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Murphy Family History
Sometime around 1767 in Enniscorthy, a small marketing town in County Wexford, in the southeast part of Ireland, my great-great-great-grandfather, Matthew Murphy, was born.
Matthew was born during a violent time in Irish history. In June of 1798 a series of battles between England and Irish rebels centering around Enniscorthy resulted in the deaths of 20,000 of the Irish citizens of County Wexford. Considering the fact that the population in Wexford at that time was 125,000, this was indeed a devastating impact on the lives of everyone who lived there and who survived to continue, at least for my ancestry.
It was from this violent and devastating atmosphere that Matthew grew up and married a woman named Catherine Pettit, in Enniscorthy, on November 26, 1802. Catherine was born in Enniscorthy in 1781. She was 14 years younger than Matthew.
To see a map of Ireland showing the location of Enniscorthy and a description of the town, click here.
MARGARET A. MURPHY (1827-1865) / MARY E. ROLLINS (1827-1894)
The only child I have been able to identify is their son, my great-great-grandfather John Murphy who was born 24 years after the marriage, in Enniscorthy on May 7, 1826. At the time of the marriage in 1802, Matthew was around 35 and Catherine 21. And when John was born in 1826, they were 58 and 44, respectively. Although I have no data to support this, John eventually made his way from Enniscorthy to Newark, New Jersey where he married Margaret A. Murphy on September 26, 1850. Murphy marrying a Murphy. Not that unusual given that Murphy is a very common Irish name.
If John emigrated shortly before his marriage in Newark, then we have some idea of why he may have left Ireland. The period between 1845 and 1852 marks another devastating time in Irish history known as the Great Potato Famine. These were times of extreme poverty when 30% of the Irish populace had nothing to eat except potatoes. A disease attacked the potato crops starting in 1845 and continued for several years. This, along with Britain's indifference for the welfare of their Irish neighbors, caused tens of thousands to starve to death. Faced with the prospect of starvation, many chose to flee to the promise of a better life in other countries, including America. Perhaps this is what drove John to leave Enniscorthy and sail to America.
Matthew and Catherine continued to live to a ripe old age in Enniscorthy. Catherine was 70 when she died on February 9, 1852 and Matthew 80 when he passed on December 10, 1853.
By August of 1850, John Murphy was living with the Cox family in the South Ward of the City of Newark in New Jersey. He was employed as a cabinetmaker. Another Irish immigrant, Margaret A. Murphy, lived nearby with the Blauvelt family. The 1850 Federal Census indicates she could neither read nor write. Shortly after, on September 26, 1850, John and Margaret were married at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, located at 91 Washington Street in Newark. The church had only been built six months earlier. The marriage was performed by Father Senez, who was largely responsible for the construction of the new church. For more details on the church, click here.
I have no evidence whether John and Margaret knew each other before arriving in America. For that matter, I don't know when Margaret arrived or where in Ireland she came from. She was born in Ireland around 1827. On her marriage certificate, she listed her father as Miles Murphy; her mother's name was Jane.
John and Margaret had four children that I know of: John E. Murphy, born June 23, 1851; Catherine Theresa Murphy, born October 14, 1852; Mary Elizabeth Murphy , born March 1860; Matthew F. Murphy (my great-grandfather), born February 25, 1863.
Nearly two years after my great-grandfather Matthew was born, Margaret died a few days before Christmas on December 22, 1864, from a "uterine hemorrhage". She was only 38 years old. We have no evidence of where she might be buried. Given the time frame, it's possible she died giving birth to another child, but there is no evidence of any such birth. John was left with four small children: John E. (13); Catherine (11); Mary (4); and 1-year-old Matthew. It must have been a terrible, devastating Christmas for them all.
Three and a half years later, John married Mary Elizabeth Rollins on April 20, 1868. Like Margaret, Mary was born in Ireland in 1827. She was about 40 years old at the time she married John, but there is no evidence she had been married previously, nor of any previous children. There is also no evidence that John and Mary had any children together. By 1870, they were living in a home valued at $5,000 (the equivalent of $120,000 in 2024) in Newark with a live-in 11-year-old black servant girl named Liza Robbins. Pretty good for a cabinet maker. We can only guess about the possibility that John may have had a life insurance policy on Margaret, or Mary brought money of her own into the marriage. By 1880, they were living in an apartment building at 95 Prospect Street in Newark.
John and Margaret's four children John E. Murphy, born in Newark on June 23, 1851, married Henrietta Marie Volk on October 15, 1874 in Newark. Henrietta's parents were Petrus "Peter" and Mary Volk. Some documents record the surname as Folck and Vollks. Henrietta was born October 13, 1850 in New York. John worked as a plumber, a collections clerk, and a dry goods salesman. They lived at 113 Belleville Avenue in the Belleville section of Newark. They had three children: John J. Murphy in 1875; William T. Murphy in 1878; and Harry E. Murphy in 1881.
There is some evidence that Henrietta was admitted to the New York Almshouse on January 18, 1882 and discharged two weeks later on February 2, 1882. This was about eight months after the birth of Harry. The almshouse was used to house and feed people in poverty, sickness, or old age. Almshouses were funded mostly by the church and guilds until their disappearance in the twentieth century due to the rise of the modern welfare state. We don't know the exact circumstances for Henrietta's stay at the almshouse, but we might surmise she was very ill and she and John may have been too poor for her to go to a regular hospital in Newark. She was, of course, born in New York, so that may have led to their decision. In any case, she had only a few more years before an early, tragic death.
Henrietta was only 39 when she died on October 27, 1889. She was buried next to her father at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, New Jersey. Her father Peter, died back in 1855 when Henrietta was just five years old. At the time of Henrietta's death, John J. was 14, William 11, and Harry 8. Their father, John E., unable to raise the boys by himself, sent them to live with Henrietta's sisters, the widowed Mary Bradshaw and Emma Volk, who lived at 343 Ogden Street. John E., the father, moved to a boarding house at 39 Grant Street in Newark while he held a job as a "merchandise salesman".
On January 9, 1890, John Murphy, still living with Mary at 95 Prospect Street, died there at the age of 63. Mary followed him four years later, on February 23, 1894. They are buried together at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. When Henrietta's mother Mary Volk died in 1899, she was buried with Henrietta and Peter.
In 1905, John E. was an auctioneer living at 18 Grant Street in Newark with his son William and William's wife Harriet. By 1910, John E. had moved to another boarding house, at 48 Eighth Avenue, less than a block from his previous homes on Grant Street. He was now working in the stock room of the auction company. He had been suffering with heart disease for some time. In July of 1911, a drastic heat wave with temperatures as high as 103 degrees killed 99 people in Newark. One of the victims was John E. who dropped dead from a heat stroke on July 12, 1911. He had just turned 60 a few weeks before. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery with his parents.
John Joseph Murphy was born in Newark on October 9, 1875. He grew up to become a salesman in a silk manufacturing shop in Newark. He was of medium height and build, with blue eyes and brown hair. He married Katherine T. Walsh in Newark in 1903. Katherine was born in New York in September of 1878. They rented an apartment right on the Passaic River in Newark at 222 Riverside Avenue where they lived for many years, at least through the 1930's.
