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. 

Cecil Pearl Murphy

Cecil Pearl Murphy, daughter of Martin William Murphy and Sarah Elizabeth Anderson, was born in Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia on May 6, 1898. She was the 9th child of 11—Cora Belle Murphy, Edward Francis Murphy, Charles Homer Murphy, Essa (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. She was my husband’s grand aunt. Her brother Charles is his grandfather.

L-R: Olive (Murphy) Frye, Cecil (Murphy) Grimm, Glenn Murphy 

Cecil would never know her sister Tabitha, who passed away the same year Cecil was born. Many years ago, we visited Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton and discovered a metal marker for Tabitha recording her birth in 1896 and death in 1898.

On June 23, 1900, Cecil and her family lived in a rented home in Littleton. Cecil, the baby of the family, was two years old. Her parents had been married for 16 years. Cecil’s father had steady employment as a teamster. Both of her parents, brother Charles, and sister Essie were able to read and write. 

On April 27, 1910, Cecil and her family lived in the Clay District of Wetzel County. Her mother was enumerated as having had 11 children, with only 10 living which would account for Tabitha’s death. No longer the baby in the family, Cecil was now the big sister to sisters Addie (Adda) and Olive. Cecil’s father worked as a general farmer, brothers Edward, Charles, and William were teamsters at the oil field, sister Ella worked as a servant for a private family, and brother Arliff was a farm laborer. Everyone except for Edward, Addie, and Olive were able to read and write.

When Cecil was 17, her 27-year-old sister Essie died of septic endometritis on May 25, 1915 in Warwood, Ohio County, West Virginia. About 1919, Cecil married Essie’s widowed husband, Frank Oscar Grimm (16 years older than Cecil), son of Eldine Oscar Grimm and Sarah Armenia Gossett. Frank and Essie were married from 1907 until her death in 1915. During that time, they had three children—Harry Lee Grimm, Elsie Mae Grimm, and Ruth Louise Grimm. Ruth was not yet three years old when her mother died. At age 22, Cecil, their aunt, was now the step-mother to Frank and Essa’s children. 

On February 2, 1920, Cecil, Frank, Harry, Elsie, and Ruth lived on Hazlett Avenue in the Richland District of Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. Frank was a house carpenter. Cecil was in the early stage of pregnancy with their first child together when the census enumerator visited. On August 15, 1920, she gave birth to a boy they named Lewis Oscar Grimm. Daughter Sarah Armenia Grimm was born on February 15, 1922, son Leroy Frank Grimm on March 20, 1923, and daughter Alice June Grimm on December 9, 1926, all in Wheeling. The year 1927 was a sad one for Cecil though with the death of her mother on April 1 in Littleton, followed by the death of her father from a cerebral hemorrhage on April 6. Both were buried at Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton. Cecil’s stepson, Harry, married Virginia May Phillips in Belmont, Ohio on June 12, 1929 and moved in with his mother-in-law, Wilemma Porter Phillips in Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio. 

On April 7, 1930, Cecil, Frank, and their four children lived in Wheeling. Frank was a carpenter, building houses. According to the Wheeling city directory, they lived at 416 Warwood Avenue. They still lived there in 1932. At some point, Frank and Essa’s daughters, Elsie and Ruth, moved in with Frank’s mother (their grandmother), Sarah Armenia [Gossett] Grimm. Elsie worked as a telephone operator for Hazel-Atlas Glass Company and Ruth as a waiter at Stone & Thomas.

On April 8, 1940, Cecil and her family lived in a rented home in Wheeling. Both Cecil and Frank had and 8th grade education. Frank was still building houses and had started his own business. When Cecil was 49 years old, her brother Arliff died in Wolf Summit, Harrison County, West Virginia on July 11, 1947. Two years later, she lost her husband of 29 years on July 19, 1949. Frank died in Wheeling at the age of 66. Before the end of the year, she would also lose her brother Charles who died in Littleton on November 16, 1949. Frank was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling, Arliff at Anderson-Bethel Cemetery in Littleton, and Charles at Thomas Chapel Cemetery in Littleton.

L-R: Sarah Armenia Grimm Griffith; her husband Arthur Clifton Griffith;
Cecil Pearl Murphy Grimm; Lewis Oscar Grimm; Alice June Grimm Carper;
Frank Oscar Grimm (ca. 1946)

Cecil’s brother William died in Littleton on March 28, 1960 when she was 61 years old. William was buried at Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton. Cecil died at Wheeling Hospital at the age of 65 of acute coronary occlusion on September 26, 1963. Her daughter Sarah (Griffith) was the informant on her death certificate. She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling on September 30. Cecil was a member of Warwood Christian Church. She was survived by her four children, three step-children, four sisters (Cora, Ella, Addie, and Olive), one brother (Edward), 13 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

Stone photo from Find-A-Grave Memorial ID 143800321, added by Michael Grimm.

