William MURRAY & Elizabeth ROSS

William MURRAY

[12/3/1820-18/3/1912]

married

Elizabeth ROSS

[3/1816-13/2/1906]

William is the son of James Murray and Elspat Mackay of Rhemusaig. William and Elizabeth (Betsy) married on 28 May 1842 and soon after left Rogart for Canada. William died on 18 March 1912 aged 92 years and is buried with his beloved wife Betsy Ross in Knox Presbyterian Church, Harrington, Ontario. "There died at his home on Argyle Street, Embro, on March 18 one of the few remaining genuine pioneers of Zorra district, in the person of Mr W. Murray. Like many pioneers of the Zorras the late Mr Murray was a native of Sutherlandshire, Scotland, from which country he emigrated to Canada, seventy years ago, accompanied by his late wife. ..... The late Mr Murray was a man of many fine and admirable qualities, upright, honest and honourable. In all his dealings with his fellow man a good neighbour, kind, genial and generous, a true friend, and a good Godbearing man. Like most of the Scotch emigrants, who have made good in Western Ontario, his only asset to begin life with was a splendid physique, a clear head, and a brave heart. One of his distinguishing characteristics was a strong and indomitable will which stood him in good stead during the pioneer days. Being determined to make a success of everything he undertook and later in life he had the satisfaction of having built up and maintained a fine home, ever noted for his hosptality, from which the poor, the needy, or the weary, were never allowed to go unrefreshed. In the spring of 1845 Mr Murray settled on lot 33 con. 6 West Zorra, where he remained for more than forty-five years and where all but two of his large family of twelve children [six daughters and six sons] were born. Nine of his family still survive him, five sons and four daughters also, fifty-two grandchildren and about twenty-five great grandchildren. .... in the removal of this good old patriarch the community loses an ideal citizen, his family a kind, wise and loving father and the poor a never failing friend. The evening of life was spent in retirement and comfort in the village of Embro where he lived for the past twenty-one years. His end was peaceful and may his ashes rest in peace."

William and Elizabeth had the following children:
WILLIAM MURRAY born 1843 Canada [died 1843]
ELSIE MURRAY born 1844 Canada [died 1931]
JAMES MURRAY born 1845 Canada [died 1930]
MERRON MURRAY born 1846 Canada [died 1917]
ISABEL MURRAY born 1848 Canada [died 1934]
JOHN WILLIAM MURRAY born 1849 Canada [died 1914]
GEORGIANA MURRAY born 1851 Canada [died 1852]
ROBERT GEORGE MURRAY born 1853 Canada [died 1939]
DONALD MURRAY born 1855 Canada [died 1916]
HUGH ALEXANDER MURRAY born 1856 Canada [died 1934] [married Harriet Jane Meadows (1862-1900) in Ontario – they had a son James who married Christina Alice Macintosh – their only child, daughter Isabel married Mr Mills and their son John continues to research this family tree today
CHRISTINE MURRAY born 1860 Canada [died 1932].

A descendant of this family, Dorothy, lives in the USA and keeps in touch with me. Now, thanks to being able to view this information here a great, great, great grandson of William and Elizabeth had made contact.

David MURRAY & Julia MACINTOSH

David MURRAY
[1842-8/7/1893]
married
Julia MACINTOSH
[c1841-5/2/1904]

David was born at Rhemusaig, Rogart, son of William Murray and Catherine Grant. Julia is the daughter of Alexander Macintosh and Ann Gunn of Rhianbreck, Lairg. David and Julia married on 28 June 1867 in Lairg. When their son Thomas was born at Rhianbreck, Lairg, David was a railway pointsman at Blair Atholl, Perthshire. Thomas’s birth is registered in both Lairg and Blair Atholl. He died aged 4 months in Perth where David was said to be a Railway Porter. A year later when baby John Alexander was born David was recorded as a Railway Shunter. By the time Julia was born in 1879 the family were back in Rogart. David was now a Railway Surfaceman.

In 1881 they were at Eden, Rogart, in a two roomed house. In 1891 they were at Dalmore, Rogart not far from Eden. David died there in 1893. Extracts from 1893 letters of the Rogart Ground Officer James Alexander to Donald MacLean the factor at Dunrobin. NLS Acc.10225 read: “1893 July 10, David Murray, 68 Dalmore, died 8 July “…has left a widow, with a grown up family, and all are doing for themselves. except the youngest, who is 12 years. and lives with her mother.”

Julia died at Dalmore in 1904.