In the beginning, Katherine's Irish-born widowed father Thomas Walsh and her unmarried sister Mary J. Walsh lived with them. Living next to them was the Struble family, Robert and Margaret and their ten children. Margaret had given birth to fifteen by 1910, but five died. While John and Katherine never had children of their own, they ended up adopting one of the Struble boys, Thomas R. Struble. Thomas was born in Newark on August 4, 1906. When he was 24 years old, he was working as a car salesman when he died, on January 8, 1931. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
By 1940, they had moved a little further away from the river and were renting an apartment at 64 Lincoln Avenue. Katherine's sister Mary was the only one still living with them, since Katherine's father Thomas Walsh and the adopted son Thomas Struble were no longer alive. In May of 1947, 70-year-old Kathryn died in the apartment. Fourteen years later. John died in May of 1961. He was 85. He and Kathryn are buried together at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
The second child born to John E. Murphy and Henrietta Volk was William Thomas Murphy, in Newark on May 15, 1878. He was working as a bookkeeper when he married Harriet "Hattie" A. Penn in 1898. Harriet was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on November 7, 1871. She was six years older than William. She was called Hattie as a child. Her parents were William Ryker Penn and Harriet Olivia Sorrell. Her father was a sixth generation descendent of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.
They were living at 348 West Kinney Street in Newark when (possibly) their only child, William Thomas Murphy, Jr. was born in February of 1900. On the 1905 State Census, they were near the Passaic River at 18 Grant Street. William's father, John E. Murphy, was living with them. There is no mention of William Jr. He must have died between 1900 and 1905, but no record has been found.
By 1910, they were living at 177 Brunswick Street in Newark. William was still working as a bookkeeper, now for a lumber yard. He was a tall man, standing at nearly six feet and weighing about 150 pounds. He had blue eyes and brown hair and a light brown complexion.
The 1910 Federal Census states that William and Hattie had three children, but none of them were still living. That would account for William Jr., but there is no evidence of any other births. They had their fourth change of address in 15 years when they moved to 261 Mullberry Street in Newark. William's occupation was listed on the 1915 State Census as "steward".
Living with them in 1915 was their 10-year-old daughter Athelia Murphy. Where did she come from? Well, it turns out that Hattie had a sister named Lucy Penn Riess. Lucy and her husband George Oscar Riess were Athelia's actual parents. When Lucy died tragically at the age of 27 in 1907, Athelia was sent to live with William and Hattie, and they eventually adopted her. So, Athelia Riess became Athelia Murphy. Her mother Lucy was buried in the Penn family plot at Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, New Jersey. Lucy and Hattie's parents William and Harriet Penn joined Lucy when they died in 1912 and 1914. Sadly, Athelia's father George died in 1918. He was unemployed and only 35 years old and living with his mother Ida and her second husband Alfred Bollermann at 125 Union Street in Newark when he died.
William, Hattie and Athelia were now in for a drastic change of scenery. For several years, they lived in Joplin and Saint Louis, Missouri where William was a dining car conductor for the Frisco Railroad and a bookkeeper for a packing company. Soon, they were back in Newark and living at 38 Fulton Street where William was chief steward for Standard Oil. Somewhere, somehow, he broke his left wrist which bothered him for the rest of his life.
Athelia was known to the family as Peg. When she was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on April 8, 1905, her parents Lucy and George Riess named her Athelia Magdalene Riess. After her mother Lucy died in 1907 and she was adopted by William and Hattie, she spent her teenage years in Joplin and Saint Louis. According to one source, Peg loved her adoptive parents very much. When the family moved back to New Jersey and settled in Belleville, Peg found work as a file clerk for an insurance company.
Around 1936, Peg married Thomas "Tommy" Arthur Rowe, the son of John William "Bill" Rowe and Mary Donnolly. Tommy was born in Elizabeth on August 21, 1907. He was the oldest of a large family that lived at 26 Orchard Street in Elizabeth. He was injured playing football in school and had a shortened leg because of it. As a result, he walked with a slight limp. This is according to a posting by Ellen Sisco on Ancestry.com. Tommy was a land surveyor for a construction company. He studied engineering at night, earning a degree and getting a job as a civil engineer for a chemical company. Ellen goes on to say he was a pipe smoker, a gentleman, and a shy uncle. He was 5' 4" tall, weighed about 140 pounds, with blue eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion.
Peg and Tommy lived for a while at 14 Mount Prospect Place in Newark, but eventually moved a few miles north to 12 Carpenter Terrace in Belleville. They had cocker spaniels as pets, usually two at a time. They had no children of their own. Peg was a volunteer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Belleville.
William Murphy again showed he was a man of many trades when he found employment while in his early sixties on a Work Projects Administration gang doing road construction in Ringwood, a town in Passaic County, about 30 miles north of Belleville. The job required him to live near the work site and he found a small apartment for Hattie to live in nearby Lake Erskine. By 1950, they were back in Belleville living with Peg and Tommy at 12 Carpenter Terrace. They were still living there when they died a few years later. William was 75 when he died on March 6, 1954, and Hattie was 85 when she died on July 5, 1957. They are buried together in the Penn family plot at Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside.
Around 1960, Peg and Tommy moved to Morristown, about 25 miles west of Belleville. Tommy died there on March 30, 1963. He was 55 years old. Years later, three weeks after her 73rd birthday and still living in Morristown, Peg died on April 27, 1978. She and Tommy were added to the now crowded Penn family plot at Evergreen Cemetery.
John and Henrietta's third and final child was Harry Edward Murphy, born in Newark on May 12, 1881. After their mother Henrietta (Volk) Murphy died in 1889, their father, John E. Murphy, unable or unwilling to raise three boys by himself, sent 14-year-old John, 11-year-old William and 8-year-old Harry to live with Henrietta's sisters, the widowed Mary J. Bradshaw and Emma Volk, who lived at 343 Ogden Street in Newark.
Like his older brother John J. Murphy, Harry found work in the silk industry. On February 22, 1903, he married Josephine Veronica Higgins, the daughter of Irish Immigrants Bartholomew Higgins and Catherine Ryan. Josephine was born in Manhattan on March 20, 1881. Harry worked for the Phoenix Silk Manufacturing Company in Paterson and eventually made his way up to foreman. He was 5' 7" tall, weighed about 165 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. He wore eyeglasses.
The marriage took place in the Hell's Kitchen section of the westside of Manhattan where Josephine lived with her parents. Hell's Kitchen has long been a bastion of poor and working-class Irish Americans. Why and how Harry met Josephine remains a mystery.
At first, they lived with Josephine's parents at 437 West 36th Street in Manhattan. After a few years, they moved to New Jersey, at 45 Stephens Street in Belleville before moving to 228 Third Street in Clifton in 1915.
Harry and Josephine attended St. Paul's Roman Catholic church in Clifton. Josephine was a member of the church's Holy Name Society and was well known for her interest in charitable and church organizations.
Harry and Josephine had four children: Kathryn (1904) and Josephine (1905) in quick succession; then Harry A. (1914) and Vincent (1920).
In late July of 1925, Josephine had an attack of appendicitis and underwent surgery at St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic. She failed to recover from the operation and died a week later on June 4, 1925. She was only 44 years old. She was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson. Of the children, Kathryn was 21, Josephine 19, Harry A. 11, and Vincent 5. While the circumstances were similar to that of John E. Murphy and the early death of his wife Henrietta at the age of 39, Harry E. did not abandon his children. He became a single parent and continued to raise them. He continued working at the silk manufacturing company.
Harry and Josephine were still living with her parents in Manhattan when their first child, Kathryn H. Murphy was born on January 30, 1904. Two years after her mother's death, 23-year-old Kathryn married Albert P. Hochkeppel at Saint Paul's church in Clifton on June 27, 1927. Kathryn's sister Josephine was bridesmaid, while Albert's brother William was the groom. The couple moved in with Harry at 228 Third Street.
