Birth place or City of origin: | |
State of origin: | NE |
Last known City: | Orange County |
Last known State: | CA |
Start/Birth date: | 1887 |
Death/End date: | 1975 |
The name Yorba dates as far back as 1769 when Jose Yorba was part of a Spanish expedition exploring the area now known as Orange County. Jose Antonio Yorba was born in Spain in 1746. He came with the Portola expedition to California in 1769 as one of the soldier escorts of the King of Spain who accompanied Father Junipero Serra to California at the time of the founding of the Franciscan Missions. When Jose Antonio Yorba married Josefa Grijalva at Mission Dolores in San Francisco on May 17th, 1782, they were uniting two families that were to remain forever on the soil of California. Josefa Grijalva was the daughter of a Spanish soldier, Juan Pablo Grijalva. Born in Terenate, Sonora, Mexico in 1767, she was one of nine children who journeyed with her parents to California with the Anza Expedition of 1776 with her father as one of the leaders. Jose Antonio Yorba and his wife Josefa were the parents of ten children, one named Bernardo. In 1810 Yorba and his nephew, Juan Pablo Peralta were granted 48,000 acres from the King of Spain, for their services to the crown, now known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. On August 1st, 1834, some 13,328 acres were granted to Bernardo Yorba -- much of which is now part of Yorba Linda. Vicente Yorba was a son of Bernardo who married Mabel Yorba (b 1887), who became very active in the quarter horse world in the Anaheim Hills. Although born in Nebraska, she came out to marry Vicente and settled happily into the horse world of what is now known as Orange County.