Archibald Murphey was born in York County, Pennsylvania on December 18, 1742. A resident of Caswell County, North Carolina, he was a justice of the peace who officiated the marriage between Rachel Rogers and Murphey's brother-in-law Frederick Debow in 1777. From 1780 to 1781 he served as a major in the Caswell County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia, and in 1781 he was promoted to lt. col. of the regiment. After the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Frederick Debow and Murphey hid in the Debow home while Rachel Debow kept watch for the British. After the war he served as the clerk of the Caswell County Court until 1816 and also managed a large plantation. He died in Caswell County, North Carolina on October 25, 1817.