Born in Arkansas, W.D. Murphy traveled with mules to Hall County in 1929 before continuing to Hockley County. On December 9, 1929, he purchased 354 acres from the estate of Isaac L. Ellwood. W.D. raised livestock, cotton and milo. He and his wife, Mary, raised their three children, Inez, Lee Roy and Anie Marie, on the farm and sent them to school in Ropesville.
Mary acquired the title to the land in 1960, after W.D. died. In 1963, she conveyed the property to their children while retaining a life estate. When Mary died in 1973, the children took full possession of the land.
When Inez passed away in 2017, Howard Isaacks inherited his mother’s share of the land. He purchased the other shares from Lee Roy and Anie Marie.
A house and barn more than 50 years old remain on the property, enduring landmarks of the Murphy family’s agricultural legacy in Hockley County for nearly a century. Howard B. Isaacks, born in Georgetown, Texas, moved with his family to Hockley County, seeking better farmland and opportunity.
In 1949, Howard and his wife, Sallie C. Isaacks, purchased 198.9 acres from the D.C. Reed estate seven miles east of Levelland. They raised livestock and grew cotton and grain while raising their two children, J.J. Isaacks and Frances Isaacks McDonald, on the farm.
After Howard died in 1975, Sallie deeded the land to her daughter-in-law, Inez Isaacks, and daughter, Frances McDonald. Inez and J.J. had two children, Howard D. Isaacks and Patricia Diane Isaacks Cook.
Following Inez’s death in 2017, Howard D. inherited his portion of the farm and purchased the remaining interests from the other family heirs. He and his wife, Barbara, are the current owners. Their son, Paul D. Isaacks, operates the farm, continuing its production of cotton and grain. Paul has also served as president of United Cotton Growers Coop Gin and ProCot Cotton Cooperative.
For more than 75 years, the original 198.9 acres have remained in continuous agricultural production under the Isaacks family’s care.