Murphy and Childs Contractor

[advanceguard]

Friends,

I hope this is in the right section. Does anyone have any information on Murphy& Childs , Contracted to produce Hats for the New York Regiments in 1861. It may be a long shot.


I am,

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

Re: Murphy and Childs Contractor

Operated out of Manhattan at 50 Dey St. & 19 Murray St., Thomas Murphy & Warner A. Childs, hats & straw goods & furs. Contracts for an unknown quantity of forage caps on January 22, 1862, and another for 20,000 cap covers on March 5, 1862. Murphy linked up with William C. Griswold & Co., and as Murphy and Griswold produced 205,000 forage caps in 1862. In 1863, they produced 205,700. In 1864, they produced 370,500 caps. A final contract of 50,000 is produced in '65.

Info gleaned from Directory of American Military Goods Dealers & Makers, 1785-1915, Combined Edition by Bruce Bazelon and William McGuinn.

[advanceguard]

Re: Murphy and Childs Contractor

Sir,

Thank you for the information.


I am, Sir,

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Murphy and Childs Contractor

Try some of these:

http://www.archive.org/stream/memoirofwilliama00jack/memoirofwilliama00jack_djvu.txt

About one-third of the way through, there's a lengthy report of a dispute over a clothing contract the officer secured for Brooks Brothers, then another in which the nod went to Murphy & Childs. There's a good bit of detail, as you might expect, about dubious quality and so forth, but there is this:

"...CAPS

The Board advertised for bids for 15,000 caps. They awarded the contract to Murphy and Childs at $0.95, after carefully inspecting all the samples presented by other bidders. The disappointed complained, and they have been permitted to testify before your committee, that they would severally have furnished as good an article for a less sura. The members of the Board testify, in substance, that they were of opinion that Murphy & Childs' sample was the best. "

There's a "life sketch" of Thomas Murphy on page 126 of this:

http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924064123155/cu31924064123155_djvu.txt

detailing how he rose in the clothing business. It's quite flattering, but then, he was a NY state senator when that was written in 1867. It does note that, having lost heavily in the recession of 1857, he got out of the clothing business for fear that another collapse would follow the end of the war.

[advanceguard]

Re: Murphy and Childs Contractor

Miss Morgan, et al.,

Thank you for all the insights. Miss Morgan, the investigation you referred to was aimed at Col. William A. Jackson, 18th Rgt. NYSV, after he was deceased( he died of disease in Washington Nov. 1861.) The accusations were that in his position as Inspector-General of New York he approved the Brooks Brothers contract because Brooks Brothers gave him suits of clothes. This was proven to be false( the clothes were purchased for him, by his father). These accusations so outraged the citizens of Albany, NY( Col. Jackson was a very favorite native son.) that many editorials were written blasting the committee for trying to slander the good name of a hero who gave his life for his country.

Thank you again to all.


As always, I remain