Dr.
James
T.
"Dock"
Murphy
M.D.
Born about in New York
Son of Unknown Murphy
and Mary (Unknown) Murphy
Brother of
Simon D. Murphy
Husband of
Maggie (Harrold) Murphy
— married
4 Feb 1867 in Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana
Descendants 
Died about
at about age 47
in Cherry County, Nebraska
Profile last modified
| Created 2 Dec 2013
This page has been accessed 342 times.
Contents |
Biography
James was born about 1837. James Murphy ... [1]
James T. Murphy was born in New York, USA, Educated in Oberlin, Loraine, Ohio at Oberlin College, Became a physician And Surgeon, Taught school in Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana at Saint Paul's Catholic School and married his wife Maggie (Margaret)Harrold in 1867 in Valparaiso, Indiana. Moved to Lincoln, Lancaster Nebraska, practiced some medicine but mostly was a civil engineer and Surveyor as shown on Census reports, built first hotel in Kearney, Nebraska called the Murphy House hotel and later the Harrold House hotel in honor of his and his brother's wives the Harrold sisters. James Brother Simon Murphy was also a Civil Engineer and was city Engineer in Kearney, Nebraska and also elected for several terms as Buffalo, County Surveyor. James and Simon Murphy both had homesteads in Nebraska around Buffalo County and around Grand Island, Nebraska. 1n 1883/1884 James T. Murphy filed on a homestead approximately 25 miles south of Valentine,Cherry County, Nebraska and ran the food kitchen at Grade Camp # 29 for the railroad. It was in December of 1884 that James T. Murphy also called Dock Murphy and his nephew John S. Murphy (who would later become the city attorney at Chadron, Nebraska), were out getting wood when a quarrel erupted between James T. Murphy and a Cowboy called "Frenchy" aka Prosper Marion over who had the right to the wood. Murphy had filed a homestead claim and was protecting his property, Murphy pulled his "six-shooter" and told "Frenchy" to back off, Frenchy left and went back to his camp, got his gun and hunted Murphy down. He found Murphy at Grade Camp # 29, where he was reported to have said "you had the drop on me down at the river, but I got the drop on you now and I'm gonna kill you" and he did. That dirty rotten no good cowboy killed James T. Murphy in cold blood. In the scuffle that ensued, Murphy's nephew John S. Murphy tried to pull Frenchy's gun away but ended up getting one or two fingers shot off. Frenchy was arrested, tried, and then broke out of jail and was on the run from the law for the next 25 years until he was recognized and arrested near Spokane, Washington. John S. Murphy went on to become one of the most brilliant young lawyers in Nebraska, having both a private law practice and also as Chadron, Nebraska City Attorney. [edit/delete]
On April 20, 2014 You wrote: James T. Murphy was born in New York, USA, Educated in Oberlin, Loraine, Ohio at Oberlin College, Became a physician And Surgeon, Taught school in Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana at Saint Paul's Catholic School and married his wife Maggie (Margaret)Harrold in 1867 in Valparaiso, Indiana. Moved to Lincoln, Lancaster Nebraska, practiced some medicine but mostly was a civil engineer and Surveyor as shown on Census reports, built first hotel in Kearney, Nebraska called the Murphy House hotel and later the Harrold House hotel in honor of his and his brother's wives the Harrold sisters. James Brother Simon Murphy was also a Civil Engineer and was city Engineer in Kearney, Nebraska and also elected for several terms as Buffalo, County Surveyor. James and Simon Murphy both had homesteads in Nebraska around Buffalo County and around Grand Island, Nebraska. 1n 1883/1884 James T. Murphy filed on a homestead approximately 25 miles south of Valentine,Cherry County, Nebraska and ran the food kitchen at Grade Camp # 29 for the railroad. It was in December of 1884 that James T. Murphy also called Dock Murphy and his nephew John S. Murphy (who would later become the city attorney at Chadron, Nebraska), were out getting wood when a quarrel erupted between James T. Murphy and a Cowboy called "Frenchy" aka Prosper Marion over who had the right to the wood. Murphy had filed a homestead claim and was protecting his property, Murphy pulled his "six-shooter" and told "Frenchy" to back off, Frenchy left and went back to his camp, got his gun and hunted Murphy down. He found Murphy at Grade Camp # 29, where he was reported to have said "you had the drop on me down at the river, but I got the drop on you now and I'm gonna kill you" and he did. That dirty rotten no good cowboy killed James T. Murphy in cold blood. In the scuffle that ensued, Murphy's nephew John S. Murphy tried to pull Frenchy's gun away but ended up getting one or two fingers shot off. Frenchy was arrested, tried, and then broke out of jail and was on the run from the law for the next 25 years until he was recognized and arrested near Spokane, Washington. John S. Murphy went on to become one of the most brilliant young lawyers in Nebraska, having both a private law practice and also as Chadron, Nebraska City Attorney. Can you add any information on James Murphy? Please help grow his WikiTree profile. Everything you see here is a collaborative work-in-progress.
