John and Ann Murphy
John and Ann Murphy were the ancestor I heard most about when I was at home with "Mom" (Helen Murphy Stickley). John, being the more colorful character, got most attention in Helen's stories. Ann died young, in her 40's. I never knew her. John died at about age 65. when I was just 6 or 7 years old. I remember only a large man who dropped in once in a while. Some stories about John are worth retelling. I will recount the stories in future editions. A couple of the stories were verified by Joe Murphy (see below) who was the oldest of "the Murphy Gang. My father, George P. Stickley, also told some stories about John.
My mother, and grandmother to a group of seven people now alive and well, was born Helen Gertrude Murphy. She is third from the left in the photo.
Helen told me long ago that she had a fifth sibling (not her word, of course) whose name was John. John died in infancy. Given the tradition of naming the first boy after the father I would guess that John was Ann & John Murphy's first child.
Helen never liked "Helen" and liked "Gertrude" even less. So she ended up being called various other names which I will explain in future editions.
I expect to do brief sketches of each of the four, from my point of view, in the days ahead.