Biography of Thomas P. Murray - Conway Co, AR *********************************************************** Submitted by: Cathy Barnes Date: 21 Jun 1998 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************** SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Western Arkansas. Goodspeed Publishers, 1891. page 85 Prof. Thomas P. Murray, one of the principals of the Morrilton Male and Female College, was born in Tennessee in 1858. He was the sixth in a family of nine children born to W. P. and Catherine (Hatcher) Murrey; father followed farming, and our subject spent his youth on the farm in Williamson County, where he attended the common schools till 18 years of age, when he entered Vanderbilt University, where he remained four and one-half years. From the university he went to Hartsville and was elected principal of the Hartsville Masonic Institute. He filled that position for two years, and during that time married Miss Mollie Blythe, a native of the same State and county as himself. In 1884 he went to Texas, mainly on account of his wife's health, and at once began teaching at Grapevine, in the Masonic Institute of that place. After one year he went to Lewisville, where his estimable wife died in October. 1886, leaving one child, Mollie, which also died one month after its mother. After these sad family losses Mr. Murrey spent the next year or two traveling. In September of 1888 came to Arkansas and became joint principal with W. B. Trow in the Springfield College at Springfield, in Conway County. He taught there two years, and in spring of 1890, with Mr. Trow was elected joint principal of the new college being erected at Morrilton. As an educator, Prof. Murrey has acquired an enviable reputation, having won success in every school where he has taught. Mr. M. is, and his wife was, a member of the M. E. Church, South. He is also a member of the Masonic and Phi Delta Theta fraternities.