"Portrait and biographical album of Coles County, Illinois"
  
ICHAEL A. MURPHY, a prosperous farmer of Seven Hickory Township, is the owner of a fine estate containing 200 acres, located on section 36. He was born Aug. 10, 1844, in Morgan, now Wolfe County, Ky., and is the son of Miles and Sibbie (O’Hair) Murphy. His great-great-grandfather was a native of County Down, Ireland, who emigrated to this country at an early day and settled in Kentucky. His wife was a native of Bourbon County, that State. His grandfather, William Murphy, was born in 1792, in Morgan County, Ky., and married Miss Matilda Miles, who was born in 1801, in the same county. Miles Murphy was born in 1818, in Morgan County, Ky., and remained on the homestead with his parents until his marriage with Miss Sibbie O’Hair, which took place at Hazle Green, Ky. The ceremony was performed by Elder Joseph Nichols, pastor of the Christian Church at that place. After his marriage he was engaged in farming a few years in his native State, and in 1847 removed to Edgar County, Ill. After remaining there one year he returned to Kentucky, but in 1856 came again to Illinois, and settled on section 36, Seven Hickory Township, where he carried on a successful farming business until the Civil War broke out. With his sons, Michael A. and John W., he was taken prisoner during the war and conveyed to Springfield, where he died April 14, 18(!4, as it was then supposed, from the effects of poison administered while in prison.
The following is the record of the family of Miles Murphy: William H., a resident of Parker County, Tex., is married and has a family of four daughters; John W. ; Calvin C., a resident of Greenwood County, Kan., is married and has a family of four children; Michael A., the subject of this sketch; Eliza C., deceased, was the wife of Martin McCallister; she died in February, 1881, leaving a family of three children. Matilda E. is the widow of John Elrwood, and resides in Bartholomew County, Ind., with her family of three children; Nancy J., the wife of William Grimes, has a family of three children, and likewise resides in Bartholomew County, Ind.; Miles T., a resident of Greenwood County, Kan., has been twice married, and is the father of one child by each marriage; Benjamin F. died on the homestead in the autumn of 1856, at the age of fourteen; James E., a resident of Cherokee County, Kan., is married and has one child ; Diana E. resides in Bartholomew County, Ind., with her sister; Leander B. resides in Cherokee County, Kan., with his brother; Hilton N. is married, and likewise resides in Cherokee County, Kan.; he has one child. Miles Murphy and his wife were highly esteemed members of the Christian Church; the latter survived her husband many years, and died Feb. 2, 1882, in Charleston, Ill.
Michael A. Murphy was twelve years of age when his parents removed from Kentucky to Coles County, Ill. He attended the common schools in his native State, and after coining to Illinois studied one year at Kansas Station in Edgar County. At the age of twenty-one he began to work for himself on the home farm, and in the spring of 1866 went to Kentucky, and married Miss Sarah J. Powers. Mrs. Murphy was born Nov. 14. 1849, in Morgan County, Ky., and is the daughter of Louis and Emily J. (Cox) Powers, also natives of Kentucky. Their family consisted of four children Sarah J., James P., Martha E. and William H. James P. served as Deputy Marshal in Kentucky eight years; Martha E. is the wife of Wiley Perkins, and resides in Wolfe County, Ky., and William H. resides in Howard, Dak.
Mr. Murphy’s marriage took place March 3, 1866, and the ceremony was performed by Elder Joseph Nichols, Pastor of the Christian Church at Hazle Green, Ky. Mr. Nichols had the reputation of having conferred the blessing of matrimony upon a greater number of people than other minister in the State. He performed the marriage rite for the parents of both Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, and in 1860 married over 300 couples. On one occasion he is said to have united fifteen couples before leaving the church. Mr. Nichols was a native of Morgan County, Ky. He possessed a fine physique, and his hair had never turned gray, although he died at the advanced age of ninety-one years.
After his marriage Mr. Murphy returned to Coles County, Ill., and engaged in farming on the homestead. In 1868 he added to his property by purchasing forty acres of land of the Illinois Central Railroad, and in 1868 built his present residence. He has on his farm six acres of walnut trees and 10,000 maples, besides a large growth of nearly every variety of native trees. His farm is well cultivated and improved, and is supplied with over 2,000 rods of tiling. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have an interesting family of three children: Herschel S., born Jan. 22, 1868, is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; Emily J., born Dec. 12, 1869, and Harlan A., Sept. 2, 1883. Mr. Murphy, with his wife and daughter, is a member of the Christian Church. In politics he is a Democrat, and was elected by that party to the local office of Constable, and has held that position nine years.
On Sept. 2, 1881, Mr. Murphy was struck by lightning while hauling a load of broom corn from the field on his farm. He had reached the yard with his team, and his wife, with Miss Lacy, a lady friend from Kentucky, was assisting him in covering up the load to protect it from the rain which was fast approaching, when the shock occurred. The current struck his right shoulder and passed down the right leg to the load of broom corn, tearing his clothing in its course, and searing the flesh from his shoulder to his feet, from which the boots were torn and literally riddled. Parts of his pocket knife and the strap-iron on the wagon box were melted. His wife was also stricken down, and remained in a state of paralysis for several hours. The lightning set fire to the load, and but for the timely aid of Miss Lacy, who was uninjured, he would have been cremated on his wagon. Mr. Murphy has preserved the boots and clothing as mementos of his terrible experience, from the effects of which he will suffer throughout the remainder of his life. He oversees the work on his farm as usual, but is not in sufficiently robust health to perform active labor himself.
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