John Murphey/Murphy appears on the 1784-1786 NC Census. He was residing in Claiborne County, TN by 1830.

The 1830 U.S. Census shows residing in close proximity in Claiborne County, TN the families of: Jesse Ward; George Ward; John Murphey; William Murphey; Richard C. Ward; and John Murphey Ward (R.C. Ward's eldest son). John Murphy moved to Jefferson County, TN between 1830 and 1839.

John Murphey was born on 24 January 1759 at Culpeper County, VA. He served in the Rev. War. He applied for a vet's pension on 16 Feb 1839 while residing in Jefferson County, TN. His pension appl. shows that he served for over 8 mos as a private with the NC Line. He enlisted at Caswell County, NC in May or June of 1780 and served 3 mos. under Capt. John Davis. He served 2 and 1/2 months beginning in Sept. 1780 in Capt. David Mitchell's Company. Beginning in January 1781 he served under Capt. John McMullen.

He married his second wife, Mary Fitch on 4 Sept. 1784 at Caswell County, NC. She was born abt 1765. Mary Fitch Murphey died at New Market, Jefferson County, TN on 9 Sept. 1848.

On Nov. 2, 1843 Mary Fitch Murphey applied for a Rev. War Widow's Pension. Listed on the pension were the names of her surviving children.

Unknown is the name of John Murphey's first wife (or whether they had children).

A DAR application lists the children of John Murphey and Mary Fitch Murphey to be: the third child William, born abt 1788; Zora (no birth date given) who married Mr. Goings; Abraham (born 18 May 1786) and who was thrice married: (1) Sarah Provine; (2) Mrs. Mary Walker; and (3) Catherine Wells); Nancy Murphey (born 1800) who married Mr. Dailey; and Barbara (no birth date given) who married Mr. Harp. The names of their first two children are not given. Mary Ann Murphey Ward was living at the time but was not mentioned. That suggests a couple of things: she may have been a child from the first marriage; or she was one of the unlisted first two children (although I think they were probably deceased), or, she was not his daughter.

See: Ward, Steven H. My Family History. Dayton (Ohio): 2011. Print.
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• Married: 04 SEP 1784 in Caswell County, North Carolina