Majors, Joseph L.

Joseph Ladd Majors was a frontiersman/trapper who came to the Santa Cruz area ~1840. Through marriage into the Castro family, he acquired the land grant that became Rancho San Agustin from his new brother-in-law Jose Bolcoff. Soon after, Majors acted as proxy allowing fellow frontiersman Isaac Graham to buy the adjacent Rancho Zayante. As a naturalized Mexican citizen, although Majors was initially arrested in the 1840 "Graham Affair", he was not imprisoned. He did later (1842), however, sign a grievance letter (Elliott, p.10) against the Alta California/Mexico government written by ten men - including Graham - who were imprisoned and/or otherwise involved in the 1840 arrest.

• History Pages: 7 - The Frontiersmen
• Santa Cruz: The Early Years (1980 book), 107-109
• The Joseph Majors story: Santa Cruz ranchero & American alcalde (2005 book)
• Son Robert died from a wound suffered in a famous gunfight in front of what is now Lulu Carpenter's on Pacific Avenue (SWC Chapter Five, item 4).
• Son John P. was a Soc. of Pioneers member.