Albert was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 15, 1903. His parents were Peter Hochkeppel and Hortense Gaechter. He attended Saint Boniface Parochial School and took a four-year commercial course at Paterson High School from which he graduated in 1921. Albert was an estimator and salesman for the A. & J. Friedman Plumbing Supply Company of Passaic. He was 5' 5" tall, weighed about 165 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a light complexion. By 1940, he and Kathryn were still living with Harry at 228 Third Street. They had six children. They soon moved to 339 Saddle River Road in Fair Lawn.
Kathryn and Albert's first child was William Henry Hochkeppel, born in Passaic, New Jersey on March 3, 1929. The family moved to Fair Lawn, New Jersey and William graduated from Fair Lawn High School in 1949. He was working as a landscaper when he enlisted in the Army and served in Korea during the war. Shortly after his discharge, he married Elaine Marie Valore on May 2, 1953. The wedding took place at Saint Anne's Roman Catholic Church in Fair Lawn. William's sister Veronica was the maid of honor.
Elaine was born in New Jersey on January 20, 1933, the daughter of Arthur Vanore and Amelia Piekarski. She graduated Lodi High School and Berkeley Secretarial School. Her nickname in school was "Mooney".
In 1955, William started his own nursery business called Hochkeppel Nursery in Wayne, New Jersey. William was active in the Boy Scouts organization, President of the PTA, President of Wayne Hills band boosters, and President of Tri-County Landscape Association. He and Elaine had three sons and two daughters. The youngest child, David Albert Hochkeppel, was born in Wayne on December 18, 1961. He grew up to become a chef and worked in Chicago, Spokane, Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Thorton, Colorado. He was a member of a mysterious "Scenic Lounge" in Denville, New Jersey. He was only 33 years old when he died on May 13, 1995 at the Northwest Covenant Medical Center in Denville.
William retired from his landscaping business in 1984. He and Elaine were living in Sewell, New Jersey when he died at home on May 31, 2017. He was 88 years old.
Kathryn and Albert's second child was Veronica "Vera" J. Hochkeppel, born in Clifton on July 21, 1930. She graduated from Fair Lawn High School where she excelled in baseball and basketball. In 1951, she was one of 155 students who graduated from Paterson Teachers College, at the time the largest graduating class in the 96-year history of the school. While attending the college, Vera was a member of Zeta Kappa Chi Sorority. She soon became a kindergarten teacher in New Milford, New Jersey. On April 24, 1954, she married Alexander "Al" Thomas Leishman, Jr. at Saint Anne's Roman Catholic Church in Fair Lawn.
Al was an assistant manager for Public Finance Company in Clifton and served with the Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Standing at 5' 5" and weighing about 165 pounds, Al had brown hair, brown eyes, and a light complexion. He was born in Dundee, Scotland on August 4, 1926, the son of Alexander Thomas Leishman, Sr. and Helen Devlin. Al was 3 years old when he arrived with his mother aboard the City Of Poona steamship in Boston, Massachusetts on October 10, 1929. They had set sail from Calcutta, India where Al's father worked as a "dyer's helper" and who followed them to America in 1930. They settled in Paterson where Helen's mother Mary Devlin and Al's older brother David were already living.
Vera and Al had one son and five daughters. One of the daughters, Gail Anne Leishman, was born in Paterson on September 6, 1956. She was a graduate of DePaul High School in Wayne, New Jersey and of Muhlenberg Hospital School of Nursing and became a licensed Registered Nurse. In February of 1980 she married Brian G. Gawrys, with whom she had a son and daughter. Later, she married for a second time, to Brett Leonard Gaskill in Frankford, New Jersey on January 10, 1997 and had three more daughters after moving to Burlington, Vermont.
Sadly, Gail developed stomach cancer and died in Burlington a year later, on July 8, 2005. She was only 48 years old. She was buried at Frenchtown Cemetery in Frenchtown, New Jersey.
At some point, Vera and Al moved to Leisure Village West, a gated adult community in Manchester, New Jersey. Several months after celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary, Vera died on November 7, 2024. She was 94 years old.
Kathryn and Albert's third child was Albert "Al" Vincent Hochkeppel. He was born in Clifton on October 25, 1931. After graduating from Fair Lawn High School in 1951, he enlisted with the U. S. Army during the Korean War, serving honorably from June 16, 1952 to May 26, 1954, attaining the rank of sergeant. After his discharge from the Army, he found work as a landscaper with Walter Newman's Nursery in Fair Lawn.
On September 25, 1954, Al married Susan Patricia "Pat" Tyrrell at Saint Anne's Roman Catholic Church in Fair Lawn. Pat's sister Dorothy was matron of honor while Al's sister Vera was one of the bridesmaids. Al's brother William was best man.
Pat was born in New Jersey in March of 1934, the daughter of Charles A. Tyrrell and Susan McGrogan. Charles was an airplane engine parts inspector. He was born in New Jersey while his wife Susan was born in Ireland.
Pat and Al were 1951 graduates of Fair Lawn High School where she was editor-in-chief of the yearbook staff, a member of the school honor society, and a majorette. The senior class voted her "Best All Around." After high school, Pat was employed in the revenue accounting department of the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company in Paterson.
Al and Pat lived in Fair Lawn where they raised three sons. Having three boys, Al soon became actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America, at one point serving as treasurer of Troop 45. He was also a manager for the All-Sports Association of Fair Lawn. He and Pat were members of Saint Anne's Roman Catholic church and its Holy Name Society.
Al was manager of the American Finance Corporation office in Clifton for ten years. Then he spent a year with the National Community Bank in Garfield. In October of 1970, he accepted a position as assistant cashier of the Allwood office of the Bank of Passaic and Clifton when he died suddenly at home on January 31, 1971. He was only 39 years old. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson.
Pat was now a young widow of 36 with three boys to raise on her own. She would have to wait eight years before a second marriage to a widower named Bart "Kip" Kuipers on March 17, 1979. Kip was one of the owners of the Fair Lawn Boro Garage. He had four children of his own. Pat's youngest son Todd Hochkeppel served as best man, while Kip's daughter Sharon Conrad was matron of honor.
Pat was to suffer another loss in her life when Kip died on February 13, 1990 at the age of 62. A third marriage for Pat occurred in July of 1992 to Donald "Coach" Muse, but Pat's tragedies continued when he died six months later in January of 1993. Don attended Eastside High School in Paterson where he starred as a pitcher for the school baseball team. One of his teammates was Larry Doby, who later became the first black player in the American League for the Cleveland Indians. After serving with the Navy during World War II, Don was a minor league and semipro ballplayer for several local teams. He earned his "Coach" nickname when he spent ten years managing several local baseball clubs.
Kathryn and Albert were living at 228 Third Street in Clifton when their fourth child was born on September 27, 1937. They named him Edward Peter Hochkeppel. Unfortunately, little Edward lived for only five months before his death on February 20, 1938. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery.
The year following the death of baby Edward, Charles Eugene Hochkeppel arrived on June 25, 1939. He was Kathryn and Albert's fifth child. They were still living at 228 Third Street in Clifton. Living with them was Albert's widowed mother Hortense Hochkeppel, Kathryn's widowed father Harry E. Murphy, and Kathryn's 19-year-old brother Vincent Murphy. There was also a nurse named Elizabeth Brady, but who she was a nurse for (baby Charles?) is not known.
After graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1961 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, Charles joined the U. S. Army Reserves. While serving a six-month tour for the Reserves, he became engaged to Lynn Hazel Parkin, a secretary with Beneficial Finance, located in the Garden State Plaza in Paramus. Lynn was born in Brooklyn on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 1943. Her parents were Albert Edward Parkin and Margaret Genevieve Hetzel.
After returning from active duty, Charles found work as personnel assistant at Gimbel's Department Store in Paramus. On August 18, 1962, he and Lynn were married at Saint Anne's Catholic Church. Charles' sister Vera was matron of honor. Charles' brother Joseph was best man.
