Edward A. McMurray, Jr., possibly about 1934? First bicycle and first dog, Nippy, from Ed’s photo album that he created in the 1940s, with his own captions. Taken on S 6th Ave. W, Newton, Iowa.
Edward A. McMurray, Jr., photo album, created in late 1940s.
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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.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Oops! Time doesn’t really go that fast- it is not already Wednesday. Not getting the date of a post correct is a peril of working on the blog late at night. I do promise that Wednesday’s post won’t have “Tuesday” in the title.
Notes, Sources, and References:
Family treasure chest of papers and photos- thank you, dear aunt for sharing!
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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.
Edward A. McMurray adored his paternal grandmother, Lynette (Payne) McMurray. He always thought of her as a kind and very refined lady. (Just look at the beautiful coat and hat she was wearing!)
Lynette was lovingly called, “Ameno,” or “Amno” as Ed noted in the photo album he created in the late 1940s. He used both spellings, and he always admitted he was not very good at spelling. (As a pharmacist, however, he could spell the generic names of a host of medicines!) “Amino” was how other family members spelled her nickname, but it was always pronounced, “Am-en-oh.”
Lynette (Payne) McMurray, possibly at Cass Lake, maybe in the 1930s? From Edward A. McMurray, Jr.’s photo album.
Lynette (Payne) McMurray (1879-1968) was the daughter of Edward Biron Payne and his wife Nanie Maria Burnell. She married William Elmer McMurray and they lived in Newton, Iowa, for all of their married life.
Notes, Sources, and References:
Family treasure chests of photos, from Ed McMurray’s photo album put together in the late 1940s, probably before he married. Perhaps the album was a way to introduce his Iowa family to his fiancé, Mary T. Helbling who lived in St. Louis, Missouri.
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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.
McMurray-Benjamin Family circa 1886: Frederick Asbury McMurray, Hannah “Melissa” Benjamin McMurray, William Elmer McMurray, Harry J. McMurray, Addie Belle McMurray, Roy McMurray, and Ray McMurray (baby)
A recent small family get-together has made the McMurray clan pretty sentimental, and we have decided to plan a McMurray Reunion!
The reunion is for descendants of Henderson McMurray (1819-1906) and Mary Ann (Horn) McMurray (1824-1891). (We do not have pictures of their family.) This McMurray family lived in Pennsylvania before their migration to Cedar County, Iowa, and then Jasper County, Iowa by 1870.
The current plan is for family to meet along the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, June 15, 2019.
We hope that people can arrive in Dubuque on Friday, June 14. We will reserve a block of hotel rooms, or you can make your own arrangements. The reunion festivities will take place on Saturday, and there will be food, entertainment, family history, and fun, including special activities for the little ones. Sunday we will have some additional activities available, such as a boat ride on the Mississippi River, lunch in the revitalized Old Millwork section of Dubuque, or ??? We could possibly have a trip on Monday to Newton, Iowa (about 2½ hours away) to see some of the McMurray home places in Jasper County, if there is interest.
If you are sentimental and want to get together with other McMurrays at this reunion, please use our Contact Form and let us know so that we can put you on our mailing list. Our Contact Form is not published on the blog, and we will not share your information other than with the family planning this event. Let us know what family line you are from, the activities you might be interested in, how many would most likely attend, and what your travel plans may be.
More details to come…
We look forward to a wonderful McMurray family reunion on June 15, 2019 in Dubuque, Iowa!
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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.
William E. McMurray, Harry J. McMurray, and Roland E. Benjamin as part of the Iowa National Guard at Newton, 1898, via “Past and Present of Jasper County, Iowa,” 1912, page 224, via archive.org.
President William McKinley signed the proclamation declaring war on Spain on 23 April 1898. What we know as the Spanish-American War officially began as this demand by the US that Spain give up all authority and its government in Cuba, withdraw its land and naval forces, and allow the people of that small island nation their full independence. The war really began earlier in the year though, when the US sent the USS Maine to Cuba to protect our citizens and interests from the civil unrest that was happening. There was an explosion on the Maine on the evening of 15 Feb 1898 while it was anchored in Havana Harbor, and the ship sunk, killing 250 of 355 American soldiers on board. There is still no proof that the explosion was caused by outside sources, and no definitive proof that it wasn’t, but the incident ignited public opinion in the US against Spain in 1898.
Of course, one cannot have a war without soldiers, so the day before, 22 Apr 1898, Congress had authorized a temporary act to increase military forces. The President then issued his proclamation for volunteers to serve a term of two years.
Newton, Iowa, already had a National Guard unit that included three of our family members. Twenty-three years old and unmarried in 1898, William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957), would later became the father of Dr. Edward A. McMurray. Will was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Guard.
Harry James McMurray (1876-1962) was just 21 years old, and the brother of Will McMurray. He was not married.
Roland E. Benjamin (1868-1950?) was the nephew of our ancestor Sylvanus Rufus “S.R.” Benjamin; S.R. was the grandfather of Will and Harry, so they were all three cousins of some complicated degree. Roland was married, but did not have children in 1898.
Some of those who served in the Iowa National Guard did go off to the Spanish-American War, but none of these family members, and not a very large number from Newton. The official war only lasted ten weeks, and helped to bring our post-Civil War citizens together to fight a common foe. The US became a world power as it interceded in this war, and gained the Spanish colonies of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Life in Newton, Iowa, likely went on as it had for many years. But we do need to reflect on the potential sacrifice our ancestors knew they might make when they signed up as part of the Iowa National Guard.
Notes, Sources, and References:
“Past and Present of Jasper County, Iowa,” 1912, page 224, via archive.org.
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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.
