| Name |
Dominique/Domingo Mendionde |
| Birth |
1 May 1912 |
Pocomotzenia, Urepel, France  [1] |
 |
Domingo Mendionde Birth Certificate
|
 |
Mendionde, Dominique Pocomotz birth 1912
|
| Gender |
Male |
| Education |
1918-1925 |
Urepel, France |
| Domingo went to the local school in Urepel until the age of 12 or 13 like most kids his age. He always jokingly referred to this education being done at the University of Urepel. |
| Basque House |
1916-1929 |
Xalbadorenia, Urepel, France |
| After the death of him mother, their father could not take of them so they were sent to live with others. Catherine the oldest went to work, Marianne was sent to an orphanage, Marie was sent to Semederenia in Esnazu and Domingo was sent to Xalbadorenia. Apparently, someone in this house was his godmother and his mother's cousin. His mother was also born in the house and her ancestors the Urrels owned the house since the 1700's. |
| Immigration |
1929 |
| He immigrated to the U.S. when he was 17 years old, joining his oldest sister Catherine (Mendionde) Parisena in Heber, CA. He applied for citizenship in 1946 but remained registered as an alien for the duration of his life. |
 |
Mendionde, Dominique ship manifest 1929 page 1
|
 |
Mendionde, Dominique ship manifest 1929 page 2
|
| Immigration |
03 Dec 1929 [2] |
| Sailed on the Ile de France from Le Havre to New York in 1929. |
| Occupation |
1929-1940 |
| He worked a variety of jobs in general farming and on dairy farms in Blythe, La Puente and Chino. |
| Residence |
1950-1951 |
Chino, California |
| Oaks St: After Domingo's marriage to Marie Biscay in 1950, they purchase 3/4 of an acre on Oaks St. Domingo thought this was too close to town and they searched for a larger property outside of town. They continued to own this house as a rental until they died. |
 |
Mendionde, Domingo and Marie City Directory 1951
|
| Other Information |
1972 |
Montclair, California |
| In 1972, the Bertsolari known as Xalbador provided a concert at our parents restaurant in Montclair called The Basque. Xalbador or his real name Ferdinand Aire considered Aitatchi as a brother as they were raised together at Xalbadorenia. This is a bertso (improvised verse) he sang that night regarding his "brotherhood" with Aitatchi. |
- Translation provided by Andrea Bidart in 2012
|
 |
Domingo by Xalbador (1972)
|
 |
Domingo by Xalbador
Translated by Andrea Bidart-Oteiza
|
| Occupation |
1940-1978 |
| He would ultimately take up his lifelong occupation as a sheepman. He ran sheep throughout Southern California including Blythe in the winters and his favorite places were Dana Point and Camp Pendleton. His first partnership was with Lukas Martikorena, also from Urepel and during the 1960's he partnered often with the Nogues brothers of La Puente. He semi-retired in 1974 after breaking his hip after a fall while climbing up a sheep transport chute. He then worked for Michel Etchemendy in the local area and his final campsite was in the Chino hills overlooking the 71/60 freeway interchange. He fully retired in 1978 to care for his wife Marie. |
| Residence |
1951-1989 |
Chino, California |
| Magnolia Ave: Their search for a bigger property took them one block to the east on Magnolia. In 1951, this property was completely surrounded by farms. They initially purchased 10 acres but at the urging of Matias Etchart, they bought 1/2 acre to the north where they established their home and barn. They kept the 10 acres for growing of corn which they did for over 10 years until the School District took the property through eminent domain. They maintained the house on Magnolia for the remainder of their lives. |
| Affiliations |
1953-1989 |
| Southern California Eskualdun Club (later changed to SC Basque Club) member. He was an early member of this club and for many years he was in charge of the kitchen for the annual picnic. |
| Death |
23 Jul 1989 |
Chino, California [3] |
| Person ID |
I160 |
family |
| Last Modified |
11 Sep 2024 |
1912 - 1989 (77 years)
