Title: 1875 Fremont and the De Celis San Fernando land claims - printed document, signed
Author: Belknap, William
Description: 1 pp. Partial printed document signed as Secretary of War. Backed with a later piece of paper.Certifying a “true copy” (no longer present) “of a letter from Colonel J.C.Fremont to the Secretary of War, dated May 19, 1848, respecting the claim of Eulogio De Celis…” Heavy wear and tear, glued to a backing sheet with small portion missing. A significant document in legal settlement of the land claim of Eulogio de Celis, a Spanish hide trader who came to Mexican California in the 1830s, married the Governor’s daughter, and, during the Mexican-American War, bought 100,000 acres of land which included most of present day San Fernando Valley. The land grant, which De Celis divided in half with another Governor’s brother, was honored by the US Government after the War – probably the subject of Colonel Fremont’s letter mentioned here. De Celis returned to Spain and died in 1869, but his family held their portion of the land north of Los Angeles until De Celis’ son sold the huge tract to a group of San Francisco businessmen in 1874, while the other half of the original land grant passed into the hands of real estate developer Issac Van Nuys. Once the legal niceties of these land transfers had been settled – in which this document must have played a part – the development of San Fernando Valley began in earnest.
Heading: (California)Place Published: Washington D.C.
Publisher:
Date Published: September 23, 1875

Document backed with later paper, a few large chips, affecting only one line of text, some long tears, and soiling; good.