Leonidas H. Murphy
Leonidas H. Murphy was born in Greene Township. Adams County, October 16, 1847. son of David Whittaker Murphy and his wife, Cynthia McCall. In 1849, his father moved to Buena Vista, in Scioto County. He attended the District school until he was fifteen years of age, and had the advantage of the township library, kept at his father's home, and all its books he read. In 1851, he took his first lessons in merchandising in the store of Major W. C Henry. In 1862, he worked on a farm for six months. In 1863, he was employed as a foreman by Caden Brothers for six months. On September i6, 1863, he came to Portsmouth and entered the house of C. P. Tracy & Company, wholesale shoe merchants, and for thirty-six years, from that time to the present, has been connected, and since 1868, he has been a partner in the same house.
Mr. Murphy has always been a Republican in his political views, but has steadily declined to be a candidate for any office. He never served in a public appointment, but that of Jury Commissioner of his county from 1894 to 1897. He has been a member of Bigelow M. E. Church since his residence in Portsmouth. He has been a steward of that church for thirty years and Superintendent of its Sunday School for four years. He was married February 2, 1870, to Mary Katherine, daughter of Daniel McIntire, who in former years was a prominent contractor and builder in Portsmouth. He has three children, Laura, wife of Louis D. McCall, of Chicago; Dr. Charles T. Murphy of the same place: Arthur Lee, a student at Pennington Seminary, N. J., and Julia Alice, residing at home.
Mr. Murphy, while confined closely to his adopted city by his business, yet finds time to read much and keep thoroughly abreast with the times. He is a steady and hard worker in his business and in the activities of his church, but every Summer he takes a vacation of two to four weeks in which he rests himself by following the pursuit of fishing. He is an enthusiastic disciple of Isaac Walton.
Mr. Murphy believes that the highest duty to man is to perform well, every day, and from day to day, the obligations before him in business, in society, in the church and in municipal and State affairs. In following this guiding principle for over thirty years, he has aided in building up one of the most substantial business houses in the State.
In following up this principle in the church, he has been an important factor in maintaing one of the most flourishing Methodist Episcopal Churches in the country, and for himself has established a character in business circles and in the State of which both he and his associates in business, his friends in the church and his fellow citizens may well be proud. In all matters, his word is as good as his bond and the latter is equal to the gold standard all the time.
From "History of Adams County, Ohio from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time" - by Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers - West Union, Ohio - Published by E. B. Stivers - 1900