02-08-1842 – What is left of the Pious Fund for the Missions of California is confiscated by Mexican President Antonio López Maria de Santa Anna.
05-24-1842 – The last Franciscan missionary to arrive in California in the 18th century, José Ramón Abella, dies at Santa Inés Virgen y Martir.
1842 – A small deposit of gold is discovered near San Fernando Rey de España. For years, treasure-seekers dig up the walls and floors of the abandoned church seeking gold.
1842 – Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, the first Bishop of Alta and Baja California, moves his headquarters and residence to Mission Santa Bárbara.
1842 – The former missions of San Gabriel Arcángel and San Miguel Arcángel become the first two parishes in California.
1843 – San Buenaventura follows as the third parish in California.