Margarita Britten Probate

Margarita Britten Probate

1886 Agua Caliente Census (Warner's Ranch)

Here is the 1886 Census for Agua Caliente.  Margarita and her children are on page 4.


1886 Agua Caliente Census

More Census Records

1897 Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch) Census
Margarita is on Page 4 along with her children.


1897 Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch) Census


1898 Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch) Census
Margarita is on Page 4 along with her children.


1898 Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch) Census

1899 Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch) Census
Margarita is on Page 5 along with her children.


1899 Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch) Census

Census Records

I have a lot of census records.  I will probably be posting them over the next several days.  The early ones can be hard to read as they are hand written.  Also, the spelling of names can vary in each census.  There really was no english spelling for Indian names and Indian words.  It had to be invented.

As such, in looking at the records one will often see that a name is spelled the way it sounded.  An example would be Sibimooat.  There are many variations on the censuses including C.B. Mooat, Sevemootim, and Sibimooat.  Anthropologists often spell it as Sivimuat wtih the plural being Sivimuatem.

Another is Owlinguish which sometimes appears as Awlwingewish.  There's also alternative spellings to first names such as Michella and Miguella.

First up is the 1887 Census for Agua Caliente (Warner's Ranch).   Margarita appears on page 4 as Margarita Sauvelim* (also spelled elsewhere as Sauvil, Saubel) and is listed as a Widow.  Her children are listed as daughter Michalla, Esperanza, and Santiago (James).

*Note - earlier I mistook the name on the census to be Sevemooat but as a commenter pointed out the census taker spelled Sevemooat differently than the last name of Margarita. On closer look the last name is closer to Sauvelim.  On the census when I zoom in close it seems to be spelled Sauvmalin or Savumalin.  It's hard to tell if the 3rd to last letter is an l or a b.  It's hard to tell if the last letter is an n or an m.  Savumabin could also be it.  It appears the census taker was trying to spell phenetically Sauvelim which is also Sauvel and Saubel.   

1887 Agua Caliente (Warner's) Census


Next is the 1895 Agua Caliente Census (Warner's Ranch)

Margarita is on page 4 and is listed as page 4 Margarita Awlwingewish with children Miguella, Esperanza, Maria Antonia, and Santiago.


1895 Agua Caliente Census Warner's Ranch

Next is 1896 Agua Caliente Warner's Ranch.  Margarita is on page 4 listed as page 4 Margarita Owlinguish with children Miguella, Esperanza, Maria Antonia, Santiago, and Martha.
1896 Agua Caliente Warner's Ranch

Photos

Here are some family photos.  Sometimes when we focus so much on names on documents we forget these are people.

Margarita Brittain is my Great Great Grandfather.  James Brittain, her son, is my Great Grandfather.  Pauline Pink is James Brittain's daughter and my Grandmother.

You can click on the photos to enlarge them.

James Brittain at the Pala Store

James Brittain on Horseback

James and Flora Brittain

Pauline Pink rabbit hunting

George and Pauline Pink

Margarita Britain

Margarita Brittain

Do you have any photos you would like to submit? Let me know and I will post them here!

Documents

Just reposting some of the key documents here.  The links will take you to the full document.

1962 Feb 27 Letter from the Department of the Interior Stating Margarita Britten Full Blood Cupa Indian

The Father of Margarita Brittain - Pelegrino Ortega

Robert Smith Acknowledges that the Daughter of Margarita Brittain is 1/2 Degree Indian Blood

11 Sept 1989 BIA Final Decision Margarita Brittain is Fullblood

1967 Jan 12 Letter to Pauline Pink Accompanying the 1913 Pala Allotment Roll

1913 Pala Enrollment Approved by Secretary of the Interior

BIA Enrollment Specialist Elsie Lucero Affidavit - Father of Margarita Brittain is Pelegrino Ortega

1921 July 22 Sworn Testimony Carolina Nolasquez at the Probate Hearing for Merced Nolasquez

Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Regional Director Recommends All 162 Disenfranchised Pala Members Be Enrolled

Original Pechanga's Asks Gabriel Iglesias To Please Cancel His Performance At Pechanga

If you are a regular reader of Original Pechanga's Blog then you probably saw the story they posted of how Bill Cosby canceled his show to show support for the disenrolled Chukchansi People.

Original Pechanga's is now asking Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy) to cancel his show at Pechanga Resort & Casino to show solidarity with the disenrolled Pechanga Members:

Request to Gabriel Iglesias: Please CANCEL your Performance At Pechanga  

Mr. Gabriel Iglesias
Creative Artist Agency
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
tel: 424-288-2000
fax: 424-288-2900
Dear Mr. Iglesias,

We are writing this letter in the hope that you will cancel your show at the Pechanga Resort and Casino, scheduled for October 6.

