William MURRAY[1/1/1876-1923]
married
Margaret Ann MACKENZIE
[7/10/1883-8/7/1970]
William was born at Torbreck, Rogart, the eldest child of Alexander Murray and Jane Mackenzie of Rhemusaig. He was named after his paternal grandfather, William Murray of Rhemusaig. As a young boy William lived with his widowed maternal grandmother Elizabeth Mackay [Mrs William Mackenzie] at Torbreck where she farmed seven acres. Young William was there with his grandmother and Aunt Christina in 1881. The 1891 census shows him still there with his younger sister Bessie, aged 11 years. Granny Mackenzie was now 78 years old. Life was hard on the crofts - crofters struggled to support the large families and many children were boarded out to grandparents.
William was with his parents at Rhemusaig in the 1901 census. He left Sutherland within the next few years heading south to Edinburgh where many of his sisters were already settled. He found work as a jobbing gardener in the Morningside area of Edinburgh. On 10 June 1910 he married Margaret, daughter of John Mackenzie, a farm servant and his wife Mary Mackenzie. Margaret was born in Inverness. The marriage took place at the United Free Church, Polwarth Terrace, Edinburgh. After the wedding they moved into Morningside Road, an address which would be the family home for at least sixty years. William continued to do gardening and odd jobs while Margaret [Meg] cleaned at the big houses in the area.
The 1914/18 war required all men under forty to be enlisted - William was called up. He served with the Black Watch attaining the rank of Sergeant. In the trenches of Northern France he suffered very severely from gas poisoning. He lived until 1923 when his death certificate showed he died from illness associated with gassing. His young widow continued her life as before bringing up her children.
They had the following children:
ELIZABETH MURRAY [Bessy], born 27 February 1911 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 30 September 1976 Edinburgh] [married John Mackay in Edinburgh 1931] – had family, some of whom still live in Scotland
WILLIAM MURRAY, born 18 October 1912 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 29 April 1969 England] [married Robina Gordon Wilson in Edinburgh 1940] – had family of three, two of whom now live in England - these are my parents
ROBERT MURRAY, born 21 September 1914 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 8 April 1968 Edinburgh] [married Isabella Christina Chisholm in Edinburgh 1943] – had family some of whom still live in Scotland
MARGARET MURRAY [Peggy] born 5 May 1921 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 14 May 1977 Stirlingshire] [married James Thomson in 1944] – had family one of whom lives in Dundee
JOHN MACKENZIE MURRAY, born 3 February 1923 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 11 July 1975 Edinburgh] [married in Edinburgh where his widow still lives]
William Murray and Margaret Ann Mackenzie are my grandparents. Their son William, my father. Photograph above shows 'Gran Murray', Margaret Ann Mackenzie with three of her children, Bessie, William and baby Robert taken in 1914.
William was with his parents at Rhemusaig in the 1901 census. He left Sutherland within the next few years heading south to Edinburgh where many of his sisters were already settled. He found work as a jobbing gardener in the Morningside area of Edinburgh. On 10 June 1910 he married Margaret, daughter of John Mackenzie, a farm servant and his wife Mary Mackenzie. Margaret was born in Inverness. The marriage took place at the United Free Church, Polwarth Terrace, Edinburgh. After the wedding they moved into Morningside Road, an address which would be the family home for at least sixty years. William continued to do gardening and odd jobs while Margaret [Meg] cleaned at the big houses in the area.
The 1914/18 war required all men under forty to be enlisted - William was called up. He served with the Black Watch attaining the rank of Sergeant. In the trenches of Northern France he suffered very severely from gas poisoning. He lived until 1923 when his death certificate showed he died from illness associated with gassing. His young widow continued her life as before bringing up her children.
They had the following children:
ELIZABETH MURRAY [Bessy], born 27 February 1911 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 30 September 1976 Edinburgh] [married John Mackay in Edinburgh 1931] – had family, some of whom still live in Scotland
WILLIAM MURRAY, born 18 October 1912 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 29 April 1969 England] [married Robina Gordon Wilson in Edinburgh 1940] – had family of three, two of whom now live in England - these are my parents
ROBERT MURRAY, born 21 September 1914 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 8 April 1968 Edinburgh] [married Isabella Christina Chisholm in Edinburgh 1943] – had family some of whom still live in Scotland
MARGARET MURRAY [Peggy] born 5 May 1921 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 14 May 1977 Stirlingshire] [married James Thomson in 1944] – had family one of whom lives in Dundee
JOHN MACKENZIE MURRAY, born 3 February 1923 Morningside, Edinburgh [died 11 July 1975 Edinburgh] [married in Edinburgh where his widow still lives]
William Murray and Margaret Ann Mackenzie are my grandparents. Their son William, my father. Photograph above shows 'Gran Murray', Margaret Ann Mackenzie with three of her children, Bessie, William and baby Robert taken in 1914.
