ANGELS CAMP, Calif., Dec. 10, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- As early as 1769, Spaniards began settling in California. The area was claimed by Spain, then Mexico and finally the United States in 1848. In a new genealogical reference book that offers amazing details about individual colonists, California Colony: Genealogy, Landgrants and Notes of Spanish Colonial California (now available through AuthorHouse), Doris Shaw Castro presents a complete guide to the people who lived there.
With the surnames of more than 1,000 California colonists, California Colony is an indispensable guide for anyone looking to research lives of people who lived in this area. Castro begins the book by offering helpful accounts of California's history, with the bulk of the work providing details about each person in the colonies, including their birthdates, arrival dates, important occupational information and census data. Similar information about each person's offspring is also available. Castro adds to the resourcefulness of her book by using the Spanish naming system, which indicates both paternal and maternal surnames.
Castro spent years researching the history of these fascinating colonists, traveling to California, Mexico and Spain. Her efforts are also evident in the 12 appendices, which offer an abundance of information about California nobility, Christian missions, sailing expeditions that sailed around the area and Spanish silver and gold discoveries. Castro also lists the large land grants and their ownership, locations and sizes. California Colony is also well indexed to make quick research possible.
Spanish colonists founded the major cities of California, including San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego and Monterey (the colonial capital). California's influence in world and American history is undeniable, and Castro offers an excellent resource for learning more about the people of this important land.
Castro earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1943 and did graduate studies at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass. A newspaper reporter and freelance writer, she has lived in many cities around the world, including Mexico City, Berlin, Madrid, Spain and Vienna, Austria.
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