Hugh and Susan Murray

I am hoping someone is able to point me in the right direction to find information on Hugh Murray (1804/5 - 1867) and his wife Susan who are my gg-grandparents. My great-grandfather, Bernard, is their son. I worked out Hugh’s and Susan’s names from the consistent naming patterns for my g-grandfather’s children and his brother’s children which led me to their death records. Hugh’s death is recorded in Crappagh (Dawsongrove district, Union of Cootehill, Co. Monaghan) on 22/03/1867 at the age of 62 with Bernard as the informant. I’m therefore assuming a birth year for Hugh of 1804 or 1805. Susan’s death is also recorded in Crappagh on 29/11/1876, aged 80, with Peter, the other son, as the informant. Bernard and his family had emigrated to NZ by this time. I am therefore assuming a birth year of late 1795 or 1796 for Susan.

The Grifffiths Valuations place Hugh in a house and garden in Crappagh in 1858. The most likely earlier records for Hugh are in the Tithe Applotments which have a Hugh Murray (and a William Murray) in Drumhonin, Aghnamullen, in 1829 and a Hugh Murray in Tullynahinina (Tullynahinnera ?), Aghnamullen in 1829 but I’m not able to tie either (or both) of these to my gg-grandfather.

I’m unable to find any other information on either Hugh or Susan, nor birth records for Bernard and Peter (or any other siblings). I located Peter using Bernard’s children’s naming pattern and found him living in Corduff. I have found the births of Bernard’s and Peter’s children, so know that Bernard married Mary Marron (first child born 1867) and Peter married Bridget Cusack (first child born 1869) but can’t locate records for these marriages.

Distant cousins suggest that Susan’s maiden name was Murphy and that Bernard and Peter had younger sisters Mary (1841-1901) and Bridget (1848-1882) but I have been unable to verify any of this information, so don’t want to assume any of this as fact (and have found other information provided by these relatives to be incorrect). Given naming patterns appear to be adhered to strongly by this family, I could perhaps assume that Hugh’s father was named Bernard and Susan’s father was Peter. If Mary and Bridget are also correct, then I could be looking for Bernard and Bridget for Hugh’s parents and Peter and Mary for Susan’s parents. I’ve had no luck with this direction, though.

I am hoping that someone is able to advise me on where I could seek further information on this family. I’m assuming at this point that I will need to find the appropriate church(es) to contact directly for records. I am planning a visit to Ireland later this year, so will be able to do some in-person research myself. At this point, I’d be grateful for some direction on how to move forward in my search.

Thanks in anticipation …. 

Julie Edwards