Tulare County Biographies

HENRY AND PHILENA A. MURPHY

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
The well-known breeder of horses, hogs, sheep and cattle, whose name introduces 
this brief notice, was born in Dennison, Clark county, Ill., in 1836, and when 
he was three years old he was taken to Woodford county, in the same state, where 
his parents established a new home. There they lived until 1854, when Henry was 
eighteen years old. Meanwhile he had attended school as opportunity offered and 
had acquired a practical knowledge of farming as then prosecuted in that part of 
the country. In the year last mentioned the family went to Iowa. There Mr. 
Murphy lived until 1860, when he went to Pike's Peak, Colo. After leaving 
Colorado in May, 1863, he took a pack train to the gold mines in Montana, and 
after selling his outfit took up mining. In February, 1864, he opened up the 
first paying claim on Alder creek, in Pine Grove district, six miles above 
Virginia city. The claim was a good one, yielding $40,000 returns. He took his 
gold to Philadelphia to the mint to be coined, and was there when Abraham 
Lincoln was assassinated. After disposing of his gold to a Broadway banker in 
New York city, Mr. Murphy went to Barton county, Mo., where he purchased 
considerable land and erected two stoneware pottery plants at Lamar, Mo. In 1880 
he erected the finest cut-stone building in Barton county. Two years later lie 
engaged in the grocery business in Lamar and subsequently lie removed to Wolsey, 
S. Dak., remaining there two years, when he came to California and settled on 
the north fork of Tule river, where he now makes his home. This property was 
inherited by Mrs. Murphy, it formerly belonging to her father. The property 
comprises eight hundred acres, and this Mr. Murphy is operating with much 
profit, giving special attention to horses, hogs, sheep and cattle. So extensive 
is his business that lie has become known as one of the leading stockmen in his 
part of the county.
In 1879 Mr. Murphy married Philena A. Bailey, a native of Ohio. When he came to 
the county it was mostly wild land and he was one of the pioneers in improvement 
in his vicinity. He has watched the development of this now rich region and has 
done whatever was possible to encourage and promote it. To those who best know 
him it is well known that no legitimate appeal to his public spirit is unheeded. 
While he is not active in political work he entertains very definite convictions 
concerning all questions of public policy, and always favors such men and 
measures as he believes promise to confer the greatest good upon the greatest 
number. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have no children of their own, but have taken into 
their home and brought up and educated ten orphan children.
 
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - 
Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913, pp. 656-657

JOHN V. CREATH
 
In his successful career as a contractor and builder, John V. Creath, whose 
place is at the corner of I and King streets, Tulare, in the California county 
of that name, has demonstrated the value of originality and initiative. He is a 
native-born Californian and his life began in Merced county in 1873. He was only 
a baby when his family moved back to the place in the East whence they had come 
out to the West. In 1888, when he was about fifteen years old, he went to 
Phoenix, Arizona, where he engaged in mining and as opportunity offered worked 
at the carpenter's trade. He came to Tulare in 1906 and has risen to prominence 
as a contractor and builder. Among the structures which are monuments to his 
enterprise and industry are the Post Office building at Tulare, the Moore block 
and the Dairymen's Co-operative Creamery building. He constructed the concrete 
dam across the Tule river near Porterville, built twelve buildings on the Tagus 
ranch, built several houses in Lindsay, built a set of buildings on the R. F. 
Gearing ranch and another on the McGarver and Walker ranch. In fact, he makes a 
specialty of designing plans for complete sets of ranch buildings which he 
erects so substantially and artistically that they attract attention and 
proclaim his talent and skill as nothing else could do. In addition to the 
achievements mentioned he has erected many buildings of different kinds 
throughout the country. In 1911 he built twelve houses on unimproved property in 
Tulare City. His business gives constant employment to from ten to twenty-five 
men and requires the use of two automobiles. In the winter of 1912 he built the 
town of Graham, twenty-five miles west of Fresno, for B. F. Graham.
October 9, 1895, Mr. Creath married Miss June B. Allison, who was born in 
Illinois, and they have children named Ralph, James, Florence and Donald. Mr. 
Creath is identified with local lodges of Eagles, Red Men and Woodmen of the 
World. He is too busy to take active part in political work, but has a good 
knowledge of public questions, local and general, and a well defined opinion as 
to how he should vote in order to further the best interests of the people at 
large.
 
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - 
Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913, pp. 658-659