References

• Arliff Murphy stone, Anderson Bethel Cemetery, Littleton, West Virginia.
• Arliff Murphy, West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973.
• Birth and death indexes, West Virginia Archives and History, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.
• Cecil Pearl Grimm Certificate of Death, West Virginia State Department of Health—Division of Vital Statistics.
• Cecil Pearl Grimm obituary, The Intelligencer, Wheeling, West Virginia, September 27, 1963.
• Cecil Pearl Grimm, West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973.
• Charles H. Murphy, West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973.
• Essie Murphy and Frank Grimm, Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143800321/cecil-pearl-grimm: accessed 13 November 2021), memorial page for Cecil Pearl Murphy Grimm (6 May 1898–26 Sep 1963), Find a Grave Memorial ID 143800321, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by Michael Grimm (contributor 47972480).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99890706/frank-oscar-grimm: accessed 13 November 2021), memorial page for Frank Oscar Grimm (10 Feb 1883–19 Jul 1949), Find a Grave Memorial ID 99890706, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by Michael Grimm (contributor 47972480).
• Harry Lee Grimm and Virginia May Phillips, Ohio, County Marriages, 1774-1993.
• Mrs. Cora Belle Murphy Moore obituary, The Weirton Daily Times, Weirton, West Virginia, November 30, 1964.
• Personal visit to Thomas Chapel Cemetery, Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia.
• Tabitha M. Murphy marker, Anderson Bethel Cemetery, Littleton, West Virginia.
• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007.
• United States Federal Census, Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio, 1930.
• United States Federal Census, Clay District, Littleton, Wetzel, West Virginia, 1900.
• United States Federal Census, Clay District, Wetzel, West Virginia, 1910.
• United States Federal Census, Franklin, Marshall County, West Virginia, 1900.
• United States Federal Census, Richland, Ohio County, West Virginia, 1920.
• United States Federal Census, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, 1930, 1940.
• Wheeling, West Virginia, City Directory, 1924, 1930, 1932.
• Willie Murphy, U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963. 

Martin William Murphy

Martin William Murphy

Martin William Murphy, son of Samuel C. Murphy and Nancy Daugherty, was born on August 22, 1852 or 1853 in Marshall County, Virginia. He was the second child of five born to Samuel and Nancy—Mary C. Murphy, Martin William Murphy, Margarete Emily Murphy, Elmer Elsworth Murphy, and Nancy Elizabeth Murphy. Martin is my husband’s great grandfather.

On September 6, 1860, Martin and his family lived in Marshall County, Virginia (now West Virginia). His father was a farmer with real estate valued at $375 and a personal estate valued at $150. Martin and his sister Mary were attending school at the time. His sister Margaret at one-year-old was obviously too young to be in school. Martin’s maternal grandparents, John P. and Catherine (Brannon) Daughtery, lived five houses from the Murphy house. On this census record, I learned that John Daughtery was from Ireland. Martin’s sister Nancy was born on January 25, 1867 and was just under two weeks old when their mother died in Marshall County on February 7 at the age of 41 years. Martin’s mother was buried at Greenville Ridge Cemetery in Silver Hill, Marshall County, West Virginia. Martin’s father Samuel was now left to raise five children alone. But that changed on November 27, 1868 when he married Tabitha A. Bonar Clark, daughter of David Bonar and Elizabeth J. Core near Belton, Pennsylvania. Tabitha, a widow, had previously been married to James C. Clark who died in 1865 and had five children of her own—Eliza Jane Clark (20), Emeline Clark (15), Charles W. Clark (12), Ann Rebecca Clark (7), and Artimace M. Clark (4). Tabitha had a sixth child named Sarah E. Clark who died on October 4, 1863 at the age of 2 years in Wetzel County, West Virginia. Samuel and Tabitha were only married a few months when Tabitha’s daughter Emeline died on March 10, 1869.

On July 26, 1870, Martin and his now blended family lived in the Center Township of Wetzel County, West Virginia. His father was a farmer with real estate valued at $500 and a personal estate valued at $200. Martin’s stepmother Tabitha was keeping house and unable to write. At 17 years of age, Martin was attending school but was also unable to write. Only three of Tabitha’s children lived in the home—Charles, Rebecca, and Artimace. They lived next door to the William H. Murphy family and beside him was the James Murphy family. I need to figure out if they’re connected to Samuel and his family.

