Alexander MURRAY & Isabella ROSS

Alexander MURRAY
[11/2/1872-2/2/1943]
married
ISABELLA ROSS
[4/12/1884-20/12/1967]

Alexander was born at Bank, Rogart, son of Paul Murray and Jane Ross. Isabella was born at Proncy Croy, Dornoch, daughter of John Ross, crofter of Proncy, Dornoch and Christina Mackay. Alexander and Isabella married at the Pittentrail Inn, Rogart, on 8th June 1911. Alexander was a railway platelayer at the time of his marriage and Isabella was a domestic servant living at working at Pittentrail, Rogart.

Alexander died at Bank, Rogart, in 1943. He is buried with Isabella in Rogart.
They had the following children:
WILLIAM JOHN MURRAY, born 6th October 1912 Bank, Rogart [died 28 May 1926 – buried with parents]
DAVID ALEXANDER MURRAY born 17th June 1915 Bank, Rogart [died 10th March 1995, Inverness – retired railway station master] [married Elspeth Ann Macdonald - David was a railway signalman of Bank, Rogart, at the time of his marriage]
PAUL ROSS MURRAY born 1st March 1924 Bank, Rogart [died 3rd March 1990 at Edinburgh – retired Railway Manager] [married Mary Burnett] – had a son also named Paul Murray

George MURRAY & 1) Isabella MATHESON 2) Helen MATHESON

George MURRAY
[20/2/1871-3/7/1937]
married
1) ISABELLA MATHESON
[died pre 1935]
2) HELEN C. MATHESON
[1883-28/4/1977]

George Murray, a master tailor, was born at Bank, Rogart, son of Paul Murray and Jane Ross. He was firstly married to Isabella Matheson.

George, a widower, married Helen Chalmers Matheson at the Ben Bhraggie Hotel, Golspie on 27th December 1935. At the time of this wedding George was living in Main Street, Golspie and Helen at Burgage Villa, Golspie. Helen is the daughter of Thomas Matheson and Grace B. Mackenzie. Less than two years after this marriage George died suddenly of heart disease at East End Golspie. Helen is buried with her parents in Golspie.

Paul MURRAY & Jane ROSS

Paul MURRAY
[1847-31/3/1924]
married
Jane ROSS
[1849-6/3/1919]

Paul was born at Rhemusaig, Rogart, son of William Murray and Catherine Grant. Jane is a daughter of George Ross and Margaret Matheson. Paul and Jane married at Rogart on 26 March 1869.

In 1871 they were living with Jane's aunt - Catherine Matheson (1804-1897), sister to Margaret Matheson, Jane's mother - at Milton, Rogart - which is sometimes known as Miltonbank or simply Bank. Catherine was a daughter of James Matheson and Elspet Sutherland. Her brother Donald and sister Jane, also lived with her.

Paul worked as a railway platelayer in Rogart. They were still in the aunt's five-roomed house in 1881. The house was home that year to Catherine Matheson; her brother, Donald, her sister Jane, plus Paul, his wife Jane and their five children. Aunt Catherine was still alive in 1891 aged 88 years. She died in 1897 at the house. Paul and Jane continued to live at the house - by this time the house was referred to as being at Bank, Rogart. Jane died there in 1919. Paul also died at Bank, in 1924, and is buried with his wife in St Callan's churchyard, Rogart.

"The Reaper has been busy in our midst lately, gathering in the young and aged. On Saturday there was laid to rest one of our older inhabitants in the person of Jane Ross, wife of Mr. Paul Murray, Bank. For a number of years Mrs. Murray was laid aside from any active participation in life, and latterly had been confined to bed, from the effects of a stroke of paralysis. An attack of influenza which also seized the other members of the family, proved too much for Mrs. Murray’s strength, and she succumbed to the disease. Of a kindly and cheery nature, she will be missed in the home, and by a wide circle of friends of the older generation" (NT13/3/1919).

Paul & Jane had the following children:
WILLIAM MURRAY, born 25 January 1870 Bank, Rogart [died 31 December 1898, ironworker, bachelor, killed by falling from a train at Dalmore, Rogart] - at home in the 1871 & 81 census
GEORGE MURRAY, born 20 February 1871 Bank, Rogart [died 3rd July 1937 East End, Golspie] [married Isabella Matheson & Helen Chalmers Matheson]
ALEXANDER MURRAY, born 11 February 1872 Torbuie, Rogart (IGI) [died 2nd February 1943] [married Isabella Ross] – at home with parents in 1881 & 91 census
CATHERINE MURRAY, born 27 November 1876 Bank, Rogart [died 1st February 1932 Glasgow] [married 1st George Craig Stewart and 2nd James Mactaggart] – at home in 1881 & 91 census
DONALD MURRAY, born 14 August 1880 Bank, Rogart [died 18 March 1934] – at home in 1881 & 91 census

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.