David and Julia had the following children:
WILLIAM MURRAY, born 27 March 1868 in Lairg
CHRISTINA ANN MURRAY (Christy), born 18 September 1869 Tain, Ross-shire - in 1891 Christina, a cloth dyeworker, was living in, Renton, Dumbartonshire, with her cousin Margaret Murray married to George Matheson.
THOMAS MURRAY, born 11 November 1872 Rhianbreck, Lairg [died 5 March 1873 at Cross Street, Perth]
JOHN ALEXANDER MURRAY, born 24 April 1874 Cross Street, Perth - 1881 census with parents
HECTOR MURRAY, born 9 October 1875 Lairg [died 21 October 1875 Rhianbreck, Lairg]
JULIA MURRAY, born 17 May 1879 Eden, Rogart

Christina Mackenzie MURRAY & Joseph BIRNIE

Christina Mackenzie MURRAY
[9/3/1890-6/5/1922]
married
Joseph BIRNIE
[10/7/1886-9/1/1959]

Christine Mackenzie Murray was born at Rhemusaig, Rogart, daughter of Alexander Murray and Jane Mackenzie. She and Joseph, who was born at Balblair, Creich, married in Tain, Ross-shire, according to the forms of the established Church of Scotland on 24 June 1915. Joseph was a 28 year old shop porter, bachelor, son of Francis Birnie and Jane Horn. Christine was a domestic servant at 2 Victoria Terrace, Tain. Witnesses at the wedding were Jessie Murray and Lewis Birnie.
Christina and Joseph had tthree children including:
Francis BIRNIE, born 8th January 1916 [died in Tain 1981] - plus a son and a daughter who may still be alive.
Christina died soon after the birth of her youngest son. A few months later her widower remarried.

William MURRAY & Catherine GRANT

William MURRAY
[18/12/1792-14/6/1858]
married
Catherine GRANT
[1800-21/2/1894]

William was born in Golspie parish in 1792, the year of the sheep - Bliadhna nan Caorach - son of Donald Murray, a miller, and Margaret Mackay.

The 1813 Muster List of the Sutherland Local Militia shows a William Murray of Speelte, Golspie. A member of the Grenadier Company he is recorded as being 5'9½" tall. A later Militia List - 1824 reports "William Murray, miller, aged above 30. Grounds for exemption from militia force - poor and has children .........."

Catherine (Kate) Grant was born in Glasgow, daughter of Hector Grant and Janet Duff of Dornoch - I believe her father was in the army at that time. William and Kate married around 1817. They crofted three acres at Rhemusaig, Rogart. William was the miller at Rhemusaig as his grandfather and his father Donald were. The mill at Rhemusaig lay midway between the crofts at Rhemusaig and those at Kinnauld. Rhemusaig was earlier known as Reamusack. Members of this family lived at both places. There were in total approximately twelve crofts between the two places and these seem to have been inhabited mainly by members of the Murray, Mackay and Grant families - I believe Kate was related to those Grants but have yet to determine how. William's mother, Margaret Mackay, died at Rhemusaig in 1837. The family farmed at Rhemusaig for many years but for William life was short. He died, on the croft, on 14 June, 1858, aged 56 years. The cause of death was given as 'natural decay'. This is hardly surprising when we consider the life he had lived: born in the 'Year of the Sheep', mass clearances, famines, cholera and twelve children whom he had, against the most awful odds, kept alive, only to see most of them forced to leave his beloved Highlands. Following William's death in 1858, Kate continued to farm at Rhemusaig. In 1861 her grandchildren William and Margaret Murray, children of her son Donald, were with her. By 1871 the croft had grown to six acres and the house had five rooms. Her son Alexander remained at home with his mother - indeed, he never left Rhemusaig throughout his lifetime. Her grandaughter Margaret was still on the croft. Margaret's father, Donald Murray, lost his life in December 1879 when the Tay Bridge collapsed. By 1881 her son Alexander (my great grandfather) had married and his wife, Jane Mackenzie (my great grandmother), joined the household. Alexander and Jane's first child, William (my grandfather), lived with his Granny Mackenzie at Torbreck, Rogart. His younger sister, Bessie, was also sent to Granny Mackenzie's. The 1891 census shows Kate still alive, aged 90 years. She lived as a widow for over thirty-six years. She continued to croft at Rhemusaig with her son Alexander and daughter-in-law Jane, until her death, passing away on the evening of twenty-first February, 1894 aged 93 years. Her death certificate states cause of death as 'supposed chronic bronchitis and old age'. She is buried with William in St Callan's churchyard, Rogart - photograph of their gravestone above. In 1871, their son Alexander erected a stone in memory of his parents. Mr Alexander, Ground Officer of Rogart, wrote to the Sutherland Estates Office “Widow William Murray, 347 Rhimusaig died 21 February and leaves a grown up family which have all left except Alexander, a son, married and has been living in the house with his late mother and attending to the croft etc for many years.”

William and Kate had the following children:
WALTER MURRAY, born 3 February 1818 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Elspet Macintosh] – at home with parents in 1841
JANET MURRAY (Jessie), born 25 April 1820 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married James Mackay] – at home with parents in 1841
MARGARET MURRAY, born 3 October 1822 Rhemusaig, Rogart – at home with parents in 1841
HECTOR MURRAY, born 27 February 1825 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Isabella Munro) – at home with parents in 1841
DONALD MURRAY, born 17 August 1828 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Mary Bell and Elizabeth Mackay] – at home with parents in 1841 & 1851
ANN MURRAY, born 1 December 1830 Rhemusaig, Rogart – at home with parents in 1841
CHRISTINA MURRAY (Christy), born 7 June 1833 Rhemusaig, Rogart [died 10 December 1908 Bonar Bridge] – at home with parents in 1841 & 1851 - when Christy died in 1908 she left the sum of £127. The probate details show that she was a “sometime” housekeeper at Braelangwell, Ardgay, lately residing at Bonar Bridge where she died. She did not leave a will but confirmation was granted to her brother Alexander Murray, crofter, Rhemusaig.
CATHERINE MURRAY, born 31 March 1836 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Hugh Sutherland] – at home with parents in 1841 & 51
ALEXANDER MURRAY, born 24 April 1838 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Jane Mackenzie] – at Rhemusaig through all census records from 1841 until his death – took over croft from mother at her death in 1894
JOHAN MURRAY, born 21 May 1840 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married John Bannerman] – at home with parents in 1841 & 51
DAVID MURRAY, born 22 June 1842 Rhemusaig, Rogart [died 8 July 1893 Dalmore, Rogart] [married Julia Macintosh] – at home with parents in 1851 & 61 – witness at his brother Paul’s son, George, wedding
PAUL MURRAY, born 1845 Rhemusaig, Rogart [married Jane Ross] – at home with parents in 1851 & 61

William and Kate are my two times Great Grandparents.

Donald MURRAY & Margaret MACKAY

Donald MURRAY
[c1770-pre 1837]
married
Margaret MACKAY
[c1770-28/4/1837]

Donald Murray, a miller, was born at Sallach, Golspie, son of William Murray and Isabella Mackay. His parents were forced to move from Sallach around 1809 when the family settled at Rhemusaig and Kinnauld, Rogart. Donald and Margaret were both living at Auchspilly, Golspie, when they married on 9 February 1792 at Golspie. As can be seen from the birth places of their later children Donald and Margaret did not immediately move to Rhemusaig with his parents. Donald’s eldest son William married Catherine Grant and they did settle at Rhemusaig as soon as they married. They lived in a separate croft from William’s grandfather William.

I have always believed that Catherine Grant’s parents may have had connections with Rhemusaig as there were Grants living there before the Murray families arrived.

Donald Murray was certainly at Rhemusaig in 1812 when the Duchess of Sutherland issued eviction notices to the following persons there:

George Murray in Rhimusaig

Paul Macdonald there
John Macintosh there
Donald Murray there (this is Donald married to Margaret Mackay)
John Mackay, taylor there
William Murray, miller there (this is William married to Catherine Grant)
William Mackay, blacksmith there (this is actually William Mackay, Kinnauld)
Janet Maculloch there
Elspet Murray there
Elspet Macintosh relict of the deceased Robert Mackay there
Margaret Murray there (this is probably daughter of Donald and wife of James Grant)

All were summoned to appear before the Sheriff Depute in Dornoch. As we now know the Murrays were not evicted and I believe none of the others were either. The above list shows clearly the different crofts at Rhemusaig and Kinnauld.

Margaret Mackay died at Rhemusaig, Dornoch, at the home of her eldest son, William. The Parish Register states that “Margaret Mackay, relict of Donald Murray, late miller, died of decay of old age”. The register puts her age at 87 years but I question if that can be correct. Donald and Margaret went back to Golspie for burial. They are buried in St Andrew’s churchyard where only their names show on an old flat stone. They are buried with other Murray families around them.

They had at least the following children:
WILLIAM MURRAY, born 18 December 1792 Golspie [died 14 June 1858 Rhemusaig] [married Catherine Grant]
CHRISTINA MURRAY (Christy) born 25 February 1794 - the census shows a Christian Murray, born circa 1794 Golspie who in 1841 and 1851 was at Drummuie, Golspie - a pauper. In 1861 she was at Tiled House, Golspie, spinster and pauper. In 1871 she was at Tower Poor House, Golspie, a field worker and pauper. Is this Chirsty?
MARGARET MURRAY born circa 1795 [died 4 November 1843 Rhemusaig] [married James Grant]
JANE MURRAY (Jean), born 24 December 1801 Golspie
JANE MURRAY, born 1808 at Creich

Donald and Margaret are my three times great grandparents