My Genealogy Hound

Dr. Edward Murphy was born in the city of Cork, Ireland, in the year 1813. He came to America with his uncle, Dennis Murphy, when the former was not quite seven years old. They landed at Baltimore, where they remained but a short time, and then went to Wheeling, Va. Thence they removed to Louisville, Ky., in 1821. Here Edward made his home with his uncles who were engaged in mercantile business. After a brief residence in Washington the brothers returned to Ireland. Young Edward lived for a while in Washington with relatives till he was nearly thirteen years of age, then ran away and came to New Harmony, where he spent all of his subsequent life, except seven years in Evansville. He followed various callings to make a living, being printer, tailor, merchant and laborer. In 1845 he commenced the study of medicine and later graduated from the University of Louisville and located in New Harmony, where he acquired both fame and fortune. He was married in 1832 to Miss Sophia Johnston, of Vincennes. They had six children, all of whom died young. Mrs. Murphy was a daughter of Gen. M. Johnston, who was a member of the Territorial legislature. Dr. Murphy was for a time connected with the Evansville Medical College, where he held the chair of chemistry. He was an enthusiastic and able teacher. All his life he was a hard student, like Paul he never “counted himself to have attained.” He never professed any religious faith, but worshiped God by serving man. His long life was crowded with usefulness and he crowned it at his death by his beneficence. “He being dead, yet speaketh.” He built a library building for the city where he spent seventy-three years of useful living, lined its shelves with books, covered its walls with pictures and curios, gave it a park enclosed by an iron fence on a stone base, and endowed a lecture course in which the ablest lecturers on the platform may be heard every winter for a nominal price. Elsewhere in this volume is told the details of his beneficence. He died December 3, 1910, and his wife followed him a few days later.