WI BIO - Dane Co - MURPHY, Abraham
Biographical Review of Dane County, WI. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 
1893, Vol II, p 488

Abraham MURPHY, a prominent citizen of Rock County [WI], was born in Harmony 
Township, Rock County, Wisconsin, 30 January 1844. His father, also Abraham, 
was born in Chesnut Hill, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, 03 May 1811, and his 
father, George, was probably a native of Germany and very young when he came 
to America. There was an epidemic on the ship, of which his [George 
MURPHY's] parents died, and he was reared by a family named GOWER, who lived 
in Pennsylvania. There he [George MURPHY] lived and married and always 
engaged in farming, carried on a farm in Chesnut Hill Township [Northampton 
County, PA], where he died. The maiden name of his [George MURPHY's] wife 
was Mary Ann ARNOLD, and she spent her whole life in Pennsylvania. Her 
father, great grandfather [should read "Her father, the subject's great 
grandfather"], John ARNOLD, was an extensive farmer in Monroe County [PA].

The father of our subject [Abraham MURPHY] learned the trade of carpenter, 
joiner and cabinet maker. During the winter he worked at the cabinet maker 
trade and during the summer at the carpenter trade, until 1842, when he 
emigrated to Wisconsin with his wife and four children. He hired a man with 
a team, made an overland journey and was six weeks on the way. At that time 
Chicago was a very small place and Illinois and Wisconsin were very sparsely 
settled. He located in Rock County [WI], resided there until 1844, and then 
went to Dane County [WI] and was one of the first settlers of Fitchburg. At 
that time much of the land was owned by the Government, deer and game were 
plentiful, and bears would come to the homes of the settlers and get the 
pigs. He bought a squatter's claim to a tract of Government land on section 
24, and there was a log house several sheds and ten acres of broken land and 
he set about improving his land. There were no railroads here though, and he 
had to haul his grain to Milwaukee. He [Abraham MURPHY] resided here until 
his death, in 1870, aged sixty years.

The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Nancy SLUTTER, born in 
Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, 13 Jan 1809. Her father was 
George SLUTTER of German ancestry and died in Hamilton Township, and the name 
of the grandmother of his wife was Elizabeth KANOUSE. The mother of our 
subject is living and makes her home with him. She [Nancy] reared eight 
children: Mary, Hannah, Susannah, George, Abraham [the subject], Sophia, 
Emeline, and Helen. Our subject was an infant when his parents came to Dane 
County [WI]. He attended the district schools, assisted on the farm, and has 
always resided on the home place. He has 140 acres under improvement.

Mr. [Abraham] MURPHY was married in 1874 to Miss Frances A. TIPPLE, born in 
Dunn, Dane County, Wisconsin, 28 September 1852, a daughter of John and Emma 
TIPPLE [see also the Dane County, WI, biography of Mrs. Emma Roberts TIPPLE]. 
Mr. and Mrs. [Abraham] MURPHY have three children: Ralph J., Ruth E., and 
Retta M. Mr. and Mrs. MURPHY are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and Mr. MURPHY is a Republican. The family name was formerly spelled 
"MORFA," but for some reason was changed to "MURPHY" in this country.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly