Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Those who rail against BSOS (Bright Shiny Object Syndrome, which distracts from the original goal) are probably missing out on some very cool stories. There is no finish line in genealogy, as there is always another ancestor to discover, and another record to be found. Family history is not all about the facts either- it is the stories that account for so much of the interest and understanding, both for the lives of our ancestors, as well as our own lives.

So I will no longer feel guilty about my propensity for BSOS, because it can give clues to interesting stories. Today we have such a story,  having to do with William Edward Roberts, the great-uncle of Edward A. McMurray, Jr. (You can figure your relationship from there.)

Old family records collected in the 1970s told us that William Edward Roberts married Mary Margaret Main in 1881. New records online from both Ancestry.com and Family Search.org give us some additional information about this wedding.

In license #133, we see that W. E. Roberts, a farmer in Mound Prairie Township, was 23 years old, white, and born in Illinois; his father was John Roberts and mother E. Murray (which should be ‘Murrell’). An affidavit was sworn by M. H. Russell- but who was M. H. Russell??

The second entry (under the blue line) is the continuation on the right-hand page of the W. E. Roberts marriage record. He married Mary M. Main, age 19, and born in Iowa; her parents were D. W. Main and Anna Keller. Witnesses to their marriage were H. Johnson and M. H. Russell- again that name. The Roberts-Main marriage took place on 20 January 1881.

If I give in to BSOS- which of course, I did, (hence the “Heritage Ramblings” name of this blog) one would look at the entry above W. E.’s marriage record, since it contains that same name, M. H. Russell. W. E. Roberts gave the affidavit… hmmm, there must be a connection. Following the information across the ledger we learn that the bride of M. H. was Sarah E. Main, age 23- the same surname as W. E.’s bride. Smart person that you are, dear reader, the thought must now cross your mind that the two women might be sisters, and looking at the names of the parents, we can confirm that. A quick check of the census just before the marriages reveals both girls in the household of a Daniel and Anar Main, with the correct ages.

Back to the two marriage records- looking at the marriage date for M. H. and Sarah, we realize that the two married the same day as W. E. and Mary! Both were married by the same Justice of the Peace, D. Edmundsen. M. H. Russell was a witness to the Roberts-Main marriage, and W. E. Roberts a witness for the Russell-Main marriage. So most likely the couples had a double wedding, since the parents of the two brides probably wanted to finance only one wedding feast.

William Edward Roberts is not directly an ancestor, but learning about this double wedding day can give us clues about where the rest of our family in this line was on 20 January 1881. Most likely, the wedding included W. E.’s parents, John S. Roberts and Elizabeth Ann Murrell Roberts (great-grandparents of Edward A. McMurray, Jr.); W. E.’s siblings, including our direct ancestor, George A. Roberts (he didn’t marry until 4 years later, and became Edward A. McMurray Jr.’s grandfather); W. E.’s maternal grandparents, Wiley Anderson Murrell and Mary Magdalen Hons Murrell (also great-grandparents of Edward A. McMurray, Jr.). Unfortunately, W. E.’s paternal grandparents, John Roberts and Jane Salyers Roberts, had already passed away. It must have been quite a celebration, though, with not one but two young couples starting their lives together on the same day!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Marriage Record Images– Iowa State Archives; Des Moines, Iowa; Volume: 303 (Howard – Louisa) via Ancestry.com. Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922. Textual Records. State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa; Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Marriage Records, 1923–37. Microfilm. Record Group 048. State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa.
2. W. E. Roberts portrait, 1901 from Family Treasure Chest.

 

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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 2013-2016 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.

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Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

Since farming has been such an important part of the American economy, especially for most of our ancestors, we are starting a new type of post called, “Farming Friday,” that will tell us a bit more about the places so many of our ancestors called “home.”

Farms varied greatly, and that plot of land wasn’t just “home” either. It was the family’s livelihood and place of business, whether that meant tilling the soil or churning butter and manufacturing cheese to sell to neighbors or in town. It was a place for social activity- barn raisings come to mind, but of course, there was all sorts of visiting between farms on an individual and small group basis, in addition to parties and special events like weddings. Even more special events took place on the farm too- quite a lot of our ancestors were born right in the bed they probably were conceived in, and may have later inherited for the circle to continue with their children.

Many of our ancestors held ‘unimproved land’ that most likely was wooded; the wood from these trees was an energy source for the fireplace for warmth, the cookstove for food, and even a place to hunt to provide meat to be cooked on that wood-fired stove or even earlier, in the fireplace. The woods were also a fun place for farm kids to hang out away from the prying eyes of adults, climb trees, and play tag. There was likely a bit of courting that went on in the woods, too, and maybe even a stolen kiss.

