"While John and Rach C. Murphy were in East Tenn., he was in the Rev. war. His family who were left in o. Tenn. wore ofton short of foot and the mother had to take the baby on horse-back and a bag of corn and go many miles to the mill. She left the older children and told them not to be frightened if night came on and she was not at home as she had to go a long ways. After dark they heard what they thot was their mother calling and they started to out but wm. said, "No, that is not Mommy's voice", and wouldn't let his litter sisters - Peggy and Rachel - to to meet her for he knew it was a panther. She soon came and heart the panther but it did not attack her.
"Once when John was riding through the woods a panther sprang at him but a neightbor who was with him shot and killed the panter. Wm. would be sent for the cows and he was so afraid of the wild things he'd bod his little sister Peggy (Margaret) to go with him, tho his mother had forbidden him taking her so she was so small. Once some wild animal frightened the horse and she fell off and hot thot for a time he'd killed Peggy so he never slipped off with her again. Indians and panthers were their constant terror. When JOhn was away to Rev. War, his wife Rachel got so near out of food that she had only a little piece of bacon and the milk from one cow. She went out and followed the cow and what what she'd east she would cut for greens and cook for their dinner. While she was getting the groons she found a wild turkey that was dead, but still warm but she was fraid to take it for food for fear of poisoning her children."
-excerpts from "Some history of the Wallace, Murphy and Cooke Families (1600-1957), by Maggie Sallee and Grace Fleharty Wallace. The above was sent by Mrs. Fenton of Monmouth, Oregon who was granddaughter of John Eckles Murphy, brother of Margaret Murphy-Wallace (Mrs. Thomas Clelland W.) and son of Wm. & Nancy Ferguson Murphy.
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Following is a copy of a letter written by Rev. John Murphy, son of Rev. Wm. Murphy, in 1810, to his relatives and friends in the Louisiana Territory:
"Brothers, Friends and Acquaintances:
"I have nothing uncommon to write, but wish to inform you of our present state of affairs, which is about this:
"As to bodily health I neither see nor hear of much complaints; as to religious matters there appears to be some division in the different places of this state. There is also considerable dissension among the Baptists and some among other sects about slave holding. For my own part I prefer to stand opposed to that system, because I fully believe it to be contrary to the law of nature, contrary to sound reason, contrary to good policy, contrary to justice contrary to republican principles, and, above all, because it is in direct opposition to the Scripture directions. Neither does it accord with the principles of humanity.
"Isaac Murphy called on us last spring and tarried about a week, and then went on his way to Holston. I suppose Joshua Barton and his family are in their usual state of health. I have very little expectation of ever seeing your part of the country on account of my age and infirmity of body. But if I never see any of you again, my heart's desire and prayer is that you may all be saved in the day of Jesus Christ, when he shall come to gather his jewels in this world; that your names may be found written in the book of life. I would further exhort each one to be earnestly engaged to seek the one thing needful which is the salvation of their precious and immortal souls, and not to let the things of time and sense have over much room in your minds, but try to seek the love and favor of God while time and opportunity is with you, lest before you are aware it should be gone, finally and eternally gone.--John Murphy to the friends in the Louisiana Territory, July 20, 1810."
