[info on Hardy Murfree at Stony Point] from "Historical Sketches of Hertford County" by John Wheeler Moore, compiled 1877-1878 Gen. Washington in the month of July resolved once more to strike the enemy. The 2nd N. C. battalion at that time belonged to the command of Gen. Wayne. It was determined that "Mad Anthony" should storm the British works at Stony Point. This was an eminence on the banks of the Hudson river, between New York city and West Point. A strong fort crowned the height, which was protected on one side by the river, and on all others by a morass impassible but at one place. In front of the main work, were advanced rifle pits, and half down the descent were a double row of abattis. The guns of the fort fully commanded both the approach and surrounding beach. There was no chance of attack but along the narrow causeway heading across the bottomless quagmire. Col. Johnston, with six hundred dauntless bare-legged Scotch Highlanders, garrisoned this seemingly impregnable stronghold. Several British ships of war lay in the river, with their guns ready to sweep the only approach to the fort. On the 15th of July, Gen. Anthony Wayne left the main body of the army, and by eight o'clock in the night came to a point a mile and a half from the enemy. He then reconoitered and made the preliminary arrangents for attack. He first called for volunteers to form the forlorn hope. This was a body of forty men, who should advance along the deadly causeway and hill side. Capt. Hardy Murfree, of Hertford, offered and was accepted by General Wayne as the leader of this storming party. A little before midnight, with unloaded guns and fixed bayonets, through a storm of cannon shot and musketry, the gallant Continentals, with Hardy Murfree at their head, without firing a gun, forged their way into the fort, and captured every man who had not been bayonetted in the assault.
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[info on Hardy Murfree's wife's family -the Brickell's and Noailles'] from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, p. 36 His [that is Rev. Matthias Brickle] son, Col. Matthias Brickle, first married, on November 6, 1748, Rachel Noailles, of a French Huguenot family.
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Colonel [Matthias] Brickle was the first High Sheriff of the county up to 1766, preceding in that office was his worthy contemporary, William Murfree, who was in the office from 1766-1771. Colonel Brickle's wife, Rachel, died February 17, 1770, and some time after that he married Mrs. Nannie Jones, the widow of the second James Jones, of Pitch Landing. from "Brickell-Murfree Family Record", compiled by Mrs. Mary Moore Hilliard Hardeman
[provided to me by Marcia K. Bourdeau.] Lt. Col. Matthias Brickell, my great-grand father, was born 23rd March 1725, was married to Rachiel Noailles (a French lady) 6th November 1748, died 17th October 1788. His wife Rachaiel Noailles was born the 13th January 1728, died 17th February, 1770. They had 13 children as follows:
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6. Sally, born 26th July 1757, died 19th March 1802, (My grandmother)
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My great grandfather, Matthias Brickell, married a second time to Mrs. Jones, and they had five children.
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These 18 children of my great-grandparents married as follows:
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6. Sallie, my grandmother, married Col. Hardy Murfree, and had 10 children.
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from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, p. 45 [Hardy Murfree and Sally Brickell marry] Colonel Murfree, who lived in Murfreesboro, married, February 17, 1780, Sarah, the accomplished daughter of Col. Matthias Brickle, of Hertford County ... and reared ... son... William Hardy Murfree. [info on Hardy Murfree's father] William Murfree was the man upon whose lands the town of Murfreesboro was afterwards built. No previous mention of the family in Hertford county can be found and he was the first of the name in our midst. He was living in the county as early as 1763 and was one of the commissioners who laid off the town of Winton.
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[info on Hardy Murfree moving to Tennessee] from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, p. 45 Colonel [Hardy] Murfree, who had received grants of large bodies of land in the territory, which afterwards were embraced in the State of Tennessee, moved to that State from Murfreesboro, in Hertford County, in 1807, and settled on Murfree's Fork of West Harpeth River, near the town of Franklin, Tenn. His wife died five years before he left Hertford County, and he only lived about two years after reaching Tennessee. He died in 1809, and was buried in his adopted soil with great Masonic and military form and ceremony. from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, p. 93 In 1805, Col. Hardy Murfree emigrated to Tennessee, where he owned a large landed estate, and died in 1809.
from "Historical Sketches of Hertford County" by John Wheeler Moore, compiled 1877-1878 [info on Murfree's Landing becoming incorporated as Murfreesboro, in honor of Hardy Murfree] In 1768, the General Assembly had incorporated the village, and it was called Murfreesboro in compliment to the hero of Stony Point. He did not remain very long with the new town, but removed to Tennessee and founded another village by the same name. The statute provided that "William Murfree, Patrick Brown, Redmond Hackett, William Vaughan and John Parker be constituted commissioners for designing and building a town to be called Murfreesboro, on 97 acres of land adjoining Murfree's Landing."
