Skip to main content

Obituaries Abound for Anthony Murphy

By
On the morning of 29 December 1909, much of the east coast of the United States woke up to find this on the front page of their newspaper:

ANTHONY MURPHY DEAD.

From the Tampa Tribune (Florida), all over the state of Georgia, to the Charleston News and Courier (South Carolina), and even up to the Washington Post (District of Columbia) -- Most ran the same general obituary, but some had a nuance or two. Each and every one described Mr. Murphy's participation in the Great Locomotive Chase to some degree.

The Macon Telegraph (Georgia) added that Murphy was a builder of Atlanta and that he left a fortune estimated at between two and three hundred thousand dollars.

Died Wealthy was part of the headline in the Augusta Chronicle (Georgia). It stated, "The war left Murphy penniless, but he set out to work again cheerfully and when he died, had amassed a fortune of half a million dollars in the saw mill and lumber business."

The Charleston News and Courier (South Carolina) lauded him a southern pioneer.

Anthony Murphy
Born Nov. 29, 1829
In County Wicklow, Ireland
Died Dec. 29, 1909
-----------------------------
Adelia R. Murphy
Born Hall County, GA
Sept. 11, 1840
Died Atlanta, GA
Dec. 13, 1916

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia
Photo © 2013 S. Lincecum

LAST SAD RITES HELD OVER ANTHONY MURPHY

Funeral Services of Pioneer Atlantan Held Wednesday Afternoon.

The funeral services of Anthony Murphy took place from the residence of his daughter, Mrs. C. E. Sciple, 916 Peachtree street, yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock, and the interment was in Oakland Cemetery.

A large gathering of friends were present to mourn for their departed fellow, and the floral offerings were many and beautiful.

The city has never seen a more public-spirited citizen than Anthony Murphy. He grew up with the town, and his every public action was directed toward the progress and welfare of Atlanta. His private life was above reproach. Considerate of everyone and having a deep understanding of and sympathy for his fellows, he made thousands of friends.

The following friends of the deceased acted as pallbearers: Frank Rice, John L. Tye, Archie Forsyth, J. R. Gray, Frank Hawkins, Preston Arkwright and A. J. Orme. [The Atlanta Constitution (Georgia), 30 December 1909 -- viewed online at Ancestry.]

Labels:

Comments

Unknown said…
Well, now, that's a right nice write-up on my great-great-grandpappy! I'm proud to say my pappy also loved Atlanta and was civic-minded, as am, and do, I. Inheriting some wealth would've been nice, but I heard the Great Depression did us in there that time. Altogether, very comforting. Thank you.
March 31, 2019 at 11:31 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

By
Why do people put rocks on grave stones? Some time ago, I learned that the rocks signified a visitor. That is true enough, but I decided to learn a little more about the custom and share my findings with you. Putting rocks on tombstones is most often described as a Jewish custom. There are many "Ask a Rabbi" columns out there, but I did not find one that knew for sure where the custom originated. They all agreed, however, that a rock symbolized a visitor and when put on a tombstone said, "I remember you." I also read that some people pick up a rock wherever they are when they think of a person that has passed. Then, the next time they visit the grave, they place the rock to say, "I wish you were here." Rabbi Shraga Simmons offers a deeper meaning: "We are taught that it is an act of ultimate kindness and respect to bury someone and place a marker at the site. After a person is buried, of course, we can no longer participate in burying them. H
13 comments
Read more

Southern Cross of Honor

By
I'm late to this discussion, but it's one I'd like to join. :-) Terry Thornton at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country started with Grave Marker Symbols: The Southern Cross of Honor and UCV (link no longer available). Judith Shubert at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Covered Bridges continued with Hood County Texas: C.S.A. Veterans & Southern Cross of Honor Symbol . [UPDATE, 1 June 2009: Judith has moved this post to the blog, Cemeteries with Texas Ties . The link has been corrected to reflect this move. You may also link to her article via her nice comment on this post.] Wikipedia states: The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant to honor the officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates for their valor in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederate States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Arm
25 comments
Read more

Thursday Link Love: EyeWitness To History

By
Yesterday, a link was added to the Genealogy Research Resources Group at Diigo. The link was to the website titled EyeWitness to History.com: History through the eyes of those who lived it . It's a great site, and I encourage all to visit it. Here are several items I found while snooping around. - Inside a Nazi Death Camp, 1944 : "Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the systematic extermination of "undesirables" including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others." - Crash of the Hindenburg, 1937 : "Radio reporter Herbert Morrison, sent to cover the airship's arrival, watched in horror. His eye witness description of the disaster was the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast and has become a classic piece of audio history." [You ca
1 comment
Read more




SouthernGraves.blogspot.com

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live...'" (Ezekiel 37:1-5, NKJV)