French woman searches traces of grandfather from Detroit

**Mikeg** · March-31-09, 01:08 PM

Re-starting the thread of the same title that was begun on the old forum by "Mary_murphy".

Click here to view the original thread on the old forum.

Click here to view the "Searching for William Murphy" research summary page.

I'll keep chipping away at it while we wait for a response to the SF-180 that I submitted for Wm. Murphy #1. However, feel free to help out by doing a little genealogy research on one or more of those William Murphys on the summary page or finding more of them from SE Michigan to add to the search. We need to determine if any others besides Wm. Murphy #1 could have been inducted into the US Army and shipped over to France by the 4th quarter of 1918.

**Mary Murphy** · April-01-09, 07:21 AM

Hello,

I arrived to log on the new forum.
I am happy to regain you

More soon.
Mary

**Bigb23** · April-01-09, 09:03 AM

Whew - welcome back Mary !

**DtCtyGrl** · April-01-09, 06:06 PM

Sorry I haven't been able to do any research lately. I'll try to get back to it soon. Thanks, Mikeg, for compiling everything. It will help all of us track the research.
Regards, DtCtyGrl

**DtCtyGrl** · April-01-09, 10:22 PM

Mikeg, I believe this is the William Murphy, born May 19, 1892 with occupation of office supt. at J.L. Hudson. I have the census record saved. How do I get that to you?

1900 Detroit Census / June 11, 1900
Murphy, Antone head / w/ m / May 1865 / age 48 / M / number of years married 15 / Ireland / Ireland/ Ireland / immigration year 1880 / # of years in US 20 / Policeman? / own home / free of mortage / home /
Murphy, Anne / wife / w / f / Mar 18? / age 41 / M / children 4 / children living 4 / Ireland / Ireland / Ireland / 1880 / 20 years
Murphy, Anne / daughter / w / f / March 1887 / age 13 / S
Murphy, Johnson / son / w / m / Sep 1888 / age 11 / S
Murphy, Antone / son / w / m / Feb 1891 / age 9 / S
Murphy, William / son / w / m May 1892 / age 8 / S
Address 869 16th Street, Detroit, MI

**DtCtyGrl** · April-01-09, 10:28 PM

1910 Census
Same person as listed above. Listed at home with Anthony [[Father), Annie [[Mother), Annie L. [[sister), Anthony [[brother), William [[age 18)

William Murphy / age 18 / book keeper /department store

**Mikeg** · April-01-09, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by DtCtyGrl

I have the census record saved. How do I get that to you?

Thanks!

I've added a contact link near the bottom of the summary web page. Follow the instructions on my contact page and you can e-mail it to me as an attachment and I will upload and add add a link to it on the summary page.

**Mikeg** · April-02-09, 11:47 PM

Thanks to DtCtyGrl for the additional information on William Murphy numbers 4,7,11 & 15.

**Mary Murphy** · April-04-09, 08:04 AM

Thank you to Mikeg and DtCtyGrl and other persons for the great work that you do.

Tomorrow, I will go away for few days. I will come back in middle next week.

A few years,I would like go to USA .

My daughter would like to visit New York, but I would like to visit Detroit.
Could you [[one day) send me information on the most interesting places at Detroit that we will can see?
With you, sometimes, I have feeling to be as in a family who lives at Detroit.
That is comforting for me.
Cordially.
Mary

**Bigb23** · April-04-09, 08:43 AM

Could you [[one day) send me information on the most interesting places at Detroit that we will can see?

The Henry Ford ? And anyplace in Windsor. Also up north, the Au Sable for example.

**Lferg** · April-04-09, 09:10 AM

Mike, I sent over a few census records including the 1930 census for William #3 to the contact listed on the website, just wanted to make sure you got it, if not let me know and I will resend.

As for places to visit, I have to agree with Bigb23, Henry Ford and Greenfield Village should be on the list. The Detroit Historical Museum is on my list for the next time I'm back in the area.

One last thing, While searching for William Murphy I came across a Michael William Murphy who went by Will, are we certain William was a first name?

**Mikeg** · April-04-09, 10:24 AM

Hello Lferg,

Thanks for sending me that information!

I got home late last night and I intend to update the summary page with what you've found later today.

**DtCtyGrl** · April-04-09, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by Lferg

One last thing, While searching for William Murphy I came across a Michael William Murphy who went by Will, are we certain William was a first name?

