San Francisco
County
Biographies
ALEXANDER
P. MURGOTTEN
ALEXANDER P. MURGOTTEN. Well known throughout the state as the editor
and publisher of The California Elk,
Alexander P. Murgotten is doing much in this capacity to promote the good
of the organization which his paper represents, and is also rendering efficient
assistance in advancing the interests of San Jose, the city in which he
resides. The son of one of the early
pioneer families of California, he has spent nearly all of his life in this
state, and by his intelligence, ability and integrity has been influential in
promoting its industrial, social, fraternal and political welfare. A son of the late Henry Clay Murgotten, he
was born February 10, 1846, in Lagro, Wabash county, Ind. He comes
of distinguished French ancestry, his great Grandfather Murgotten having been a
wealthy Parisian. His Grandfather
Murgotten, who, in 1808, was an officer in the French navy, served under
Napoleon, and after the second banishment of Napoleon was in a ship that was
lost off the coast of America. Being
rescued by an American vessel, he settled permanently in Baltimore, Md., living
there until his death, of cholera, in 1831.
He was a practical business man, and quite well-to-do, in addition to
his earnings receiving regular remittances from his father in France. The correct French spelling of his surname
Mr. Murgotten has never definitely ascertained.
One of a family consisting of six sons
and three daughters, Henry Clay Murgotten was born and reared in Baltimore,
Md., his birth occurring February 1, 1814.
In common with the children of his neighborhood he entered a cotton
factory when but seven years old, and during the first five years that he
worked there received but $5 a month wages.
The following two years he was given $7 a month, but on being whipped by
the boss left the mill. Going thence to
Pennsylvania, he served an apprenticeship of seven years at the carpenter’s
trade, after which he worked as a journeyman in Carlisle, Ohio, receiving $14 a
month for his work. The next six years
he was employed as a bridge builder in Muncie, Ind., from there moving to Lagro, Ind., where he worked at his trade erecting many
houses in that place, and helping to build several bridges across the Wabash river. Joining a
company about to start for the gold regions in 1849, he walked to Indianapolis,
and from there went by rail and steamer to New Orleans, paying $30 fare. Going thence by schooner to Chagres, he
started on foot across the Isthmus, but after getting lost and wandering about
for awhile[sic] secured a guide to conduct him to
Panama. There a party of one hundred and
fifty men chartered a vessel to convey them to San Francisco, each man paying
$110 passage money. After a voyage of
fifty-five days the party arrived at their destination, landing in San
Francisco April 8, 1850.
Mr. Murgotten went immediately to
Sacramento, arriving there penniless. A
week later he went with an ox-team to the Alder Creek mines, and while in camp
the oxen got away and he was left without means of transportation. After panning gold there for a time he went
to Willow Spring where he bought a rocker, and in a week took out $80 worth of
gold. Proceeding then to Placerville he located
a claim and was gathering about $20 per day of the golden mineral when he had
to leave to seek provisions. On his
return he found his claim had been jumped.
Resuming his trade, he worked for awhile[sic]
as a carpenter in Sacramento, receiving $12 a day wages. Subsequently engaging in mining on the Yuba river, and in the Northern canyon, he cleared $2000. June 28, 1852, he was joined in
Placerville by his wife and children, and in 1855 he opened a confectionery
store in that vicinity, and continued a resident of the place until his death,
November 9, 1893. He had built many
of the houses in Placerville, and erected for himself a neat brick residence.
In Muncie, Ind., December 24, 1837,
Henry Clay Murgotten married Susan Shaffer, who was born in Lycoming county, Pa., a daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Gordener) Shaffer.
Elizabeth Gordener was of French ancestry, and
was a daughter of George Gordener, who was a
life-long resident of Lycoming county, Pa., and served
as a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
December 24, 1887, in Placerville, Cal., Mr. and Mrs. Henry C.
Murgotten celebrated the golden anniversary of their wedding, the occasion
being one of joyful remembrance.
Mrs. Murgotten lived but a few years longer, passing away in San
Jose, June 21, 1888. Of the
children born of their union, three survive, namely: Mary H., wife of
Hon. William A. January, of San Jose; Alexander P., the subject
of this brief sketch; and Charles C., of San Jose. Mr. Murgotten was a stanch[sic]
Republican in politics, a past grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and was one of the founders and leading members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Placerville.
