MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
In December of 1968, a small group of descendants of Spanish Alta Californians formed Los Californianos in anticipation of the bicentennial year of the discovery of San Francisco Bay in 1769 by the expedition led by Don Gaspar de Portolá. Los Californianos was created for the purpose of preserving the heritage of the early Hispanic Californians in Alta California (also called Californios or Californianos). As individuals and as an organization we conduct research on genealogy and civil, religious, military, and cultural activities in Alta California.
Membership Types
Los Californianos offers the following types of membership:
Regular Membership is open to any person, 18 years of age or older, who submits a Carta de Antepasados (an Ancestors Chart, often simply called Carta by us) which, to the satisfaction of the Genealogical Committee Chairman, shows that person to be a descendant of a Hispanic person who arrived in Alta California prior to the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848. The spouse of a Regular Member may join as a Regular Member.
Junior Membership is open to any person who qualifies for Regular Membership but is under 18 years of age. Upon attaining 18 years of age, a Junior Member becomes a Regular Member.
Historian Membership may be granted by the Board of Directors to a historian, author, or scholar who has rendered outstanding assistance in the study and dissemination of information on Alta California.
Corresponding Membership may be granted by the Board of Directors to an educational institution, a library, or a historical society that express interest in the history of Alta California, or that has rendered outstanding assistance in the study and dissemination of information on Alta California.
Provisional Membership is assigned for up to one year to applicants of Regular or Junior Membership who’s Carta (Ancestors Chart) has not yet been approved by the Genealogical Committee Chairman. A Provisional Membership is renewable for a second year with the approval of the Genealogical Committee Chairman. Upon approval of their Carta, a Provisional Member becomes a Regular or Junior Member.
Dues and Fees
Annual membership is $20, due and payable on January 1st of each year. Junior Members pay $7 instead of $20, and Regular Members who are 65 years of age or older have the option to pay $16 instead of $20. Provisional Members pay the dues for the membership type to which they have applied.
Applying for Membership
To apply for membership in Los Californianos, please follow these steps:
1. Read this Membership Information Sheet and determine which membership type is appropriate for you.
These forms are in pdf format. Please fill in the form electronically (using a product such as Adobe Reader® software that you can download from https://get.adobe.com/reader), then print the form. If you prefer, you can print a blank form and fill it in by hand.
Los Californianos respects your privacy and your family’s privacy, so we require that you complete a release form before we process your application.
2. Click on the appropriate link for the membership type you have chosen, then complete all the pages of that packet.
Application Regular or Junior Membership.
If you are applying for Regular or Junior Membership as a descendant: please complete the Preliminary Declaration by typing your info into the blanks, then printing the page, or print the page and fill it in by hand.
You must show a direct line, including dates/locations, from you to your qualifying Hispanic ancestor who was in Alta California prior to February 2, 1848. If you plan to qualify with more than one ancestor, please use a separate page for each ancestor.
If applying as the relative of a current or former Los Californianos member, please list that member’s name on your application page and indicate how you are related to them.
If applying as the spouse of a Regular Member please complete the application page, indicating you are the spouse and listing your spouse's name.
Application for Corresponding Membership.
If you are applying for Corresponding Membership, please complete the appropriate forms.
Application for Historian Membership.
If you are applying for Historian Membership, in addition to completing the appropriate forms, please prepare a separate sheet stating your qualifications for Historian Membership, including any publications or other significant activities, or make a copy of your curriculum vitæ.
3. Optional if applying as a descendant: please click on Carta de Prole (offspring chart), print the form, and complete the chart so other members of your family may also easily apply for membership.
4. Mail the following items:
a. Your completed application page.
b. If you are applying for Regular or Junior Membership as a descendant (not as a spouse), include your completed Preliminary Declaration page. Please use our form and not any other type of pedigree chart.
c. If you are applying for Historian Membership, your qualifications sheet or curriculum vitæ.
d. Your completed release form.
5. Include your check, payable to Los Californianos, for the application fee ($15) plus the current year’s annual dues:
Regular, Historian, or Corresponding members:
$15 application fee + $20 dues = $35 total to pay
Junior members:
$15 application fee + $7 dues = $22 total to pay
Mail to:
Los Californianos Membership Secretary
c/o Sheila Ruiz Harrell
2621 Prescott Rd Spc 170
Modesto CA 95350-0234
Please do not send any other documents such as copies of records and birthcertificates with your application. The Membership Secretary will let you know if and when you need to send any additional information.