Charles entered into a long career as an insurance claims adjuster for Allstate. He was a family pastor for Gilgal Bible Chapel in West Milford, heading its counseling center and directing its music ministry. He and Lynn had two daughters. Around 1974, they moved to West Milford. Charles was only 51 years old when he died there on May 1, 1991. He was buried at Cedar Heights Cemetery in West Milford.
After the death of Charles, Lynn worked for the Russ Berrie Toy Company in nearby Oakland. At some point she remarried, to Henry Reckler. She died on September 13, 2005 at the home of her daughter Laura Gutwein in Columbia, Missouri. She was 62 years old. She was buried at Cedar Heights Cemetery with Charles.
On March 25, 1943, Kathryn and Albert's sixth and final child was born, in Paterson. His name was Joseph "Joe" Edward Hochkeppel. He Attended Seton Hall University in South Orange where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Pi Fraternity, president of the school's Marketing Club and of AIESEC, an international organization that provides young people with business development internships. He graduated with a BS in business administration. He soon became a sales manager with Firestone in Springfield, New Jersey.
Joe married Mary Margaret "Molly" Hicks at Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Wayne on June 19, 1965. Molly was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania on January 30, 1944, the daughter of Warren F. Hicks and Mary M. Martin. She attended Marywood College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. At the time of the marriage, she was a key-punch operator for State Farm Insurance Company in Wayne. Both were members of the Catholic Young Adult Club. It was around this time that Joe began a long career as a sidewalk Santa in the weeks before Christmas. He and Molly had four sons.
Around 1980, they moved to Cohasset, Massachusetts. Joe and Molly were members of the Quincy Center Dinner Theater in Quincy, Massachusetts. One of Joe's performances was in the comedy production of "Love, Sex and the I.R.S." in February of 1993. Sadly, he died 4 months later, on June 26, 1993. He was only 50 years old. He was buried at Woodside Cemetery in Cohasset.
Several years later, Molly remarried, to Wigmore "Wig" Alling Pierson. Wig was born in Oakland, California on March 8, 1940, the son of Merlyn A. Pierson and Janice Wigmore. He was raised, however, in Newton, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. He had three children from his first marriage.
Wig was best known as the host of cable talk-show "Pierson To Person", broadcast live from nearby Scituate every Thursday for ten years. Starting with a degree in Political Science from Lake Forest College in Illinois, he had a keen interest in politics. He served two years with the Peace Corps in Peru. He ran twice for state representative from Newton. He was a 20-something Republican running in a heavily Democratic town and to no one's surprise, he lost. Undaunted, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he founded a career counseling firm and served as an advance man for President Gerald Ford.
Around 1990, Wig returned to Cohasset and jumped back into the political scene by joining town boards, and working behind the scenes of many campaigns. Besides politics, his other passion was history. He was a direct descendent of William Brewster, one of the original passengers aboard the Mayflower. Wig joined the Massachusetts Mayflower Society in Cohasset and once served as its governor. He zealously bribed his children to memorize all the presidents in order. His real talent was friendship. He kept in touch with many people that he knew throughout his amazing life.
After suffering for a year from various serious illnesses, Wig died at his home surrounded by Molly and his three children. He was 72 years old.
One of Joe and Molly's sons was Glen Hochkeppel, born in Pequannock, New Jersey, on Jan. 15, 1968, the second of Joe and Molly's four sons. Pequannock is right next to the town of Wayne where Joe and Molly lived for several years before settling in Massachusetts around 1980, where Glen's formative years were spent. He was a Cohasset High School graduate, class of 1986, giving a creative salutatorian address on the way out. After getting degrees from Brandeis and Duquesne, Glen moved to Northern Virginia to teach. He was a gifted actor, director, singer, musician, writer, and artist, all of which formed his teaching style. He also performed in many area theaters, meeting his wife-to-be, Sarah Maxwell, during a production of the musical "Hair".
Glen and Sarah were married for 11 years. As Sarah put it, the couple "parted amicably and with love after creating two incredible human beings", beloved children Eli and Miranda. Many of Glen's students became his friends as adults. For several enjoyable years, Glen played sax with a large local jazz group headed by a talented former student and composer. Glen spent 25 years imparting his passion and enthusiasm for the dramatic arts to hundreds of students at Broad Run and then Stone Bridge high schools in Northern Virginia.
After many years considering the move, Glen announced in the summer of 2019 that he would henceforth be living as a woman. This announcement came in a breezy post that ended "Those in the know, call me Elena". On May 1, 2020, Glen passed away tragically and unexpectedly at his home in Sterling, Virginia. When his former students and colleagues were informed of his passing, social media lit up with tributes to the teacher they lovingly called "H". They credited him with giving drama "nerds" a safe place to flourish, encouraging and mentoring them during their high school years and, in many cases, inspiring them to take up careers in the arts. To learn more about the life of Glen/Elena, click here.
After Harry and Josephine's first child Kathryn Murphy was born in Manhattan in 1904, they moved to Belleville, New Jersey, located just a few miles north of Newark. It was there that their second child was born. This was Josephine Veronica Murphy, on November 7, 1905. She graduated from St. Paul's Parochial School, and Clifton High School. She was living with her widowed father at 228 Third Street in Clifton when she became a June Bride upon marrying George Aloysuis Delaney, Jr. at St. Paul's Church in Clifton on June 8, 1931. Her father walked her down the aisle. Her mother Josephine died in 1925. George's sister Estella Delaney was Josephine's maid of honor, while Josephine's brother Harry Murphy served as best man. The newlyweds established residency in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where George was an office manager for a silk manufacturing company. George was born in Paterson on August 15, 1904. His parents were George A. Delaney, Sr., and Sylvia Phelan.
Josephine and George had one son and two daughters. By 1938, they had moved from Allentown to Paterson where George was a "cutter" at the Wright Aeronautical Corporation in Paterson. He stood 5' 6" tall, weighing about 160 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a light complexion.
Around 1945, Josephine and George moved to 274 East Sixth Street in Clifton, where they would remain until at least George's death in 1965. By then, George was sales manager at Delaney Motor Sales Company in Clifton. They were members of Saint Brendan's Roman Catholic Church and its Holy Name Society. Later, Goerge managed the Mark Restaurant in Mahwah, from 1958 to 1965. Josephine was a cafeteria employee at her old high school in Clifton.
George was 61 when he died in Passaic General Hospital on June 2, 1965, after a short illness. It was a week before their 34th wedding anniversary. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Paterson. Josephine was living at 734 Fordham Road in Clifton when she died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson on May 7, 1968. She was 62 years old. She was buried with George at Calvary Cemetery.
Josephine and George's first child was Joan Veronica Delaney, born in Allentown on July 26, 1932. In March of 1952, she married William Henry Barhorst, Jr. William was born in Totowa, New Jersey on November 21, 1927. His parents were William H. Barhorst, Sr. and Theresa M. Denahoy. William was 5' 9" tall, weighed about 155 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy complexion. He worked for the Pacific Vegetable Oil Company in Boonton, New Jersey, beginning in 1951. He eventually became a supervisor for the company and retired after 41 years in 1992. Joan and William had two sons and a daughter.
In 1956, they moved to Clifton. Joan and William were members of Saint Philip the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Clifton where Joan worked as a teacher's aide and William was a member of the church's maintenance committee. William also volunteered at the church as a bingo worker for 20 years. Joan was a member of the Women's Auxiliary of the Wayne Township Fire Department.
William died in Clifton on August 10, 1997. He was 69 years old. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery. Joan was 70 when she died on December 1, 2002. She was buried with William at Calvary Cemetery.
