Angustias de la Guerra

María de las Angustias de la Guerra Ord (June 11, 1815 – June 21, 1890) was Californio historian and socialite. A member of the prominent Guerra family of California, she played an important role in defending women's property rights in the California Constitution while it was being drafted during the Monterey Constitutional Convention of 1849.[1] Her memoirs, "Ocurrencias en California" (translated into English as "Occurrences in Hispanic California") is an important historical account of Californian history in the 19th century.

Angustias de la Guerra
Angustias de la Guerra c. 1895
Born1815
San Diego, California
Died1890
San Francisco, California
Burial placeMission Santa Barbara
OccupationHistorian, socialite
Spouse(s)Manuel Jimeno Casarín (1833-1853)
James L. Ord (1856-1875)

Biography

The daughter of José de la Guerra y Noriega, known as "El Capitan", and Maria Antonia Carrillo, she was born in San Diego, Alta California; the Guerra family of California moved to Santa Barbara soon afterwards, where her father became commander of the Presidio. In 1833, she married Manuel Jimeno Casarin; the couple moved to Monterey, then the capital of Alta California, part of Mexico since 1821. Her husband was a member of the assembly, served as secretary of state; he died of cholera while visiting Mexico in 1853.

During the Monterey Constitutional Convention of 1849, she and her husband hosted the large Californio delegation to the convention. She was an instrumental force in defending women's property rights in the California Constitution.[2]

In 1856, she married James L. Ord, a U.S. Army surgeon who was the grandson of King George IV; the couple settled in Santa Barbara. In 1871, they visited American president Ulysses S. Grant at the White House and Mexican president Benito Juárez at Chapultepec Castle. Their marriage was dissolved in 1875.[3]

She died in San Francisco at the age of 75 and was buried in Colma Her remains were later moved to Santa Barbara.[4]

Her brother Pablo served in the California senate and was state lieutenant governor.[3]

Legacy

Her California Recollections of Angustias de la Guerra Ord: (Occurrences in Hispanic California), translated from the original Spanish, is an important record in the history of California. De la Guerra Ord's account emphasizes the important role of women in the described historical events.[4] Her recollections also include a description of what have been the largest recorded earthquake and possible tsunami to hit central and southern California, as related to de la Guerra Ord by Father Luis Gil y Taboada.[5]

She is described as a young girl in Richard Henry Dana's classic "Two Years Before the Mast."

Her family home is considered an architectural landmark in Santa Barbara.[3]

References
  1. Zócalo Public Square - How An Early Santa Barbara Scion Protected Women's Rights to Property in the California Constitution
  2. Zócalo Public Square - How An Early Santa Barbara Scion Protected Women's Rights to Property in the California Constitution
  3. Telgen, Diane (1993). Notable Hispanic American Women. pp. 125–. ISBN 0810375788.
  4. Testimonios: Early California Through the Eyes of Women, 1815–1848. University of Oklahoma Press. 2015. pp. 193–296. ISBN 978-0806153704.
  5. "Past tsunami strikes wreaked havoc on California". The Tribune. San Luis Obispo. September 26, 2015.
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