I’d like to make you aware of the disgraceful actions that are happening on the Pechanga Reservation. The Pechanga Tribal Council, led by Mark Macarro, has stripped the citizenship 25% of Pechanga Tribal Members, including the descendents of the original chief of the Pechanga Tribe. They most recently disenrolled the Paulina Hunter descendants. Paulina Hunter was an original allotee of Pechanga and her family still resides on the reservation, where apartheid is still practiced, 18 years after it was abolished in South Africa.

I am sure that the decimation of culture, history and beliefs are not within your value system.

Stand with the disenrolled members of Pechanga. There may be a protest during your performance date and we are informing the entertainment press about the request for acts not to perform at Pechanga. We all enjoy your show and performances and would love to watch your show, elsewhere. Please do not do your show at Pechanga. Tell the PDC that you won’t play at a location that violates the civil and human rights of it own people Thank you for your support.

Bill Cosby REFUSED to perform at Chukchansi in Fresno because of that tribe’s disenrollment action.

I have included some information with this packette, but your team can check the website Original Pechanga’s Blog at http://originalpechanga.com

Respectfully,


#
Please help support  Original Pechanga's Blog in asking Fluffy to cancel his show.

I was looking at the Pala Casino Resort and Spa website to see what entertainment they have coming up.  It's mostly tribute bands and Dance Parties.  But they do have Brian Regan performing on August 25th and John Pinette performing on November 17th.

Compare that to the entertainment at Pechanga Resort & Casino which has Ringo Starr, Jay Leno, Smokey Robinson, Steve Martin, and the Gypsy Kings all performing in the next 30 days.

Perhaps it's worth contacting other entertainers as well to make them aware of all the injustices being inflicted on Tribal Members all across America.

Kilma Lattin Quoted In The Sacramento Bee

Dan Morain: Obama's policies help Indians, but payback is iffy

#
Kilma Lattin, a member of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, owners of a San Diego County casino, has formed the Native American Republican Super PAC, and hopes to raise money for Romney.

Lattin is a true believer in the Republican vision that fewer regulations and lower taxes would stimulate the economy, benefiting casino patrons and, therefore, casinos.

"Obama has done a good job with his outreach to tribes. And he has been generous with his policy on federal grants," Lattin said. "But this is about the handling of the economy. … Tribal nations that are serious about growing their economies have got to support candidates with viable plans to create growth."

 Read Full Article Here

According to the article Kilma has formed the Native American Republican Super PAC.

For those of you who follow politics you may have heard about the Citizens United Case in which the Supreme Court basically struck down campaign finance laws.  This allowed for the creation of Super PACs.  Super PACs can raise unlimited funds from anyone and can keep their donors anonymous.  The only catch is they cannot coordinate with any political campaign.

So while Kilma can raise money and use his Super PAC to support Mitt Romney he cannot be in contact with the Romney Campaign.  But he can use his Super PAC to run as many pro-Romney commercials as he wants.  He can also use that money for other purposes.  I don't think there are very many restrictions at all on how that money can be spent.

If any of you watch the Colbert Report you may know that Stephen Colbert raised millions of dollars for his Super PAC and can spend that money anyway he chooses.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/15/4630200/obamas-policies-help-indians-but.html#storylink=cpy

June 7th, 1989 BIA Letter to the Pala Executive Committee

Here is a letter from the BIA to the Pala Executive Committee dated June 7th, 1989


1989 Jun 7 Tom Dowell BIA Letter to the Pala Executive Committee

Complaint Made Against Howard Dickstein To The NIGC

Here is a complaint made against Howard Dickstein to the NIGC.  Some interesting reading for any tribe that retains Howard Dickstein.  Pala is one of them.


Complaint Against Howard Dickstein to the NIGC

In 1984 Pala General Council Votes Margarita Brittain Is Fullblood

In the late 1950's and early 1960's Pala sought to organize its tribal government.  Part of this organization was laying down a frame work for how the tribe would determine its membership.  Pala decided to go by the 1913 Pala Allotment Rolls which were reconstructed from various BIA documents including notes made by Special Allotting Agent Mr. L. W. Green.

This reconstructed type writen 1913 Pala Allotment Roll became the base roll of the Pala Band of Mission Indians.  On this roll Margarita Brittain is listed as 4/4 blood degree.  Someone at some unknown time made pen and ink changes to the 1913 Pala Allotment Roll.  They circled 4/4 next to Margarita Brittain and wrote 1/2 next to the 4/4.  This pen and ink change was not noted in anyway.  On the BIA copy of the 1913 Roll Margarita Brittain was listed as 4/4.