Agricultural schedules were taken along with the population census in the years 1850-1880, plus some states conducted an 1885 census that also enumerated farmers and their acreage, livestock, and products. Not all of these can be found today, as with most records, but we will tell the story of our family’s farms as we can with those schedules that have survived. Tax records and deeds also sometimes tell the story of a farm, so we will share those as well.

We have already told the story of Robert Woodson Daniel (1843-1922) and his wife Margaret Ann Hemphill (1839-1915) in an earlier post- see Those Places Thursday: Robert Woodson Daniel’s Iowa Farm in 1879. Today we will start our official new topic with the farm of Wiley Anderson Murrell (1806-1885) and his wife Mary Magdalen Hontz (1806-1887). The Daniel, Murrell, and Roberts families lived in Warren County, Illinois, at the same time, and we know that they knew each other. They may have migrated together, or encouraged each other to move after one family had made the trek to Jasper County, Iowa. The Murrells married into the Roberts family, as did the next generation of Daniels and Roberts.

If we look at the US Federal Population Schedule for 1850, it tells us that Wiley, age 41, and Mary, age 44 (ages were not always correct, whether on purpose or just ‘misremembered’), were living on their farm in District 8, Botetourt County, Virginia. Their daughter Elizabeth Ann Murrell (the maternal grandmother of our Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck) was 15 and the oldest. She was probably often in charge of her brother John Henry Murrell, 13, William Murrell, age 9, James E. Murrell who was 8, and little Ann Elisy Murrell, then just 5. Wiley was listed as a farmer, but it was also noted that he could not read nor write. The whole family was born in Virginia, and none attended school within the year per the 1850 US Federal Census.

Although a small farm, the whole family would have been needed to make their living from it. The farm schedule was completed on 7 October 1850, and indicated that the Murrells had 45 acres of improved land to farm, and 85 acres unimproved. The entire cash value of the farm was $800- it was one of the smallest in the area. The farm implements and machinery were worth about $75- even adjusting for inflation, today’s farmers would scoff. Wiley’s implements and machinery would have be valued at about $2,240 in today’s money, which might not even buy a tire for one of the big tractors or combines used today.

Livestock was a mainstay on our ancestor’s farms- they did not have the ‘luxury’ of factory farming and concentrating on just one species of animal or one type of grain. They had to supply much of what the family needed, plus have a little surplus to sell for the necessities that they could not make on their own, such as cloth or sugar. So Wiley and Mary had 2 horses- likely draft horses for pulling a plow and a buggy or wagon; 1 ‘milch’ cow for making butter (the ladies manufactured at least 50 pounds) plus milk for baking and drinking. They also had 2 other types of cattle, possibly for beef. They did not list any oxen, which is why we think the horses would have been the sturdier work horses.

The Murrells also had 7 sheep, and they produced 17 pounds of wool in the previous 12 months. Mary and Elizabeth may have spent some of their evenings spinning the wool into yarn. They might have had their own loom, or provided the yarn to a neighbor who did have one, and then the neighbor would make the cloth and keep some of the yarn for herself in payment. Instead, they could have just sold the wool outright.

The total value of “home manufactures” was $30 per the 1850 Agricultural Schedule.

Pork has always been a staple in the American diet as pigs reproduce and grow quickly and without much fuss- one can even let them loose in the unimproved parts of the property to graze on acorns, etc., and fatten up. “Slopping the pigs” meant all the leftovers from mealtime, which some of us today would compost, went into a bucket and the contents were thrown out in the pig pen, to be biologically recycled into tasty bacon and ham. The Murrells owned 7 swine in October of 1850. The total value of all their livestock was about $165. They slaughtered animals worth $48 the previous year, and those may have been for home consumption and/or sale in town.

Mary and Elizabeth also probably had chickens and a large home garden with vegetables, herbs, and maybe some fruit trees. Of course, this was a part of “women’s work” so would not have been listed on the Agricultural Schedule. It probably is what helped keep the family alive, however, and women often sold eggs, cakes, etc. in town for a little extra money for the family.

Of course, one has to feed the livestock, and provide grain for the family, a little extra to pay the miller, and hopefully have some good seed for the next year. To that end, the Murrells harvested 91 bushels of wheat, 300 bushels of ‘Indian corn,’ and 33 bushels of oats, which would have been used as feed. If the family was of Scots-Irish descent (which we do not yet know), they may have also made porridge from some of the oats for many of their meals.

The Murrells also produced 200 pounds of flax, which was a fiber used to make linen, cording, etc. Linen was used as sheets and clothing until cotton became more available and less expensive. Wiley and family also produced 1 bushel of flaxseed, which could have been pressed for use as an oil and lubricant, or saved or sold as seed for the next year’s crop.