After You Apply for Membership
Once your application package is received by Los Californianos, the Membership Secretary will review it, let you know that it has been received, and tell you if anything needs to be clarified before it can be processed.
If you applied for Regular Membership or Junior Membership as a descendant or as a relative of a member:
a. A member of the Genealogical Committee will review your application and Preliminary Declaration form to confirm your eligibility as a Provisional Member.
b. The Membership Secretary will notify you of the decision of the Genealogical Committee Chairman and, if your Provisional Membership is approved, send you a welcome letter. You will also be sent a Carta to be completed along with a list of supporting documents required to verify your ancestral lineage.
c. The Membership Secretary will verify that, within one year, you have submitted your updated Carta and any requested documentation to the Genealogical Committee. Note that the Genealogical Committee will assist you, based upon available resources, as you finalize your Carta and gather supporting documents. If you are close to completing these items at the end of one year, upon approval of the Chairman, your Provisional Membership will be extended.
d. The Genealogical Committee will review your final Carta and supporting documentation, and verify one or more lines of your descent.
e. The Membership Secretary will notify you of the decision of the Genealogical Committee Chairman and, if your Regular Membership or Junior Membership is approved, send you a welcome letter and membership card.
If you applied for Regular Membership as the spouse of a Regular Member, the Membership Secretary will verify your eligibility, and send you a welcome letter and membership card.
If you applied for Historian Membership or Corresponding Membership, the Membership Secretary will verify your eligibility and present your application to the Board of Directors for approval at its next quarterly meeting. After the meeting, you will be notified of the decision of the Board and, if your membership is approved, sent a welcome letter and membership card.
Questions?
If you have any questions about membership in Los Californianos, need some assistance in applying, or want an update on the status of your application, please contact the Membership Secretary by using our Contact form, or by email at sarh.lopez@gmail.com (please put "Los Californianos" in the subject of your message), or write to:
Los Californianos Membership Secretary
c/o Sheila Ruiz Harrell
2621 Prescott Rd Spc 170
Modesto CA 95350-0234
Thank you for your interest in Los Californianos!
In December of 1968, a small group of descendants of Spanish Alta Californians formed Los Californianos in anticipation of the bicentennial year of the discovery of San Francisco Bay in 1769 by the expedition led by Don Gaspar de Portolá. Los Californianos was created for the purpose of preserving the heritage of the early Hispanic Californians in Alta California (also called Californios or Californianos). As individuals and as an organization we conduct research on genealogy and civil, religious, military, and cultural activities in Alta California.
Membership Types
Los Californianos offers the following types of membership:
Regular Membership is open to any person, 18 years of age or older, who submits a Carta de Antepasados (an Ancestors Chart, often simply called Carta by us) which, to the satisfaction of the Genealogical Committee Chairman, shows that person to be a descendant of a Hispanic person who arrived in Alta California prior to the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848. The spouse of a Regular Member may join as a Regular Member.
Junior Membership is open to any person who qualifies for Regular Membership but is under 18 years of age. Upon attaining 18 years of age, a Junior Member becomes a Regular Member.
Historian Membership may be granted by the Board of Directors to a historian, author, or scholar who has rendered outstanding assistance in the study and dissemination of information on Alta California.
Corresponding Membership may be granted by the Board of Directors to an educational institution, a library, or a historical society that express interest in the history of Alta California, or that has rendered outstanding assistance in the study and dissemination of information on Alta California.
Provisional Membership is assigned for up to one year to applicants of Regular or Junior Membership who’s Carta (Ancestors Chart) has not yet been approved by the Genealogical Committee Chairman. A Provisional Membership is renewable for a second year with the approval of the Genealogical Committee Chairman. Upon approval of their Carta, a Provisional Member becomes a Regular or Junior Member.
Dues and Fees
Annual membership is $20, due and payable on January 1st of each year. Junior Members pay $7 instead of $20, and Regular Members who are 65 years of age or older have the option to pay $16 instead of $20. Provisional Members pay the dues for the membership type to which they have applied.
Applying for Membership
To apply for membership in Los Californianos, please follow these steps:
1. Read this Membership Information Sheet and determine which membership type is appropriate for you.
These forms are in pdf format. Please fill in the form electronically (using a product such as Adobe Reader® software that you can download from https://get.adobe.com/reader), then print the form. If you prefer, you can print a blank form and fill it in by hand.
