After retiring I spent over 20 years of steady research into my greater Murphy family tree. I learned my 3rd great grandfather was Wm B Murphy born on the Eastern Shores of Maryland 1798 (according to his horizontal gravestone in Louisville, KY). He'd married Elizabeth Hyatt in 1816 and they had five sons including my 2nd great grandfather, Francis Asbury Murphy who lived 1824-1891. All of these folks, I learned, had migrated out of Harford Co, Maryland into the Louisville, KY area by the 1850's. In that KY area I found that most of these men had engaged in the coal business. My Francis A Murphy married a Laura Jane Delmas whose family had been forced out of San Domingo circa 1793 from the uprising there. Laura's sister married a man named Grove Upson Hotchkiss. I didn't explore that interesting surname for some time, but when I finally did I learned they, the Hotchkiss greater family, had lots of very interesting well known people. As I continued tracing some of these people I learned the Delmas folks were out of Nantes, France in the mid 1700's. I was never certain they connected with my line but I found found Delmas folks in the Southern part of FR in Albi near the Pyrenees. I also learned the Delmas surname is very common in FR like Smith is here. One aspect of my research was very special. My paternal grandmother was Edna Hester (Talbott)Murphy 1885-1968 from Bardstown, Nelson Co, KY. She was from a very well known Talbott family of KY. I learned quite a bit about her family in Bardstown which was very interesting to me. Another special surname I explored was that of my 1st great grandmother, Frances C O'Reilly who lived 1854-1897 in Louisville,KY. Over time I was able to trace her O'Reilly family back to Co Cavan, Ireland and the town of Killeshandra. Even recently I've had the privilege to reconnect with O'Reilly descendants here in the US as we share a common ancestor, my great grandmother's father, Dr Dennis J O'Reilly 1820-1891 (he was born in Co Cavan, Ireland but came to the US as a young man). I've many other stories to share about my greater family members but that will have to wait for next time. Charlie Murphy navlawcfm@comcast.net