was born at E. Nassau, Rensselaer county, New York, November 10, 1831, and died at the home of his daughter Mrs. George R. Eby, in Warren, March 29, 1916, age 84 years, 4 months and 19 days. Mr. Murphy was married to Elizabeth Pitcher, November 16, 1852. Mrs. Murphy died October 6, 1904. To this union one child was born, Mrs. George R. Eby, at whose home Mr. Murphy died. He is survived by one daughter, three grand children and one great grandchild; also one brother, John Murphy of Warren and a half brother, Smith Murphy of Port Leyden, N.Y. After a long and useful life in Warren, our friend and fellow citizen, Melbourne S. Murphy, has passed to the other side. He was a long and patient sufferer and resigned that all would be for the best. Moving from a farm in Rush township to Warren shortly after the close of the Civil war.
"Mell" Murphy, as he was familiarly called, was always among our leading citizens. For many years he followed the occupation of a detective. At the same time he served the people as a constable. Later he was elected justice of the peace, holding that office at the time of his death. His life was largely given to the people. He did not court litigation but sought rather to smooth out difficulties among neighbors by good advice and compromise. In his active days he was interested in the young people and did many a good turn to parents and children in a quiet way that suppressed public gossip. He was a good and true friend as those can testify who were closest to him. He could always be trusted for when he gave his word he kept it.
Since the death of his beloved wife he lived largely in his office. When asked why he did not live with relatives he said to the writer as tears came to his eye "This is home to me. It was here my wife died." And as he lived somewhat lonely perhaps, but with the feeling that his wife was always near. More to his exertions than to any one else is the public indebted for the Pitcher telephone system. While Mr. Pitcher furnished the capital for the building of the lines Mr. Murphy was tireless in his efforts to make the Pitcher telephone a success. He was superintendent of the lines until a stock company was formed and the system purchased. It is hard to say good-bye to an old friend, and especially so in this case. For nearly fifty years we were warm personal friends. He did not know what it was to deny a friend a favor if within his power to grant it. Nor did he turn a deaf ear to charity. While not endowed with wealth he gave freely of his time and money when convinced that the charity was deserving.
As a detective, in his earlier days, he met with considerable success. It was his boast that he had captured and convicted more horse thieves than any other officer in Jo Daviess county. It was largely owing to his efforts that horse stealing in this section came practically to an end. In religious matters Squire Murphy was a Baptist and a member of the Baptist church. In politics he was a Republican and took an active part in party affairs. At one time he sought the Republican nomination for sheriff and came within one vote of getting it. He would have made a good sheriff and richly deserved the nomination and election, but other interests conflicted, and after trying twice, he gave up the ambition. Last Sunday he was laid by the side of the wife whose death he mourned so sincerely. The little office he called home is vacant. He has solved the problem and we shall meet him here no more. True old friend, hail and farewell!
Contributed by Wendy Fjelstad - Sentinel-Leader
MICHAEL MUSSELMAN
- The Clay Center, Kan. Dispatch of July 31 consisted of the following notice of the death of a former well known resident of Jo Daviess County.
Michael Musselman, brief mention of whose death was made in these columns
last week, was born in Bavaria, July 25, 1829. At the age of seventeen, with his
father, a native of Saxoney, and his mother, he emigrated to the United States. For one year the sojourned in Lancaster county, Penn. The parents moved from there to Jo Daviess county, Illinois, Michael followed a year later, and followed the business of farming until 1870. That year Mr. Musselman came to Kansas and bought the farm adjacent to Clay Center on the west. Later he engaged in real estate and loan business in this city, leaving the farm for a time in the hands of his sons. He returned to the country again, however, determined to spend the remainder of his days on the home place; but fate decreed otherwise, and after two years he moved to Denver, where he resided until his death. Mr. Musselman was married Oct. 16, 1852, to Miss Elizabeth Durstein, and of this union there were born eleven children, ten sons and one daughter-of six are living.
They are John, Louis, Christian, Gustave, Ernest, and William. John married Miss Jennie Goodin, who died February 23,1898 leaving three children-Samuel, Lizzie, and Francis. He later married Miss Charlotte Schnitker of Washington county, Illinois. Louisa is the wife of Rudolph Hammer of Jo Daviess county, Illinois, and the mother of seven children. Christian married Miss Katie Keiner and they have three children-Sallie, Bertie, and Rennie.
Gustave married Miss Lucy Dookids. Their children are-Charles, Carl Clarence, Goldie, Lester and Raymond. Ernest married Miss Minnie Adamson of Rogers, Ark. They have two children-Ralph and Ernestine. Mrs. Elizabeth Musselman died at the home in Jo Daviess county June 9, 1875 and in March 1878, Mr. Musselman married Mrs. Ida (Fuss) Baier, and of this union there were born two children-Emma and Clara. Mr. Musselman was something of a politician, with leanings towards the Democracy, and had been honored by several positions of public trust.
Submitted by Alayne Hammer Galena Gazete April 19, 1927
