In Memorium – Martha Vallejo McGettigan
By Damian Bacich
On August 17, 2026, the California Missions Foundation lost longtime member and contributor Martha Ann Francisca Vallejo McGettigan.
A descendant of Californios, Martha traced her ancestry to four early California families—Vallejo, Lugo, Carrillo and Espinoza—as well as to Maria Feliciana Arballo Gutiérrez López, who came to California with the 1775-76 Anza expedition. Martha was especially proud to be the great-great-granddaughter of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and Doña Francisca Carrillo de Vallejo.
Martha authored numerous articles and conference papers on topics related to her family’s history. Her scholarship often highlighted the more intimate aspects of the Vallejo family and its many descendants. She published several articles in the CMF Boletín, including a 2023 essay titled “¡Vallejo! La Familia,” which sketched out the family tree from its origins in the Spanish Kingdom of Castile to contemporary California, including the christening of a U.S. Polaris-class submarine in honor of Gen. Mariano G. Vallejo.
Martha was tireless in her efforts to preserve and honor the Californio legacy in public spaces. Her advocacy with the National Park Service for a more accurate portrayal of the Spanish presence in San Francisco, for example, led to key changes in signage and multimedia displays at Fort Point.
Martha was also devoted to celebrating the Indigenous cultures of the North Bay region. Her article, “Dr. Platon M. Vallejo’s Collection of Notes on the Southern Patwin Suysun Language, History and Culture,” in the 2014 issue of the Boletín detailed Platon’s friendship with the Suysun chieftain Sem Yeto (also known as Chief Solano), through whom Platon learned and set down key elements of the Patwin (Southern Wintun) language spoken by Solano and his people.
Among the many public recognitions Marth received for her historical contributions were the Edna Kimbro Award from the California Missions Foundation and the History Award Medal from the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also a Visiting Scholar at the Autry Institute for the Study of the American West.
Martha spent many years in Sonoma, working for California State Parks in the archives and living part of the time at the Nicholas Carriger Ranch, which Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo sold to Carriger in the 1840s. Patricia Culinan, President of the Sonoma Valley Historical Society, recalled that “Martha was fond of sharing the pleasure she took in living in a house that she knew her great-great-grandfather had often visited. She was also proud of her participation in creating the General Vallejo statue,” which now graces the main square in Sonoma.
In more recent years, Martha lived in Pope Valley in the hills of northern Napa County, until the Glass Fire of 2020 tragically destroyed her home, along with her possessions and many irreplaceable family heirlooms.
Those who knew Martha appreciated her passion for early California heritage in all its forms. John Grafton and Olga Hernandez, who have dedicated many years to preserving the history and traditions of the Californios, remember Martha fondly. Olga recalls reading about Mariano Vallejo as a child and later being honored to befriend his great-great-granddaughter. “I enjoyed talking with Martha about many things, and she loved our Californio dancing. She had a great sense of humor, which I always enjoyed! I will miss her and may God bless her.” For John, Martha was “the greatest defender of our Californio heritage. We owe her much for this as we go on to enjoy all things Californio.”