Today I’m revisiting one of my favorite ancestors. He’s a favorite because he has one of the best names — Nimrod Canterbury Murphy — and also because his life had interesting parallels to that of Abraham Lincoln. My 4G-grandfather, he was born in about 1809 in Kentucky.1 By 1830 he had moved to Morgan County, Illinois; on 24 June of that year he married Cassandra Waters in Jacksonville. Between 1831 and 1832 he (like Lincoln) served in the Black Hawk War.2 In 1840 he was living in Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, but by 1850 he had moved to Gentry County, Missouri. Also like Lincoln, he met an untimely death, though I’m pretty sure he was not assassinated. Nimrod died 11 September 1860 in Allendale, Missouri, at the age of 51.3 He and Cassandra had a family of 13 children; after Nimrod’s death Cassandra returned to Illinois, dying in Morgan County in June 1896. She is supposedly buried in Pisgah’s Union Cemetery; I have seen her parents’ grave there in person but have never found Cassandra’s.
Of particular interest for today’s post and the “X” theme is a deed dating to March 1853. Both Nimrod and Cassandra signed this deed with their marks, which is consistent with the 1850 census which noted that neither could read or write. Two years later, Nimrod and Cassandra sold another parcel of land to a Charles Mattox for $55, but I’ll focus my transcription skills on just the first document (call it laziness):
This indenture, made and entered into this Twenty Third day of March One Thousand
Eight hundred and fifty three, between Nimrod C. Murphy and Casander Murphy his
wife, of the County of Gentry, in the State of Missouri, of the one part, and Joel R. Allen of
the County of Gentry and State of Missouri of the other part, witnesseth: –
That the said Nimrod C. Murphy and Casander his wife, for and in consideration of the
Sum of Twenty Five Dollars in hand paid by the said Joel R. Allen the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledged, have granted , bargained, and sold and by these presents do grant, bar-
gain, sell and convey unto the said Joel R. Allen his heirs and assigns the following des-
cribed tracts, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the County of Gentry in
the State of Missouri, to wit: –
The South East fourth of the South East quarter of Section Twenty Eight in Township Sixty Six,
of Range Thirty.
To Have and to Hold, the above described premises, together with all and singular the ap-
purtenances thereunto belonging, or in anywise appertaining unto the said Joel R. Allen, his heirs
and assigns forever: and the said Nimrod C. Murphy and Casander his wife for their heirs,
executors, administrators and assigns covenant to and with the said Joel R. Allen, his heirs
and assigns that they will warrant and defend the title in and to said premises against
the lawful claim or claims of all persons whomsoever.
In testimony whereof the said Nimrod C. Murphy and Casander his wife, have hereunto set their
hands and seals the day and year first above written.
Nimrod his X mark C Murphy Seal
Casander her X mark Murphy Seal
At the bottom of this document is a further notice that Nimrod and “Casander” appeared before the local Justice of the Peace to file the deed. As was customary, additional steps were taken to ensure that Cassandra was willingly giving up her rights to the land as well: “The said Casander Murphy, being by the undersigned first made acquainted with the contents of the foregoing instrument of writing, on an examination separate and apart from her said husband, acknowledged that she executed the same, and relinquished her Dower in the real Estate therein mentioned, freely and without compulsion or undue influence of her husband.”