Los Californianos respects your privacy and your family’s privacy, so we require that you complete a release form before we process your application.
2. Click on the appropriate link for the membership type you have chosen, then complete all the pages of that packet.
Application Regular or Junior Membership.
If you are applying for Regular or Junior Membership as a descendant: please complete the Preliminary Declaration by typing your info into the blanks, then printing the page, or print the page and fill it in by hand.
You must show a direct line, including dates/locations, from you to your qualifying Hispanic ancestor who was in Alta California prior to February 2, 1848. If you plan to qualify with more than one ancestor, please use a separate page for each ancestor.
If applying as the relative of a current or former Los Californianos member, please list that member’s name on your application page and indicate how you are related to them.
If applying as the spouse of a Regular Member please complete the application page, indicating you are the spouse and listing your spouse's name.
Application for Corresponding Membership.
If you are applying for Corresponding Membership, please complete the appropriate forms.
Application for Historian Membership.
If you are applying for Historian Membership, in addition to completing the appropriate forms, please prepare a separate sheet stating your qualifications for Historian Membership, including any publications or other significant activities, or make a copy of your curriculum vitæ.
3. Optional if applying as a descendant: please click on Carta de Prole (offspring chart), print the form, and complete the chart so other members of your family may also easily apply for membership.
4. Mail the following items:
a. Your completed application page.
b. If you are applying for Regular or Junior Membership as a descendant (not as a spouse), include your completed Preliminary Declaration page. Please use our form and not any other type of pedigree chart.
c. If you are applying for Historian Membership, your qualifications sheet or curriculum vitæ.
d. Your completed release form.
5. Include your check, payable to Los Californianos, for the application fee ($15) plus the current year’s annual dues:
Regular, Historian, or Corresponding members:
$15 application fee + $20 dues = $35 total to pay
Junior members:
$15 application fee + $7 dues = $22 total to pay
Mail to:
Los Californianos Membership Secretary
c/o Sheila Ruiz Harrell
2621 Prescott Rd Spc 170
Modesto CA 95350-0234
Please do not send any other documents such as copies of records and birthcertificates with your application. The Membership Secretary will let you know if and when you need to send any additional information.
After You Apply for Membership
Once your application package is received by Los Californianos, the Membership Secretary will review it, let you know that it has been received, and tell you if anything needs to be clarified before it can be processed.
If you applied for Regular Membership or Junior Membership as a descendant or as a relative of a member:
a. A member of the Genealogical Committee will review your application and Preliminary Declaration form to confirm your eligibility as a Provisional Member.
b. The Membership Secretary will notify you of the decision of the Genealogical Committee Chairman and, if your Provisional Membership is approved, send you a welcome letter. You will also be sent a Carta to be completed along with a list of supporting documents required to verify your ancestral lineage.
c. The Membership Secretary will verify that, within one year, you have submitted your updated Carta and any requested documentation to the Genealogical Committee. Note that the Genealogical Committee will assist you, based upon available resources, as you finalize your Carta and gather supporting documents. If you are close to completing these items at the end of one year, upon approval of the Chairman, your Provisional Membership will be extended.
d. The Genealogical Committee will review your final Carta and supporting documentation, and verify one or more lines of your descent.
e. The Membership Secretary will notify you of the decision of the Genealogical Committee Chairman and, if your Regular Membership or Junior Membership is approved, send you a welcome letter and membership card.
If you applied for Regular Membership as the spouse of a Regular Member, the Membership Secretary will verify your eligibility, and send you a welcome letter and membership card.
If you applied for Historian Membership or Corresponding Membership, the Membership Secretary will verify your eligibility and present your application to the Board of Directors for approval at its next quarterly meeting. After the meeting, you will be notified of the decision of the Board and, if your membership is approved, sent a welcome letter and membership card.
Questions?
If you have any questions about membership in Los Californianos, need some assistance in applying, or want an update on the status of your application, please contact the Membership Secretary by using our Contact form, or by email at sarh.lopez@gmail.com (please put "Los Californianos" in the subject of your message), or write to:
Los Californianos Membership Secretary
c/o Sheila Ruiz Harrell
2621 Prescott Rd Spc 170
Modesto CA 95350-0234
Thank you for your interest in Los Californianos!