 

Wow, we have time-travelled through a farm year with Wiley and Mary Murrell in Botetourt County, Virginia. Looking at the population census and the agriculture schedule for the same year gives us great insight into what life was like for the family.

I am tired just writing about it. They must have quickly fallen asleep each night after such hard work, day after day. Gives one a new respect for our forebears, and makes one realize that the “good ole days”  were maybe not that great after all.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. See also Robert Woodson Daniel  https://heritageramblings.net/2015/04/30/those-places-thursday-robert-woodson-daniels-iowa-farm-in-1879
2. 1850 Population schedule for Wiley A. Murrell & family. Census Place: District 8, Botetourt, Virginia; Roll: M432_936; Page: 156; Image: 547. 1850 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, online publication – Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data – United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432.
3. 1850 Non-Population schedule for Wiley A. Murrell & family. Census Year: 1850; Census Place: District 8, Botetourt, Virginia, “Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880,” Ancestry.com online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

4. Inflation calculator- https://www.in2013dollars.com (but it does go to 2016).

   5. This post will be published on Murrell Family Genealogy: A One-Name Study blog under another name.

 

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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 2013-2016 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.

Roberts Family, Murrell Family (Click for Family Tree)

In yesterday’s post, “Friday’s Faces from the Past: The Harlan Family,” we shared pictures of some members of the Harlan family from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, but do not know how they are related. Today we wanted to mention another, older relationship of the Harlan, Roberts, and Murrell families. These three families were large ones, and they intermarried in various generations; they even migrated together.

Autosomal DNA testing has revealed matches for four members of our family to persons who have Roberts and Murrell matches. Some of these people have in their family tree a David R. Murrell who married Elizabeth Harlan.

According to our research, David was born in Union, the colony of South Carolina, on 25 October 1772. (Some researchers think he was born in Goochland, Virginia.) His parents were Drury Murrell (1743-1801) and Dorcas Rountree/Roundtree (1738-1780). There are DNA matches of our family with the Rountrees as well, lending credence to these family relationships.

Elizabeth Harlan was also born in Union, SC, to George “The Hatter” Harlan (1756-1813) and Anna Breed (1755-1815), on 10 August 1778.  George Harlan had been born in, and lived in, Chatham Co., North Carolina, but settled in Union County SC by about 1776 at age 20, where he married Anna and their children were born. (And yes, he made hats, and was a farmer too.)

David R. Murrell and Elizabeth Harlan married on 29 December 1801 in Union County, SC. They had their 11 children in Union, and can be found there in the 1820 US Federal Census. That census lists 2 white males under 10, 1 aged 10-15, 1 aged 16-25, and 1 male over 45, who was probably David. There were three girls under age 10, 2 aged 10-15, and one 26-44, probably Elizabeth. These numbers add up to 8 free white persons under the age of 16 in the household. The household also included 2 male slaves aged 26-44, and one female slave, 14-25, whose name was Jane. Four persons of the household were engaged in agriculture- likely David, his son John Jonas Murrell aged 16-25 (born 1802), and the two male slaves. Two persons were “engaged in manufactures”- that may have been Elizabeth and the female slave, as they may have produced butter, cheese, or textiles and then sold them in town.

The children of David and Elizabeth were: John Jonas Murrell (1802-1847), Nancy Murrell (1804-1888), George Washington Harlan Murrell (1806-1880), Lucinda Murrell (1808-?), Harriet E. Murrell (1810-1874), Densey Murrell (1812-?), Martha Murrell (1814-1873), Joseph Murrell (1816-1868), Drury Murrell (1818-?), Elizabeth Murrell (1819-1860), and David R. Murrell (1821-1822).

David died two years after the census, on 25 May 1822 in Union County; he was only 49. What a difficult time that would have been for Elizabeth, who at his death had nine minor children to raise and support.

Their young son David passed away later that year, on 30 December 1822, not yet two years old.  Elizabeth survived her husband by 26 years, and she did not remarry, since her headstone has her listed as a Murrell, and 70 years old at death.

Are you related to this family? We would be very interested in sharing information, as we would really like to find out more about Wiley Anderson Murrell, our known ancestor, and his ancestors.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “The Harlan Family,” page 96, in North America Family Histories, 1500-2000, Ancestry.com.
2. Find a Grave- Elizabeth Harlan Murrell- https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41381573
3. Find a Grave- David R. Murrell- https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41381529
4. This post has also been published on our “Murrell Family Genealogy: A One-Name Study” blog at https://www.murrellfamilygenealogy.net/2016/04/16/the-harlan-roberts-and-murrell-families

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

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 2013-2016 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.

