✓ opening VERIFIED vs scan n434 (2026-07-06): header 'Misión del Rosario… Ortega… sobre méritos y servicios militares'; 'solicita… el descanso que por su avanzada edad y grosura de cuerpo requiere'; service '30 años 8 meses en esta Península… de soldado 10 meses 2 días; de Cabo 2 años 6 meses 6 días; de Sargento 14 años 6 meses 4 días' — all confirmed. *(The 1769 Portolá first-person narrative is on n435–439, not yet re-read — transcribe before quoting.)* Ortega's full service record (seeking relief/retirement for age & 'grosura de cuerpo'): 30 yrs 8 mo in California since 1 Oct 1755 (soldier 10 mo → Cabo 2½ yr → Sergeant 14 yr 6 mo → Lt-Commandant 12 yr 9 mo); at San Diego founded Mission San Juan Capistrano & rebuilt the SD presidio; as Comandante/Habilitado of the Sta Bárbara Channel presidio under Neve founded the SB presidio & Mission San Buenaventura; then Comandante of the Baja frontiers at Loreto. ⭐⭐⭐ A first-person account of the 1769 Portolá 'Sacred Expedition' — Ortega the sergeant-explorer who guided the road (naming Alf. Pedro Fages ahead & Fernando de Rivera y Moncada, 25 soldiers, dep. 20 Mar 1769, reached SD 14 May), through 'miles de Gentiles' (held off 'á fuego de armas' at El Encino & the Puerto de San Diego); ~580 leagues of unknown country reckoned
| Date | 1786-06-08 (exact) |
|---|---|
| From | José Francisco de Ortega (Rosario) — *memorial de méritos y servicios* |
| Series | Provincial State Papers |
| Tomo | VI |
| Original tomo page | vi.344–350 |
| Savage copy page | 427–432 |
| Scan leaf | n434–n439 |
| Document type | abstract (memorial) |
| Source | Savage abstract |
Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n434–n439
José Francisco de Ortega (Rosario) — *memorial de méritos y servicios*, 1786-06-08, Provincial State Papers, vi.344–350, Archives of California, C-A 3, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.Cite the document by series, tomo and original tomo page, as the literature does; the C-A number locates it in the repository. To cite this catalogue entry itself, use https://archivesofcalifornia.com/record/ca3/ca3-d468.html