Ranchos de Alta California

Californio landholding families

The Yorba family

Patriarch: José Antonio Yorba (1746 Catalonia, Spain – 1825)

Founded by a Catalan soldier, the Yorbas built a landed empire along the Santa Ana River in present Orange County, beginning with the 63,000-acre Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana and expanding eastward through the sons' grants. The family intermarried with the Peraltas from the founding grant onward.

Origin

José Antonio Yorba was a Catalan volunteer soldier who came to California with the Portolà expedition era (arrived c. 1769–1771); in 1810 he and his nephew Juan Pablo Peralta received Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana.

Members

NameRelationRanchos
José Antonio YorbapatriarchRancho Santiago de Santa Ana (1810, with nephew Juan Pablo Peralta)
Bernardo Yorbason of José AntonioRancho Cañón de Santa Ana (1834); interests in Rancho La Sierra
Teodocio Yorbason of José AntonioRancho Lomas de Santiago; Cañada de Santa Ana lands
Tomás Yorbason of José Antoniopastured herds east of the family rancho; Rancho La Sierra area

Genealogical confidence: high

Sources

All families · The full register