Edward A. McMurray, Jr. and April 12, 1924- A Very Special Day, Part 2
Telegram with congratulations to Edith Roberts McMurray on the birth of her son, Edward A. McMurray, Jr., April 16, 1924. [Click to enlarge.] Roberts Family(Click for Family Trees)
Since it is still the birthday week of Edward A. McMurray, Jr., let’s continue celebrating with some of the treasures we still have, in addition to all the wonderful memories.
Edward A. McMurray, Sr. (1900-1992) was still in medical school in St. Louis, Missouri, when his first son was born. Here he is with Edward A. McMurray, Jr., who was 11 months old at the time. “Dr.” McMurray would graduate from St. Louis University Medical School just a few months after this picture was taken:
Edward A. McMurray, Sr., with his first son, Edward A. McMurray, Jr., about March, 1925. [Click to enlarge.] And here is the proud mama again, Edith M. Roberts McMurray, when Edward Jr. was a bit older, perhaps around his first birthday:
Edith Roberts McMurray with son Edward A. McMurray, Jr, about 1925. [Click to enlarge.] On the Roberts side, Edith’s sister, Ethel G. Roberts Robison (1891-1969), had a son and two daughters, so Edward was not the first grandchild on that branch of the family tree. Sadly however, George Anthony Roberts (1861-1931), Edith’s father, had not wanted Ethel to marry the man she did (though in the long run Ethel made the better choice), and George would not even acknowledge his first three grandchildren. So to “Daddy George,” Edward’s nickname for him, Edward was essentially his first, and only, grandchild.
Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his grandfather George A. Roberts, about 1926. From the photo album Edward put together in the late 1940s, when he was about to get married. [Click to enlarge.] Edith’s mother, Ella V. Daniel Roberts (1866-1922), had passed away two years before Edward was born. It must have been very hard for Edith to not have her beloved momma with her to rejoice in the birth of a dear son!
On the McMurray side, Edward Jr. was the cherished very first grandchild. His paternal grandparents, Lynette Payne McMurray, and William Elmer McMurray, were doting grandparents:
Three generations of McMurrays: 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, William E. McMurray on the right. Probably taken in 1924. [Click to enlarge.] Edith, in the stories she wrote about her life, spoke about Will McMurray and what a “jovial and friendly” man he was, with “a most hearty laugh.” She called Will, “Dad” and Lynette, “Mother” and was very close to them throughout their lives. Edith wrote about how Will was known to all as “Bill.”
“He would be hailed from every street corner. “Hey Bill, how goes it this morning?” Dad would have a ready answer.
He loved the circus. When Edward Jr. was just six weeks old, we went to one out north of town. Proudly Dad carried his first Grandchild on his fat tummy and you can imagine the attention he got. “How about having a look at the boy Bill?” Dad just beamed and the rest of us acted stupid, grinning from ear to ear.”
Lynette (Payne) McMurray holding her grandson, Edward A. McMurray, Jr. Taken sometime in 1924, as Ed was born April 12th of that year.
The family nickname for Ed’s paternal great-grandmother was “Amino” which was pronounced “AM-in-o.” The caption was written by Ed, Jr. in his family scrapbook he created around 1948, just before he got married. Since he was the oldest grandchild, perhaps he came up with her nickname as he was learning to talk!
William and Lynette’s other son, Herbert C. McMurray (1911-1989), Edward’s paternal uncle, was just 13 years old when Ed Jr. was born.
Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his 13 year-old paternal uncle, Herbert C. McMurray, likely taken in April, 1924. Caption by Edward in his photo album. [Click to enlarge.] A bit older, Edward looks like he is not so sure about this ride Uncle Herbert was providing:
Edward A. McMurray, Jr., being carried by his uncle, Herbert McMurray, circa 1925. [Click to enlarge.] Edward, Jr. was lucky enough to have two great-grandparents still living when he was born. We do not have any pictures of him with his great-grandfather Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray (1859-1929), but here Ed is with Hannah Malissa Benjamin McMurray (1854-1932), F.A.’s wife. In his later years, Ed was able to recognize her in this picture, but all he could remember was, “She was very stern.”
Hannah Melissa Benjamin with her great-grandson, Edward A. McMurray, Jr., about 1925. [Click to enlarge.] When he was a bit older, about 3 or 4, Ed hung out with his buddy Uncle Herbert:
Herbert C. McMurray with his nephew Edward A. McMurray, Jr. on left, and an unknown baby. The baby may be his niece, Mona Lynette Cook (1927-1970), daughter of Herbert and Edward Sr’s sister, Maude Lynette “Midge” McMurray Cook. Herbert did not have children when Ed was this young. Probably taken about 1928. [Click to enlarge.] Herbert was such a favorite with Edward Jr.- in fact, Ed asked Herbert to be his best man when he married in 1948!
