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ichael Murray

Michael Murray was my great great grandfather.

My research into this branch of my family had hit the proverbial brick wall - I had all the details of Michael's descendants but I was stumped on his ancestors. I had Michael's marriage and death certificates which gave :-

• an approximate year of birth
• place of birth as Co. Waterford, Ireland
• no names of parents

It was not until I found Michael's obituary in the Maitland Mercury that I started to make more progress :-

Death of Mr. Michael Murray.

News has been received from Sydney of the death yesterday of, Mr. Michael Murray, senior, of West Maitland. The deceased was a resident of the town for nearly 70 years, but about three or four years ago went to reside in Sydney. A fortnight ago he was operated on in the Lewisham Hospital, where he died. A native of Tallow, Waterford, Ireland, the late Mr. Murray came to Maitland when a young man, and commenced a butchering business on the site of the present shop in High-street, now carried on by his son.

He was prominent in all walks of life. Politically he was an ardent supporter of the late John Gillies, and played a big part in election campaigns. In all public matters he was represented, but it was in connection with his church that perhaps he took the keenest interest. In all its social functions, departures or welcome to prelates and laymen, he was an outstanding figure, and the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration found in him an ardent worker. His wife, one daughter and two sons predeceased him. The surviving members of the family are Messrs. Michael Murray (West Maitland) and Joseph Murray (Burwood). Brothers Clements and Eusebius, of the Marist Brothers' Order, Sister Mary Cecilia (Convent of Mercy, Singleton), and Sister Gonzaga (New Zealand). The funeral will leave St. John's Cathedral, West Maitland, tomorrow morning, at ten o'clock, for the Campbell's Hill cemetery.

The obituary had narrowed the search to Tallow in County Waterford. My next step was a careful search of the Griffith's Valuation on microfiche, where I found a Thomas Murray who could be Michael's father. The next major breakthrough was in the parish registers in Tallow where Michael's baptism and those of his siblings were found.

Michael left Tallow some time between 1856 and 1860, and made the journey to Australia on the other side of the world. His brothers Thomas and John may have made the journey with him - records of their death in Ireland haven't yet been found, so they may have come to Australia (there's plenty of research still to be done!). Two of Michael's spinster sisters continued to run the hotel - in fact the census still showed them there in 1911.

Of course, it is possible that Thomas and John stayed in Ireland and married, and somewhere in Ireland I may have some cousins waiting to be found!

Below is my Murray family tree.

Slan go foill

(Good bye for a while)

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Created by : Susie Zada
© 1996 Susie Zada, Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia
Last revised : March 15, 2007.
Email : susie@zades.com.au