Sources
No sources. The events of James's life were either witnessed by James Brogden or James plans to add sources here later.
Footnotes
- ↑ Entered by James Brogden, Sunday, December 1, 2013.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to James Brogden for creating Murphy-4535 on 1 Dec 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by James and others.
Memories: 5
Enter a personal reminiscence or story.
James T. Murphy, Murdered by "Frenchy" AKA Prosper Marion, was buried in Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska Boothill Cemetery.
Valentine Nebraska was one of the most lawless, toughest places on the frontier to live and the Murphy family and James T. Murphy exemplified the grit that it took to build our great nation--James T. Murphy's daughter Cora Silver Murphy would later marry Martin F. Morrissey of Chadron, Nebraska. Together, Cora Murphy Morrissey and her husband Martin Morrissey would build one of the largest construction companies in Nebraska. They built bridges, roads and rail lines in over 32 different states. And it is Cora Murphy who is recounted in the newspaper article in the July 8, 1909 edition of "The Valentine Democrat" that 38 years later moved the remains of James T. Murphy to Chadron, Nebraska for burial.
The University of Nebraska has a historic website page for Cody, Nebraska and they say .."Beginning with the murder of a camp resident by a ranch cowboy, Cody's story resembles a western novel." http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/cherry/cody/
The man murdered in the above account is James T. Murphy and the murderer is Frenchy Prosper Marian
posted 20 Apr 2014 by James Brogden
[thank James]
James T. Murphy, Murdered by "Frenchy" AKA Prosper Marion, was buried in Valentine, Cherry County, Nebraska Boothill Cemetery.
Valentine Nebraska was one of the most lawless, toughest places on the frontier to live and the Murphy family and James T. Murphy exemplified the grit that it took to build our great nation--James T. Murphy's daughter Cora Silver Murphy would later marry Martin F. Morrissey of Chadron, Nebraska. Together, Cora Murphy Morrissey and her husband Martin Morrissey would build one of the largest construction companies in Nebraska. They built bridges, roads and rail lines in over 32 different states. And it is Cora Murphy who is recounted in the newspaper article in the July 8, 1909 edition of "The Valentine Democrat" that 38 years later moved the remains of James T. Murphy to Chadron, Nebraska for burial.
The University of Nebraska has a historic website page for Cody, Nebraska and they say .."Beginning with the murder of a camp resident by a ranch cowboy, Cody's story resembles a western novel." http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/cherry/cody/
The man murdered in the above account is James T. Murphy and the murderer is Frenchy Prosper Marian
posted 20 Apr 2014 by James Brogden
[thank James]
James T. Murphy was born in New York, USA, Educated in Oberlin, Loraine, Ohio at Oberlin College, Became a physician And Surgeon, Taught school in Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana at Saint Paul's Catholic School and married his wife Maggie (Margaret)Harrold in 1867 in Valparaiso, Indiana. Moved to Lincoln, Lancaster Nebraska, practiced some medicine but mostly was a civil engineer and Surveyor as shown on Census reports, built first hotel in Kearney, Nebraska called the Murphy House hotel and later the Harrold House hotel in honor of his and his brother's wives the Harrold sisters. James Brother Simon Murphy was also a Civil Engineer and was city Engineer in Kearney, Nebraska and also elected for several terms as Buffalo, County Surveyor. James and Simon Murphy both had homesteads in Nebraska around Buffalo County and around Grand Island, Nebraska. 1n 1883/1884 James T. Murphy filed on a homestead approximately 25 miles south of Valentine,Cherry County, Nebraska and ran the food kitchen at Grade Camp # 29 for the railroad. It was in December of 1884 that James T. Murphy also called Dock Murphy and his nephew John S. Murphy (who would later become the city attorney at Chadron, Nebraska), were out getting wood when a quarrel erupted between James T. Murphy and a Cowboy called "Frenchy" aka Prosper Marion over who had the right to the wood. Murphy had filed a homestead claim and was protecting his property, Murphy pulled his "six-shooter" and told "Frenchy" to back off, Frenchy left and went back to his camp, got his gun and hunted Murphy down. He found Murphy at Grade Camp # 29, where he was reported to have said "you had the drop on me down at the river, but I got the drop on you now and I'm gonna kill you" and he did. That dirty rotten no good cowboy killed James T. Murphy in cold blood. In the scuffle that ensued, Murphy's nephew John S. Murphy tried to pull Frenchy's gun away but ended up getting one or two fingers shot off. Frenchy was arrested, tried, and then broke out of jail and was on the run from the law for the next 25 years until he was recognized and arrested near Spokane, Washington. John S. Murphy went on to become one of the most brilliant young lawyers in Nebraska, having both a private law practice and also as Chadron, Nebraska City Attorney.