Coming with his
mother to California when a boy of six years, Alexander P. Murgotten was
carried across the Isthmus to Panama on the back of a native. He was subsequently reared and educated in
Placerville, Eldorado county, attending the public
schools until sixteen years old. He was
one of the first newsboys in the mines, commencing to sell papers as soon as he
arrived there. The New York, Boston and
St. Louis papers, although six months and even a year old, sold readily
for fifty cents, and illustrated papers brought fifty cents and $1 each. He later entered the employ of
William A. January, publisher of the Mountain
Democrat, and in his office learned the printer’s trade. Coming with Mr. January to San Jose in
1866, on January 1, Mr. Murgotten worked for two years on the Santa Clara Argus as foreman of the
office. Embarking then in business for
himself, he has since been extensively engaged in job printing and publishing. In 1877 he started the San Jose Pioneer (weekly), a paper that had a good circulation and
was devoted to the interests of the California pioneers. From 1885 until 1889 Mr. Murgotten was
in the employ of the government, being superintendent of deposit melting in the
United States Mint in San Francisco, and likewise being the representative of
the superintendent between the melting, refining and coining departments, in
this capacity handling all the gold twice, millions of dollars worth of it
passing through his hands every day. On
change of administration Mr. Murgotten returned to San Jose, and as junior
member of the firm of Cottle & Murgotten
resumed the publication of the Pioneer,
continuing with his partner for five or more years. In February, 1901, Mr. Murgotten
established The California Elk, a
large, twelve-page quarto, which is issued monthly in the interests of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States, and is also
actively and profitably engaged in a general printing business.
In San Jose, June 28, 1868,
Mr. Murgotten married Martha Kelley Munroe, a native of Medina, Ohio. Her father, Charles Munroe, started for
California by way of the Isthmus in 1852, but during the excitement caused by a
rich discovery of gold in Central America went to the mines of that country,
and died there. Mrs. Murgotten came
with her mother to San Jose in 1853, and was here educated, completing her
studies at Gates Institute. For many
years Mrs. Murgotten has been active in the social and fraternal life in
San Jose. She is a past noble grand of
the Rebekah branch of Odd Fellows, and at this writing is president of the San
Jose Woman’s Club. She is a Daughter of
the American Revolution, and a member of Northwest Chapter, of Ravenna,
Ohio. Her great-grandfather, Nathan
Munroe, was one of the Parker minute-men of the Revolution. The battle of Lexington was fought in front
of his residence, the building and furniture retaining many of the English
bullets imbedded therein.
Of the union of
Mr. and Mrs.
Murgotten, five children were born.
Mabel died at the age of sixteen years; Henry C served in the
United States Navy on board the Iowa five years, as captain’s writer, and is
now chief yeoman on the Buffalo; Mrs. Mollie A. Glover, a graduate of
the state normal school, died in Santa Cruz county in 1900; Edith C., a
graduate of the San Jose high school, is the wife of R. B. Richards,
a leading druggist of Marysville, Cal.; and Prof. F. C., a graduate of
Leland Stanford, Jr., University, holds the chair of Latin and Creek in the San
Luis Obispo high school. Politically
Mr. Murgotten is a steadfast Democrat, and since 1889 has served as deputy
county assessor of Santa Clara county under county
assessor L. A. Spitzer.
Fraternally he belongs to San Jose Lodge No. 210, F. & A. M.;
is a past noble grand of Garden City Lodge No. 142, I.O.O.F.; a past
master workman of Mount Hamilton Lodge No. 43, A.O.U.W.; and is a charter
member of San Jose Lodge No. 522, B.P.O.E.
He was one of the prime movers in the forming of the Santa Clara County
Pioneers’ Society, which was organized June 22, 1875, and of which he was
secretary for a quarter of a century, resigning the position in 1900. Religiously Mr. Murgotten is a member of
the Episcopal Church, and is liberal in his religious views, according to
everyone the right to worship God as conscience dictates.
Transcribed by Donna Toole.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 607-608. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2015 Donna Toole.
San Francisco County Biographies