FRANCIS HENRY BURGIN, “Frank” was the first of Seldovia’s many celebrated dentists! He was born in Harrison, Missouri on February 7, 1879 to Fleming and Mary Burgin. His father was a physician and Frank as well as two of his brothers entered the field of medicine. Frank graduated from the Western Dental College in Kansas, Missouri in 1903. In 1902 he married Georgia Travis in Harrison. In 1910 they were living in Long Beach, California, where he was practicing as a dentist. During WWI he was a private in the Marine Corps, based in Puget Sound Washington.
Frank then married Mary Johanson in Seldovia in 1917. Mary was born in Karluk, Alaska to Anton and Alexandria CHICHENOFF Johanson. Their daughter Virginia was born in Seldovia in 1918. Soon after that they moved to Grand Junction, Colorado and their second daughter Leona was born there in 1920. Sons Herschel (1922) and George (1925) were born in Seldovia.
There was a burgeoning Burgin enclave in Delta. Frank’s brother, Charles H. Burgin was a physician practicing in Delta and both Frank and Isam often returned to Delta to spend time and practice their trades. Their mother Mary also lived there with her daughter Margaret Coutts (a nurse). She died there in 1925.
Frank’s brother, Isam Burgin, was also a physician living in Seldovia, and in 1934 the Ninilchik schools raised enough money to hire “Seldovia Doctor Isam Burgin to provide dental checkups for the town’s children. Doctor Burgin and his equipment came in by dogsled from Homer in late January.”
In 1921, Frank acted as the administrator for the estate of Albert Filmore.
In 1923, Frank, his brother Isam and Lawrence Dunning shared a salmon fishing permit in Kachemak Bay.
The family was back in Colorado at least by 1928, this time in Denver, where Frank operated Burgin Dental Laboratory. The 1930 US census lists the family in King County, Washington where Frank was again practicing dentistry.
Frank died in Seldovia June 11, 1938. He is buried in the Seldovia City Cemetery, Plot #97. Mary and the children were still living there in 1940. She died in Costa Mesa, California in 1992.