Elizabeth Murphy Taaffe
Elizabeth Murphy Taaffe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Yuba Murphy December 1, 1844 Placer County, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 1875 (aged 30) Sunnyvale, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | William Post Taaffe (m. 1863–1869; his death) |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | Martin Murphy Jr. |
| Relatives | Patrick W. Murphy (sibling), Bernard D. Murphy (sibling), Martin Murphy Sr. (grandfather), John Marion Murphy (uncle), Daniel Martin Murphy (uncle) |
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Murphy Taaffe (née Elizabeth Yuba Murphy; 1844–1875) was an American rancher and early settler in Santa Clara County, California. She the first child born of English-speaking parents in the State of California.
Family, and life
Elizabeth Yuba Murphy was born on December 1, 1844, in Placer County, California. She was a middle child born to Martin Murphy Jr. and his wife Mary Bulger Murphy, and was from the Irish Murphy family.[1][2] She was born during the Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party migration, and was the first child born of English-speaking parents in California.[1][3]
When Murphy married San Francisco merchant William Post Taaffe in 1863, her father gave them 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) of his own ranch land, in what is now Los Altos Hills, California.[1][4] They named the land Taaffe Ranch (it was located where Foothill College is now).[1][5] The Taffee family had four children, and seven generations of the family have remained in Los Altos Hills.[1][6]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Taaffe family descendants recall early days of Los Altos Hills". Los Altos Town Crier. November 11, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ "Today in California History". The Sacramento Union. December 2, 1926. p. 16. Retrieved December 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dowling, Patrick J. (1989). California, the Irish Dream. Golden Gate Publishers. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-9620974-3-0.
- ^ McDonald, Don (2010). Early Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Arcadia Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7385-8010-4.
- ^ Fava, Florence M. (1976). Los Altos Hills: The Colorful Story. Gilbert Richards Publications. p. 50.
- ^ "Town History". The Town of Los Altos Hills. Retrieved December 2, 2025.