Josephine and George's second child was George Aloysuis Delaney III. He was born in Allentown on September 16, 1933. After serving with the U. S. Navy during the Korean War, he worked at the Philips Dodge Dealership in South Brunswick, New Jersey. On May 9, 1959, he married Gail Patricia Calderaro at Saint Brendan's church. Gail was born on March 25, 1939, the daughter of Michael Calderaro and Mary Moniz. Gail graduated from the Berkeley Secretarial School and became employed by the Walter Kidde fire and smoke detection equipment company in Belleville. They had a son and a daughter. They lived in South River, New Jersey for 30 years. Around 1984, George became the owner and manager of Kay's Bakery and Deli down on the Jersey Shore in Lavalette, New Jersey. He was a member of the New Jersey Bakers Board of Trade and the Ortley Beach Moose Lodge. In 1989, they moved to Toms River, New Jersey, about 9 miles west of Lavalette.
George was still working at the bakery when he died at home in Toms River on October 8, 1994. He was 61 years old. He was buried at Saint Joseph's Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums in Toms River.
Thirteen years after George's death, Gail married for a second time, on January 9, 2008, to Lawrence Peter Benlein. Lawrence was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 3, 1938, the son of Frederick Benlein and Mary Nicholson. Lawrence served in the U. S. Army and then worked as an auditor for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for 31 years. He enjoyed bowling, horse racing, and visiting the casinos in Atlantic City. He and Gail enjoyed nine years together before his death after a long battle with cancer on June 25, 2018. He was 79 years of age. Like Gail's first husband, Lawrence was buried at Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Toms River.
On September 23, 1938, Josephine and George's third child, Barbara Josephine Delaney, was born. Unlike her two older siblings who were born in Allentown, the family had moved to Paterson by the time Barbara came along. She graduated from Saint John's Cathedral High School in Paterson in 1956. She was working in the accounting department at New Jersey Bell Telephone Company in Paterson when she married Cosmo Fantozzi at Saint Brendan's Church on September 12, 1959. Barbara's sister-in-law Gail was a bridesmaid. Cosmo was born in Brooklyn on March 10, 1938. He was employed by Atco Transmission Company in Paterson.
Barbara and Cosmo lived on Colfax Road in Wayne, New Jersey. They had two daughters and four sons. They spent summers renting bungalows with Barbara's sister's Barhorst family at Ocean Beach and Wildwood, New Jersey. Barbara spent 25 years of her life working as a cafeteria worker for the Wayne Township Public Schools, retiring in 2000. She was a faithful and devout parishioner of Our Lady of Consolation Roman Catholic Church in Wayne. She was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Pompton Falls Volunteer Fire Department in Wayne for 25 years.
Six weeks after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, Cosmo and Barbara were still living in Wayne when she died at home on October 27, 2021. She was interred at Laurel Grove Mausoleum in Totowa.
Nine years after the birth of their second child, Harry and Josephine welcomed their third, Harry Andrew Murphy, on July 1, 1914. They had moved from Belleview to Paterson where baby Harry was born. He attended Saint Paul Elementary School, and graduated Clifton High School in 1931 where he was known as "Murph". He then enrolled at Perkiomen College Prepatory School in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania.
On April 24, 1937 Harry married Adelaide Marie Denboske, the daughter of Thomas Denboske and Adelaide Kuczmarska. She was born in Wallington, New Jersey, three years before Harry, on May 31, 1911.
Adelaide was a graduate of Holy Trinity Business School and Saint Nicholas' Parochial School, and was working in Manhattan for the Cornish Wire Company at the time of the marriage. Harry was working at the General Baking Company in Paterson. Later, he was a "pool design engineer" for a propeller manufacturing company. He went on to earn his teaching certificate and taught for 19 years at Paterson Vocational and Technical School, from 1957 to 1976. He was a member of the New Jersey Education Association, plus Lodge 2151, BPOE Elks in Brick, New Jersey. Harry was 5' 9" tall, weighing about 200 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy complexion.
Harry and Adelaide had three sons. In 1961, they moved to Toms River, New Jersey, while Harry continued teaching at the school in Paterson. They were communicants of Saint Justin's Roman Catholic Church in Toms River. Harry was a member of the Saint Joseph Council 4969, Knights of Columbus in Toms River. In 1966, Adelaide took a job as secretary with Hoffman-LaRoche Laboratories in Nutley, New Jersey. She worked there for seven years before illness forced her to retire in 1973. Harry retired from teaching in 1976.
The illness that forced Adelaide to retire in 1973 led to her death at Community Memorial Hospital in Toms River on May 21, 1975. She was 63 years old. She was buried with Harry's parents at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson.
A year later, Harry remarried, to Gertrude Anita Reilly, in April of 1976. Gertrude was born in Newark, New Jersey on the Fourth of July in 1910. She was four years older than Harry. Her parents were William A. Reilly and Julianna M. Pilkington. Like Harry, it was her second marriage. In 1938, she was working as a switchboard operator for the Newark Evening News when she married Gregory Patrick Walsh, who worked in the paper's advertising department. They had two sons before Gregory died in 1975, a year before she married Harry. Gregory was buried at Saint Catherine's Cemetery in Sea Girt, New Jersey.
Three years after they married, Harry and Gertrude were still living in Toms River when he died at the Claremont Care Center in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, on June 5, 1979. He was 64 years old. He was buried with Adelaide and his parents in the family plot at Calvary Cemetery.
Not long after Harry's death, Gertrude married for a third time. This was to Joseph H. Flynn, a World War II Navy veteran and retired division manager for the Walt Disney Company in Manhattan. He and Gertrude lived at Leisure Village West in Manchester, New Jersey until his death in 1998. He was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, New Jersey.
Gertrude outlived all three of her husbands. She was 96 and living in Lakewood, New Jersey when she died on September 25, 2005. She was buried with her first husband Gregory Walsh at Saint Catherine's Cemetery in Sea Girt.
As said before, Harry and Adelaide had three sons. On January 5, 1938, their first, John "Jack" Henry Murphy, was born in Passaic. While working at the Carlstadt Leather Finishes Company, he attended night classes at Fairleigh Dickinson University and earned a degree in Engineering. He went on to become a Cosmetic Chemist, a "masterful formulator", and held several patents.
Jack and his parents were living in Lodi, New Jersey when Jack married Rose Marie Minutella at Saint Andrew's Roman Catholic Church in Clifton two days before his 21st birthday, on January 3, 1959. Rose's sister Jean Minutella Dzurillay was her matron of honor, and Jack's brother Tom was best man. Rose was born in New Jersey in November of 1939, the daughter of Frank Minutella and Florence D'Amore.
Jack and Rose began their lives together a few miles southwest of Lodi in Wallington, the town where Jack's mother Adelaide was from. They had two sons. The marriage did not last. In March of 1978, Rose married Franklin R. Nutt in Toms River, New Jersey. Jack was in his seventies when he moved to Florida in 2011. He was an active member of Saint Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in San Antonio, Florida. He enjoyed playing golf and playing bluegrass music on the banjo. He was known for having a great sense of humor.
Jack was living in Lutz, Florida when he died at the age of 76 on April 17, 2014. He was buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida.
Harry and Adelaide's second son was born in Passaic on March 10, 1939. This was Thomas "Tom" M. Murphy. He served three years in Germany with the U. S. Army. He began a career as a surveyor with the civil engineering firm of Fellows and Read in Toms River. On June 15, 1963, he married a high school teacher named Judith "Judy" Ann Robertson at Saint Brendan's Roman Catholic Church in Clifton on June 15, 1963. Judy was born in Passaic on June 8, 1939, the daughter of Raymond Robertson and Polish immigrant Mary Stachula. Judy had a degree in Home Economics from Montclair State College where she was a member of Kappa Delta Pi and Dalphac sororities. At the time of the marriage, she was a teacher at Central Regional High School in Bayville, New Jersey, just south of Toms River where the Murphys lived.
