Ayala and Dominguez Families
by Robert Gonzales and Vicky Gonzales
Takeko and her three oldest daughters, c.1920. Courtesy of the Nakagawa family.
Jennie Dominguez Martinez and Frank J Martinez both descend from notable first families with deep connections. My great-grandmother, Jennie Dominguez, was the daughter of Andrea Grajeda Dominguez (also known as Maria Andrea Grajeda) and Juan Pedro Dominguez (also known as John Peter Domingus).
Jennie’s siblings were Carlotta Petra Dominguez (also known as Charlotte Petra Dominguez) and Francisco Roman Dominguez (also known as Frank Dominguez Sr.). Jennie, Frank Sr., and Charlotte also had a sister, Emma/Ibarra (Amelia Ibarra), who married Alejo Gonzalez.
Alejo descends from the same Gonzales family as land grantees of the Rio De Santa Clara Rancho: Leandro, Rafael, and Vicente Eduardo Gonzales, for whom Gonzales Road in Oxnard, CA, is named.
Jennie’s father, Juan Pedro Dominguez, was the son of Pedro Regalado Antonio Dominguez and Felipa Quinto Zuniga. Pedro Regalado Antonio’s parents were Mariano Dominguez, one of the last soldiers at the San Diego Presidio, and Maria Venancia Sotelo (also known as Benancia Zotelo) of Villa de Sinaloa, Mexico. Felipa Quinto Zuniga was the daughter of Maria Justina Augustina Elisalde and Guillermo Antonio Zuniga. Guillermo Antonio was the son of India Maria Rufina Allam/Ailam and Jose Pio Quinto Zuniga India from San Juan Capistrano Mission; Maria Rufina’s father was Indio Aralaj, and her mother was native to the region.
Emma (Amelia Ibarra), Jennie’s sister, married Alejo Gonzalez. Emma’s parents were Anacleto Ibarra and Andrea Grajeda Ibarra.
Anacleto and Andrea Ybarra with Amelia (Courtesy Robert Gonzales)
Maria Andrea Grajeda (Courtesy Robert Gonzales)
Grandma Amelia in Santa Barbara, 1955 (Courtesy Robert Gonzales)
Maria Isabel Ayala Grajeda, Maria Andrea Grajeda’s mother (Courtesy Robert Gonzales)
Andrea’s parents were Maria Isabel Ayala Grajeda and Felipe Grajeda; Maria Isabel’s parents were Juan Ayala and Rafaela Arellanez. Rafaela’s parents were Manuel Ramirez de Arellano (Alcalde of New Spain) and Maria Agueda Lopez de Haro. Juan Ayala’s parents were Jose Calixto Ayala and Juana Vitalia Feliz, and Jose Calixto’s parents were Nicolas Ayala and N.N. Maria Ygnacia.
This family’s lineage started in Cosala, Sinaloa, Mexico. From there, they moved to San Juan Capistrano Mission, then to San Gabriel Mission, then to Santa Barbara’s Presidio and Mission, and finally to the San Buenaventura Mission and to present-day El Rio, California.
Isabel and Dana as children (Courtesy Robert Gonzales)