Essie Lee Murphy

Essie Lee Murphy, daughter of Martin William Murphy and Sarah Elizabeth Anderson, was born in Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia, in July 1889. Although no official birth record has been located, her Find a Grave memorial lists her birthdate as July 3. Essie was the 4th of 11 children, born into a large family: Cora Belle Murphy, Edward “Ed” Francis Murphy, Charles Homer Murphy, Essie Lee Murphy, William “Willie” H. Murphy, Ella Mae Murphy, Arliff Barow Murphy, Tabitha M. Murphy, Cecil Pearl Murphy, Addie Opal Murphy, and Olive Ruby Murphy.

Essie is my husband’s great-aunt. Their closest shared ancestors are her parents—my husband’s great-grandparents.

In 1898, when Essie was just nine years old, her younger sister Tabitha passed away. She was laid to rest at Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton.

By June 23, 1900, the Murphy family was living in a rented home in the Clay District of Wetzel County. Martin and Sarah had been married for 16 years, and Sarah had given birth to nine children, eight of whom were still living. Martin worked as a teamster, likely driving a team of horses, mules, or oxen to haul timber, coal, farm goods, or supplies between towns—a demanding and essential job in rural West Virginia.

Essie, her parents, and brother Charles were literate, while her older brothers Edward (16) and William (11) were not. The youngest child in the household, Cecil, was just two years old. The family was surrounded by relatives: her grandparents Lewis and Mariah (Eckelberry) Anderson, aunts Dora and Emma, and cousin Earl Bissett (Dora’s son) lived three doors down. Her uncle Henry Anderson, his wife, and four children lived two doors away, next to her grandparents.

On September 23, 1907, Essie married Frank Oscar Grimm, son of Eldoras “Oscar” Grimm and Sarah “Armenia” Gossett, in a ceremony officiated by Rev. D. H. Reid, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church in New Martinsville. Essie was 21; Frank, 24. He was born in Marshall County, West Virginia.

Soon after their wedding, Essie and Frank moved to Warwood, in Ohio County, where they welcomed three children:

• Harry Lee Grimm (1908)
• Elsie Mae Grimm (1910)
• Ruth Louise Grimm (1912)

By April 25, 1910, the family was renting a home in the Richland District of Ohio County. The census recorded two years of marriage and one living child. At the time, Essie was just 10 days away from giving birth to their second child, Elsie. Frank worked as a house carpenter, and a 27-year-old divorced woman named Flora McGill lived with them, employed as a servant. Flora had four children, all living. Essie, Frank, and Flora were all literate.

Tragically, Essie passed away on May 25, 1915, at the age of 27, in Warwood, following a battle with septic endometritis—a severe infection of the uterine lining. Her children—Harry (6), Elsie (5), and Ruth (2)—were left motherless at a tender age. Her burial location remains unknown.

Around 1920, Essie’s husband Frank remarried—this time to her sister, Cecil Pearl Murphy.

References

• Essie Lee Grim, Ohio County, West Virginia, Death Index, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History, Vital Records (Interactive), 1915; https://dach-image-proxy.digital-relativity.workers.dev/?film=857524&frame=00307. 
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143800652/essa_lee-grimm: accessed August 18, 2025), memorial page for Essa Lee “Essie” Murphy Grimm (3 Jul 1887–25 May 1915), Find a Grave Memorial ID 143800652; Burial Details Unknown; maintained by: Find a Grave.
• Ohio County, West Virginia, Birth Records 1889–1914, images 410, 456, and 562, FamilySearch.
• Personal visit to Anderson Bethel Cemetery, Littleton, West Virginia.
• U.S. Federal Census, Clay, Wetzel County, West Virginia, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Richland, Ohio County, West Virginia, 1910. 
• Wetzel County, West Virginia, Marriage Records 1904–1908, image 499, FamilySearch.