Rare abstract for Rancho San Pablo, a 17,939-acre land grant in present day Contra Costa County, California given in 1823 by Governor Luís Antonio Argüello to Francisco María Castro, a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San José. The grant was reconfirmed by Governor José Figueroa in 1834 to the heirs of Francisco Castro, including Víctor Castro. The San Pablo grant covered what is now Richmond, San Pablo, and Kensington in western Contra Costa County. OCLC/WorldCat lists only six copies, at the Huntington, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Texas A&M, the California State Library, and Stanford. The catalogue listing for the first four copies calls for a folding illustration in addition to the two maps, and the listing for the last two calls for a folding table in addition to the maps, but neither folding illustration nor table is present in this copy. This copy formerly belonged to Joseph Emeric, inscribed and signed by him several times, with his small book label in a few places, and extensive ink or pencil notes, apparently by him, throughout, both in the text and margins. Frenchman Joseph Emeric was a successful merchant in Boston before his business failed, and he came to San Francisco in 1849 with only a dollar in his pocket. His business ventures on the west coast proved more successful, and he soon was able to purchase large portions of the Rancho San Pablo, which brought the inevitable lawsuits of which this abstract is a partial result.