William Murphy

William Murphy. . , William Murphy and his wife Dorothy Hudiberg Murphy moved to Collin County in the 1850's from Morgan County, Indiana. They purchased land first near Dublin in Collin County and later in the Maxwell Settlement. After the Civil War residents of the community sold lots to develop a town between FM544, Murphy Road, and Maxwell Creek called Decatur. The business venture was not successful since the railroad did not pass through the community. When the town applied for a post office in 1884, they found there was already a Decatur, and the town was named Maxwell. The railroad finally arrived in Maxwell in 1888, and the William Murphy family donated land and the right-of-way for the depot. The new depot was named Murphy, and the community changed its name to Murphy., Murphy was thinly settled and dotted with high native grass and wild game. William Murphy was a great hunter in the early days, and there were plenty of rabbits, wild turkey, and bears to feed the growing family of five boys and six girls. "Grandpa" Murphy as William preferred to be called in later years, was an elder and member of the Christian church for nearly half a century. He was a congenial man known to be an industrious and patriotic democrat.