Local Historian, Author Ernest Marquez Dies at 99

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Palisadian author and historian Ernest “Ernie” Marquez died on Saturday, January 6, at the age of 99.

At the January 11 Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, Sharon Kilbride—Marquez’s cousin—said that his death was “unexpected, but he died peacefully.”

With deep-rooted history in the community, Ernest’s great-great-great-grandfather, Francisco Marquez, arrived in Alta California in the 1770s to help establish Spanish missions. After Mexico won its independence, Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes were awarded a land grant from the Mexican government for Rancho Boca de Santa Monica in 1839. The area includes much of Pacific Palisades.

After learning more about his family’s role in settling the area, Ernest believed California historians had largely ignored his family. When he retired in the 1990s, he became the family historian.

He went on to regularly speak at community events and wrote numerous books about local history, including “Rancho Boca de Santa Monica: The 1839 California Land Grant—A History,” which he completed at the age of 97.

Ernest was honored with the 2013 Pacific Palisades Community Service Award. According to a 2013 Palisadian-Post article, Ernest was overcome with emotion as he accepted the award. The offices of former Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin and Assemblymember Richard Bloom also presented Ernest with certificates of appreciation.

Ernest spent decades fighting for his family cemetery, which is now a public garden and historic landmark. His efforts were documented in a film called “Saving the Sacred Ranchero in the Canyon.”

“Ernie was my mentor and our family patriarch,” Kilbride said to the Post. “Ernie taught me so much about our family history. We went through so much together, saving the front portion of the cemetery from development and making the cemetery a beautiful place.”

Kilbride said Ernest loved the Marquez family cemetery and enjoyed hosting the students of Canyon Charter Elementary School, who would visit each year to learn about the Rancho history.

“We had our last cemetery field trip on December 11, 2023, and Ernie was in great spirits that day,” Kilbride said.

Kilbride said a celebration of Ernest’s life is in the works, and his ashes will be put in the cemetery in March, nearing the date that would have been his 100th birthday.

“Ernie will remain forever in the Santa Monica Canyon, a place that he loved so much,” Kilbride said. “He was a remarkable man, and I will miss him dearly.”

The family requested donations for the future maintenance of the Pasqual Marquez Family Cemetery with checks made payable to La Senora Research Institute-Cemetery Account—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization—and mailed to Kilbride at 245 Entrada Drive, Santa Monica, CA 90402.