Richard Murphy

Richard Moses Murphy (1838–1916) was a well-known schooner captain who sailed out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, during the late 1800s. Some of his experiences as a mariner are detailed in a chapter titled "The Adventures of Captain Richard Murphy" in The Fisherman’s Own Book, published by Proctor Brothers in 1882. Early life Murphy was born in or near the fishing village of Canso, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 28, 1838. His father, Miles Murphy, a laborer, was born in Wexford, Ireland about 1798. His mother, Catherine Henderson (surname changed from Hanrahan), came from Cape George, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She was born about 1805. Murphy was the third of six children. He came south with his parents and siblings to the fishing port of Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts, in the early 1850s. Family Murphy married Catherine Hearn, a 32-year-old native of Guysborough, Nova Scotia, in Gloucester on April 26, 1866. The couple had two daughters, Alice Gertude Murphy, born August 13, 1868, and Mary Elizabeth Murphy, born March 31, 1874. Career as a Mariner Beginning at a very young age, Murphy served as a crew member on various mackerel schooners sailing out of Gloucester. Two of his brothers, John Murphy and Michael Murphy, were similarly employed in the fishing trade. However, they were lost at sea when the schooner Oconomowoc sank in a gale on February 10, 1862. Their names appear on plaque two (1851-1867) of the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial. During the late 1850s and 1860s, Murphy crewed various schooners sailing to the fishing grounds in pursuit of cod, halibut, and haddock. These boats included the Queen of Clippers, Hiawatha, Eastern Queen, Glenwood, and J.G. Dennis. Two years after Murphy sailed on her, the J.G. Dennis was lost with all hands. She went down, along with at least five other vessels from the Gloucester fleet, in the intense northeaster of March, 1864. The Hiawatha foundered on Georges Bank in February 1871, with the loss of her entire crew. The Glenwood sank after a collision in 1876 off Highland Light on Cape Cod, but the crew was rescued.