posted 20 Apr 2014 by James Brogden
[thank James]
James T. Murphy was born in New York, USA, Educated in Oberlin, Loraine, Ohio at Oberlin College, Became a physician And Surgeon, Taught school in Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana at Saint Paul's Catholic School and married his wife Maggie (Margaret)Harrold in 1867 in Valparaiso, Indiana. Moved to Lincoln, Lancaster Nebraska, practiced some medicine but mostly was a civil engineer and Surveyor as shown on Census reports, built first hotel in Kearney, Nebraska called the Murphy House hotel and later the Harrold House hotel in honor of his and his brother's wives the Harrold sisters. James Brother Simon Murphy was also a Civil Engineer and was city Engineer in Kearney, Nebraska and also elected for several terms as Buffalo, County Surveyor. James and Simon Murphy both had homesteads in Nebraska around Buffalo County and around Grand Island, Nebraska. 1n 1883/1884 James T. Murphy filed on a homestead approximately 25 miles south of Valentine,Cherry County, Nebraska and ran the food kitchen at Grade Camp # 29 for the railroad. It was in December of 1884 that James T. Murphy also called Dock Murphy and his nephew John S. Murphy (who would later become the city attorney at Chadron, Nebraska), were out getting wood when a quarrel erupted between James T. Murphy and a Cowboy called "Frenchy" aka Prosper Marion over who had the right to the wood. Murphy had filed a homestead claim and was protecting his property, Murphy pulled his "six-shooter" and told "Frenchy" to back off, Frenchy left and went back to his camp, got his gun and hunted Murphy down. He found Murphy at Grade Camp # 29, where he was reported to have said "you had the drop on me down at the river, but I got the drop on you now and I'm gonna kill you" and he did. That dirty rotten no good cowboy killed James T. Murphy in cold blood. In the scuffle that ensued, Murphy's nephew John S. Murphy tried to pull Frenchy's gun away but ended up getting one or two fingers shot off. Frenchy was arrested, tried, and then broke out of jail and was on the run from the law for the next 25 years until he was recognized and arrested near Spokane, Washington. John S. Murphy went on to become one of the most brilliant young lawyers in Nebraska, having both a private law practice and also as Chadron, Nebraska City Attorney.
posted 20 Apr 2014 by James Brogden
[thank James]
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Oberlin College. (1909). General catalogue of Oberlin college, 1833-1908. Oberlin, Ohio page 701 has the following entry only:
"[Murphy,] James: enr. '57-'60 prep.: fr. Pittsburg, Ind." The county is Lorain County.
Featured National Park champion connections: James is 19 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 22 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 19 degrees from George Catlin, 18 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 25 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 21 degrees from George Grinnell, 28 degrees from Anton Kröller, 20 degrees from Stephen Mather, 26 degrees from Kara McKean, 21 degrees from John Muir, 20 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 27 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Valentine Nebraska was one of the most lawless, toughest places on the frontier to live and the Murphy family and James T. Murphy exemplified the grit that it took to build our great nation--James T. Murphy's daughter Cora Silver Murphy would later marry Martin F. Morrissey of Chadron, Nebraska. Together, Cora Murphy Morrissey and her husband Martin Morrissey would build one of the largest construction companies in Nebraska. They built bridges, roads and rail lines in over 32 different states. And it is Cora Murphy who is recounted in the newspaper article in the July 8, 1909 edition of "The Valentine Democrat" that 38 years later moved the remains of James T. Murphy to Chadron, Nebraska for burial.
The University of Nebraska has a historic website page for Cody, Nebraska and they say .."Beginning with the murder of a camp resident by a ranch cowboy, Cody's story resembles a western novel." http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/cherry/cody/
The man murdered in the above account is James T. Murphy and the murderer is Frenchy Prosper Marian