Eventually, Tom established his own company in Toms River called SBA Land Surveyors. He and Judy had three sons. They were parishioners at Saint Justin Roman Catholic Church in Toms River where Tom was a member of the choir. He was also a member of the Toms River Yacht Club, the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors, a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick, and, thanks to his sons, a Boy Scout volunteer.
Tom was the founder of the Barnegat Bay Rowing Association and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA). He and Judy were living in the Snug Harbor neighborhood of Toms River when he died at Community Medical Center on September 3, 2015. He was 76 years old. He was buried at Saint Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Toms River.
Harry and Adelaide's third son was Michael Gabriel Murphy, born in Passaic on February 13, 1943. After graduating from Pope Pius XII High School in Passaic in 1961, he was hired by the Hoffmann-La Roche pharmaceutical company in nearby Nutley. On July 13, 1963, he married Marie Annette Di Giacomo, who went by her middle name of Annette. She was born in New Jersey in 1943. She was a classmate of Michael's at Pope Pius XII High School. Her parents were Italian immigrant Caesare Di Giacomo and Mary D'Argenzio.
Between 1972 and 2002, they lived in Anaheim, California, before moving to Florida. They were living in Land O'Lakes, Florida when Michael died on August 30, 2014. He was 71 years old. He was buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Clearwater, the same cemetery where his brother Jack was buried. It should be noted that brothers Jack, Tom and Michael all died within 15 months of one another.
By the time their fourth child was born on January 31, 1920, Harry and Josephine were living in Clifton, at 228 Third Street. They named him Vincent Edward Murphy, otherwise known as Vince. After graduating from Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, he joined the U. S. Army Air Corps, in 1942, and was stationed in Yukon, Oklahoma. He trained as a photo reconnaissance pilot in Colorado and joined the 8th Photo Squadron for whom he flew as a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 1056 twin-engine pilot, attaining the rank of Captain.
After the war, Vince joined the U. S. Air Force Reserve and was promoted to the rank of Major. On May 6, 1950 he married Lillian Hannah Kearney at Holy Name Roman Catholic Church in East Orange, New Jersey. Lillian was born in Orange, New Jersey on June 13, 1925, the daughter of William Kearney and Mary Kirby.
Vince and Lillian soon moved to Clifton where they raised two sons. Vince continued his service in the Air Force Reserve. He flew the T-33 training jet plane and RF-1 photo jets and worked in the Reconn Squadron in Korea. He flew more than 150 flights during his military career and was often in dangerous situations as he took photos behind enemy lines. Vince was 5' 7" tall, weighed about 165 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion.
In addition to being a military man, Vince was also a musician, playing the trumpet and serving as a bandleader since his college years. He formed the Vincent Murphy Orchestra, which played throughout North Jersey. His civilian career was with the Pitney Bowes mailing, shipping and financial services company in East Orange where he worked for 15 years. Once he retired from them, he had more time to devote to his musical talents. He played trumpet with the Dixieland Band, The Mudgutters.
As an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7165, Vince was often the bugler at his friends' memorial services. He was also a member of the American Legion Post 8 and the Aviation Hall of Fame in Teterboro, New Jersey.
Vince was 80 years old when he died in Clifton on November 18, 2000. He was buried in the Murphy family plot at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson. Lillian died two years later on November 26, 2002. She was 77 years old. She was buried with Vince at Calvary Cemetery.
After losing his wife Josephine in 1925, and raising his kids as a single parent, Harry worked his way up to foreman at the Phoenix Silk Manufacturing Company, then retired in 1935. He continued living at 228 Third Street in Clifton, at first with his daughter Kathryn and her Hochkeppel family, then moving with them to 339 Saddle River Road in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Then, he moved back to Clifton to live with his daughter Josephine and her Delaney family at 303 East Sixth Street. This is where he was living when he died in Saint Joseph's Hospital in Paterson on November 29, 1955, after a 3-week illness. He was 74 years old. He was buried with Josephine in the Murphy family plot at Calvary Cemetery in Paterson.
John and Margaret Murphy's second child was Catherine Teresa Murphy. The family called her Kate. She was born in Newark on October 14, 1852. She was 37 years old and working as a dressmaker and still living with her father John and step-mother Mary at 95 Prospect Street when her father died at home from pneumonia on January 9, 1890. He was 63 years old. He was buried in the Murphy family plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Newark.
On October 1 of that same year, Kate married a 36-year-old house painter named Joseph Harrold in the same church as her parents, Saint Patrick's Church (now called St. Patrick's Cathedral). Joseph was born in Newton, New Jersey on June 30, 1854, the son of Charles Harrold and Joanna Von Anken. Kate and Joseph moved to 19 Summit Street in Newark where they stayed for their lifetimes. As far as I know, they had no children.
On February 23, 1894, Kate's step-mother Mary Murphy died from cancer. She was 66 years old. She was buried next to John at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
The year 1908 proved to be a sad and tragic one for the Harrold family. On January 13, Joseph's sister-in-law, Elizabeth Mullen Harrold, the wife of his older brother John, died from a stroke. Seven months later, Joseph's spinster sister Margaret Harrold died from breast cancer. Then, three weeks after that, Joseph was visiting his Aunt Sarah Perry in Blairstown, a town west of Newark out near the border with Pennsylvania, when he died suddenly, on August 29. He was only 54 years old. They were all buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Kate continued living at 19 Summit Street in Newark, renting out some of her rooms to provide her income. She was able to stay in her home at least until the 1930's.
Many years later, Kate suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died from pneumonia on February 21, 1936. She was 83. At the time of her death, she was living at the Murphy family home at 77 Murray Street in Newark. She and Joseph are buried together at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Mary Elizabeth Murphy was born in Newark in March of 1860. She was the third child born to John and Margaret. As a child, she was called "Lizzie". As an adult, she was known as "Minnie". Like her sister Catherine, Minnie married somewhat late in life. She was 30 years old when she married Frank Virtue in Saint Stephen's Roman Catholic Church in Newark on May 19, 1890. Frank was born in England on March 9, 1857. He was a baby when he arrived in America with his family in 1858. His parents were George Virtue and Ann Lewis. Frank was chief detective for the Newark Prosecutor. He was 5' 10" tall, weighed about 150 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. He also had two pronounced scars on his right leg.
Frank and Minnie had three children but only two survived into adulthood. There may have been a child born in the early 1890's, but no record of the birth or death has been found. On August 19, 1896, Minnie gave birth to Jeanette Gloria Virtue. Two years later, a few days after Thanksgiving, Frank Virtue, Jr. arrived on November 27, 1898. They owned a three-story home at 48 Parkhurst Street in Newark, renting living space to two other families. Just like Minnie's parents, they had a live-in black servant. She was a teenager named Sarah Clayborn.
In 1908, The Newark Evening Star newspaper started a charitable fund to help the city's hospitalized babies each summer by providing them free ice cream. Nothing is free, so the fund depended on generous contributions from the city's citizens. Young Jeanette organized and ran a "lawn fete" the following summer at her home where visitors could gather and make donations to the fund. She collected $22.25 for the charity.
Besides the home on Parkhurst Street, Frank and Minnie also had a summer home at Fairfield Beach in Connecticut, about 80 miles from Newark. They had the luxury of spending the latter part of July through August there each summer.
