Tulare County Biographies

REV. JAMES MURPHY

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

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

 
The long and useful life of Rev. James Murphy, which throughout its entirety 
signifies untiring energy, unselfishness and perseverance for the good of 
others, is a most interesting one, embracing many hard and trying experiences 
but withal receiving the tribute for the high calling which he had responded to 
in that he was beloved by all who were fortunate enough to come to know him, and 
his memory is revered by a wide circle of admiring friends. One of God's noble 
creatures, he had ever accepted his task without murmuring and filled his duties 
to the best of his ability and many there are who have had reason to bless him.
Born near Richmond, Va., March 18, 1803, James Murphy at an early date removed 
to Tippecanoe county, Ind., where he was married to Miss Jane Morris. To this 
union was born a family of twelve children, six of whom grew to maturity. He was 
ordained a minister in the United Brethren Church when he came to Indiana and 
continued to preach for forty years. Moving from Indiana to Woodford county, 
Ill., he resided there until in August, 1854, when he went to Iowa and settled 
at Clarksville, where he was a pioneer minister. He established the first United 
Brethren Church at Corbley Grove, Fayette county, Iowa, which grew rapidly, and 
forty years later a new church was built at Westgate by that congregation, and 
this was named Murphy Memorial Church in honor of Rev. James Murphy, who had 
been its organizer.
In 1886 Henry Murphy, son of Rev. James Murphy, visited the latter at Oldwein 
near Westgate, Iowa, and finding him in ill health took him to his home on the 
north branch of the Tule river, where he spent the remainder of his life, 
passing away March 18, 1892. Rev. James Murphy was twice married and as 
mentioned above six of his twelve children by his first marriage lived to mature 
age. Delilah, who was the wife of Daniel Fague, had two children, Mary and 
Henry; she died in 1911, at Oldwein, Iowa, aged eighty-two years. Nancy was 
married three times, first to Ira Havens of Bloomington, Ill.; second to James 
Phillips, of Delhi, Iowa, and had one son, Zina ; and third to Zina Wheelock, of 
Manchester, Iowa ; she passed away in April, 1911. James, now deceased, was 
married in 1856 to Mary Buckmaster, and is mentioned below. Henry is mentioned 
fully on another page of this publication. John, a stockman residing at 
Atchison, Kans., is married and has a family; he is unfortunate in that he is 
blind. Emaline is the widow of Elonzo Spencer, formerly of Bloomfield, Iowa, and 
she had three children, Bert, Louise and William, all residing in the vicinity 
of Bloomfield. By his second marriage Rev. James Murphy was the father of three 
children: Hattie, conducting a hotel at Livingston, Mont.; Fred, a wholesale 
tobacco dealer at Pocatello, Idaho; and Wenrich, a railroad man on the Oregon 
Short Line.
James Murphy, son of Rev. James, married in 1856 Mary Buckmaster, and the eldest 
daughter of this union is Sara J., now the wife of W. R. Neal, who resides at 
Springville, Tulare county. Mr. Neal is one of the leading merchants and 
postmaster of Springville and was at one time state superintendent of public 
instruction of the state of Oregon. He is an educator of note, having followed 
the profession of teaching more than thirty years before taking up the 
mercantile business at Springville, and is pursuing his enterprise with unusual 
energy and such success as to mark him one of the leading business men of the 
county. Mr. and Mrs. Neal have had a family of six children, viz.: Minerva is 
the wife of Rev. William M. Olderby, pastor of the Northern Liberty Church at 
Philadelphia, Pa., situated at No. 510 Buttonwood street, and they have one 
child, James. William is married to Catharine Gulley and is a partner with his 
father at Springville. Jennie Neal is vice principal of the schools at 
Porterville. Lillie is bookkeeper in her father's business. Gwendolyn is a 
student in the school at Springville. James accidentally shot himself while the 
family were residing in Oregon when nineteen years of age.
 
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - 
Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913, Pp 812-813