MURPHY FAMILY ORIGIN - chapter from FIDLER LORE by Hazel Kendall
ABNER E. and SARAH MURPHY
By 1790 his father, Edward Murphy had left Cecil County, MD to live in western Maryland with relatives where he died. Abner and his brothers moved up into Pennsylvania for a few years before moving to Ohio in 1805. He was a business man of integrity and experience. His brothers were: John Murphy in Washington County, Maryland and William Murphy of Berkeley County, West Virginia (formerly Frederick Co, VA) where Abner Bently also lived. Basil Berry lived also in Washington Co. MD. Before locating in Knox County, Ohio, Abner Murphy bought lots in Belmont County, Ohio, in the towns of Belmont and Morristown, May 14, 1810 and sold the Belmont ones May 28, 1815 and those in Morristown on March 7, 1816 and April 1, 1815. Then he moved his family one mile north of Batemantown, Knox County OH, where he founded a tannery and began to hold Methodist Church meetings in his home. Both were very religious and after he died she continued the meetings. The class from which a church at Batemantown originated, was organized at the home of Mrs. Sarah Murphy one mile north of Batemantown in the spring of 1831. The class (shouting Methodists) met at her home until 1832. Members were Alvin Bateman and wife, Flora, Luther Bateman and wife, Wealthy, Sarah Murphy, William Murphy and wife Sarah Ann, Jane Fidler, Robert Murphy, Charles Post, Hiram Murphy and wife Hannah. Trustees were William and Robert Murphy. The church at Waterford was organized 1844. Sarah Murphy passed a white dish (to the eldest daughter in each generation) to her daughter Jane, who gave it to her daughter, Malinda, who gave it to her daughter Marietta Ewers in Iowa where it was broken. Both Abner and Sarah are buried in the southwest part of Levering cemetery near Waterford, Knox Co. Ohio, near Nathan Fidler’s grave.

In contrast to the above, or in addition to it, “Quaker Greggs” says he descended from Daniel & Rachel Murphy who were living in Charles Co MD in 1712.
Abner is listed in the 1820 census for Knox Co, OH with:
male - 2<10, 2=16-18, 3=18-26, 1>45 and female - 2<10, 3=10-16, 1=26-45