One of Frank's brothers was Essex County Sheriff George Virtue. After retiring from the prosecutor's office, Frank went into the coal business. In April of 1910, he was indicted for "short-weighting" some of his customers. When the case was brought before the court, an adjournment "sine die" was allowed at the request of the city law department, and the case was never heard again.
On the 25th celebration of Labor Day in New Jersey, on September 2, 1912, the family traveled several miles to visit Frank's nephew George Ward Virtue, the sheriff's son, who lived across Newark at 420 Clinton Place. While there, Frank became gravely ill. Although we don't know the exact details of his condition, it was serious enough that he couldn't be moved to return home. He lingered at his nephew's place for four months before finally dying there on January 12, 1913. He was 55 years old. He was buried at Fairmount Cemetery.
When Frank died, the children were in their early teens. Minnie took over running Frank's coal company. Sixteen-year-old Jeanette dropped out of high school and found work as a stenographer for an auto company. Frank Jr. finished high school and worked at the coal company for a while, then as a "demonstrator" for the same auto company where Jeanette worked. Minnie took advantage of the holiday home in Connecticut and spent the summer there after Frank's death.
While serving a short career as Essex County Sheriff, Frank's brother George was involved in the produce commission business on Commerce Street in Newark. This didn't pay off, so he decided to try speculating in real estate. He and his wife had ten children. They lived in a three-story home at 681 Elizabeth Street in Newark. It was said to be one of the handsomest residences in the southern section of the city. In 1914, George became involved in legal proceedings over some of his holdings and foreclosure suits were filed against him. Faced with devastating economic losses, George committed suicide on March 29, 1915, two weeks after his 60th birthday, by slashing his throat in the bathroom of his home. He was slowly dying when two of his sons heard him moaning and discovered the gruesome scene. George died on the floor of his bathroom. He was buried with Frank at the Virtue family plot in Fairmount Cemetery.
Jeanette never married. She lived with her widowed mother at the Parkhurst home. In 1918, she accepted employment as a secretary at the New York City location for Chase Manhattan Bank. Several years later, Minnie and Jeanette bought a home valued at $11,000 in 1930 ($208,000 in 2024) at 61 Willow Street in Glen Ridge, several miles north of Newark. Minnie was around 74 when she died in 1935. She was buried with Frank at Fairmount Cemetery.
In 1958, Jeanette retired from Chase Bank after working there for 40 years. She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Glen Ridge. In 1970, she moved a few miles west to 33 Mt. Pleasant Avenue in West Orange. On March 11, 1972, she died at Orange Memorial Hospital. She was 75 years old. She was buried with her parents in the Fairmount Cemetery family plot.
Frank Virtue, Jr. was born in Newark on November 27, 1898. By 1918, he was working at his father's coal business store. He was tall and slender, 5' 10" tall and weighing 150 pounds, with blue eyes, dark brown hair, and a light complexion. On September 26, 1925 he married Euphemia "Phyllis" Murray in the Blue Room of the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, Canada. Phyllis was born in Quebec, Canada in 1905. Her parents were William C. Murray and Euphemia Stewart. They had a summer home in the picturesque town of Sainte Agathe des Monts, about 60 miles northwest of Montreal. Phyllis' father William was a notable Canadian curling enthusiast.
We have no way of knowing how Frank and Phyllis met, but one clue might be that the wedding's best man was Phyllis' brother Neil J. C. Murray. A small contingent from the Kensington Presbyterian Church Bible Class, of which Phyllis was secretary, attended the wedding. The couple took up residence in Bloomfield, New Jersey.
From Bloomfield, they ended up in Montclair, then Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and Frank went from being an assistant manager at a safety pin factory to traveling salesman at the Linker Machines Company in Newark. He and Phyllis had three children. The first was Robert Bruce Virtue, born in Glen Ridge on September 1, 1926. Around each Fourth of July, Phyllis and little Robert would make the 430-mile trip north to her parents' home at Sainte Agathe des Monts to spend the summer. Towards the middle of August, Frank would join them for the rest of the summer. They did this for several years until tragedy struck. Poor little Robert was only six years old when he died at home on June 11, 1932, after a six-week illness. He was buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Montclair.
Seven months after young Robert's death, a second child was born. This was Phyllis Joyce Virtue, on April; 12, 1933. Another son was born in 1933 named Frank Virtue, after his father and grandfather.
In 1947, they moved from Glen Ridge to Fayson Lakes, an exclusive community within the town of Kinnelon, New Jersey, about 20 miles northwest of Glen Ridge and Newark. Frank eventually became a purchasing agent for the Linker Company. The company made and distributed sausage producing machines.
On May 22, 1953, Phyllis died at the age of 47. She was buried at nearby Pompton Plains First Reformed Church Cemetery. One month later, in what was obviously a pre-planned ceremony, daughter Phyllis was married to William Ernest Jacob on June 20, 1953.
Frank retired from Linker in 1964. He was still living in Fayson Lakes when he died at the Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains on February 3, 1970. He was 71 years old. He was buried with Phyllis at Pompton Plains First Reformed Church Cemetery.
Matthew F. Murphy (my great-grandfather), was born in Newark on February 25, 1863, and christened a month later at Newark's Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. On June 15, 1887, he married Mary Ellen McCarthy at Saint James Roman Catholic Church, located at 143 Madison Street in Newark. Mary Ellen was born in Newark on November 27, 1863, the daughter of Michael McCarthy and Mary Ann Cleary. She was a member of the Rosary Society, Saint James Branch Number 165, the Loyal Christian Benefit Association, and the Guild of Saint James Hospital. She was also the sister of a somewhat famous brother, James A. McCarthy. To read more about him, click here.
Matthew worked as a salesman for many years before eventually taking a job as a stock clerk for the gas company. He was a member of the Holy Name Society of Saint Columba's Church in Newark, the Catholic Benevolent Legion, St. James Council Number 39, and the Institute Boat Club of Newark.
Matthew and Mary Ellen raised seven children while constantly moving from one location to another. Starting in 1888, they lived at 504 Ferry Street in Newark, then at 173 Lafayette Street, 268 Lafayette Street, 85 Jefferson Street (1895-1915), and finally, by 1915 at 77 Murray Street. The children were: Marguerite Murphy, born July 28, 1888; Helen J. Murphy, born August 7, 1890; Joseph Francis Murphy, born on Christmas Eve 1892; Maria Agnes Murphy, known by the family as Marie, born June 2, 1895; Grace A. Murphy, born October 10, 1896; John M. Murphy (my grandfather), born on February 16, 1898; and Eugene Vincent Murphy, born August 4, 1903.
Other than my grandfather, I know a little about the others. Marguerite died at the age of 8 on March 22, 1897 at the family home at 85 Jefferson Street, of "Acute Lobar Pneumonia plus Heart Failure." What can only be described as macabre, she is listed in the 1900 Federal Census as an 11-year-old. Joseph was 5' 9" tall with a stout build that eventually balooned to 245 pounds, blue eyes, light brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. In 1917, he worked as a clerk for Macy's in Newark.
Marie did not go beyond eighth grade in school, but it was enough for her to get a job as a stenographer for the Essex County Sheriff's Department. She married William Vierling at Saint Columba's Church in Newark on October 5, 1926, when she was 31 years old. William, who was also 31 when they married, was a music teacher and a "builder" from Elizabeth, New Jersey, and sometimes went by the name Paul. Like Marie, he did not go beyond eighth grade. He was born in Elizabeth on May 4, 1895. His parents were Henry Vierling and Philippine Lapp. He was later employed as a carpenter for a company in South Orange, New Jersey. He stood 5' 8" tall and weighed 190 pounds, with gray eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. Following the wedding, they honeymooned by cruise ship to Bermuda. They lived at 62 Voorhees Street in Newark.
