Death certificate for Anita Lopez Biscailuz.

According to the document, Anita was born Oct. 20, 1865, to Valentine Lopez of Los Angeles — a member of a prominent Californio (Spanish Californian) family — and Concepcion Russell, originally of Encinitas. Anita died Feb. 22, 1939, at the home of her daughter, Juanita Biscailuz Colton, in Long Beach. Juanita was the informant for the death certificate. Anita was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Chatsworth, with undertaking services by Noble Chapel Inc. of San Fernando.

Anita was married to William J. Biscailuz, a Pico Canyon petroleum engineer in the first decades of the 1900s (and owner of the Soledad Hotel in downtown Newhall). They lived at 403 10th St. in Newhall. Tenth Street was also known as Pico Road; today it is Pico Canyon Road on the west side of the I-5 freeway and Lyons Avenue on the east side of the freeway. It's believed the family lived just down canyon from the Standard Oil operations in Pico Canyon (Mentryville).

Husband William J. Biscailuz was the uncle of L.A. County Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz (William was brother to Eugene's father, Martin V. Biscailuz).

Anita and William's son, Valentine Biscailuz (1893-1946) married Dolores Cooke, daughter of Mr. Dolores Cook of the local Cooke-Garcia families.

According to Anita's obituary, Valentine and Juanita were two of at least 9 children of Anita and William.

Anecdotally, Anita's sister, Tillie Lopez (Dunbar), was embroiled in controversy surrounding the death of Tillie's husband in the Newhall Pass in 1906.

Click to enlarge.

Mrs. Anita Lopez Biscailuz, pioneer resident of Newhall and aunt of Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz, passed away at midnight Wednesday at Long Beach. Rosary will be at the Noble Chapel at San Fernando tonight at 8 p.m., and funeral services will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Newhall at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning in charge of the Noble Mortuary.

Mrs. Biscailuz is survived by her husband, William J. Biscailuz Sr., five daughters, Mrs. L.W. Colton, Mrs. T.W. Cooke, Mrs. Honorina Cockburn, Mrs. George A. Curl and Mrs. Joan B. Rice; four sons, Wm. J. Jr., Valentine A., Roland and Raymond Biscailuz, a sister, Mrs. Florita Elliot, a brother Reginaldo Lopez, twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was seventy-three years old and had been in frail health for a long time.

Mrs. Biscailuz was one of the most widely known and respected women in the Santa Clara Valley and a host of friends were saddened by the news of her passing.