DIVISION ONE — PRE-PASADENIAN. 79 



meet his terms. Mr. Croft then privately, at his own expense, procured a 

 complete abstract of title which covered every transaction affecting the 

 ownership or any auxiliary rights connected with this body of land, from 

 November, 1843, to December, 1873 ; and upon this he purchased the land 

 himself under the above cited deed of December 26, in order to secure it 

 beyond further delay or difficulty for the colony association. The abstract 

 referred to is a voluminous document, comprising nineteen sheets of heaviest 

 grade abstract paper, 8}4 x 13 inches, printed in close lines of small type, 

 and cost Mr. Croft over $50. He preserves it yet as a valued relic 

 of the colony's cradle-bed time, and I am indebted to him for its use in 

 preparing this schedule of the many changes of ownership and other rights 

 which have occurred in the history of Rancho San Pasqual. 



Mr. Croft's diary shows that he first visited the ranch on October 13, 

 1873, in company with D. M. Berry and J. H. Baker. Reynolds was then 

 making the tract survey for Griffin and Wilson, and Croft and Berry 

 came out from Dos Angeles frequently to note the progress of the survey 

 and study the lay of the land. Mr. Berry was negotiating on behalf of 

 the colon}" for the land they wanted, and he insisted on having their strip 

 project eastward along where East California street now runs, instead of 

 northward along the Arroyo Seco. Wilson wouldn't have it that way, be- 

 cause it would leave his own land in very inconvenient shape ; and the 

 efforts to coerce him in this matter brought about the anger and hot blood 

 between Wilson and Griffin above referred to, and delayed the colony pur- 

 chase all through November. Mr. Croft saw Mrs. Griffin and got an 

 understanding with her; then on December 13, he went to Wilmington as 

 a peacemaker and colony land- buyer himself, and gained his case succes- 

 sively with Mr. Banning, Mrs. Wilson, and finally Mr. Wilson. Then on 

 December 15, his diary says : " This day, determined stakes and points of 

 satisfactory division of Rancho San Pasqual with B. D. Wilson on the 

 grounds." On December 16, he met Wilson at surveyor Reynold's office 

 in Dos Angeles, and arranged details of boundary to be recited in the con- 

 veyance. December 17, lawyers were at work preparing the articles of 

 agreement on segregation of interests between Wilson and Griffin. Decem- 

 ber 18, Wilson and Griffin signed these articles, without which the colony 

 purchase from Griffin could not be consummated. The question of colony 

 funds, spot cash, now made another balk. So, on December 26, Mr. Croft 

 paid Griffin $6,250 cash himself, and gave his note for the balance, $18,750, 

 in one year, and received the deed as above mentioned. 



On December 29, 1873, three days after Griffin's conveyance of the 

 entire colony tract to Croft, Thomas F. Croft deeded all his right, title and 

 interest therein to the "San Gabriel Orange Grove Association, a corpora- 

 tion duly organized under the laws of California," etc. Consideration, 

 $25,000 [Book 27, p. 267], the same as he paid. The association then 