Botetourt County, Virginia- Mountain View

 

Murrell Family (Click for Family Tree)

Botetourt County, Virginia, is the earliest residence that we know of for Wiley Anderson Murrell. He was married there in April of 1834, to Mary Magdalene Honce, also from the area. It can help give us a feel for the context of their lives to know a bit about an area where a family lived.

The eastern edge of Botetourt County follows the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains run along the western. The beautiful James River cuts across the county, between the two mountain ranges.

For the Murrell family, it must have been a difficult change to move from the Virginia mountains and valleys to the flat prairie of first Illinois, and later Iowa. The lure of the rich soils of the western lands must have had a stronger pull than that of the mountains.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. 1895 Botetourt map- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botetourt_County,_Virginia#/media/File:Botetourt_County_Virginia_1895.jpg
2. Landscape images by Dread Pirate Jeff on FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/), only modified size. Thanks, DPJ, for sharing your beautiful images!Mountain image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/justageek/2159754578/in/photolist-4hRiMU-5BqQoC-NSjt-9gkSZr-8Efc8r-6w6gBe-62czZq-ybhxL8-8BheHw-8BhfhE-8k8EV7-cKEjVN-cQD5vb-xdzSvY-pQkEr-4dKp7n-k41k33-xT6Dtn-5joS5b-4hRjbq-8k5tck-g6xtN-pdfVZc-y9H8jq-8k8DuE-8BhfQL-5RExrR-nLHNFo-6w5fyR-8EiaPA-7XoE4A-eifXaC-6ESqom-69BVsT-cQD5Pf-dkn4Ji-eZHjpU-4dKpcn-9VDrK4-dtPxL4-em6JCH-ExRBr5-bE28u9-79t1gk-ybhfw8-pv8Pf6-51zUnK-7Xkt2t-8QtPxN-y8hPa7
   Valley image:
   https://www.flickr.com/photos/justageek/2159766380/in/photolist-4hRnio-8Bhf9d-8LV8cU-8AWGDE-7pQ3q5-4dKp9t-rMDBSE-6w9prw-eifWQQ-8Ei7Zb-8Bhfvm-8k8DML-7XAssC-8k5t6Z-69BVtX-q7HHB3-7XxSER-5A9PrR-xSZSrs-cQD3YJ-7Xx8Qi-xdzHSW-8QquCB-dCpfZf-8QA18e-7pLeGk-69BVrg-qQYhBi-xSYKjq-4hRngd-7XoBDb-cQD4js-6w9iqL-fLFzhS-6w9frL-4rQrjQ-4hRmrq-8k8FCG-xSYQCb-8QqGsB-4hMdtM-8Beaig-5WPp5F-dcB5ch-errBNd-6ENgCe-8Be88M-8k5snX-8Be8hp-5WTFoo
3. This post was also put up on our new blog, MurrellFamilyGenealogy.net. This blog was begun as a one-name study in hope that we might eventually find the parents of Wiley Anderson Murrell.

 

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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 2013-2016 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 of our blog material.

Roberts Family, Daniel Family, Murrell Family (Click for Family Tree)

Apparently today, 23 June, is the anniversary of the first typewriter patent. Like all inventions, it would have stood on the work of many before, including an early machine that impressed letters into paper, invented in 1575 by an Italian printmaker.

It is hard to imagine life with only printing presses and the pen- the typewriter made it possible for the average person to easily communicate in a legible fashion. My grandmother had terrible handwriting, so her typewritten letters, with all their mistakes and correction fluid/tape, and the carbon copies, are invaluable. They are especially important since cursive writing is no longer being taught in school, and younger generations cannot really read it sometimes, much less write it.

How many family histories were typewritten, like the above? Some were bound into books or booklets, or just fastened with a staple as the Roberts-Murrell family history in this post. The folks listed in this history are at least 3 generations ago, so some of this information might be lost but for the painstakingly typewritten treasures some of our families are lucky to have today.

My grandmother, her contemporaries, and their ancestors would be so amazed at the leap in communication with today’s word processors and OCR technology.

The images in this post are a report for the 1946 family reunion of the Roberts family in Jasper County, Iowa. I received it back in the late 1960s, from a Roberts descendant in Newton, Jasper, Iowa. Click on our new “Family Documents” section to download the entire pdf of this file more easily than the images in this post: Roberts, Daniel(s), Murrell Family History, 1946.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have some pictures from that reunion? They are probably out there somewhere… hopefully labeled with names and the date! If any of our dear readers have such pictures, please let us know through a comment on this post or our “Contact Us” form. We would love to share other Roberts, Murrell, Daniel(s), and Blount treasures.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Family treasure chest item received in the 1960s.

 

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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 2013-2015 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 of our blog material.