The Valley Observed: San Fernando Valley history and sense of place

"Los Angeles is surrounded by valleys, but there's only one Valley..."
Hush Money, by Peter Israel

Valley royalty?

A reader emails:

I wonder if (in the lore and history section) you have ever commented on how many Valley residents must actually be direct descendants of San Fernando himself -- I mean, the king and saint. Ferdinand III had a daughter Eleanor. She was the wife of Edward III of England. When she died, the twelve famous Eleanor Crosses (such as Waltham Cross and Charing Cross in London) were established by Queen Eleanor's grieving husband. They stretched from Lincoln to Westminster, where she was buried in 1290.

From the Edwards (I, II & III) millions of Americans descend, mostly thorough the colonial Virginia and New
England gentry. Of course, in 2005 most people don't know (or care, for that matter) that such far-back Europeans are their ancestors. If you have not touched on this obscure fact -- and it is of interest to you, you are welcome to put it in the blog (or tell me how to do it).
H. L. Erwin, Weaverville

Fascinating thought. Not something I have touched on before. I do know there are descendants of several pioneer Valley families around. In fact Ernie Marquez, the author of Santa Monica Beach: A Collector's Pictorial History, tells me he is related to Francisco Reyes, the original holder of the Spanish rancho called Los Encinos that encompassed almost the entire Valley. When Franciscan padres were looking for a site to establish Mission San Fernando Rey in 1797, Reyes sold them his rancho and moved on.

Posted February 3, 2006 06:55 PM


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"Los Angeles is surrounded by valleys, but there's only one Valley..."Hush Money, by Peter Israel

"Los Angeles is surrounded by valleys, but there's only one Valley..."
Hush Money, by Peter Israel