Ireland XO
Back to Message Board

MURRAY family from ELPHIN, County Roscommon

Hello everybody!

I am working on my paternal genealogy and would greatly appreciate any assistance.

My Murray ancestors were in County Roscommon in the village of Elphin. They left Ireland in the mid-1840s during the potato famine and immigrated to southern Ontario, Canada near the city of Stratford. There were many MICHAEL and BERNARD Murray ancestors in the family line and there was a very small burial plot/cemetery close to their homestead. I visited Ireland in August 1979 but lost the directions to the family farm.

I am trying very hard to record family history info before I pass away, so I would be very grateful for any assistance, ie names, dates, headstone photos, etc. The Catholic church was a dark gray/black brick building that was very plain.

Thanks to all in advance. I loved my trip to Ireland and want to come back for a visit.

Neil

IrishCatholicMan

5 replies

Hi,

My mothers father was Murray, from Elphin. They were coachbuilders and also coffin makers in the early 1900s in Elphin and up to quite recently had a small newsagents there. My greatgrandfather's name was Joseph Murray and as far as I can gather, he was born around 1867. Not sure if this will assist you or is relevant.

 

Regards

Siobhan McNamara

siobhgreg@gmail.com

Hi,

My mothers father was Murray, from Elphin. They were coachbuilders and also coffin makers in the early 1900s in Elphin and up to quite recently had a small newsagents there. My greatgrandfather's name was Joseph Murray and as far as I can gather, he was born around 1867. Not sure if this will assist you or is relevant.

 

Regards

Siobhan McNamara

 

 

 

siobhgreg@gmail.com

I am late to the party, I see, but perhaps this will be helpful to someone on this thread.

My GGM was Catharine Murray, born near Elphin in County Roscommon in 1848. She had several siblings, including a brother named Michael.

Her parents were Michael Murray and Margaret Butler, (born 1810-1820 timeframes). They lived in Kye, in the Parish of Clooncraff, just east of Elphin, County Roscommon. They are buried in Old Shankhill Cemetery.

The family came to US in the famine years, or shortly thereafter. They settled in the Detroit area, but we believe that their journey may have first passed through Southern Canada.

We know from an application for a US Passport or Visa filed in the 1916 by Eliza, another daughter of Michael and Margaret, that there was a "Mr. B. Murray" (resumably a cousin) living at 17 Rosetta Avenue in Belfast who was identified as a local point of contact on the application. I know that at least one of the GG of Michael and Margaret was named Bernard (but known as Barney), and have always assumed that this "B.Murray" in Belfast was probably Bernard.

Sara

Swalfoort@gmail.com

Swalfoort:

The document shown in your note was a census search form. In February 1916 Eliza Murray was filing for the Old Age pension. You had to be age 70 and to prove her age, the government clerk was requesting a copy of the 1851 census for Eliza's family. The 1851 census (and the 1841 census) were available at that time. They were destroyed in 1922 when the Public Records Office burned down in Dublin.

Possibly Eliza was living with B. Murray in Belfast.

I did find a civil marriage record for Bernard. He married Rose Maguire in Belfast in 1899. See third record https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1899/10377/5778422.pdf  Father's name was shown as Michael. Bernard's age was shown as 38 which would a year of birth around 1861 if he gave an accurate age.

I also found Bernard and Rose in the 1911 census on Rosetta Avenue.  https://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Ormeau/Rosetta_Avenue/217101/

Although Elphin RC records go back to 1808, there is a major gap in records which resulted in not finding a Marriage record for Michael Murray and Margaret Butler. I also did not locate baptismal records for any of the children.

I did locate an 1865 civil birth record for a James Murray who was likely the youngest child. Born August 17 1865.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.