Irish History - John D. Murphy

John D. Murphy

About 1830-1897
Veteran of the Civil War

Buried in Cementerio Lindo, exact location unknown

(Image of a Civil War soldier, generated by Bing AI)

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John David Murphy was a Roman Catholic of Irish descent. Records imply that he was known throughout his life as John D, John David, or Jerry. 
 
In April 1853, John married Sarah C. Jacobus. It was a ‘runaway marriage’ or elopement, so the young couple married in Essex County, New Jersey, where they were not known.
 
The Murphys had five children: Jane, Sarah Elizabeth, Mary, Jerome Franklin, and Loretta. The federal census of 1860 recorded the Murphys living in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey, where John was working as a carpenter. The family seems to have been quite poor.
 
Notwithstanding his age, John D. Murphy volunteered to fight in the Civil War. He enlisted on May 23, 1861, and was assigned to Company F, 72nd New York Infantry. His unit fought in the Peninsular Campaign, and Murphy was reported as wounded at the Battle of Williamsburg on February 5, 1862.
 
After the war, Murphy was unable to work and, by 1880, he was no longer with his family. Family members say that he had developed a mania for wandering around the country. He lived for a time at the Old Soldiers Home in Dayton, Ohio, before heading out for Arizona.
 
Around July 1, 1897, Murphy was living in a boarding house in Phoenix when he fell ill. His landlord cared for him for four days before sending him to the County Hospital. Murphy died there on July 10, 1897, and was buried in the Salt River Cemetery. 
 
Upon Murphy’s death, $600 in cash was found among his belongings, as well as letters from his daughter, Mary Murphy Hilliard. When the administrator of Murphy’s estate notified Mary of her father’s demise, he was surprised to learn that Murphy had a wife back in New Jersey. However, she was illiterate and depended on Mary to keep in touch with Murphy.
 
After Mr. Murphy’s final expenses were deducted, his widow Sarah received what was left--$486. She was still living in 1910, when she was recorded on the federal census as residing on a farm in Montana, with her son Franklin and his wife.
 
© 2023 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 24 September 2023.

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