WELL KNOWN BUTTE MEN BUY EXCLUSIVE PARK STREET STORE

The Butte Miner, Butte, 1920-03-01, p.5

Summary

Founding-of-business article for what becomes the Murphy-Softley store. F. A. Brown of the Brown company (formerly president and manager of the Hennessy company) sold the controlling interest in the Brown company, which had been operating the store known as Green's, on West Park street — one of the exclusive ladies' apparel stores of the west — to James J. Murphy, Edward Softley and John F. Forbis Jr. Murphy and Softley to take possession and active management 1 March 1920. Brown retiring from business to take charge of other interests. Biographical capsule of James J. Murphy: "virtually a Butte product, having been a resident of the city practically all his life, and having been connected with the Hennessy company for the past 22 years, starting with D. J. Hennessy when the Hennessy store was situated in the building now occupied by the Seigel store. He has been in charge of the boys' department at Hennessy's for about 11 years and was superintendent of the Hennessy store for some time and was manager of the Hennessy branch store at Centerville for a period of three years, and is well and favorably known in the business world." Biographical capsule of Edward Softley: "display manager and for a time superintendent of the Hennessy store, his employment with that company covering a period of 17 years, and probably no man in the west surpasses Mr. Softley in window dressing and displaying goods for sale." The new management will handle the most exclusive line of ladies' clothing and will carry, if possible, a better and larger stock. Both men's portraits run with the article.

People

James Joseph "James J." Murphy (b. 1883 Ardgroom; d. 1938 LA)(as printed: James J. Murphy)
role: subject · family confidence: 10 flag
The "main" Centerville-AOH James J. Murphy of the user's research orbit. Distinguishing details: middle initial J, lifelong Butte resident, 22 years at Hennessy's by 1920 (started 1898), boys-department head 11 years, sometime Hennessy superintendent, Centerville branch manager for three years. Combined with the AOH Silver Bow County presidency (1912–13), this is the central recurring Butte JJM in the archive. Bumped to 25 (candidate) on the strength of the density and durability of the record. Promote on user signal.
Edward Softley
role: subject secondary · family confidence: 0 not family
Business partner. Not Murphy family; logged as a recurring orbit figure across the Murphy-Softley business cluster.

Also mentioned

F. A. Brown · seller
Formerly president and manager of the Hennessy company; founder of the Brown company / Green's store on West Park.
John F. Forbis Jr. · minority_partner
Third buyer with Murphy and Softley; no active management role mentioned in the article.
D. J. Hennessy · former_employer_referenced
Daniel J. Hennessy, founder of the Hennessy Mercantile company. Same D. J. Hennessy who recurs throughout the AOH / Hibernian clippings as person_dj_hennessy_butte.

Places

Butte, Montana (primary)
Centerville (district of Butte) (context)

Themes

Story threads

Murphy-Softley and Money Back Store — JJM's Butte retail era 1920-1924

Source type

news_item, business_notice

Transcription

transcription: complete · confidence high

# WELL KNOWN BUTTE MEN BUY EXCLUSIVE PARK STREET STORE *The Butte Miner, Monday, March 1, 1920, p. 5. With portraits of EDWARD SOFTLEY and JAMES J. MURPHY.* F. A. Brown, of the Brown company, who was formerly president and manager of the Hennessy company, has sold the controlling interest in the Brown company, which has been operating the store known as Green's, on West Park street, which is one of the exclusive ladies' apparel stores of the west, to James J. Murphy, Edward Softley and John F. Forbis, Jr. Messrs. Murphy and Softley will take possession of the store and the active management March 1. Mr. Brown is retiring from the business to take charge of other interests. James J. Murphy is virtually a Butte product, having been a resident of the city practically all his life, and having been connected with the Hennessy company for the past 22 years, starting with D. J. Hennessy when the Hennessy store was situated in the building now occupied by the Seigel store. He has been in charge of the boys' department at Hennessy's for about 11 years and was superintendent of the Hennessy store for some time and was manager of the Hennessy branch store at Centerville for a period of three years, and is well and favorably known in the business world. Edward Softley has been display manager and for a time superintendent of the Hennessy store, his employment with that company covering a period of 17 years, and probably no man in the west surpasses Mr. Softley in window dressing and displaying goods for sale. Both have shown marked ability in the positions they have occupied for so many years and are now branching out into business for themselves. The new management will handle the most exclusive line of ladies' clothing and will carry, if possible, a better and larger stock.

Open questions

The 1920 Murphy-Softley founding anchors a whole sub-cluster of later clippings (anniversary sales, window-contest, fashion shows, Columbia Gardens promotions, eventual going-out-of- business). They all back-reference to here.
John F. Forbis Jr — the Forbis family is a prominent Butte legal/civic name (his father, J. F. Forbis Sr., was a long- serving district court judge). Worth a `mentioned` entry on later Murphy-Softley material if he recurs.