The Ballyknock Murphys
Pierce Murphy and Anne Doran are ancestors that many of our family trace back to. Pierce and Ann raised their family in Ballyknock – a small townland near St. Mullins, Co. Carlow. Four of their ten children – James, Mary, John and Lawrence emigrated to the United States, finally settling near Tecumseh, Nebrasksa.
Pierce and Ann’s family
Pierce Murphy (known as Piery) was baptised at St. Mullins, Co. Carlow, on March 13, 1806. His father was James Murphy, b. c. 1780, and his mother Mary Morrissey, b. c. 1770. He had one known brother, John Murphy, baptised in 1808. There are two other possible siblings: Mary Murphy, and John Joseph Murphy.
On February 3rd, 1837, he married Anne Doran, at Borris, Co. Carlow. Their first child, James, was born later that year.
Pierce died on July 6, 1872, as the result of an accident with the horse and car that he was in. The car “turned on his body”, leading to suffocation and immediate death. Ann lived to the age of 81, passing away on March 22, 1895. His estate was valued at £219, 10 shillings, and passed to Ann on his death.
1. James Murphy (x Mary Reddin)
James was the first child, baptised 18 Nov, 1837. He emigrated with brother Lawrence, married Mary Reddin from Donegal in 1882, and had 10 children in Tecumseh. He died, apparently from a heart attack, while mounting his horse on the way home from a neighbours house at 10am on Feb 27, 1906. James and Mary lived in Maple Grove, near Tecumseh, Nebraska.
2. Mary Anne Murphy (x Johnny Burns)
Mary was baptised 14 July, 1839 at St. Mullins church. She emigrated in 1868 at the age of 28, married John Burns (originally John Byrne) in Logan, Illinois, in 1868, and had 8 children. They lived in Nemaha, Nebraska. After John passed away, Mary lived with her son and family, who farmed in Nemaha. She died Oct 24, 1930 at the age of 91.
Her obituary informs us that she came to the US in 1868 on the ship “Virginia”, the voyage taking 20 days. She married John in 1868 and the following year moved to Johnson Co., Nebraska, taking the trip in an ’emigrant wagon’. They first lived on a farm near Vesta, on what became known as the “Burns home”. By 1930, all her six brothers had passed away, but her sister Elizabeth Noland is ‘still living in the native land’. Her brothers James and Lawrence were also early settlers in Nebraska, and her brother John Murphy died in Salt Lake City.
3. John Murphy
John was baptised 16 Jan, 1841. According to the family gravestone in St. Mullins, he died young. His younger brother, also named John, was baptised in 1851, so this John died sometime before 1851, no older than nine years of age.
4. Patrick Murphy
Patrick was baptised 14 Feb 1842. Patrick later lived with his brother Thomas Murphy and his wife Catherine in Ballyknock (Irish 1911 Census). He died 14 Sept 1926, still residing in Ballyknock. Patrick, Thomas, and Michael Murphy were the three brothers that did not emigrate to the US, remaining in Ballyknock. In November 1883, they were fined 20 shillings for disorderly conduct at the pub of John Frayne in Ballyanne, New Ross. In May 1888, the three brothers were again noted in an eviction notice published in the Wexford and Kilkenny Express.
5. Lawrence Murphy (x Ellen Taggart)
Lawrence was born 10 May 1844, though not baptised until six months later. He emigrated from Ireland in 1866 at the age of 22, together with his brother James Murphy and friend Johnny Burns. They went first to Illinois (likely to Elkart area). He came to Nebraska in 1867, homesteaded at Tecumseh, and married Ellen Taggart in Tecumseh in 1875. They had 12 children. He died Dec 3, 1922.
6. Thomas Murphy (x Catherine Ryan)
Baptised on Dec 24, 1846. Remained in Ireland and married Catherine Ryan. He died June 24, 1917 at Ballyknock, aged 70. Three children: Pierce (1900-1931), James (1901-1988), and Anne (1903-1927).
7. Catherine Murphy
Baptised May 27, 1849. Died before 1882. According to gravestone, “died young” (“young” likely meaning before the age of 18, so ca. 1865.
