BIOGRAPHY: Jacob C. MURPHY, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lynne Canterbury and Diann Olsen. Portions of this book were transcribed by Clark Creery, Martha Humenik, Betty Mirovich and Sharon Ringler. USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ ____________________________________________________________ From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 64-6 ____________________________________________________________ JACOB C. MURPHY, an active and progressive business man of South Fork, is one of that class of men who are remarkable for energy, enterprise, and fine organizing ability. He is a son of Daniel and Caroline (Reighard) Murphy, and was born on the Frankstown road, in Adams township, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1854. Five generations back, his paternal great-grandfather, Conrad Murphy, a native of Ireland, married in that country a Scotch woman by whom he had a son named John Murphy, who was one of the pioneer settlers and early farmers of Richland township, this county. This John Murphy was a man of marked individuality, being widely noted for generosity, hospitality, and benevolence, and of whom it was said that the indigent never applied to him in vain. He was also a man of courage and enterprise, and made two trips to California during the early gold excitement in that state, where dangers at that time threatened the adventurer on every side. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, and a whig and republican in politics, and had served as constable of his township. He died in 1858, aged sixty years. John Murphy married Mary Bouser of German descent, and by whom he had twelve children, four sons and eight daughters. The third in order of age of their children was Daniel Murphy, the father of the subject of this sketch. Daniel Murphy was born on his father's Richland township farm in 1828. He followed farming for many years in that township, but lately removed to South Fork, which he is now making the place of his residence. He is a veteran soldier of the late Civil War, enlisting at Johnstown, in 1862, in company I, Fifty- fourth Pennsylvania infantry, and serving until 1865, when he was honorably discharged at the close of the war. He was in several engagements and numerous skirmishes, and received a wound at the battle of New Market. Mr. Murphy is a republican in politics, and has been a member for several years of Daniel Stineman Post, No. 560, Grand Army of the Republic, of South Fork. In 1851 Mr. Murphy married Caroline Reighard, who is a daughter of Jacob Reighard, of Adams township. To their union were born six children, four sons and two daughters: Edward, now deceased; Hiram, deceased; Susan, married George Wilt, and is now dead; Noah, engaged in the general mercantile business at South Fork, and Emma, wife of T. J. Wilt, a shoe merchant of South Fork. Jacob C. Murphy spent his boyhood days on the farm, where numerous duties and varied labors were the lot of the farmers' sons of that day when our present and labor-saving machinery was not in existence. He attended the common schools until he was seventeen years of age, and then left the school and farm to become a brakeman on the Pennsylvania railroad. After four years of the life of a brakeman he turned his attention to carpentering, and for several years divided his time between working at his trade in summer and working in the coal mines in winter. Leaving the work-bench and the mine in 1882, he went into contracting and building at South Fork, where two years later he formed a partnership with George B. Stineman in that line of work, and built a large planing mill, which the great flood of 1889 swept away. After the flood-wreckage had been somewhat cleaned up business life revived in the valley, and among the first to recover from the terrible shock, with his accustomed energy, he prepared to resume business. He bought out Mr. Stineman's interest, erected a new mill, and in a short time was doing a good business, which has gradually increased up to the present time. On April 22, 1877, Mr. Murphy was united in marriage with Rebecca Finley, who is a daughter of James Finley, of Indiana county. In politics Mr. Murphy has always been identified with the Republican party. In recognition of his business and mechanical ability in 1885 he was made superintendent of the South Fork water-works, in whose construction he took an active part. In his own line of work he does a good business, having about all the contracting and building of South Fork, besides having many orders and contracts from a distance to fill. His planing mill is a first-class building of its kind, being 32 by 60 feet in dimensions, and two stories high. His plant is located in the western part of South Fork, and gives steady employment to about fifteen men. At the present time he furnishes from his mill and yards lime, brick, lumber, and all other house-building supplies. Mr. Murphy is in the very matured prime of his life, and has before him a long and promising business career, if past energy and enterprise are to be accepted as manifestations of future success.