The life and adventures in California of Don Agustín Janssens, 1834-1856. Edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. Translated by Francis Price Huntington Library Publications The LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA of DON AGUSTíN JANSSENS 1834-1856 Edited by WILLIAM H. ELLISON and FRANCIS PRICE The Huntington Library SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA 1953 COPYRIGHT 1953 BY HENRY E. HUNTINGTON LIBRARY & ART GALLERY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD The life and adventures in California of Don Agustín Janssens, 1834-1856. Edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. Translated by Francis Price http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.172 NUMBER 53-12526 PRINTED IN U.S.A. BY ANDERSON, RITCHIE & SIMON: LOS ANGELES DESIGN BY JOSEPH SIMON v CONTENTS PAGE Preface vii Victor Eugene August Janssens, 1878, Statement by Thomas Savage xi I.Early Life of Agustín Janssens 3 II.The Híjar and Padrés California Expedition of 1834 10 III.The Expedition's Reception in California 20 IV.Collapse of the Colony: Governor Chico's Turbulent Administration 36 V.The Revolution of 1836 49 VI.Opposition to Alvarado in the South 64 VII.Carlos Antonio Carrillo Displaced by Alvarado 82 VIII.Indians and Horse Thieves 93 IX.Janssens Appointed Administrator of the Mission San Juan Capistrano 106 X.Governor Manuel Micheltorena and the Bloodless Revolution 116 XI.The American Conquest: Fremont's March to Santa Barbara and Cahuenga 126 XII.Later Years: California, 1848-1856 136 Bibliography 155 Index 161 vi ILLUSTRATIONS OPPOSITE PAGE Victor Eugene August Janssens 4 FROM A PHOTOGRAPH Mission Santa Barbara, 1834 20 FROM AN ETCHING BY EDWARD BOREIN Los Angeles, 1847 52 FROM A CONTEMPORARY DRAWING BY WILLIAM RICH HUTTON Monterey, 1847 68 FROM A CONTEMPORARY DRAWING BY WILLIAM RICH HUTTON vii PREFACE The life and adventures in California of Don Agustín Janssens, 1834-1856. Edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. Translated by Francis Price http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.172 Victor Eugene August Janssens, commonly called Agustín Janssens in the document which follows, gives first a brief story of his honored father and mother and of himself previous to and subsequent to their migration to Mexico. This is followed by a detailed account of his own adventures and experiences from 1834, when as a youth of seventeen years of age he came to Mexico's most northern territory with the Híjar and Padrés colony, until eight years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Janssens was consistently loyal to the legal governments of Mexico and California, and then to the United States, from the time Fremont unexpectedly visited his rancho and lunched with him on the general's way north after the Cahuenga capitulation, January 13, 1847. Although not politically minded, Janssens was called into governmental service under the United States. He was a member of the Santa Barbara County grand jury in 1850; was elected county assessor in 1861, 1863, and 1867; was named deputy tax collector in April 1866 and again in May 1867; was elected trustee of the town of Santa Barbara, June 22, 1866, and in this office repeatedly discharged the duties of mayor pro tem; and he served as postmaster of Santa Barbara from 1864 to 1869. Although supporting actively the legitimate governors under Mexico, and serving in offices after United States authority was established in California, Janssens' chief interests for most of his active life were ranching and business. He lived with his family at his rancho, Lomas de la Purificación, from 1844 to 1856, when because of annoyance and danger from Indians in the region of Santa Inés, he moved into Santa Barbara. Though inactive for a number of years because of an affection of the eyes and resulting blindness, he continued as an honored and respected citizen up to the time of his death, January 4, 1894. viii In 1878, between March 2 and April 4, Thomas Savage,* an experienced assistant of Hubert Howe Bancroft, received from Janssens' own lips, or copied from documents in his own hand- writing which Janssens made available to him,* the story known as “Vida y Aventuras” of Agustín The life and adventures in California of Don Agustín Janssens, 1834-1856. Edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. Translated by Francis Price http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.172 Janssens. With the help of Janssens, Savage recorded in Spanish what he received, in a document of 210 pages, which was signed by Janssens on March 26, 1878, and to which an addition of thirteen pages was made with date of April 4, 1878. The complete manuscript follows as it has been translated by Francis Price and edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. For information concerning Thomas Savage's assistance to Bancroft