Belle (Murphey) Chitty Johnson(1864-1930)

MURPHEY, FRENCH, CHITTY, JOHNSON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:12

From Nevada Evening Journal January 10, 1930 (front page)

PIONEER WOMAN DIED AT FERNALD

BELLE CHITTY-JOHNSON VICTIM OF CANCER--FUNERAL ON SUNDAY

Mrs. Belle Chitty-Johnson, 65, died at her home in Fernald Thursday afternoon, after a lingering illness, during which time she had suffered from cancer of the stomach.

The funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon. There will be a brief service at the house at one o'clock followed by the funeral at 1:30 at the Fernald Lutheran church. Interment will be in the Johnson Grove cemetery, in the family lot.

Mrs. Johnson, whose maiden name was Belle Murphey, was a daughter of one the pioneer families of the Johnson Grove neighborhood.

Her parents were Walter C. Murphey and Isabelle French-Murphey. She was born on the old Murphey homestead on the northwest quarter of section 25, Richland township, March 19, 1864 and died at her home in Fernald at the age of 65 years, 9 months and 22 days. All of her life she had been a resident of Richland township, near the Johnson Grove neighborhood.

She was united in marriage to James C. Chitty July 29, 1883, and to this union six children were born. One child died in infancy and the daughter, Ruby, died May 20, 1920. Mr. Chitty died March 7, 1908. Four sons survive the parents, they being Fred, Henry, Lester and Ray. All live in the Johnson Grove neighborhood with the exception of Henry who lives at State Center. She also leaves 12 grandchildren.

She was married September 7, 1927 to Will Johnson and he, with the children and grandchildren survive the deceased.

Belle was one of the four daughters in the Murphey family and all are now dead. There were also four half brothers and one half sister in the family and all of those have passed on with the exception of one, Clark French of Johnson Grove.

The Murphey family was one of the pioneer groups of that neighborhood, the brothers Walter C. and Henry F., coming there in the middle "fifties" and were long identified with that community.

The deceased was baptised in the St. Pauls Lutheran church, now the Fernald Lutheran church, March 24, 1882, and had continued an active and faithful worker in that congregation. She was a charter member of the Aid society of the congregation and for 17 years served as treasurer of the society.