8. John Murphy
Baptised 23 Nov 1851. The second John Murphy in the family, his younger brother died young. Emigrated to the US, first to Tecumseh, and then moved to Utah. He died in Salt Lake City in 1920, where he worked as a miner. He had been missing for a long time, not in contact with the family.
9. Michael Murphy
Baptised 23 Nov 1853. Michael (“Mickey”) Murphy spent his life in Ballyknock. He worked as a farm servant at the home of Catherine Phelan, of Ballyknock. He died after 1911.
10. Elizabeth Murphy
Baptised 19 November 1856. Married Patrick Nolan at St. Mullins on 6 Feb 1883. Witn: Patrick Comerford and Anne Murphy. Elizabeth died 18 December 1932 at Bahana.
Family Photo
1901 Census
In the 1901 Census for Ballyknock >, the head of the house at Ballyknock is Tom Murphy, with wife Kate. They have two children, Pierce and James. Living with them is brother Patrick Murphy, and also Kate’s aunt Mary Doyle, and servants Margaret Caulfield and Tom McCabe. A Michael Murphy, aged 45, is noted at another residence (working for Catherine Phelan, Ballyknock).
| Murphy | Thomas | 45 | Male | Head of Family | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Kate | 39 | Female | Wife | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Pierce | 2 | Male | Son | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | James | 1 | Male | Son | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Patrick | 55 | Male | Brother | Roman Catholic |
| Doyle | Mary | 70 | Female | Aunt in Law | Roman Catholic |
| Caulfield | Margaret | 15 | Female | Servant | Roman Catholic |
| Mc Cabe | Thomas | 60 | Male | Servant | Roman Catholic |
1911 Census
| Murphy | Thomas | 60 | Male | Head of Family | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Catherine | 55 | Female | Wife | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Pierce | 11 | Male | Son | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | James | 10 | Male | Son | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Anne | 9 | Female | Daughter | Roman Catholic |
| Murphy | Patrick | 70 | Male | Brother | Roman Catholic |
Wider family
Baptism sponsors (Ballyknock)
- James Murphy (1837) – Ja. Murphy & Bridget Murphy >
- Mary Murphy (1839) – Laurence Murphy & Ann Murphy >
- John Murphy (1841) – Patrick Morrisey & Mary Doran >
- Thomas Murphy (1846) – Pat Doran and Bridget Morrissey.
- Michael Murphy
Pierce’s brothers and sisters
Possible candidates:
– Mary Murphy, born 1819 – married Edward Morrissey
– James Joseph Murphy, born 1819 – married Eleanor Kiely.
Origins
Pierce Murphy was the son of James Murphy and Mary Morrissey.
Houses and Land
Pierce Murphy
Griffiths Valuation (February 1851) for Ballyknock shows Pierce Murphy with 51 acres of land (a sizeable amount for the time). At this time, Piece and Anne had 6 children living at home, and Anne was pregnant with their eight child John Murphy (his younger brother with the same name had died).
The house and land was numbered “13a”. The maps aren’t entirely clear as to where that was (several versions with different numbers), but it looks to be south of the road from St. Mullins to Glynn.
Connection to James Joseph Murphy
DNA suggests that we are related to James Joseph Murphy, but we don’t know who he is.
My DNA connections:
Meaghan M. > GGM Dora J Murphy (1899) (x Andrew F. Keough) > GGGF Lawrence Murphy (1862) > GGGGF James Joseph Murphy & Eleanor Kiely. 21cM. JN 23cM.
Greg Leing. > GM Dora J Murphy (1899) (x Andrew F. Keough) > GGF Lawrence Murphy (1862) > GGGF James Joseph Murphy & Eleanor Kiely. 21cM. JN 28cM.
Tessa Keough suggests that James Joseph Murphy was a brother of Pierce Murphy. He went out to the US and Pierce stayed in Ireland, but Pierce sent some of his children out. That would mean that the parents of James Joseph Murphy were James Murphy and Mary Morrissy, same as for Pierce.
