Ruby Blanche Birdwell

1923 - 2010  (86 years)

• Name	Ruby Blanche Birdwell  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Birth	23 Oct 1923	San Augustine County, Texas   [3]
  Gender	Female
  Death	17 Sep 2010	Willow, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska   [3]
  Burial	Transport Cemetery, Dodson, Winn Parish, Louisiana
  Notes	San Augustine Tribune 24 June 2004 The above referenced issue has an article about Ruby Birdwell, an 1943 graduate of San Augustine High School, who along with her husband Bill Murphy claimed a 160 acre homestead in Alaska. She was one of nine children of Florence and ENLO BIRDWELL, and the only one that left Texas. Obituary Anchorage Daily News adn.com Ruby B. Murphy, 86, died Sept. 17, 2010 at her home in Willow. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Willow. A service in Texas is planned at the Chinquapin Missionary Baptist Church in San Augustine at a later date. Her cremated remains will be inurned beside those of her husband at the Transport Cemetery in Dodson, La. Ruby Blanche Birdwell was born Oct. 23, 1923 in San Augustine, Texas, the daughter of Enlow and Florence (Hardy) Birdwell. She received her education in San Augustine and began living in Skagway in 1952. In 1964, she and her husband, Bill, began living in Alaska on a full-time basis. The family lovingly wrote: "Ruby, Mamma, Mema, Habba, Miss Ruby or Mrs. Murphy: no matter what name people had for her, anyone who ever met Ruby Murphy never forgot her." Her adventurous, industrious character was evident in her experience homesteading on the Kashwitna River in the mid to late 1960s. While her husband, Bill, worked in Anchorage during the week, Ruby lived on the homestead, shooing away the moose from her garden and chasing away the bears from her fish. After moving into their larger log home in 1973, Ruby and Bill welcomed literally hundreds of visitors; from family and friends to fellow Al-Can Highway travelers they met during their many trips "Outside", to scores of church missionaries working on church building projects in Alaska. Ruby never forgot her life tussling with her eight brothers and sisters on the farm in San Augustine, Texas, during the Great Depression and although she was homesteading on a wild river in Alaska, she always referred to San Augustine as "down home". A pioneering fixture in the Willow community during her 46 years in the area, her engaging personality, love for people and incredible energy endured to the very end. Ruby always showed determination and an independent spirit. The feisty redhead went to be with the Lord on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010. Survivors include her son, Dan Murphy of Willow; daughter, Cathy McBride of Bronson, Texas; grandsons, Jerry McBride of Tampa, Fla., Todd McBride of Niceville, Fla., Sean Murphy of Wasilla, Stephen McBride of Colmesneil, Texas, and Tad Murphy of Arlington, Texas; great-grandchildren, Derek McBride, Trevor McBride, Catherine McBride, Courtney McBride, Gregory McBride, Peyton Murphy and Nolan Murphy. She is also survived by two great-great-grandchildren, Cason McBride and Cutter McBride; two brothers, Winfred Birdwell and Carlo Birdwell, both of San Augustine; and two sisters, Bertha Mae McMurray of San Augustine and MargeNell Hilderbrandt of Orange, Texas. Her husband, William L. Murphy; her parents; sisters, Audrey Drawhorn, MattLou Breaux; and brothers, Norman and Kennon Birdwell have preceded her in death. Friends may make memorial contributions to the First Baptist Church of Willow Building Fund, P.O. Box 148, Willow, AK 99688. Arrangements were with Valley Funeral Home and Crematory in Wasilla. Also published in the San Augustine Tribune, Thursday, September 23, 2010 and October 14, 2010, Page 10 and The Sabine County Reporter, September 29, 2010, page 11 and October 13, 2010, page 14
  Person ID	I26269	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	28 Aug 2022

  
  

  Father	Enlow Cornelius Birdwell,   b. 6 Jan 1902, Texas d. 7 Nov 1974, Nacogdoches County, Texas (Age 72 years)
  Mother	Florence Lucinda Hardy,   b. 18 Oct 1895, San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas d. 2 Apr 1990, San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas (Age 94 years)
  Marriage	14 Jan 1918	San Augustine County, Texas   [5]
  	Marriage information from http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txsanaug/marriages/Bibens-Bryley.pdf Said to be recorded in the San Augustine County, Texas Marriage Book 5, Page 351
  Family ID	F8704	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	William L. Murphy,   b. 28 Feb 1923   d. 20 Feb 2001, Willow, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska (Age 77 years)
  Family ID	F11280	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	30 Sep 2010

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 23 Oct 1923 - San Augustine County, Texas Death - 17 Sep 2010 - Willow, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Documents

  Birdwell, Ruby (Mrs. Bill Murphy), News Article about her Alaska Homestead News article detailing the land she and her husband claimed as a homestead in Alaska in 1964 A portion of the last two sentences of this article were cut off, and read, "One week all three Tribunes were delivered to her by a postal mistake. She got in touch with the other two Alaska subscribers, and they all had a get together after that."

  
  

• Sources

  [S342] San Augustine Tribune, weekly, 807 E. Columbia, San Augustine, TX, (San Augustine Tribune, USPS No. 479-040, Published every Thursday at 807 E. Columbia St., San Augustine, Texas 75972 Stephen Hays & Arlan Hays, Publishers. Postmaster: Change of Address notice should be made at P.O. Box 539, San Augustine, Texas 75972. The Tribune is a continuation of the Texas Chronicle moved from Galveston to San Augustine in 1837 and published as the Redlander.), Obituary of brother, Noman T. Birdwell, published 18 Nov 2004 (Reliability: 3). [S336] The Sabine County Reporter, P.O. Box 700, Hemphill, Texas (Published Weekly), (Founded in 1883, The Sabine County Reporter (USPS 474-660) is published once a week on Wednesday. The Reporter is Published by Sabine County Reporter, Inc. Postmaster: Send change of address to P.O. Box 700, Hemphill, Texas 75948-0700. The Sabine County Reporter and The Rambler merged March 1, 1988. Member National Newspaper Association and Texas Press Association.), Obituary of brother, Kennon Birdwell, April 2, 2008 (Reliability: 3). [S342] San Augustine Tribune, weekly, 807 E. Columbia, San Augustine, TX, (San Augustine Tribune, USPS No. 479-040, Published every Thursday at 807 E. Columbia St., San Augustine, Texas 75972 Stephen Hays & Arlan Hays, Publishers. Postmaster: Change of Address notice should be made at P.O. Box 539, San Augustine, Texas 75972. The Tribune is a continuation of the Texas Chronicle moved from Galveston to San Augustine in 1837 and published as the Redlander.), September 23, 2010, page 10 (Reliability: 3). [S336] The Sabine County Reporter, P.O. Box 700, Hemphill, Texas (Published Weekly), (Founded in 1883, The Sabine County Reporter (USPS 474-660) is published once a week on Wednesday. The Reporter is Published by Sabine County Reporter, Inc. Postmaster: Send change of address to P.O. Box 700, Hemphill, Texas 75948-0700. The Sabine County Reporter and The Rambler merged March 1, 1988. Member National Newspaper Association and Texas Press Association.), May 4, 2011, Page 11, obituary for Bertha Mae McMurry (Reliability: 3). [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), Memorial ID 19261689 (Reliability: 3).