A History of the Daguerre Family

You may be familiar with the history of the Moulton Ranch in Orange County, California. This ranch was the combination of the former Mexican land grant of 13,316 acres called Rancho Niguel plus several other properties to form 21,723 acres, under the ownership of LF Moulton and Co.

Much has been written (and is still being written) about the primary owner, Lewis Fenno Moulton. Moulton and his wife, Nellie Gail Moulton, had two children and there are many grandchildren and great-grandchildren still living in California today to tell the ongoing story of the Moulton Ranch and the Moulton Family. Much less is known about the friendship and business partnership between Moulton and Jean Pierre Daguerre, a French Basque immigrant. Lewis Moulton owned two-thirds of the Moulton Ranch and Daguerre owned one-third. Daguerre and his wife, Jennie, had a total of six children. Two of them died very young, with a son and three daughters living to adulthood. Only one of the adult daughters married but she never had any children. With the death of the last daughter in 1970, the Jean Pierre Daguerre family died out, so there is no one left to carry on the name and tell their family history.

This biography tells the story of Jean Pierre Daguerre, beginning with his arrival in California in 1874.

A History of the Daguerre Family by Barbara Letter

Moulton Ranch prospers after real estate partnership in 1880s

1 thought on “A History of the Daguerre Family”

  1. Dear Barbara,
    I find it most interesting, finding articles pertaining to anything Basque.
    My ancestry is Basque, and I’ve visited the Basque Country several times.
    Thank you for posting in the Village Breeze.
    Would love to read the OC article
    Janice Ulibarri

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