and on his work in Santa Barbara, see Hubert H. Bancroft,Literary Industries (San Francisco, 1890), pp. 255-59, 470-73, 523-29. In a letter of Janssens to Savage, July 11, 1878, it is made clear that Janssens lent many documents to Savage for his use. See Agustín Janssens, “Documentos para la Historia de California,” in Bancroft Library.Besides the assistance of Janssens by word of mouth and with miscellaneous documents, the major source of the “Vida y Aventuras” is Janssens' “Libro de lo que me a pasado en mi vida,” hereafter cited as “Libro de me vida,” MS now on deposit in the Huntington Library. This is a document of 326 pages in Janssens' handwriting. Because of the poor penmanship, the deterioration of many of its pages, and the mixing of French forms and Spanish, translation of the document is very difficult. Savage copied from parts of this document, omitting some details, and in cooperation with Janssens put down the full story of Janssens' experiences in much better form than what was written in the poor handwriting and unassisted composition of Janssens, and although there are a few differences between the two manuscripts, they are of slight consequence. The story told by Janssens through Savage in the “Vida y Aventuras” is not only one of thrilling adventure in an important period, but it is also a substantial contribution to the history of California during the sixteen years previous to 1850, when California became a state of the United States. In describing unostentatiously and directly the part he played in the frontier scene, Janssens introduces the reader to many acts in a great drama and to major actors in the rapidly moving play. As a possible aid to readers, the narrative has been broken into twelve parts. Topical headings to characterize what follows in ix each case have been inserted. For clarity and convenience, and especially to give Janssens his proper place in the historic setting, notes have been added, amplifying the lines in certain places, identifying many actors with whom Janssens had association or conflict, and summarizing their services and place in California history. As an aid in this, the editors have used freely, but not exclusively, Hubert Howe Bancroft's volumes on the history of California, and particularly his incomparable Pioneer Register and Index at the end of volumes II, III, IV, and V, which remains to date the best reference work for biographical data on characters in the colorful story of early California. The life and adventures in California of Don Agustín Janssens, 1834-1856. Edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. Translated by Francis Price http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.172 Thanks are due Director George P. Hammond of the Bancroft Library for permission to edit and publish Agustín Janssens' “Vida y Aventuras” and to make copies of Janssens' “Documentos para la Historia de California”; to Mrs. Domenica Lucia Janssens of Santa Barbara, widow of José Ramón Janssens, son of Agustín Janssens, for making accessible copies of documentary material in her possession and for the use of a photograph of Agustín Janssens; and to members of the Publications Committee of the Huntington Library for their help and courtesies in the publication of the book, as well as to Robert V. Hine, Jr., now on the faculty of the Riverside campus of the University of California. In addition, we wish to express our sincere appreciation to Miss Marian A. Jones for her great assistance in the preparation of the manuscript for publication. WILLIAM H. ELLISON FRANCIS PRICE Santa Barbara November, 1953, xi VICTOR EUGENE AUGUST JANSSENS (COMMONLY CALLED AGUSTíN JANSSENS.) The gentleman named as above, who supplied the following historical data for Mr. H. H. Bancroft's use, resides in the city of Sta. Bárba (corner of State and Figueroa Sts.), and is reputed an honorable, intelligent & useful citizen. During his residence here (since 1856) his fellow citizens called him to fill offices of honor & trust. Elected & re-elected several times County Assessor, and member of the Council, by reason of the latter capacity he repeatedly discharged the functions of Mayor pro tem. The Genl. Govt. also deemed him worthy of confidence appointg him Postmaster of Sta. Bárba, and in the performance of his duties during six years, gave general satisfaction. The life and adventures in California of Don Agustín Janssens, 1834-1856. Edited by William H. Ellison and Francis Price. Translated by Francis Price http://www.loc.gov/resource/calbk.172 Mr. Janssens has cheerfully devoted much of his time, during several days, in narrating the events of his life in Cal. from 1834 when he came from Mex. as a lad, and takes a deep interest in Mr. Bancroft's labors, hoping that they may be crowned with success.* This statement on Janssens by Savage was written in English. It is unique in this respect and is an exact copy.