Barbara Murphy’s Walnut Dresser

By RuthAnn Wilson

Barbara Murphy’s walnut dresser has been traveling for at least 150 years. It first belonged to Josh and Josie Knight, who came from England to the state of Maine in about the 1850s. It was originally part of a complete bedroom set.  It is not known if they brought this dresser with them from England, or if they acquired it after they settled in Maine. What is known, however, is that after a few years in Maine, Josh and Josie heard about wonderful farm land in Illinois. 

It may have been the Homestead Act, passed in 1862, which lured them to Illinois. That Homestead Act gave title to a property, typically up to 160 acres. The law required the person to file an application, improve the land, and then file for deed of title. The occupant had to be 21 or older, had to live on the land for five years and had to show evidence of having made improvements.

When Josh and Josie decided to move their family to Illinois, there was much to transport. They may have brought only the dresser, and left the other pieces of the bedroom set behind. Many difficult choices needed to be made in preparation for that difficult journey to their new home.  

They took a train from Maine to Chicago, and there they bought a horse and wagon. It took many days to complete the 65 miles to Yorkville. There they settled, with the Fox River on one side and Blueberry Creek on the other. Josh and Josie Knight planted a large productive orchard and settled down to raise their family, by now including their son Fred.  

A few years later, a sister left Maine and came to Illinois. Once there, tragedy struck. After traveling all the way from Maine, one of the children became ill with diphtheria. This disease was so contagious that doctors wouldn’t even come to help, and the child died.  People were frightened of the contagion, so they took the body to the cemetery at midnight in a buggy for burial. 2 or 3 days later, the next child became ill and died, and they had to make another sad trip to the cemetery.  On the tombstone it said, “Little Bethie - 2 years and 16 days”. Again, the third child died, followed by another midnight burial. All in the space of one week, 3 of the 4 children died of diphtheria. This was probably in 1881, when there was a diphtheria epidemic in Illinois.

Josh and Josie’s son Fred Knight grew up, inherited the family farm, married his sweetheart Emily, and by 1900 had a fine little family, including their newborn son David Knight. David grew up and married Helen Beebe, and they continued to use their family heirloom, the beautiful black walnut dresser and mirror. To their joy and delight, their daughter Barbara was born, and their life seemed perfect.

Barbara remembers being small enough for her Daddy, Daniel Knight, to pick her up in his arms, swing her up onto his shoulders, and go look for their cow. They would walk back on the farm to a place called Skunk Hollow, with little Barbara riding on Dad’s shoulders There they would stop to pick wildflowers to bring back to mother. Sometimes mother might put them in a vase on the old walnut dresser.

But once again, tragedy struck. When Barbara was nearly 4 years old, she caught her thumb in the gears of the old crank washing machine on the back porch. It tore the joint of her thumb apart. The doctor cut, sewed and cut, and sewed some more. Even though Barbara lost the joint of her thumb, the doctor saved her thumb and the thumb-nail. For weeks the doctor drove out to the house in his buggy to check her hand as it healed.

Soon after this accident, more tragedy struck. They lost the family farm for lack of $800.00 and moved to Aurora, Ill. They lost so much, but they still had the old walnut dresser. They were so poor that the American Legion paid for coal to heat their little home. The American Legion also took Barbara shopping for a warm winter coat. Then, when Barbara was 11 years old, the worst happened. Dad became sick, then died at the age of 52 (he smoked Lucky Strike cigarettes all his life).  

Mom had to go to work, so Barbara and her older sister and younger brother were separated and sent to live with various family members. Barbara eventually graduated from Downers Grove High School.

After that, she went to work at an airport as a secretary for a couple years, and then started a Practical nursing course. After a brief marriage, she went to work as a practical nurse.  

She married John Murphy in 1960. John already had a little daughter Jean, and soon they had 4 more children. Those happy years together raising their family flew by, with so many wonderful memories. And the children all loved to listen to stories of the old black walnut dresser.  

One day in 1981, Barb accompanied a friend on a trip up to Avalanche to her friend’s cabin and fell in love with the rolling terrain. She went home, described it to her husband John, and they returned. They found their perfect 25 acres at the bottom of Leum Hill near Avalanche, with a little log summer kitchen which they converted to their retirement home. Of course they brought the precious heirloom walnut dresser with them.  

Barbara still loves this area, but now the time has come to downsize, and the walnut dresser has found a new home in the Thoreson House in Westby.