So Who Was Dr. M. M. Murray?

Dr. M. M. Murray
Born July 27, 1828
Died Jan. 26, 1908
Having served his generation by the will
of God he fell asleep. 
Amity Methodist Church
Lake Landing, Hyde, NC
Image courtesy of Find A Grave

On my last post regarding Augustus Whitney's Civil War pension file, I had found out that Dr. M. M. Murray employed my 2nd great grand uncle as an "office boy" prior to the Civil War.  As soon as I found this out, I starting digging to see who this M. M. Murray was. This is what I found out. 

Dr. Morgan Monroe Murray was born July 27, 1828 and died January 26, 1908. He resided in Lake Comfort, Hyde, NC and was both a doctor and a farmer. He was married to a Sarah Jane Gibbs on May 21, 1867. He was the son of a Riley Murray (b.1799--d.1894) who apparently was person of some stature in the Hyde community. Here is a copy of Riley Murray's obituary from March 2, 1894. I found this on the Hyde County GenWeb Page.





HYDE COUNTY - The venerable Riley MURRAY, the oldest citizen of Hyde County, died at his residence on South Lake last week at age 95. He had been blind for some years. He was an old landmark of the county, full of old reminiscences of distinguished men with whom he had been acquainted. His mental faculties were well preserved to the last. We hope some of our Hyde County friends will pay a deserved tribute to his memory and useful life. (The Economist-Falcon - Friday, March 2, 1894; pg. 3)

Riley Murray House
Riley Murray House, Hyde County, North Carolina "State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Built Heritage of North Carolina:  Historic Architecture in the Old North State," North Carolina State University Libraries Special Collections Research Center



Now, according to Augustus's pension file he died in Lake Comfort, NC and resided within 2 1/2 to 3 miles of Dr. Murray during the years after the war. Branson's North Carolina Business Directory for 1884 lists Dr. Murray as a farmer and doctor in Lake Comfort. So from this information, I can gather that the Whitney clan that lived in Hyde County resided on land somewhere between Lake Comfort and Lake Landing. 


Hyde County Map

Comments

  1. This is Excellent!!! I am studying about a family in Worcester, MA where a couple of my Great Aunts worked for. I love the way you put this together...I think it is so important for us to talk about other people in our ancestor's lives, because with that information it brings color to our stories!! Work well done!!!

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  2. Thanks Yvette. This Civil War Pension file has brought to light so much additional information that I would have never known about, if I hadn't ordered the file. The information about my ancestor and the additional information I have gathered about the experience of what it was like during the Civil War has been amazing. Good luck with your research regarding your Great Aunts.

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