Mr. J.B. Murphy

In 1903, J. B. Murphy was appointed as one of the Library Board Trustees, a position that he served on from 1904 until 1909.[1]  Mr. Murphy was a lawyer by profession, and most likely assisted the library with legal council.

Jerry B. Murphy was born in 1865 in Marengo, Iowa. Mr. Murphy’s mother had emigrated from Ireland, and Jerry’s father was originally from Boston, Massachusetts.[2]  In 1894, J.B. Murphy married Catherine Mackey.[3]  He attended the University of Iowa, and graduated with a law degree, and practiced law for over 35 years.[4]  By 1907, Mr. Murphy was serving as the Vice President of the Iowa County Abstracts and Investment Company.[5]  In 1910, Mr. Murphy he moved to Houston, Texas with his wife and child.  Mr. Murphy passed away in 1945.

-Kathyrn Heffner

[1] 1st Report of the Iowa Library Commission, coverage 1900-1903 (1904), p. 108,  “Library Board Materials.” The Carnegie Public Libraries in Iowa Project, The University of Iowa. web. 2018. dsps.lib.uiowa.edu/clip/library/marengo/.

[2] Ancestry.com, Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

[3] The Bench and Bar of Iowa: Illustrated with Steel and Copper Engravings, (Chicago: American Biographical Publishing Co., 1901).  Despite investigation, no evidence could be found to link Catherine with the Marengo Public Library or the Ingleside Club.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Advertisement. Parnell Iowa County Advertiser, Parnell, Iowa Thu, Jan 24, 1907, p. 5.