Edith adored her in-laws. She traveled back and forth between Newton and St. Louis to be with Ed Sr. who was still in medical school and then likely completing his residency there. Edith wrote:
“They were so good to me. I stayed with them a lot, in the summer when it was too hot for us to be in St. Louis and later in an apartment on the north side of 322 E 4th St. W. I can see where we were no doubt a nuisance as [Edward] had colic and one night we had a cyclone and both of us were so exhausted that is Edward and I, we slept thru it and his baby carriage was blown off the porch and Fourth street was blocked with trees blown down.
Dad sold my cakes I made so that I could make enuf money to go to St. Louis in the fall and I was always taken with them on Sundays to Des Moines and to Hudson where we went to visit the McMillans. I believe they were cousins of Mothers. It would have been so nice if Mother and Dad had gone by themselves. On the way home nine times out of ten we had a flat tire. It would be late at night and every one tired. Dad and I would get out and Mother would hold the sleeping grandson… [while he was] getting it fixed…”
All that family love in the early years helped Edward Arthur McMurray, Jr. grow into the fine man he would later become.
Notes, Sources, and References:
Family treasure chest of photos, letters, ephemera, etc.
Wonderful biographies written by Edith M. Roberts McMurray Luck about the people she knew and loved. Provided above as she wrote them, with her spelling abbreviations and lack of punctuation- she was always too busy to pause for a comma or stop for a period!
“The Saga of Ed McMurray, Family and Friends,” a scrapbook put together by Ed around 1948 before he got married. Perhaps it was partially a scorecard for his soon-to-be-wife, Mary T. HELBLING, to learn all his family members? The captions are just adorable, as are the pictures he chose. It is one of those few things that gives a little insight into who he was.
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 2013-2022 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 the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.
Edward A. McMurray, Jr. and April 12, 1924-A Very Special Day, Part 1
Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his mother, Edith M. Roberts McMurray, possibly about 1930. [Click to enlarge.]McMURRAY Family(Click for Family Tree)
On this day, April 12th, in the year 1924 (98 years ago!), Edward Arthur McMurray, Jr. arrived in this world at 2am at Skiff Memorial Hospital. Skiff is a small hospital in the small town of Newton, Iowa, the county seat of the very rural Jasper County, just 30 miles east of Des Moines, the state capitol.
Ed’s mother, Edith Mae (Roberts) McMurray (1899-1982) had taken the train back to Newton before her due date, as she wanted to give birth in the town near where she grew up, and where family from both sides were living. Edith had moved to St. Louis, Missouri after she and her husband, Edward A. McMurray, Sr. (1900-1992), graduated from the State University of Iowa and he was accepted to St. Louis University Medical School. The move to St. Louis would have been exciting for an Iowa farm girl, but she surely missed her family greatly, as she was so close to her parents and siblings, and her beloved mother had passed away just two months after they married in 1921, while they were still in college. We don’t know if the new father was able to travel with Edith to Iowa, due to the overwhelming schedule of a medical student, but if not, Edward surely would have hopped on the train as soon as he was able. Edward Jr. may have made the getaway more convenient, since he was born on a Saturday. (Dr. McMurray would graduate the next year, 1925.)
Baby Edward A. McMurray, Jr., 1924. [Click to enlarge.] Edward A. McMurray, Jr., probably mid-1924. [Click to enlarge.]Here is the proud papa with his first son:
Edward A. McMurray, Sr., holding his first child, Edward A. McMurray, Jr. in 1924. Image and caption from Ed Jr.’s photo album, put together around 1948, before he got married. [Click to enlarge.]And the proud mama:
Edith Roberts McMurray with her dear son Edward A. McMurray, Jr., 1924. Image and caption from Ed Jr.’s photo album, put together around 1948 before he got married. [Click to enlarge.]Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his mother Edith Roberts McMurray, 1924. Image and caption from Ed Jr.’s photo album, put together around 1948 before he got married. [Click to enlarge.]Not only were Edith and Edward Sr. excited about the new baby, but so was the rest of the family. The visiting was about to commence.
To be continued…
Notes, Sources, and References:
Family treasure chest of photos, letters, ephemera, etc.
Wonderful biographies written by Edith M. Roberts McMurray Luck about the people she knew and loved.
“The Saga of Ed McMurray, Family and Friends,” a scrapbook put together by Ed around 1948 before he got married. Perhaps it was partially a scorecard for his soon-to-be-wife, Mary T. HELBLING, to learn all his family members? The captions are just adorable, as are the pictures he chose. It is one of those few things that give a little insight into who he was.
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 2013-2022 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 the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.
Sentimental Sunday: Fishing with Dad and Grandpa McMurray at Cass Lake, Minnesota
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.)
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:
Edward A. McMurray, Jr.’s photo album, compiled in the late 1940s.
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
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 2013-2018 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.
“The Saga of Ed McMurray, Family and Friends,” a scrapbook put together by Ed around 1948 before he got married. Perhaps it was partially a scorecard for his soon-to-be-wife, Mary T. HELBLING, to learn all his family members? The captions are just adorable, as are the pictures he chose. It is one of those few things that gives a little insight into who he was.
