Apalategi Family Papers

Apalategui Family Archive

Margaret Mounho (1888-1970) immigrated to America in December 1912 from Lekunberri, Navarre. Francisco Apalategui (1890-1947), born in Irun, Gipuzkoa, immigrated in 1912 helped by one of his brothers. The couple met in a Basque hotel in California; at that time, Margaret was working in Santa Barbara for a French lady. They got married in February and Francisco started to work for settlers in Placenia. They had ten children: John (the eldest), Marianna, Michael, Louie, Catherine Frank, Angeline (Angie), Margaret (Midge), Frank, Grace and Delores (the youngest). The family grew up and they called themselves “tribe” as a joke. They organized a family gathering in California that reunited almost 90 people.

On May 22, 1991, Jose Mallea interviewed Frank J. Apalategui, Grace Dawson, Catherine Iravaglia, Angeline A. Holte, Margaret Racca and Delores M. Petty. Bill R. Petty, Delores’s husband, was also interviewed. The interviewees spoke about their parents, how they got to America and how they started building a future together. They also talked about their family gatherings, traditions and relationship with the Basque Country.