Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-05-26
The McMurphy Farm.

| The MeMurphy farm, lying beyond the
| Center village, next TO the property OF
/ Melzar Woodbury. and in what is now
called the Seymour neighborhood, was
one of the first spots in the town Of
Randolph to be redeemed from the wilder
ness.
Its fields were cleared by Joseph Knee
land, who was one of the seventy asso-
ciates OF Aaron Storrs, to whom the town
Of Randolph was granted by Governor
Thomas Chittenden, the council and
general assembly OF Vermont. His
neighbors were Isaac Newton, whose
domain was the present Woodbury. farm,
| Thomas and Samuel Pember, Moses
/ Belknap and few others, all OF whom
made their headquarters in Royalton, to
which they used to return every Sat
urday for supplies of food and other
/ necessaries after week of hard work in
their respective clearings.
Thus il happened that they were spend
/ ing Sunday as usual in Royslton when
300 Caghnawaga Indians under Col. Hor-
( ton mace their memorable raid from
/ Canada, and October IS, 1850, burned the
/ settlement at Royalton and either killed
or carried of into a horrible captivity all
/ OF its inhabitants. Thomas Pember, who
was soon to be married and take his wife
/ to the home which he was cutting out Of
the woods in Randolph, attempted TO
escape from the savages but was pursued
and wounded. He ran for some time
after he was hurt, but finally tainted
/ from loss Of blood, when the Indians
pounced upon him and tore Of his scalp,
which, having two crowns, greatly
| pleased his captors, who were able to
obtain for IL double price.
Leaving Royalton a smoking ruin the
war party and its prisoners turned
| towards Canada, crossed the hills Of
- "a ka frat Of he
river and ehcamped in this town near
the second branch. Here, it is said, Joseph
Kneeland was killed. The Indians had
with them seven Randolph men and had
| left one dead in Royalton. Two miles be-
low them a hastily gathered force under
Col. House OF Hanover had assembled to
rescue the captives and destroy the
Indians, but the delay OF the colonel IN
moving to the attack gave the warriors
time to escape.
The extreme caution Of Col. House was
severely censured, but some historians
state that Joseph Kneeland carried to
| him from the Indian camp a threat that
the first result OF an attack would be the
| killing OF every prisoner in their hands,
and that to the prudent counsel which
restrained him and his force the lives OF
those in the hands OF the red-skinned
band were saved.
Upon his death the widow of Joseph
Kneeland went TO Northern New York,
where 10 wears later she married Alexan
der McMurphy, uncle Of A. II. McMur-
ply, who still lives IN the old neighbor-
hood on the Seymour farm. Upon the
widows removal to New York, there be-
ing no other claimants to the land grant
ed TO Mr.. Kueeland, the next neighbor, on
the Woodbury. farm, Isaac Newton, took
possession of il, and in order TO regain II
Mrs. McMurphy, after her second mar
rage, had TO institute legal proceedings.
With the farm secured to her again, Mrs.
McMurphy and her husband lived upon 1t
and cleared il up, and their six children
were born there. In 1872 they sold the
place to Mr. McMurphy's brother, James,
who was the father Of 4. H., and the farm
is described in the deed as containing
about SO acres, bounded ON the north by
land Of Ephraim Burch, on the east by
land OF Moses Belknap, south by land OF
Isaac Newton and west by center line OF
town. The consideration named was $500.
After disposing OF the property Alexan-
der McMurphy moved back TO Northern
New York and died there. The farm,
from the time he came into possession OF
il through his marriage, remained in the
McMurphy family for i05 years, or until
1898, when il was purchased by Earl e.
Bickford, who is still its owner.
In 1902, when Mrs. James McMurphy
was three years old, her parents came to
Randolph from STAFFORD, Conn. On the
way she fell asleep one day and, unnoticed,
rolled out OF the back of a wagon and was
not missed until some little distance had
been covered by her party. Then Major
Morris, one of the number, went back TO
look for her and found her lying still fast
asleep, in the middle OF the road over
which they had passed. With them came
her Grandfather circuit, 20 years old, who
died in Randolph in 1926 al the age OF 30.
He had fought in the French and Indian
wars and was a captain in the Revolution
airy war.