THOMAS POGUE
The Alviso Hotel
ALVISO TOWNSHIP
Born in Wilmington, New
Castle county, Delaware, March 22, 1816. When eighteen years of
age, he shipped on board the whaling vessel Japan, at Nantucket, for a
voyage to the Pacific ocean, and after remaining in her ten months,
then went on the brig Malta, at Bay of Islands, New Zealand,
and eight months after, at Bost, signed articles at Lynn, to go on a
voyage in the whaling bark Altas.
Between Desolation Island and St. Paul's Island he was shipwrecked, but
making his way to the Isle of France (now Mauritius) he was put on
board the ship Java, Captain Smith, by the counsul for the
United States, and in her returned to New Bedford, and went home and
stayed for one year. He then shipped on the Sirius, at
Wilmington, Delaware, for a whaling voyage to the South Pacific, which
lasted forty-five months, with very poor success. He next made a
voyage and return, between Boston and Liverpool, in the ship Monterey,
Captain Dunbar, and finally returned to his home in Delaware. The
Mexican war breaking out about this time, our subject shipped on the
United States frigate Potomac, Commander Alanc, and served
through that campaign afloat and ashore, under Generals Taylor, Scott
and Patterson. At the close of hostilities he returned to the
Atlantic coast and joined the brig Silas Marner, Captain Long, on a voyage to the Mediterranean ports and back to Baltimore; he then shipped on board the brig Consort,
bound to California , where he arrived in February, 1850. He at
once proceeded to Stockton, and from there to the mines in Tuolumne
county, but soon returned to San Francisco'; thence he went to Butte
county, but retunred again to the city shortly after, when engaged in
steamboating on the Stockton route, on the steamer Weber.
In 1853 he came to Alviso, where he had charge of the flouring mills
for some twenty years , as engineer. Since then be built and
conducted the Alviso Hotel, which he now owns, as also a small farm not
far from that town. Married, in San Francisco, February, 1860,
Elizabeth Smith, and has one child living; Mary K. C., born May 13,
1864.