Sarah E. Anderson Murphy

On June 24, 1880, the Murphy family lived in the Liberty District of Marshall County, West Virginia. Martin’s father was a farm laborer, most likely assisted by 24-year-old Martin who was a farm laborer. His stepmother Tabitha was keeping house, sister Emily was working as a domestic, and brother Elmer was working as a laborer. Martin’s stepbrother Charles was working as a farmer, while stepsisters Rebecca and Artimace (enumerated as Arte) were both “at home.” Martin now had a nephew named James L. Blake, although I haven’t determined which sister or stepsister he belonged to.

Martin married Sarah Elizabeth Anderson, daughter of Lewis Anderson and Mariah (or Mary) Eckelberry. I have yet to find a marriage record to determine the date and location. Between the years 1881 and 1903, Martin and Sarah had 11 children—Cora Belle Murphy, Edward 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.

Daughter Tabitha was born in 1896. Sadly, she only lived for about two years, dying in 1898. Tabitha was buried at Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia. I wasn’t aware of this child until we visited the cemetery in 2009 and found her grave, which thankfully was clearly marked by the stone below.

 I found a second marker nailed to a tree.

On June 22, 1900, Martin and his family lived in Littleton, within the Clay District of Wetzel County, West Virginia. The 1900 census record shows that Martin and Sarah had been married for 16 years which would have meant they were married about 1884, three years before their first child was born in 1881. Martin supported his family working as a teamster, someone who hauled merchandise using a team of horses. As a teamster, Martin would have “worked 12–18 hours a day, seven days a week for an average wage of $2 per day” according to the Teamster’s webpage. His wife Sarah was enumerated as having had nine children, eight of which were living. That would account for the death of little Tabitha in 1898. Martin, Sarah, Charles, and Essie were all able to read and write, however, sons Edward and William weren’t. Their daughter Cora had already left home, living in the home of James and Ida Johnston, a local merchant. Cora was working as a servant, although it’s not clear if she was working for the Johnston’s or someone else. Daughter Essie married Frank Oscar Grimm in 1907 and by 1908 had started a family of her own.

On April 27, 1910, the Murphy family continued to live in the Clay District of Wetzel County. Martin was now working as a general farmer. The 1910 census record shows that Martin and Sarah had been married for 27 years and that Sarah was the mother of 11 children, 10 of which were living. Eight of the children still lived at home—Edward (26), Charles (21), William (18), Ella (17), Arliff (16), Cecil (11), Addie (8), and Olive (6). Edward, Charles, and William were working as teamsters in an oil field, daughter Ella as a servant for a private family, and son Arliff as a farm laborer. Cecil and Addie were both attending school while six-year-old Olive was not. On May 25, 1915, Martin’s daughter Essie died of septic endometritis in Warwood (a neighborhood of Wheeling), Ohio County, West Virginia. She was just 27 years old and left three young children behind, the youngest being three years old.

On January 13, 1920, Martin and Sarah still lived in the Clay District of Wetzel County, along with three of their adult children—William, Arliff, and Addie. Martin was the only person in the home working—farming on a general farm. Martin’s wife Sarah died of cancer on April 1, 1927 in the Clay District at the age of 67. She was buried at Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton. Just five days later, Martin died on April 6, 1927 in Mannington, Marion County, West Virginia at the age of 74. He was buried beside Sarah at Anderson Bethel Cemetery in Littleton on April 8. Martin’s son Willie was the informant on his death certificate. Dr. F. W. Vance noted that he did not treat Martin and that he evidently died from a cerebral hemorrhage, also known as bleeding of the brain.

I wanted to write about Martin after finding the above photos of him and his wife Sarah last weekend on the www.familysearch.org website. These photos take us back visually one more generation in my husband’s family, which is very as exciting. Thank you to Cora Childers for posting the photos, as well as for giving me permission to post them here.


References

• Find A Grave, Martin W. Murphy memorial 38949113.
• Martin Murphy Certificate of Death no. 4950, West Virginia State Department of Health.
• Martin Murphy, West Virginia Births, 1853–1930; www.wvculture.org.
• Martin Murphy, West Virginia Deaths, 1804–1999; http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view2.aspx?FilmNumber=834817&ImageNumber=315.
• Martin William Murphy and Sarah Anderson Murphy photos courtesy of Cora Childers.
• Personal visit by Denise Murphy to Anderson Bethel Cemetery, Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia.
• Sarah Murphy, General Index and Register of Deaths, Wetzel County, West Virginia.
• Tabitha Murphy tombstone, Anderson Bethel Cemetery, Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia.
• The Early Years, Teamster’s; https://teamster.org/about/teamster-history/early-years.
• United States Federal Census, Marshall County, Virginia, 1860.
• United States Federal Census, Center Township, Wetzel County, Virginia, 1870.
• United States Federal Census, Liberty District, Marshall County, West Virginia, 1880.
• United States Federal Census, Clay District, Wetzel County, West Virginia, 1900, 1910, 1920.