Murray – My Family History

Frances Diamond Hardie: Ohio, 1897-1912

Her Early Years in St. Louis, MO

After their marriage in St. Louis, Missouri in 1877, Daniel and Mary Jane (Ryan) Hardie lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for a few years. Their first son, Daniel Eugene, was born in 1878 in Cincinnati.[1]

The family returned to St. Louis around 1879 and remained there until 1897, living initially on Papin Street and subsequently on Caroline Street then Bell Avenue. In addition to Daniel Eugene, the family unit in 1880 included Daniel Senior’s three daughters (Janet, Isabelle, and Elizabeth) from his second marriage as well as Mary Jane’s son (Eugene O’Neil) from her first marriage. [2]

**Hardie Family Residences, St. Louis, 1879-1897**

Daniel and Mary Jane’s first daughter, Frances Diamond Hardie, was born in St. Louis in 1881. She was baptized at St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church, 2900 Clark Street in the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood. Her godmother was her maternal aunt Ellen (Ryan) Diamond, who would later marry John W. Allen.[3]

In addition to her three half-sisters and her brother Daniel, Frances had a second brother, William Norval, born in 1883, and a sister, Marie Ellen, born in 1886.[4]

**Half-siblings & Siblings of Frances Hardie**

About 1889, Daniel Hardie became the proprietor of a pottery manufacturing operation, “St. Louis Art Pottery”, on 2135 Washington.[5] He is described in 1891 as a pottery dealer at 2135 Washington street who “lives comfortably with his family on Bell avenue, and all the members of his household are so uniformly healthy that he has said to his friends, laughingly, sometimes that the physicians of the city would never think of complimenting him by an honorary membership in their medical society”.[6]

*Business Listing, St. Louis Art Pottery, 1890, Gould’s St. Louis Directory*

Potosi, Missouri

On Saturday-Sunday, July 2 -3, 2011, a reunion of the descendants of Hugh Murray and Mary Maloney was held in St. Louis, Missouri. On Saturday morning attendees journeyed to Potosi, which is about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis. Most, if not all, of Hugh and Mary’s nine children were born in Potosi.

St. James Parish

Hugh and Mary’s nine children were likely baptized at St. James Church. The present church, located at 201 N. Missouri St., dates from 1859. The Parish Cemetery is located nearby at 213 N. Missouri St.

Mary Murray and Bernard Flynn

Hugh’s sister, Mary (Murray) Flynn (1832-1899), and her husband Bernard Flynn (1828-1892) emigrated from County Down, Ireland in 1851. They settled in Potosi, where Bernard worked as a wagon-maker. They had eight children, 6 boys and 2 girls, born between 1854 and 1873.

Mary and Bernard Flynn, as well as some of their children, are buried in St. James’ Cemetery, just north of the parish church.

Murray Farm in Barnamaghery

One of the many things I learned while visiting with newfound cousins in Ireland in September 2019 is that “our Murrays are the Preagh Murrays”. Preagh Hill can be seen from the old Murray farm.

There are many Murrays in this part of Ireland. Indeed a usual page in the old Catholic Parish registers from the 1800’s for the immediate parish of Carrickmannon and Sainthood is replete with Murrays, often marrying one another.

Who Occupied the Farm?

The following video traces the Murray descendants who occupied and owned the farm from 1831 to 1954. The current owner recorded the land and buildings as they were in 1996. That footage is included at the end of the video.

Created by Kathleen Murray, 2021 [License: CC BY 2.0]

Joan Murray (1921-1976)

An Abbreviated Timeline

02 May 1921
Birth, St. Louis, MO
Source: Missouri State Archives; Jefferson City, MO; Birth Index, 1920-1999

1930 Age 8
Residence: 4624 Virginia Avenue, St. Louis, MO
Source: 1930 US Census, enumerated 03 April 1930

1935 Age 13
Residence: 3164 Portis Avenue, St. Louis, MO
Source: 1940 US Census, enumerated 19 April 1940

1939 Age 18
Graduation from Southwest High School, St. Louis, MO
Source: 1939 Southwest High School Yearbook

16 February 1940 Age 18
Death of Mother, Frances Diamond (Hardie) Murray
Source: Missouri Death Certificate for Frances Diamond (Hardie) Murray

