Stevenson, Jonathan D.

Jonathan D. Stevenson organized and commanded the 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. The regiment arrived in San Francisco by sea in March, 1847, and was disbanded in California in October, 1848. A number of the discharged veteran stayed in California, and a few came to the Santa Cruz area. It's unclear whether Stevenson himself ever resided in this area, but in 1856-57 he filed suit to invalidate the land claims of a number of Santa Cruz residents. His aim, presumably, was to then claim the land for himself. The case was finally resolved in the defendants' favor in 1868.

• Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 45, 11 April 1868 "Important Land Decision", Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel, 11 April 1868, 2:2