Tag: Edward A. McMurray Sr.

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Edith M. (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck, and a Wonderful Start in Family History

Edith M. Roberts, circa 1920. Iowa City, Iowa.

Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

It is only fitting to provide a lovely picture of Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck on the blog since this is Thanksgiving weekend. Why, you ask? Have you enjoyed the posts, the stories, the pictures, and the family tree knowledge provided by this blog? If so, Edith deserves a big “THANK YOU” from you, dear reader, as well as from myself- she, along with one other influential person, was the start of my love of family history when I was a child. Edith talked about her family, shared pictures and stories, and made her descendants proud of their ancestors. What a gift! What a legacy!

Edith also preserved so much of our inheritance, even though the bibles, papers, and photos were stored in a hot-in-summer, cold-in-winter attic for decades. She drove family all over the county to visit relatives and hear their stories. She wrote lovely tales of growing up on a farm in Jasper County, Iowa in the early 1900s, and she included details about the personalities of her parents (George A. Roberts, Sr., and Ella Viola (Daniel) Roberts) and grandparents, and the parents of her first husband, Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr. That she preserved the legacy is so wonderful- many do not have much information about those who came before. So many do not have the family heirlooms that one can hold in the hand, knowing that others with the same blood held those objects too, so long ago. All of that legacy having such personal aspects is an amazing gift, as well.

“You come from strong pioneer stock- you can do anything you set your mind to.” How her words resonated for her descendants, in times of struggle or challenge, her oral legacy helping to make us realize that if the ancestors could persevere, we could too. Studies have shown that children who know their family history have more resilience, and that makes sense. Understanding that others have had similar- and worse!- obstacles to face in their life helps us realize we are not alone in having roadblocks thrown at us as we navigate life. Knowing how dire the circumstances of our ancestors might have been at times makes one feel ‘wimpy’ in comparison, until one realizes those same genes make us who we are today. The ancestors have given us this gift through our DNA and our stories, down through the ages. That resilience, that fortitude, can be found within ourselves if we but search for it, tap into it, and use it to persevere.

Edith also showed us the joy of family, the happiness that comes from loving deeply, and from giving and supporting each other and the community. These are gifts that help to make us whole, and fulfilled.

Thank you, dear Edith- and all our ancestors.

 

[More to come about this photo!]

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos, lovingly shared.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Sentimental Sunday: Fishing with Dad and Grandpa McMurray at Cass Lake, Minnesota

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Edward A. McMurray, Jr.'s Photo Album
Case Lake, Minnesota, section of the photo album of Edward A. McMurray, Jr., completed in late 1940s. Photos probably from about 1939 estimated from other pictures on the same page. Captions added by Ed McMurray. (Click to enlarge.)

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

The things we do with our kids when they are young can become lifelong interests, and they will always carry the sweetness of having done them first with mom and/or dad. Passing those hobbies and passions along to the next generation adds to the richness of family and traditions in our lives.

Cass Lake, Minnesota, from the photo album of Edward A. McMurray, Jr., completed in late 1940s. Photos probably from about 1939. (Click to enlarge.)

Fishing at Cass Lake, Minnesota is one of those family traditions, and about 475 miles from Newton, Iowa, where the McMurrays lived. That was at least an 8 hour drive, plus one needs to add in stops. Of course, we must forget about frequent superhighway rest stops, fast food joints, and DVD players or satellite radio- none of those existed back in the 1930s.

(Newton, Iowa, is approximately under the “A” in “Iowa.”)

Fast food joints did not really exist even years later when Ed McMurray, Jr. took his own family north to Big Lake, Minnesota, which is about 3 miles NW of Cass Lake as the crow flies, or about 20 miles to drive. There were some hamburger joints but they weren’t really affordable and didn’t work with a car full of kids and a dog.  So in the 1960s, families travelled as they had in the 30s, only with faster and more roomy vehicles, like station wagons. Comic books and coloring books (watch out for melting crayons in the car!) kept kids occupied in the days before DVD players for those in the back seat. Families packed picnic lunches of cold fried chicken, potato salad and coleslaw, American cheese sandwiches or the old stand-by for kids, peanut butter and jelly; had drinks like iced tea or in the 60s, Kool-Aid, from a big thermos; and Zero brand candy bars for a snack- those did not melt in the midwest summer heat with no air conditioning in the car. Small parks with playground equipment now considered dangerous were a way for kids to run off some steam before getting back into the car for more hours on the two-lane road, passing trucks and farm equipment when one could finally be in the clear. Bathroom stops were at old gas stations with the roller-style linen towels hanging in a box on the wall (you had to hope there was still some clean towel left!), and many families carried their own ‘trip extenders’ or stopped in the woods somewhere. A journey in the 1960s was not much different than that of the 30s, and heading north to the wilds of Minnesota with his young family must have brought back some great memories to Ed McMurray, Jr. of the same trip with his father and grandfather, as well as other family members.

(Case Lake  is the big lake just NE of Pike Bay- not sure why the name does not show up on the embedded map.)

Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr., with his father, William Elmer McMurray, fondly known as “Lala.” Taken at Cass Lake, Minnesota, in the late 1930s. (Click to enlarge.)

Sadly these pictures don’t show faces very well. It would be interesting to know when the family began going to Cass Lake- had Will McMurray taken his own sons, Edward A. McMurray, Sr., and Herbert McMurray, and maybe his daughter Maude “Midge” McMurray to the lake when they were young?

