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Dear Mike,
This is a picture of your grandfather, Arthur George Murphy, born in NYC about 1894, died in Mt. Vernon in 1940.
He was a man of strong moral character and firm religious principles. He went to CCNY College, graduating around 1915. He had a hearing loss even at that age which may have kept him out of WWI. He was successful enough in business to be able to by a house in the upscale suburban comunity of Harrison, NY at age 29 or so. If it weren't for his affliction with alcoholism, he would have surely have advanced into the ranks of the millionaires. Despite his stong personal discipline, he could not overcome that sickness, and little, if anything, was available at the time in the way of help.
He was firm with us but fair. We knew we would be okay if we did what he said.
You would have liked him.
Love,
Dad.
(Bill Murphy)
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Biography of Ethel Murphy
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Born Ethel Harris on April 20, 1889 in Monrovia CA. Married Arthur G. Murphy in the Bronx in 1911.
They moved to Harrison, NY in 1924 -43 Danner Ave. Together they had six children.
Francis Joseph in 1912
Ethel Virginia in 1914
Jeanne Dolores in 1917
Robert Harris in 1920
Alice Ruth in 1923
Donald William in 1925
Ethel Murphy went to work in 1929 as an economic necessity. They lost the house in 1933. They then moved into a nice four bedroom
two bathroom rented house in Portchester, NY -244 North Regent Street for $65/mo. The Murphy's moved to Mt. Vernon, NY -7 Oneida Ave
in 1937 to a larger rented mansion for $60/mo, mainly to be closer to New York City for transportation convienience and economy.
Ethel Murphy died on April 19th of 1969, one day before her 80th birthday from heart failure.
Her life was difficult but fulfilling. A botched knee operation as a teenager left her with a lifelong limp. The Great Depression made it
difficult for her to raise six children while putting up with the burden of an alcoholic husband.
She loved her children with a passion and sacrificed much on their behalf. They all responded to this love with deep devotion throughout
her life and afterward in memory. She was a woman of deep faith which she shared with her children by word and example.
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