#18 - William D. Murphy

William D. "Spud" Murphy
Birth:  1848  Ireland
Death:  Unknown

Entered AZ Pioneer's Home March 12, 1911
Dismissed June 7, 1912

Lived there 1 year, 3 months

More than any other person researched for this project, accurately documenting the life and death of  William "Spud" Murphy has been a challenge due to there being multiple people in Arizona with the name William Murphy, as well as several references to men who went by the nickname "Spud". 

I do know from the Resident Ledger at the Pioneers' Home that William Murphy was dismissed a little over a year after his arrival there. That comes as no surprise if he is the same "Spud" Murphy, "a well known character in this community", who was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct on the streets of Prescott in 1903 and then was so argumentative with the judge he  got his sentence doubled (1).   He may also be the same William Murphy listed on the 1910 census as as Irish immigrant who was then farming near Mayer, in Yavapai County (2).  But at this point any assumption of which William Murphy is him feels like little more than guess work and speculation.

Initially I had the man who had been in the Pioneers' Home confused with a William Murphy from Tucson who died in 1913 in a work accident in Mexico (3).  However, as stated in the death notice for that William Murphy, he had married Ruth Margaret Crone just six weeks before his death.  Examining their marriage record (4) shows the groom had been born much later than the immigrant from Ireland  I was looking for.

                                         

I found a third William Murphy living in Arizona during the right time period - a man who died under a bridge in Tucson in 1913  (5).  I briefly considered him as a candidate for the exiled pioneer I was seeking.  However, when I examined his death certificate, I learned he had been a lawyer from California.  While I will admit to having been quite curious about the circumstances of his death,  that particular rabbit hole of research is one I chose not to go down.  I found a William J. Murphy who had been appointed as Postmaster in the now defunct town of Puntenney, between Prescott and Ash Fork (6) (7).  But given the fact that our pioneer was losing his eyesight in 1911, leading him to enter the Pioneers' Home, it is highly unlikely he would have been a Postmaster in 1923.

Next I started looking for any references to the man's nickname, "Spud" Murphy.  I learned there was a professional boxer from Fargo, N.D. who went by the name Spud Murphy in the 1920's.  There was also a man by the same name who was convicted of passing hot checks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Apparently Spud the boxer found himself being confused with Spud the check fraud scoundrel, resulting in fight promoters being unwilling to book him for new bouts and banks not willing to cash his checks, which I'm sure was quite a dilemma at the time (8).  However, the time period and the ages of both of those men eliminated them from my search. 

There are several articles about a "Spud Murphy" who worked the railroads in the early days of the territory who may or may not be the same man who spent some time at the Arizona Pioneers' Home (9) (10).  

The questions of who William Murphy was, who his people were, and what ever became of him after he left the Arizona Pioneers' Home is just one of many mysteries of those early residents that I may never know.


Works Cited

1.  Newspapers.com Weekly Journal-Miner (Prescott, Arizona) 25 Feb 1903. "Police Court"
https://www.newspapers.com/image/39793242/?terms=Spud%20Murphy&match=1

2. 1910 United States Census.  Mayer, Yavapai, Arizona.  Enumeration District: 0122.  FHL microfilm: 1374055.  Ancestry.com.  Lehi, UT. USA.

3. Newspapers.com.  Tucson Citizen (Tucson, Arizona). 08 Feb 1913. "Funeral of Murphy Will Be Held Here." https://www.newspapers.com/image/580430584/?terms=funeral%20of%20murphy%20to%20be%20held%20here&match=1

4.  Arizona , U.S., County Marriage Records, 1865-1972.  Ancestry.com.  Lehi, UT, USA.

5. Arizona Department of Health Services; Phoenix, AZ Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates.  Ancestry.com.  Lehi, UT, USA.

6. National Archives and Records Administration.  U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters 1832-1971.  Arizona.  Ancestry.com.  Lehi, UT. USA

7. GhostTowns.com. "Puntenney".  https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/puntenney.html 

8. Newspapers.com.  Tucson Citizen.(Tucson, Arizona). 19 Dec 1929.  "Spud Murphy Proud of Bank Account"
https://www.newspapers.com/image/580768340/?terms=Spud%20Murphy%20is%20proud%20of%20bank%20account&match=1 

9. Newspapers.com.  Arizona Silver Belt. (Globe, Arizona). 30 May 1901. "Spud Murphy is in town".
https://www.newspapers.com/image/42150140/?terms=spud%20murphy&match=1

10. Newspapers.com.  Bisbee Daily Review (Bisbee, Arizona). 16 Dec 1903. "Spud Murphy Arrives" https://www.newspapers.com/image/40688550/?terms=spud%20murphy&match=1