Harold Murph

The following bio was taken from page 324 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission. 

Transcribed by Shirley Koym 

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Texas 

Out branch of the Murph family had its beginning in Smith County after Harold's father, James Henry, and his twin brother, pace. William, migrated from Atauga ounty, Alabama, around 1880. Harold's father . married Ada Jarvis from Arp, and John Harold was the last of their ten children. He came to Henderson for his high school education and lived with his sister, Ollie and her husband, the late L.L. Hale, then. principal of Henderson High. Mr. Hale kept, a watchful eye on his behavior until he was graduated in 1933. He attended John Tarleton College, Texas University, and Tyler Business College and went to work for the  Illinois Pipe Line Company (now the Marathon Oil Company) as temporary help on June l 1937. He retired from the same the company forty years later.


Harold and I met in John Tarleton but didn't know each other very well until I came to Arp to teach school music in 1938. We were married in 1940.

I was born Margaret Russell Hamilton in was denied a formal education and left for
Comanche, Texas, where my mother's family, the L.B. Russells, have been pioneers. I was in the 1933 graduation class of Stephenville High, finished John Tarleton, attended Baylor University, and graduated them from Texas Wesleyan in Ft. Worth.

We Murphs were not so transient as some oil company employees. We lived in Arp, Henderson (1946-51) , Orange, and Houston. I taught primary grades in Orange and Houston, taking early retirement in 1976. We returned to Henderson in 1979 to enjoy living at a more leisurely pace. 

We have two children, Anna Murph Scales of Lewisville, Texas, and John H. Jr of Missouri City, wonderful in-Iaws, James Scales and Linda Flowers Murph, and four grandchildren: Mori Leigh Murph, Marcus, Hamilton Murph.. Matthew Hamilton Murph, and Melinda Anne Scales

Since this story was submitted, Harold Murph, died of an apparent heart attack, March,1982
Submitted by Margaret Murph