Thanks Don, I keep hoping to find a link to this Thomas but no luck so far. Beth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don McMurray" <don@norrishouse.com> To: <MCMURRY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2002 12:10 PM Subject: RE: [McMurry] Don-Samuel McMurry of TN/VA > Michelle, your grandfather is right. If you look in the archives of this > list you will find my explanation of how the MacMurray name became McMurray > or McMurry. It has to do with the enumerators and their inability to spell > (or understand the dialect) and their use of abbreviations. You can see the > results in the early 1600's in the Ulster militia rolls for County Down, > Ulster and later for all of Ulster Every man named MacMurray or MacMurry > (misspelled from MacMurray) is listed as M'Murray or M'Murry. The > enumerators were using shorthand to avoid writing the extra letters. I > suspect, bur don't know, that is also how McMurry came into existence. > > We are a sept of the Highland Murray clan. In 1160 the Murrays and > MacMurrays were scattered all over Scotland. This occurred after a major > defeat in their homeland, the old Province of Moray (Murray), the center of > which is about where Inverness is now located. I like to joke about how > provident the defeat was, otherwise our ancestors would have been among the > mooners depicted in the movie Braveheart. In that case, our gang would > never have made it to Ulster in 1606 and ultimately to America. > > My guys turned up in the Shenandoah Valley of Va. in 1749. They may have > stopped first in Lancaster Co., Pa. but, so far, I can't prove it. A short > stay in Pa. was typical of the Ulster Scots when they landed in America. > They were offered free land to farm (but not own) in return for acting as > buffer against marauding Indians. For an Ulster connection for the family, > the big problem is that most of the records have been lost during various > rebellions in Ireland. The only hope is church records. So, out of > frustration, I have spent my time tracing the movement of the Murray and > MacMurray families from the Highlands to the Lowlands of Scotland, then to > Ulster in 1606. A date, incidentally, the preceded the Great Plantation of > Ulster in 1611. Another bit of luck; our guys went to County Down in 1606 > so they readily survived a later Irish rebellion against the hated English, > a rebellion that almost destroyed King James's plantation scheme in the rest > of Ulster. > > Regards, Don > > -----Original Message----- > From: Michelle McMurray de Luces [mailto:smcmurray@nc.rr.com] > Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2002 3:09 PM > To: MCMURRY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [McMurry] Don-Samuel McMurry of TN/VA > > > My grandfather tells me that somewhere down the line, our name McMurray was > originally MacMurray. I'm not sure at what point in time, but it would be > interesting to find out and may help alot of us out there. > > Does anyone have McMurray/McMurray/MacMurray relatives researched past 1750s > yet? I am just curious since I am stuck on Thomas E.T. McMurray around > 1785. It made me wonder if we are all having the same problem with time > period. > > Michelle McMurray > > -----Original Message----- > From: Don McMurray [mailto:don@norrishouse.com] > Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2002 6:42 AM > To: MCMURRY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: [McMurry] Don-Samuel McMurry of TN/VA > > > Lisa, several researchers have tried to discover the ancestors of the > McMurray/McMurry men in Washington Co., Va. I'm pretty sure there is a > connection for them. This because in 1782 John and Thomas McMurray, sons of > William (son of William the Elder) were in Washington Co., Va. I think it > was because their aunt, their father's sister, was there. She and her > husband settled in the county after their marriage in Botetourt Co., Va.. > Their farm was probably a good stopping-off place for John and Thomas > between treks from home (on the Cowpasture River) back and forth to Ky. or > N.C. Thomas was by then ready to move to Ky. permanently because in the > same year, 1782, he had moved to Lincoln Co., Ky. > > Incidentally, I may have mentioned this before, don't put too much emphasis > on the McMurray vs. McMurry names. It was usually the fault of enumerators > and our gang could care less about their surname. Given names were > all-important in those days. Several family groups of our McMurrays > eventually became McMurrys. My direct line are the only ones to hold onto > McMurray and a couple of them even went back to MacMurray. I've considered > this but it would be too much work. > > TTYL, Don > > -----Original Message----- > From: FP4SALE@aol.com [mailto:FP4SALE@aol.com] > Sent: Friday, May 03, 2002 11:31 AM > To: MCMURRY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [McMurry] Don-Samuel McMurry of TN/VA > > > I enjoyed reading your McMurray info, but still can't tie it in with mine. > My Samuel McMurry was born in Sullivan Co. TN about 1786 He was the son of > Smauel and Elizabeth McMurray. He married Jane Ramey in about 1808 in what > was probably then Washington CO VA. I have the following children: John, > my > ancestor born 1809 and married Edna Grizzle in 1831, Elizabeth, Joseph who > had a son named Sanuel born 1866, the only other Samuel in this line, Sarh > "Sally", Robert, Emaline, James, Ellijah J., Eliza Jane, Mary Jane. They > resided in Scott CO Va. Samuel passed away November 6th, 1858 and his > parents are listed on his death certificate. I believe that all of the > Scott > Co McMurrys decended from them. Do you have any more clues for me? WIth > the > name Samuel, and the location, I was hoping they tie in some how. If not, I > would like to know where he came from. > > Thanks, > Lisa Stephenson > > ______________________________ > > ______________________________ > >