Individual Details

Possibly the eldest Roger was from Pennsylvania where many Irish immigrants first settled:
An online index of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records lists Roger Murphy as being in Vol 5, pp.444, 469. I also found in an extract from the HISTORY OF BEDFORD, SOMERSET & FULTON COUNTIES PA, 1884, an article about a visit by some of the colonial gov't officials to stop the white settlers from encroaching on Indian lands in Western PA. There was a list of men convicted of trespass which included Roger Murphey. This took place in May of 1750.
When Fold3.com place the Pennsylvania Archives online, I was able to find these records in Volume 5. On Wednesday, the 30th of May, 1750, the settlers at Big Cove were indeed ousted from their homes and three cabins burnt by the Magistrates of Cumberland County taking action against the trespassers over the Blue Hills. Roger Murphy was one of the settlers at Big Cove. On 27 Sep 1750, the Settlers of the "Great Cove" requested they be allowed to cultivate their lands until the land can be purchased from the Indians. The petition was heard at the Provincial Council in Philadelphia, 8 oct 1750 and it was agreed that the Petitioners should be prosecuted if they presumed to continue after the Expiration of their time limit. The names of the other petitioners would seem to indicate a settlement of Scotch-Irish: Jamison, McConnell, McClellan, Donallson, McCarell, Campbell, Stewart, Mulligan, McCollom, McMeans, etc.


The fact that there were three Roger Murphys has not been generally known. I found the following records from Orange Co NC:
Orange County NC Wills by Shields Pg. 14. A-56. Will of John (x) Fields.
Dated 16 Nov 1766, proved Feb. 1767. Wife (name not stated); son, John, one
half of estate; son Roger, other half. Abeneasar Starnes and Ann Starnes,
his wife, and Roger Murphy "should have the care of the child" the oldest to
live with the Starnes; the younger to live with Roger Murphy, Sr. If Murphy
should die, he is to live with Roger Murphy, Jr. Wts: William Ward, James
Morgan, Roger Murphy, Jr., Rachel Fields.

And
Register of Orange County NC Deeds 1752-1768:
14 Aug 1764: Deed of Sale from Harmon Husbands to Roger Murfey, 200 acres,
acknowledged.
12 Aug 1766: Deed of Sale from Roger Murphey Sr. to Roger Murphey Jr., 106
acres. Wts: Harmon Husband.
[This is a register of deeds that survived the destruction of the Orange Co deeds - there is no description of land, etc.]

From Deed Book 2, Orange Co Nc:
p.544 23 Feb 1769
Herman Husband of Orange to Jacob Gregg of same, millright, for £30 & other considerations, 2,380 acres....all tracts of land on the waters of Sandy Creek. Grant to Husband 14 Nov 1755 called the Cabbin, the line of a tract granted Thos. Branson, Jacob Hinshaw's line of land he had from Husband, original line of a tract called Mill Falls, Stephen Jones' line of his land from Husband, Richard Right's [Wright] land from Husband, Branson's land which was conveyed from Branson to Husband at the cleft of rocks under an old maill dam, William Woods land from husband, ROGER MURPHREY's corner, his land from Husband, Thomas Pugh's land from Husband, Husband's lower tract called the Bottom. Signed: Herman Husband. Wit: James McCarland, Soloman Laws, John McCarland. John McCarland proved Jul Term 1769.
[ORANGE CO NC DEEDS, VOL. 1 & 2; Wm D. Bennett, 1987]
Abstracts from ORANGE CO NC COURT MINUTES 1752-1761; Weynette Parks Haun. On Sep 1759, the Court ordered that Herman Husband have leave to build a public Grist Mill on his own land on waters of Deep River. A map from the Orange Co Deeds book shows the location of the Mill at the headwaters of the Rocky River which flows into Deep River and just off the Western Trading Path.

It's quite likely that Roger Sr died before this next transaction:
31 Aug 1771 Guilford Co NC DB 1 Roger Murphy of Guilford County & Mary his wife sold to Peter Mock for 50£, tract on branch of Sandy Creek part of tract granted to Herman Husband from Earl of Granville on 5 Aug 1758 for 644 acres, called the Levell. This part is 200 acres. Signed: Roger Murphey, Mary (X) Murphy. Wit: William Ward, Samuel Owings. Proved by oath of Wm Ward Feb Court 1772.
[William Ward also witnessed the will of John Field in 1766]

If Sr had died by 1771, the remaining acreage of the 200 bought from Harmon Husband would have been inherited by Roger Jr - thereby allowing him to sell the intact 200 acres before moving to South Carolina.

Since the Roger Murphy who left his will in Cass Co GA in 1854 was born in 1767 according to the 1850 Cass Co census, it would appear that two Rogers preceeded him. Given the provisions of the above will, I believe that John Fields of the will was married to a daughter of Roger Murphy, the eldest. Roger Field will appear later in Pendleton Co records along with the Roger Murphys there. Ebenezer Starnes had married Anna Fields in CT in 1743, they had come to NC by 1755. There would be time between 1755 and 1766 when the will was written, for her brother John to also come [and it is known that others from CT did join the first party within the first year] and meet a Murphy daughter in NC, marry her and have two sons.

Death

Bet 1766 and 1771

Orange County, North Carolina

Child	ROGER MURPHY (1745 - 1820)
Child	[Daughter] MURPHY ( - )