Murphy family

The Murphy family is a historical American family of Irish heritage associated with the settlement and development of California, especially Santa Clara County and neighboring parts of the Central Coast and Bay Area. Its California history grew out of the migration of Martin Murphy Sr. and Martin Murphy Jr., who were born in County Wexford, Ireland, and emigrated with their families to Quebec in 1820 before continuing westward to California. Their descendants and relatives became ranchers, farmers, merchants, lawyers, civic officials, and landowners during a period when Mexican land grants were being incorporated into the expanding American economy and political system. Across several generations, members of the extended family and their connected households held or managed substantial properties associated with former Mexican grants. These included Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche, Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, Rancho Refugio de la Laguna Seca, Rancho Las Uvas, Rancho La Purísima Concepción, Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas, and Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas. Taken together over time, these holdings amounted to more than 100,000 acres, although ownership was distributed among different branches, marriages, and generations rather than held as one permanent corporate estate. The family’s influence was therefore based on an interconnected network of land, marriage, inheritance, farming, and public service. Martin Murphy Sr. settled in the Santa Clara Valley at Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche, an area that includes present-day San Martin. His son, Martin Murphy Jr., established himself at Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas, in the vicinity of present-day Sunnyvale. The recreated Martin Murphy House preserves part of that local history. Other branches spread throughout the region. James Murphy operated Ringwood Farm near San Jose and Milpitas; Margaret Murphy’s descendants became associated with early wheat farming and Santa Clara County civic life; Johanna Murphy’s family farmed and held land near Gilroy; and Mary Murphy’s descendants became prominent in Marin County and the Nicasio area. The family also contributed to the creation and naming of communities. John Marion Murphy and Daniel Martin Murphy established a trading post and mining settlement in the Sierra Nevada foothills that became Murphys, California. Daniel Martin Murphy later settled at Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, south of present-day Morgan Hill. His daughter Diana Helen Murphy inherited ranch property and, with her husband Hiram Morgan Hill, helped establish the community that became the city of Morgan Hill. Public service was another recurring feature of the family’s history. At least five Murphy family members—Patrick W. Murphy, Bernard D. Murphy, John C. Murphy, J. E. Murphy, and R. W. Murphy—served in the California legislature. Bernard D. Murphy was also a lawyer, businessman, and multiple-term mayor of San Jose. John Marion Murphy held positions including Santa Clara County sheriff and county recorder, as well as mayor of San Jose. Related descendants, including Martin D. Kell, William J. Miller, Bernard Thomas Miller, and Charles M. Weber III, also held county or state offices. The Murphy family is not a contemporary commercial brand or operating company. It is instead a historical family and genealogical subject whose significance lies in migration, landownership, agriculture, political participation, and regional place-making. Its history has been documented in local collections, a historical marker in San Martin, Marjorie Pierce’s 2000 book The Martin Murphy Family Saga, and the 2021 PBS documentary The Forgotten Journey. Because the family included many branches and marriages, references to its properties and descendants should be understood as a broad kinship network rather than a single centralized institution.

The Murphy family’s California story began with Martin Murphy Sr. and Martin Murphy Jr., Irish immigrants from County Wexford who moved to Quebec in 1820 before joining the westward migration to California. Their arrival placed the family within the transformation of Alta California from a Mexican province into an American state. Through settlement, marriage, inheritance, and participation in local commerce, different Murphy branches became connected to ranches and former Mexican land grants across Santa Clara, Marin, San Joaquin, and adjacent regions. Martin Murphy Sr. became associated with Rancho Ojo del Agua de la Coche in the Santa Clara Valley, including land around present-day San Martin. Martin Murphy Jr. settled at Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas near present-day Sunnyvale. His former residence has been recreated as the Martin Murphy House, a museum-related historic site preserving the family’s connection to early Santa Clara Valley settlement. These ranches supported agriculture and livestock operations while also placing the family near transportation routes and growing towns. The family’s broader network expanded through siblings and descendants. James Murphy established Ringwood Farm near San Jose and Milpitas. Margaret Murphy married Thomas B. Kell, and their descendants participated in farming and county civic affairs. Johanna Murphy’s family became associated with ranching near Gilroy. Mary Murphy married James S. Miller, linking the family to Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas, and early settlement in Marin County. Her descendants included William J. Miller and Bernard Thomas Miller, both of whom held land and public responsibilities in the Nicasio region. Helen Murphy married businessman Carl David Maria Weber, connecting another branch to early Stockton history and later political service. Several family members were active in public life. Patrick W. Murphy served in the California State Assembly and Senate. Bernard D. Murphy combined legal and commercial work with service as a California state senator and multiple terms as mayor of San Jose. John Marion Murphy became a merchant and public official, serving as Santa Clara County sheriff and county recorder and as mayor of San Jose. Related figures, including Martin D. Kell, William J. Miller, Bernard Thomas Miller, and Charles M. Weber III, also served in county or state roles. The family’s political presence reflected both its economic position and its integration into the institutions of the new California state. John Marion Murphy and Daniel Martin Murphy were associated with a trading post and mining settlement in the Sierra Nevada foothills that became Murphys, California. Daniel later settled at Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, near present-day Morgan Hill. His daughter Diana Helen Murphy inherited ranch land and, together with Hiram Morgan Hill, helped found the community that bears his name. Other family holdings included Rancho Refugio de la Laguna Seca, Rancho Las Uvas, Rancho La Purísima Concepción, and Rancho San Pedro, Santa Margarita y Las Gallinas. The combined properties linked the family to a very large area of nineteenth-century California, although the land was divided among branches and changed through sales, inheritance, and marriage. The family’s history also includes tragedy. Bernard Murphy and his nephew Thomas J. Kell died in 1853 in an explosion aboard the Jenny Lind while traveling from Alviso to San Francisco. Such events illustrate the hazards faced by settlers and commercial travelers during California’s early development. In later generations, the Murphy family became an object of historical and genealogical study rather than a unified landholding enterprise. A historical marker in San Martin recognizes the family’s regional importance. Marjorie Pierce’s 2000 book The Martin Murphy Family Saga assembled a detailed family history, while John Krizek’s 2021 PBS documentary The Forgotten Journey presented the family’s migration and California experience to a wider audience. Surviving family papers and related Weber and Miller collections provide additional documentary evidence. The subject should therefore be understood as a multi-branch historical family network, not as a company, consumer brand, or current operating organization.

• 2021

  The Forgotten Journey documentary

  [1]Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org

  A PBS documentary produced by John Krizek brought the family’s migration and settlement history to a broader public audience.

• 2000

  Publication of The Martin Murphy Family Saga

  [1]Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org

  Marjorie Pierce published a book documenting the family’s migration, genealogy, landholdings, and role in California history.

• 1860

  Expansion of regional landholdings

  [1]Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org

  Across several branches and generations, Murphy relatives and connected families held or managed numerous former Mexican land grants in California.

• 1853

  Jenny Lind disaster

  [1]Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org

  Bernard Murphy and his nephew Thomas J. Kell died in an explosion aboard the Jenny Lind while traveling between Alviso and San Francisco.

• 1840

  Murphy settlement in California

  [1]Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org

  The Murphy family became established in California during the early period of American migration and settlement, with major activity in the Santa Clara Valley.

• 1820

  Migration to Quebec

  [1]Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org

  Martin Murphy Sr. and Martin Murphy Jr., both from County Wexford, Ireland, emigrated with their families to Quebec, then known as Lower Canada.

Historical family and regional settler network, not a commercial brand.

1. 1Murphy familyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Martin Murphy Family Sagasearch.worldcat.org
3. 3Martin Murphy Houseen.wikipedia.org