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[info on the Murfree's house] The first house erected in the corporate limits, was the residence of William Murfree, the father of Capt. Hardy, which stood near the landing, just beside the village graveyard.
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Capt. Hardy Murfree was living at the place of his deceased father [in 1803] His oldest son William Hardy Murfree had graduated two years before at the University and was just come to the bar.
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[info on William Hardy Murfree, son of Hardy & Sally (Brickell) Murfree] from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, p. 45 In 1801 William Hardy Murfree, of Murfreesboro, the son of Col. Hardy Murfree, the hero of Stony Point, graduated at the State University at Chapel Hill, and began the study of law at Edenton. ... After obtaining his law license he returned to his native town of Murfreesboro and opened his law office in the brick building between the Peter Williams lot and the ravine, on William street. ... In 1805 he and James Jones represented the county in the House of Commons. from "Historical Sketches of Hertford County" by John Wheeler Moore, compiled 1877-1878 [In 1812] Hertford sent Gen. Tom. Wynns, W. H. Murfree and Capt. Jethro Darden as her representatives to the General Assembly.
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In the same year [that is 1813] the distinguished young lawyer of Murfreesboro defeated Lemuel Sawyer of Camden, and succeeded him in Congress as the representative of the 1st. District. William Hardy Murfree was deserving of the administration and support of his fellow citizens. He was not only an able lawyer, but thoroughly patriotic and zealous in the support of the struggling American Government.
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William H. Murfree continued for four years to represent the Edenton District in Congress. During all that time he was a persistent in the support of Mr. Madison's administration as his great colleague, Judge Gaston was opposing it.
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He was succeeded by Lemuel Sawyer of Camden. Mr. Murfree returned to the practice of his profession in our midst, and found abundant evidences of increased prosperity.
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The year of our Lord 1820 came upon Hertford in its usual prosperity. Two of our citizens had risen to prominence at the bar. W. H. Murfree and Thomas Manney were still in attendance upon our courts, but were soon to leave the State for their new homes in Tennessee.
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from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, p. 45 ...
William H. Murfree married Elizabeth M. Maney, of Murfreesboro, his native town, [sister to his fellow lawyer Thomas Manney] remained in Murfreesboro until about 1823, when he removed to Tennessee.
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from "History of Hertford County, N.C.", by Benj. B. Winborne, c) 1906, pp. 103, 104 General [Boone] Felton is defeated in 1812 by the scholarly, chivalrous and able lawyer, William H. Murfree, of Murfreesboro. ... Mr. Murfree was one of the ablest lawyers in the State. In the spring of 1813 he was elected to Congress from the Edenton district over Gen. Joseph Riddick, of Gates, Lemuel Sawyer, of Pasquotank, and Hinton, of Chowan, by a majority of 603 votes over his strongest competitor. This we get from the issue of May 13, 1813, of the Hornet's Nest. Sawyer was then a member of Congress. Murfree was again elected in 1815, serving four years, 1813-1817. He declined a third nomination. ... He married Elizabeth Meredith Maney, daughter of James Maney IV., of Murfreesboro, and they had a son, William Law Murfree, who was born in Murfreesboro, N. C. In 1823, Hon. William H. Murfree moved, with his family, to Tennessee to look after his large interests there which he inherited from his father, Col. Hardy Murfree, and died in 1827. His son, Wm. Law Murfree, was afforded the best advantages for the highest education. Naturally very bright, he became a profound scholar and lawyer. He graduated at the head of his class at the University of Nashville, Tennessee. He also inherited a large estate from his father and owned large cotton plantations in Mississippi and Tennessee. He married Fannie Priscilla Dickinson, daughter of David Dickinson, and reared three children. Miss Fanny N. D. Murfree, who is the authoress of a successful novel entitled "Felicia"; and Miss Mary Noailles Murfree, who is also an authoress of nineteen volumes of fiction, published under the non de plume of "Charles Egbert Craddock." She now resides in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a city, established by her great-grandfather, Col. Hardy Murfree; and William Law Murfree, Jr., who married Miss Louise Knostman. William Law Murfree, Sr., was himself an able writer. In 1880 he moved from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to St. Louis, where he edited the Central Law Journal for three years, 1886, 1887, and 1888. ... While in St. Louis he wrote three law books, viz., "On Sheriffs," on "Official Bonds," and "The Justice of the Peace." He was also an able contributor to the literary magazines, the Century, Scribner and others. He returned to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1890, and died in August, 1892. Return to Mary Noailles Murfree