Probably Dr. Edward A. McMurray and his wife, Elna Mae (Kenner) McMurray, and Edward’s father, William Elmer McMurray, in a boat at Cass Lake, Minnesota, circa 1939; from Edward A. McMurray, Jr.’s photo album. (Click to enlarge.)

The captions Ed wrote when he put this album together add so much to the photos.

Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr., and others at Cass Lake, Minnesota, late 1930s. From Edward A. McMurray, Jr.’s photo album. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Edward A. McMurray, Jr.’s photo album, compiled in the late 1940s.
  2. Zero candy bar– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZERO_bar
  3. Take a look at the map in GoogleMaps and you will be able to see that Cass Lake is downstream from the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca. One can still walk across the Mississippi River there! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Itasca

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2018 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

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Wordless Wednesday: Art in Artifacts–Kilgore “Invincible” Cap Gun c. 1930s

1930s Kilgore “Invincible” Repeater Cap Gun, cast iron, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr.

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

1930s Kilgore “Invincible” Repeater Cap Gun, cast iron, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr.
1930s Kilgore “Invincible” Repeater Cap Gun, cast iron with holster, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr.
Front of holster with 1930s Kilgore “Invincible” Repeater Cap Gun, cast iron, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr.
Back of holster with 1930s Kilgore “Invincible” Repeater Cap Gun, painted cast iron, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. 1930s Kilgore “Invincible” 6.5″ Repeater Cap Gun, painted cast iron with holster, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr. who was born in 1924 to Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck and Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr. It is unknown as to whether or not the holster was a part of a set with the cap gun, but we have not found another similar holster in our research. Currently, the value of the cap gun itself is approximately $50.
  2. Kilgore was, at one time, the largest producer of cap guns and the caps they used. The company was started in 1912 and was still in business in the 1960s- it is likely that Ed’s children played with caps and toy guns made by Kilgore! See http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1317 for a history of the Kilgore company, which also was involved with making real military pyrotechniques (including signal flares)- and they almost built Thompson machine guns.
  3. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Kilgore-Invincible-6-5-Painted-Cast-Iron-Repeater-Cap-Gun-c-1930-H/292380643055?hash=item44133e8eef:g:0qAAAOSwUYNaIbbi
    eBay item number:
    292380643055

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

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Military Monday: Henry Horn and Hessian Resources

This entry is part 7 of 11 in the series Henrich Horn: Military Career

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

Henry Horn (1758-1845) was a McMurray ancestor who came to this country as a Hessian soldier (or “German Auxiliary”) for the British in the Revolutionary War. Henry and about 1,000 other Hessians were captured in the December 26th, 1776 surprise attack at Trenton, New Jersey, by George Washington and his forces, after their famous crossing of the Delaware River. Henry became a Prisoner of War and was taken to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He later stated he enlisted into the American forces in Lancaster, and he served fourteen months in the War. (See Notes below for more posts about Henry.)

There are quite a lot of videos on YouTube about the Hessians, including the above. We are unsure how long Henry stayed in Lancaster as a POW (he is not well documented), so we don’t know if he actually helped build the Carlyle Barracks shown in the video, but it is a possibility since he was a strong young man- maybe only 16 or 18 years old.

Another good resource is the Journal of the American Revolution, a free online magazine that provides articles for scholars and ‘enthusiasts.’ The participants, places, economics, politics, culture, and of course, battles, of the American Revolution, are featured in pieces written by various authors who have extensively researched their topics. A recent article profiles “The Hessians: Johannes Schwalm Historial Association,” a journal that has been a leader in the American research efforts to document the “German Auxiliaries” in the Revolutionary War.

The Hessians: Journal of the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association

The editors of  “The Hessians…” are not as active as they once were, but the website is still a great resource. They do have a detailed listing of the contents of each journal issue. They told me that they are thinking about putting them online which would be great, but that it might be a while. I originally found this group through the RootsWeb Hessian board, so that too is a great website for looking for more information about a Hessian ancestor.

More to come about Henry Horn as we continue our research.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. How are we related? One of the sons of Henry HORN and Elizabeth (PRETZMAN) HORN was Frederick P. HORN (1796-1867). One of his daughters with Hepzibah (CLARK) HORN was Mary Ann HORN (1824-1891), who married Henderson McMURRAY (1819-1906). Their son Frederick Asbury McMURRAY (1850-1929) was the grandfather of Edward A. McMURRAY, SR. (1900-1992).
  2. “The Hessians: Johannes Schwalm Historial Association,” Journal of the American Revolution– https://allthingsliberty.com/2018/01/hessians-journal-johannes-schwalm-historical-association/
  3. Although we still need to finish the story of Henry Horn, you can read what we have written about his military career, starting here on the blog: “Henrich Horn: Military Career”– http://heritageramblings.net/series/henrich-horn-military-career/
  4. The RootsWeb Hessian board is currently offline due to technical problems, but hopefully Ancestry will bring it back soon. You can find it as AMREV-HESSIANS Mailing List– http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians/c/cem-index.htm 

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Sentimental Sunday: Three Generations of McMurray Dads

Three generations of McMurray Dads: Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr. on left, his mother Lynette (Payne) McMurray holding his son Edward A. McMurray, Jr., and her husband and Dr. McMurray’s father, Will McMurray, on right. circa 1924-5.

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

Today, Father’s Day, is a great day to get sentimental about the dads in our family- we wouldn’t be US without them!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

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