2011 Murray Reunion Videos

Hugh Murray: 1838 – 1857

Molony Family: 1850 – 1920

Hugh & Mary Murray

Potosi: 1860 – 1866

Potosi: 1870 – 1901

St. Louis: 1901 – 1910

St. Louis: 1912 – 1916

A Farmer in County Down

Hugh Murray

According to the 1888 History of Washington County Missouri [1], my great grandfather, Hugh Murray, “was born in County Down, Ireland, December 18, 1839 [i]. His father, Michael Murray, also a native of Ireland, was a farmer by occupation; he married Catherine Murray, a native of the same place, and they had ten children, five sons and five daughters.”

Question

Where was Michael Murray’s farm in County Down?

Continue reading “A Farmer in County Down”

The Bedfords on Broadway

My cousin gave me this photograph of our great grandmother, Mary Jane (Ryan) Hardie. It was enclosed in an envelope postmarked 1917 and addressed from MJ Hardie in East Liverpool, Ohio to Mrs. Edw. L. Murray c/o Mrs. John Bedford at 4824 South Broadway in St. Louis, Missouri.

Mrs. Edw. L. Murray was Frances Diamond (Hardie) Murray, Mary Jane Hardie’s daughter and my grandmother. In 1917 Frances Murray, her husband Edward L. Murray, and their children were living on Virginia Avenue in St. Louis, about a 12 minute walk from 4824 South Broadway.

Questions
I don’t know why Mary Jane Hardie sent this picture in care of Mrs. John Bedford on South Broadway rather than directly to her daughter, Frances. My cousin remembered her mother mentioning the “Bedfords on Broadway”. But who was Mrs. John Bedford and what was the connection between the Bedfords and my great-grandmother Mary Jane (Ryan) Hardie?

Continue reading “The Bedfords on Broadway”

St. Louis Locations for the Murray Family

For the 2011 Murray Family Reunion, I created a list showing locations where the Murrays lived. Much of the data came from St. Louis City Directories between 1891 and 1923. Often, the occupations and workplaces of individuals were listed. Some additional data are from US censuses, death certificates, and WWI draft registration forms.

List of Murray Family Addresses

Three places often recur in the lives of the Murray family: St. Thomas of Aquin Church, the St. Louis Coffin Company, and the Gebken-Benz Funeral Home. Murray Brothers was a family-run grocery store in business from about 1904-1912. Both Edward and Paul worked there.

2011 Murray Reunion

A reunion of the descendants of Hugh Murray (1839-1916) and Mary Moloney (1842-1912) was held in St. Louis, Missouri on July 2-3, 2011. Hugh and Mary were married on Sunday, September 10, 1865 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in St. Charles, Missouri. Their nine children were born between 1866 and 1883 in Potosi, Missouri. Their 44 grandchildren were born roughly between 1926 and 1966. About 33-37 were living in July 2011 and 24 attended the reunion, many with spouses and other family members.

Continue reading “2011 Murray Reunion”

Hugh Murray (1839-1916)

“Hugh Murray was born in County Down, Ireland, December 18, 1839. His father, Michael Murray, also a native of Ireland, was a farmer by occupation; he married Catherine Murray, a native of the same place, and they had ten children, five sons and five daughters. Hugh, the seventh child, came to the United States in 1857, settled in Washington County, Mo., and commenced working at the trade of wagon-making, which he has since followed. He married Miss Mary Maloney September 10, 1866. She was born in Connecticut, and was a daughter of Michael and Ann Maloney. Mr. and Mrs. Murray have eight children living, viz.: William, Katie, Annie, Nora, Hugh, Edward, Andrew and Paul; one daughter, Emma, was deceased at the age of six years. Mr. Murray has recently added to his business a stock of coffins and undertaker’s supplies, and has done a satisfactory business in this line. He is a man of strict honor and commands the respect of all his acquaintances.”

– History of Washington County Missouri. (1888) Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company.

Continue reading “Hugh Murray (1839-1916)”