I think we would want to explore any we find that have first or middle name as William. Does Michael William Murphy fit with the time frame we are looking at?

**Frankg** · April-04-09, 11:21 AM

I have run across this William Murphy [[born 1892, office supt.) before when I have done my own genealogical research. My grandmother [[Gertrude Murphy) lived in LaSalle, ONT, and commuted to work at Hudson's in Detroit, in the early-mid 1930's. I ran across this William Murphy in the city directories and have wondered several times if there was a family connection in how my grandma got her job at Hudson's. But I haven't found a link [[yet).

**Lferg** · April-04-09, 03:48 PM

Hi DtCtyGrl, yes, he would fit the time frame. However, I have not been able to find him or the family in the census records. This particular Micheal William Murphy never married and became an ordained Priest at the age of 80! Note, the article does not mention the middle name, but I found him searching through old newspaper articles for William Murphy and came across a message board post where he was referred to as "Uncle Willy". However, I couldn't find any articles that referenced the World War. Another point of interest is that his family had been in the US for generations which doesn't really fit with what Mary knows.

But, it did bring up the valid question as to whether or not William was a first name, or possibly his middle name.

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/28/ob...priest-98.html

**Lferg** · April-04-09, 04:02 PM

Sorry if this has already been posted, but I thought Mary might like to see it.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=47

**Mikeg** · April-05-09, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Lferg

Sorry if this has already been posted, but I thought Mary might like to see it.

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=47

And here is the "Hall of Fame" thread about "Detroit's Own" 339th Infantry Regiment describing how they continued fighting in North Russia for six months beyond Armistice Day and the celebration the citizens of Detroit held for them when they returned home on the 4th of July 1919.

**Mikeg** · April-05-09, 10:37 PM

I have updated the research summary page with the new information provided by Lferg.

William Murphy # 18 looks promising!

**Lferg** · April-06-09, 07:09 AM

Thanks Mikeg for the link to the Polar Bears and the HOF thread!

I still have to request the records for my Great Grandfather [[WWI) and my Grandfather [[WWII). Is there an advantage to having my Father request them?

**DtCtyGrl** · April-06-09, 10:40 AM

We can take #10 William Fletcher Murphy out of the running for consideration. His draft registration states he was mute and exempted from the draft.

**Mikeg** · April-06-09, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by Lferg

Thanks Mikeg for the link to the Polar Bears and the HOF thread!

I still have to request the records for my Great Grandfather [[WWI) and my Grandfather [[WWII). Is there an advantage to having my Father request them?

If your grandfather is deceased, then your father is his next-of-kin and he can request his full military record, whereas you would only be able to request portions of it [source]. Also, next-of-kin may make their request on line instead of using SF-180 [source]. Your great grandfather's limited military records can be requested by either your father or yourself, there would be no advantage. However, if your grandfather is not deceased, he could request both his own and his father's full military records using the on-line method [[with your assistance on the computer).

**Mikeg** · April-06-09, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by DtCtyGrl

We can take #10 William Fletcher Murphy out of the running for consideration. His draft registration states he was mute and exempted from the draft.

Good catch! I completely missed the "Mute" exemption entry.

I've updated the summary page accordingly.

**Lferg** · April-06-09, 01:29 PM

Thanks for the info Mikeg, both are deceased. I do have a Great Uncle that might order Great Grandpa's records for me.

**Mikeg** · April-07-09, 11:40 AM

DtCtyGrl has provided additional information about William Murphy # 17 and # 18.

The summary page has been updated with links to the documents she has found.

**Mikeg** · April-09-09, 04:50 PM

I received a response today from the Military Personnel Records section of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO regarding the "SF-180" I submitted for William Murphy #1.

They responded with a form letter indicating that his military personnel records were either damaged or completely destroyed in the July 1973 fire [[they did not indicate which). This comes as no great surprise, since personnel records of all US Army veterans who were discharged between Nov. 1, 1912 and Dec. 31, 1959 were caught in the fire. However, they may be able to partially reconstruct his personnel record using any surviving fragments plus information about his military service that may exist at other locations. They have instructed me to fill out the enclosed "NA Form 13075" with as much additional information as I can provide about him and submit it within the next 30 days, which I will most certainly do.