representing the Spanish aristocracy of early
California, contemporary with and following the Mission period. These families were for most part direct from
Spain (in the first generation) coming through Mexico, and many of them
preferred Spanish to Mexican rule. The
old ranchos were scenes of unbounded hospitality where a guest and traveler
always received a warm welcome and an abundance of good cheer. The Spanish Californians were people of fine
social qualities, of pleasing personalities and gracious manners. The same social qualities are manifested in
their descendants of today. The
great-grandfather of Prudencio S. Yorba of this review was Don Jose Antonio
Yorba, one of the early Catalans in California.
He was born at the Pueblo de San Saturnino de Moya, Provincia de Cataluña,
Spain. In his youth he joined the army
and in a short time was promoted to corporal.
He was with the expedition that landed at San Diego Mission in 1769;
when he served his time he settled at San Gabriel Mission. Imbued with the spirit of adventure, he
explored nearly all of southern California lying south of Yerba Buena and fell
particularly in love with the section which is now Orange and Riverside
counties. He obtained a grant from the
king of Spain for one hundred and eighty thousand acres, embracing land from
the present site of Riverside to the Pacific Ocean. Legally this ranch was known as El Canon de
San Antonio de Santa Ana de los Yorba.
After the death of Antonio Yorba, the title thereto passed to his son,
Bernardo Yorba. Antonio Yorba married
Senorita Josefa Grijalva, a much loved woman who was widely known for her
charitable disposition and her many deeds of kindness. She was selected as one of the leading characters
in the Mission Play, written by John S. McGroarty. Bernardo Yorba, son of Antonio and Josefa (Grijalva) Yorba, passed
away at the age of fifty-eight years.
His first wife was a member of the Alvarado family. His second wife was Josefa Dominguez, the
mother of Prudencio Yorba, the father of our subject; and is third wife was Andrea
Pina.
He improved the rancho and built a
ninety-room adobe which was the scene of many magnificent social
functions. The structure comprised two
stories and the walls, twenty-six inches thick, were finished in white lime
plaster. It had a dance hall with a
polished floor where fandango after fandango furnished enjoyment for the young
people. Only the ruins of this spacious
old adobe remain. Rancho Yorba became
one of the richest as well as one of the most celebrated Spanish grants in
southern California.
Prudencio Yorba, Sr., the father of
our subject, was born in 1832, at the old adobe homestead, where he grew to
manhood and was trained to the pursuits of farming and stock raising. He obtained his schooling at San Pedro,
California. His wife, Mrs. Dolores (Ontiveras)
Yorba, was born on the Coyote ranch in the La Habra valley August 4, 1833, her
parents being Juan P. and Martina (Ozuna) Ontiveras, the former a native of what is now Orange
County, California, while the latter was born in San Diego, this state, and was
also a representative of a very old and prominent family. Juan P. Ontiveras followed farming in Orange
County for many years prior to his removal to Santa Maria, Santa Barbara
County, where he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits throughout the
remainder of his life. Prudencio Yorba,
Sr., died July 3, 1885, being survived for a number of years by his wife, whose
death occurred November 24, 1894. Their
family numbered twelve children, namely:
Mrs. Felipa Dominguez, the widow of Pablo Dominguez; Mrs. Adelina
Carrillo, who died in March, 1933; David J., who lived to be about sixty years
old; Mrs. Angelina Kraemer, the wife of Samuel Kraemer, of Placentia,
California, who is mentioned at length on another page of this work; Prudencio
S., who is the immediate subject of this review; Zoraida,
the widow of Coleman Travis; Ernest T., a farmer of Yorba; Mrs. Dolores Ruiz,
of Santa Maria, California; and four who are deceased.
Prudencio S. Yorba was educated at
St. Vincent College in Los Angeles. He
owns and cultivates a fine citrus orchard comprising twenty-two acres and is
also the owner of the well known Adobe Wall Vineyard, which was originally
divided into thirteen lots by his paternal grandfather. In 1910, however, P. S. Yorba purchased the
interests of the other members of the family and is now in possession of the
entire tract. He has a fine home on his
ranch and is a highly respected citizen of the community which was named in
honor of the Yorba family. He is a
member of the Placentia Mutual Orange Growers Association and a member of the
advisory board of Bank of America in Placentia.
In 1889 Mr. Yorba was united in
marriage to Miss Constance Vejar, who was born
October 14, 1866. They are the parents
of ten children, as follows: Prudencio
E., born September 20, 1890, and married Maria Cruz; Esperanza, born June 25,
1893, and the wife of Eugene Boisseranc; Ynez E. F., born February 21, 1895; Marco Nicholas, born
December 6, 1896; Gloria S. M., born July 30, 1898, and married Harold Lovering; Alma, born February 2, 1900, and the wife of
Henry Gier; Alberto, born June 24, 1902, and married
Matilda Higuera; Caroline E., born December 2, 1905;
Ethelinda, born December 8, 1906; and Idalia E., born
January 28, 1909, now the wife of Milton Draper.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. IV, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 377-379, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN
NUGGET'S ORANGE COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES