U.S. Census record, June 11, 1900, for the Espidon Garcia family of San Fernando Township.
In 1919, one of the children, Louis Garcia (1885?-1973), would be wed in Newhall to Mary Cooke (1901-1975), whose ancestors on her mother's side lived in the Tataviam Indian village of Chaguayabit (Tsawayung) at Castaic Junction prior to European contact in 1769.
On her father's side, her great-grandmother was a California Indian born at the Mission San Gabriel. Mary would become the matriarch of the Cooke and Garcia families in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.
The reader should be aware that U.S. Census records can be inaccurate in spellings, dates, etc. This record gives the parents' names as Espidon and Caroline Garcia and indicates that
Espidon was born in Mexico in March 1845 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1870. This may or may not be correct; in any event it conflicts with Louis
and Mary's marriage certificate, which shows that
Louis' father, "Epididon," was born in California.
According to this record, Espidon's parents were also born in Mexico. Espidon's occupation is shown as day laborer, and the census record says he owns his own house, free and clear.
According to this record, Caroline (full name Maria Francisca Carolina Soto, elsewhere shown as Carolin Ochoga), was born in California in April 1861, and her parents were also born in California.
While it's not quite correct (see below), this record shows that Caroline had 10 children, of whom eight were living as of 1900. Seven of them, ranging in ages from 6 to 19, and all unmarried, lived at home with their parents at the
time the census was taken in 1900: sons Joseph (b. March 1881), Louis (b. May 1886) and Albert (b. April 1892); and
daughters Frances (b. February 1883), Kate (b. November 1884), Beatrice (b. April 1888), and Jennie (b. April 1894). Louis, Kate and Beatrice had at least some formal education.
Different records give different birth dates for Louis. Here he was 14 years old and born in May 1886. His September 1919 marriage record doesn't give a date but says he was 32 years old, which would
put his birth in about 1887. He gave June 21, 1888, as his birthdate on both his World War I and World War II draft registration cards. According to great-granddaughter Kathy Villa, family tradition says
he was born June 21, 1885; this date appears in his wife's (Mary's) Bible that has been handed down, and 1885 is consistent
with records in the Social Security Death Index and the California Death Index.
Again according to Kathy Villa's family information, Caroline was Maria Francisca Carolina Soto, and she had a total of 11 children, 3 of whom died in infancy:
(1) b. 2/1875, d. 4/1875
(2) b. 1/1877, d. 2/1877
(3) b. 2/1878, d. 11/1878
Villa's family records provide the following for the 8 surviving children:
Carmen, b. 6/1879, d. 1954
Joe, b. 5/1881, d. 1953
Francisca (Frances), b. 2/1883, d.?
Carolina (aka Catalina, Kate), b. 11/1884, d. 1908
Louis, b. 6/21/1885, d. 4/1973
Beatrice, b. 1/1888, d. 1948
Albert, b. 1892, d.?
Jennie, b. 1894, d.?
Unconfirmed information from Kathy Villa's family records:
Louis De Garzaga Garcia
born July 21, 1886, in San Fernando
died April 1973
Louis' father:
Espiridon Garcia
born 1862 in Sonora, Mexico
married (to Carolina) October 18, 1883, in Los Angeles
died about 1911 in San Fernando
Espiridon's father:
Jose Maria Garcia
Espiridon's mother:
Jamila Urias
Louis' mother:
Maria Francisca Carolina Soto
born January 1855 in San Juan Capistrano
died about 1913 in San Fernando
Carolina's father:
Lorenzo Soto
Carolina's mother:
Concepcion Ybarra
born November 29, 1838, in San Gabriel
died about 1911 in San Fernando
LDS Church records at FamilySearch.org provide the following unsourced information (no documents):
Carolina, aka Maria Francisca Carolina Soto
Born December 1854, San Juan Capistrano, Orange, CA
Christening (Baptism): April 7, 1855, San Diego, CA
Parents: Lorenzo Soto & Concepcion Ybarra
Louis de Garzaga Garcia
Born June 21, 1886, San Fernando, CA
Christening (Baptism): July 11, 1886, San Fernando
Parents: Espiridion Garcia & Carolina Soto
TLP0001: 9600 dpi jpeg courtesy of Tricia Lemon Putnam.