In the late 1970's this error was discovered and descendents of Margarita Brittain began seeking to correct this mistake.  By 1983 the BIA was preliminarily agreeing that Margarita Brittain was 4/4.  This decision was later appealed and after over 6 years of investigation in 1989 the BIA issued its final determination that Margarita Brittain is fullblood.

5 years prior to the BIA ruling in 1984 Pala's General Council voted to correct Margarita Brittain's blood degree to 4/4.

Here are the minutes from that 1984 General Council meeting:


1984 Pala General Council Votes To Correct Margarita Brittain's Blood Degree To Fullblood


Pala also made an announcement in their newsletter to let Brittain Descendents know Margarita Brittain's blood degree was corrected.  Here is that announcement:


Pala Newsletter Announcement That Margarita Brittain Is Fullblood

1994 Letter to James Brittain Jr.

This is a 1994 letter from the Department of the Interior to James Brittain Jr., son of James and Flora Brittain, Grandson of Margarita Brittain, and my Great Uncle.


1994 Apr 19 Dept Interior to James Brittain Jr.

The 1928 Application for Flora Brittain

This is the 1928 Application for my Great-Grandmother Flora Brittain, wife of James Brittain.  James Brittain was Margarita Brittain's son.  Flora lists James as 1/2 and all of their children as 3/4.


1928 App No 2101 Flora Brittain

Pala Disenrollment Letters

The Pala Executive Committee which is also the Pala Enrollment Committee has issued another disenrollment letter to re-finalize their final decision they made final.  Did I mention they made yet another final decision?

Here is the first letter they sent to 154 tribal members dated February 3rd, 2012.  Notice that no specific reason was given for the disenrollments.  They make mention of reviewing enrollment information but if they truly reviewed all the information we submitted they would have determined we should remain enrolled.

I alone submitted over 50 pages of documentation which they didn't even look at.  I know many other family members also submitted all sorts of documentation.


3 Feb 2012 Pala Disenrollment Letter



This next letter dated June 7th, 2012 attempts to imply that since the BIA did not offer a recommendation within 30 days of our disenrollment the disenrollments are therefore finalized.

However anyone with common sense knows this isn't how the appeals process works.  Yes, we had 30 days from the date of disenrollment to appeal that decision to the BIA.  We did appeal within 30 days to the BIA.  However, the BIA took 4 months to respond to the appeal.  We have no control over how long the BIA will take to respond to an appeal.  It could have taken longer.


7 June 2012 Pala Disenrollment Letter


On June 7th, 2012 the BIA recommended that all 154 disenrolled tribal members should remain on Pala's rolls.


Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Regional Director Recommends All 162 Disenfranchised Pala Members Be Enrolled


The Pala Enrollment Committee issued a 3rd disenrollment letter on July 2nd, 2012.  This one states they received the BIA recommendation but they claim since we submitted "no new evidence" the disenrollments are final.  We submitted all sorts of documentation.  They chose to ignore it.


2 July 2012 Pala Disenrollment Letter


We know the Pala Executive Committee's purpose was to disenroll Margarita Brittain descendents.  No written reason was ever given as to why we were disenrolled.  Verbally it has been stated that we have no proof of who Mararita's father was. 

We actually do have proof including but not limited to the Individual Family History Card for Merced Nolasquez that shows the father of Margarita to be Pelegrino Ortega.

None of our documentation mattered.  We remain the only family group that I know of being asked to prove who the parents are of a 1913 Roll allottee.  No one is asking who the father of Sylvario Nolasquez was.

Slow Loading or Fast Loading?

Ok Guys

 I just want to get your thoughts and input on the page loading.  With all the scribd documents the pages tend to load slowly.  I have tried reducing the size of the documents for the last few posts and it didn't seem to help much.

Would you guys prefer just a link to the documents so the pages load faster or to keep doing what I have been doing and embedding the documents which causes the pages to load slower?

Quote For The Day

Here is a quote from George Orwell's 1984:

"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened — that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death?

And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed -if all records told the same tale — then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.' And yet the past, though of its nature alterable, never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. 

All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. 'Reality control', they called it: in Newspeak, 'doublethink'."

From Chapter 3 by George Orwell - 1984
Robert Smith Acknowledges that the Daughter of Margarita Brittain is 1/2 Degree Indian Blood

1995 - Aqua Caliente Requests Blood Quantum for Margarita Brittian and Her Children

On October 25th, 1995 Aqua Caliente sent a request letter to the Pala Band of Mission Indians asking for the blood quantum of Margarita Brittain.  Stan McGarr, Pala's Tribal Secretary at the time, responded with a letter saying Margarita was 4/4 and her children were 1/2.


Here are the letters:

1995 Oct 25 Agua Caliente Request Letter for Margarita Brittain's Blood Quantum and Her Children