Biography of George Washington Murphey (1844-1923) of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by GeorgeAnn Murphey Valentine
1/25/00


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     George Washington Murphey (Murphy) was born August 2, 1844, and was one of 
six (6) children born to Joseph Gordon and Mary Elizabeth (Price) Murphy.
     After the death of his father on July 5, 1856, in Conecuh County, Alabama, 
the family decided to move to Texas, and in 1859 started on their way. They 
reached Handsboro, Mississippi, and decided to settle there.
On May 5, 1861, George "joined for duty and enrolled" in Handsboro, Mississippi, 
"for the war" as a private. He was mustered in on July 6, 1861, in Corinth, 
Mississippi, in Captain F.W. Adams' Company, Russell's Regiment, Mississippi 
Volunteers.(This company was successively designated as Captain Adams' Company, 
Mississippi Volunteers, and as Captain Adams' Company, and Company E, 20th Regiment 
Mississippi Infantry.) About April 9, 1865, this regiment was consolidated with 
the 15th, 16th, and 23rd Regiments Mississippi Infantry and formed the 15th 
Consolidated Regiment Mississippi Infantry.)
     G.W. Murphy's name appeared on a roll of prisoners of war, dated May 15, 
1865, Meridian, Mississippi, but had surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama, with his 
regiment. He was "paroled" at Meridian, Mississippi, on May 15, 1865.
     On April 18, 1872, George was married to Martha Arminda (Mattie) Holly, the 
daughter of Benjamin Ferington and Mary Ann (Holmes) Holly, in Banks Springs 
(Caldwell Parish), Louisiana. By 1880, they were in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, 
and later LaSalle Parish, Louisiana, where George was in the mill & gin business. 
They moved back to Caldwell Parish and raised a family of seven. Three daughters: 
Mary Alice, Isabelle (Belle) and Lulu - all teachers. And four sons: Joseph W., 
an M.D. in Monroe, La.; George Arthur, who was graduated from the New Orleans 
College of Pharmacy in April 1910; Claude C. who became superintendent of Union 
Parish schools; and William Wayne, a Colonel on the U.S. Army who died in a Japanese 
prison of war camp in Honshu, Japan, during World War II.
     At the time of his death on January 4, 1923, George W. Murphey owned a large 
dairy farm out from the town of Grayson, Louisiana. He is buried in Welcome Home 
Cemetery, Grayson, Louisiana, along with his wife and four of their children. This 
was land that was once part of the dairy farm. 
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