By 1930, Matthew and Mary Ellen were living at 77 Murray Street in Newark. Four of their adult unwed children lived with them: 39-year-old Helen; 37-year-old Joseph, who was now working as a foreman for a construction firm; 33-year-old Grace was employed as a bank stenographer; and 26-year-old Eugene, a clerk for an insurance company.
That same year, Grace married Thomas George Wheeler, on July 26, 1930. Thomas was born on August 10, 1909 in Tweed, Ontario, Canada, the son of George Wheeler and Eliza Kenney. He was three years younger than Grace. Although Grace was living with her parents at 77 Murray Street three months before her marriage, her marriage certificate says she was living at 36 Broad Street in Newark. In any event, the couple moved to 25 Ball Street in Irvington. Two years later, Grace suffered a stroke. She lasted one week and died at Irvington General Hospital at the age of 35 on May 27, 1932. Her death certificate lists heart disease and malnutrition as contributory causes of death. She was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. I have not been able to find out anything more about Thomas.
My memory of Eugene, the youngest of the children, was that he suffered from Parkinson's Disease and I always thought that he never married. It was a shock when we found evidence that he married Rose Harty on October 1, 1932 when he was 28 years old. Rose, who worked as a clerk-typist for the Hall of Records, was born in Newark in February of 1905, the daughter of James Harty and Sarah "Sadie" Connell. Eugene lived with his family at 77 Murray Street in Newark. The Hartys lived at 247 Isabella Avenue in Irvington, right across the street from my grandparents, Eugene's brother John Murphy and his wife Frances, and my father Bill Murphy, at 244 Isabella Avenue.
Eugene was 5' 7" tall and weighed 170 pounds. He had blue eyes, brown hair, and a light complexion. He worked for the Smythe, Sanford & Gerard Insurance Company in New York City. For a while, he and Rose lived in East Orange before eventually settling in Newark.
Matthew and Mary Ellen were still living in the family home at 77 Murray Street in Newark when Matthew died on April 6, 1933 and Mary Ellen on November 20, 1937, both of the same disease, Chronic Endocarditis. Matthew was 70 and Mary Ellen 75. They are buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. From that point afterward, the Murphy family home was occupied by Joseph, Helen and Marie and her husband William Vierling. Living with them for many years was a mysterious cousin named Helen Bender, who was born in New York around 1896 and worked for the telephone company.
When my grandfather John Murphy died in 1963, his obituary shows that Helen (73), Joseph (71), Marie (68), and Eugene (59) were still alive, but that Grace was not (she died in 1932). As far as I know, Helen and Joseph never married. Eugene and Rose were married for 34 years when she died on December 3, 1966 at the age of 61. I was 12 years old at the time, but I have no memory that she ever existed. Joseph and Helen died in 1970: Joseph, 77 years old on May 15, 1970; Helen 79 on August 1, 1970. Eugene died a year later on December 9, 1971. He was 68 years old. All are buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Newark, including Rose who is buried with Eugene.
Marie was the last surviving sibling. By my recollection, her husband William (who was known as Paul) died years before her, but there is no record of his death. He was still alive in 1950 when he and Marie lived with Marie's sister Helen at 77 Murray Street in Newark. The mysterious cousin Helen Bender lived with them, also. Marie and Helen, who were about the same age, lived together for a while in Manasquan, New Jersey. Eventually, Marie became too old and unable to care for herself, and my parents had her admitted to the King James Nursing Home in Atlantic Highlands, not far from where my parents lived in Middletown. Marie died in the nursing home on July 6, 1985 at the age of 90. She is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, New Jersey. I have been unable to locate anything more about cousin Helen.
My grandfather John Michael Murphy was a stout man, standing at 5' 6" and weighing about 180 pounds. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy complexion. Early in his career he worked as a machinist for the Lambert Street Engineering Company on Poinier Street in Newark. By 1930, he was working for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company in Newark.
John married Frances Smith on November 21, 1925, at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Newark. Frances' family name was Dyszkiewicz but she and several of her siblings changed their name to Smith. Her father was Lawrence Dyszkiewicz and her mother Marya Mazurkiewicz; both were born in Poland. Lawrence had died the year before the wedding. At the time, Frances and her mother lived at 644 South Eleventh Street, while John lived with his family at 77 Murray Street.
John's sister, Marie Murphy, was Frances' only attendant, while John's brother, Eugene Murphy, was his best man. Frances wore a gown of gray georgette trimmed with silver lace and a matching picture hat. She carried a bouquet of Killarney roses. Marie wore old blue georgette with a matching picture hat and carried pink chrysanthemums. John and Frances honeymooned in Atlantic City.
For some reason, Frances always called John "Harry".
On October 22, 1928, John and Frances' only child was born, my father, William (Bill) Joseph Murphy. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to 55 Kuna Terrace in Irvington, New Jersey.
Bill grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. By the late 1940's, the family was living at 244 Isabella Avenue in Irvington. From 1945 to 1950, Bill worked as a mechanic for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company in Newark.
He also worked part-time for United Parcel Service delivering packages. A frequent customer was my great-grandfather, William A. Bittlingmeier, who found young Bill Murphy to be a polite, clean-cut and good-looking individual, and a possible match for his 17-year-old granddaughter, Jacqueline (Jackie) Bogner, daughter of Jacob (Jack) Bogner and Margaret Bittlingmeier.
Jackie was born in Newark on October 15, 1933. The Bogners lived at 10 Silver Street in Newark. Jackie attended the Lincoln Grammar School and West Side High School (Class of 1950) in Newark. She worked for a time as an executive secretary.
William Bittlingmeier invited young Bill to his house and arranged to have Jackie there, also. Jackie and Bill's first impressions of each other were not favorable; Jackie acted very snobbish. But there were a few more "meetings" before he finally asked her for a date.
On January 12, 1951, Bill enlisted in the Army and served in the Korean War with the 1st Calvary Division, 5th Calvary Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company 'M'. During his service, he earned the Korean Service Medal with three stars, the United Nations Service Medal and a Purple Heart.
Following his honorable discharge from the Army on December 31, 1952, Bill returned to his job at the Bell Telephone Company, which eventually became the Bell Atlantic Telephone Company. Bill and Jackie continued seeing each other.
Jackie and Bill lived in Newark for a short time, where my twin sister Lee and I were born. Not long afterwards, we all moved briefly to Belmar, NJ, then to Middletown, NJ, where Bill and Jackie lived until moving to Brielle in 1982.
John and Frances were still living at 244 Isabella Avenue in Irvington when he died on December 7, 1963. He was 65 years old. Frances died five years later, on December 16, 1968, at the age of 69. They are buried together at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover. It must have been extremely depressing to lose both parents right before Christmas, but for the sake of his own children, my father never showed any sadness during these two particular holidays.
Bill worked for the Bell Atlantic Telephone Company and eventually became manager of their motor vehicle operations in Freehold, NJ. He worked for Bell Atlantic for 43 years before retiring in 1990. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and the American Association of Retired Persons.
After raising her family, Jackie worked for ten years as a travel agent at Accent on Travel in Deal, New Jersey. Using her skills as an executive secretary, she often wrote notes to the other agents in shorthand, much to the consternation of those who couldn't read them. She was only 61 years old when she died of a heart attack on September 21, 1994. Dad died of a stroke and the effects of high blood pressure on November 30, 2000. He was 72 years old. They are buried together in a mausoleum at St. Catherine's Cemetery in Sea Girt, N.J.
On January 14, 2018, my dear twin sister Lee died at her home in Granville, Ohio. She was 63 years old.
