Monterey County, California
Genealogy ~ History


PIERRE ARTELLAN 1815-1891

Submitted by Gary Carlsen

Pierre Artellan

PIERRE ARTELLAN 1815-1891
Pierre ARTELLAN was born, Joseph Marie Demerville in Saint Malo, Brittany, France 4 Apr 1815 a natural illegitimate. At the age of nineteen he sailed from the port of Havre as a novice seaman aboard the le Gange, departing on 6 Sep 1834. The crew list shows he was missing one eye at his time of enlistment. Upon arrival in Monterey, on 20 Sep 1835 he jumped ship, and became a resident of the area. His marriage recorded at San Carlos Church in Monterey California, shows he was a native of Zamola (St Malo) France, and the son of Juan Arellano and Maria Lariza Conac, which he may have assumed to satisfy the requirements of the church. Pierre died 15 Jan 1891 at the age of 78 in Monterey, Monterey, California and his body was interred 16 Jun 1891 at the Catholic Cemetery in Monterey. He appears to the first and only known Artellan to arrive in the Monterey area.

The Bancroft Pioneer Record and Index shows he was coxswain of the Custom House boat at Monterey and Assistant Tax Collector for Custom House duties. Records show he was injured in a fracas at the Custom House in 1844. The story goes ruffians were attempting to rob the Custom House, and an indian either drunk or a part of the attempted robbery shot an arrow which pierced Artellans eye causing permanent damage. Because of his injury in the line of duty he received a pension from the Mexican Government until 1847. Once US Government forces took over Governor Mason discontinued the pension for lack of US funds. The Monterey County Voting Register of 1867 shows Pedro Artagon age 52 born in France working as a Mariner living in Monterey. It shows he was naturalized on 29 July 1867 in the county of Monterey via The Treaty of Mexico (Treaty Guadalupe Hildalgo).

He married Maria Antonia Dominga Garcia in Monterey, Alta, CA, 1 Jul 1842. Maria was born in San Juan Bautista, Alta, CA 12 Jun 1825, and she was christened in San Juan Bautista, 12 Jun 1825, Maria was the daughter of a Spanish soldier Felipe Santiago Garcia and Francisca Jacinta Hernandez. Maria died at age 48 in August of 1872, and was buried on 31 August 1872 at the Catholic Cemetery in Monterey. Her grandfather, also named Felipe Santiago Garcia had been one of the early Spanish soldiers who come to Alta California in 1774 from Sinaloa Mexico where he was born in 1750. Her grandmother Maria Petra Alcantara del Riconda Lugo came with him and they had 21 children between 1774 and 1802.

The Artellan home sat on land that today extends from Munras avenue to Abrego Street above Fremont street. The house faced east toward Abrego and was later addressed 732 Abrego. Part of the land was deeded to his son Pedro in 1889, and another section to his son Juan Artellan in 1890, who deeded it to his wife Matilda Artellan in 1922. When his daughter Josefa married Esperdion Vasquez he was given part of the land behind the adobe, facing Abrego Street, across from what became the Dorney funeral home in the 50’s. Julia Tremayne recalled the ruins of the old adobe still standing when she was a child. A second daughter Maria Adelaide received another portion of the original land when she married Jose Butler of Watsonville. Julia Tremayne recalls her home, a wooden house, still standing in 1946. It was located on Munras above the service station at the corner of Fremont and Munras.

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This page was last updated 30 Apr 2007

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