Yankton Press & Dakotan Monday, October 17, 1892 — page 4
DIED: MURPHY — In Yankton, on Sunday, October 16, Katherine Murphy, aged 67 years.
“Aunt Kate” Murphy, as she was familiarly called, will conduct no more possum suppers on Christmas nights in Yankton for her spirit has gone to a long sweet rest earned by a life of honorable toil. She will be sorely missed by man Yankton people, for she had a wide acquaintance among the white people of the city as well as among the people of her race. She was a negro woman, but a cloud never contained a lining more silvery than the good heart and charitable mind that were housed within her sable self. She died at 1 o’clock on Sunday morning of apoplexy at her residence, corner Broadway and Second streets after lingering for a week at the verge of the valley. She was buried yesterday at 3 p.m. from the M.E. church and the funeral was attended by a large number of sorrowing friends.
Katherine Murphy was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and although little is known of her history, it is supposed she was held in slavery for many years. She was married you and has a son 48 years old. For several years she was connected with Missouri river steamboats in the capacity of chambermaid and her names if familiar those veterans.
In 1877 she located in Yankton and since that time has endeavored to eke out an extraordinary and honest work. It has sometimes been a hard struggle, and probably her days were made less because of hardships. But she is resting now in the country where it is pleasant to imagine worthy mortals need not work.
~Volunteer submitter