McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

John was the grandson of Henderson McMurray and Mary Ann (Horn) McMurray, with his mother being Fannie Margaret (McMurray) Emery. His wife was Louise Jane (Wykoff) Emery.

John appears to have served our country in the military, as evidenced by the poem to the left of the funeral card, and graveside rites by the Newton American Legion. His gravesite has had a flag and a metal marker of some sort but cannot tell for sure from the image but it probably is a military commemorative. We have found his WWI and WWII Draft Registrations, but as yet no details of military service. He was about 22 in 1917, so may have served in “The Great War.”

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Thanks again, dear cousins Cindi and Julie for scanning and sharing this funeral card.

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McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

There are six McMurray men listed as pallbearers on this funeral card, so how are they related to Mrs. Lewis R. Maytag? Pallbearers are usually kin or very close friends, but since these are all the same surname, it suggests they were all family to the deceased.

Knowing the family history, the name ‘Wm. McMurray’ stands out, but there were a number of Williams in the family! Roy McMurray and Ray McMurray give great clues to help us determine which William, as they are 1) unique names in the line; and 2) they were the brothers of our ancestor Will McMurray (who was the father of Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Maude “Midge” (McMurray) Cook, and Herbert McMurray). Along with the year of the funeral, having Roy and Ray in the list gives us clues as to the age of the pallbearers- usually they are young or middle-aged men who can handle the weight of a coffin.

Looking at our previous research, we note that William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957), Harry James McMurray (1876-1962), Roy McMurray (1884-1973), and Ray McMurray (1886-1979) were the four sons of Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray (1850-1929) and Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray (1854-1932). There was a daughter in the family too- Addie “Belle” (McMurray) Gillespie (1879-1958). Belle was married to Forrest Gillespie, a dentist, and they lived in Oak Park, Illinois, though we cannot find them in any 1940 US Federal Census. They may have also attended the funeral.

William Elmer McMurray was the oldest pallbearer at 66 in 1940, so still of an age to be a pallbearer.

The only Glen McMurray in the family tree I have researched is Glen Arthur McMurray (1893-1977), son of John Wesley McMurray (1852-1903) and Hattie (Wiltbank) McMurray (1859-1937). John Wesley was the brother of F.A. McMurray, thus Glen was a cousin of Will, Harry, Roy, and Ray. Starting to see a pattern?

The pattern is confirmed when we search for a Dewey McMurray in the family tree.  Dewy Henderson McMurray (1898-1992) was the son of James Turner McMurray (1854-1948), also a brother of F. A. McMurray, so again, a cousin to Will McMurray and his siblings. This Dewey would have been 42 at the time of the funeral, so could have been a pallbearer. His son, Dewey H. McMurray, Jr. (1922-1997), may have been the pallbearer instead, though he was just 18. (Interestingly, both Deweys served their country in the military- Dewey Sr. in the Marines in World War I, and Dewey Jr. was to serve in the Army just a few years after this funeral, in World War II.)

Initially, seeing that all the pallbearers were of the same surname might suggest that the maiden name of the deceased was McMurray too. Knowing that the pallbearers were all cousins descended from three sons of Henderson McMurray (1819-1906) and Mary Ann (Horn) McMurray (1824-1891), it is reasonable to suspect that the deceased, Mrs. Lewis R. Maytag, was the aunt of the pallbearers, or the sister of the three sons, and indeed she is. Her birth name was Fannie Margaret McMurray, and she was the baby of the family. She was born in Wilton Junction, Cedar County, Iowa, but by age 3 her family moved to Newton, Jasper County, Iowa, in 1870.

Her given name changed with the records: Maggie, Margaret, Margaret F., or Fannie. Her married name changed too, as she married first, Burdette R. Emery, probably around 1898, but they divorced and she married Lewis R. Maytag in 1915at age 47. (It was his second marriage too.) Maggie had two children with her first husband: Blanche Ellen Emery (1890-1946) and John Henderson Emery (1895-1957).

If you are putting together the puzzle pieces as we go and if you know very much about Newton, Iowa, you know that ‘Maytag’ is an important name in the town- yes, that Maytag. Maytag Park, the Maytag Hotel, Maytag cheese, AND the ‘Automatic Washer Company’ that later became Maytag (and more recently was bought out by Whirlpool- who sadly closed the Iowa plant which had a huge negative impact on the town). Margaret’s husband Lewis was the brother of Frederick Louis Maytag, inventor of many products and founder of a number of companies, ranging from animal feeders to washing machines and even cars. In 1920, Margaret and Lewis were in McAllen, Texas for the census, and they were listed with no occupations. By 1930, however, they were in Marshalltown, Iowa, and Lewis was the proprietor of a washing machine store, at age 71. (Wonder what brand they carried?) By 1940, though, they were truly retired, but Margaret passed away at the end of that year at age 73.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. A special ‘thank you’ to our dear cousin Cindi who scanned these funeral cards and shared!
2. See also “Friday’s Faces from the Past: The McMurray-Benjamin Family for a sweet photo of the pallbearers when they were young.   http://heritageramblings.net/2015/07/17/fridays-faces-from-the-past-the-mcmurray-benjamin-family/
3. Various census, marriage, etc. records in our family tree that has been researched for more years than I care to admit.
4. “Frederick Louis Maytag”–https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Louis_Maytag_I

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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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McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

This obituary was posted on Iowa GenWeb by the late Donna Sloan Rempp. Her family was kind enough to give us permission to post it on the blog.

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Well known Auctioneer Dies From Stroke Thursday

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon for Frederick A. McMurray, well known Jasper county auctioneer and one of the leading Democrats of the county, who died last Thursday evening at his home in Newton at 7:15, following a stroke of paralysis, which he received the previous Sunday afternoon as he was returning from the funeral of a friend, Mrs. C. L. Good.

Frederick A. McMurray was born Aug. 28, 1859 in Bedford county, Penn., son of Henderson and Mary Ann (Horn) McMurray, the third child in a family of 12 children. At the age of two years he came west with his parents and three children crossing the Mississippi river at Muscatine. The family settled on a farm south of Tipton in Cedar county, where they remained until 1869.

The McMurray family then moved on west again, this time settling in Jasper county on a farm about two and one half miles north west of Newton. Fred McMurray here continued his education, which was started while he was living in Cedar county, finishing at the age of 18 years and starting out for himself.

At first he spent his time breaking the raw prairies of the rich corn belt through Jasper county, later in 1872 taking up grading work in the Rock Island right of way between Newton and Reasnor.

He purchased his first piece of real estate in 1874, when he negotiated for an 80 acre tract of land about three miles northeast of Newton on old No. 14, which he owned at the time of his death. He lived on this farm until 1922, farming for himself, putting on many improvements.

In addition to being one of the leading auctioneers of his time, Mr. McMurray was connected with the Jasper County Agricultural Society for many years as marshal, and even in the last years he was considered as an advisory part of the governing organization.

Mr. McMurray is survived by his wife, and eight brothers and sisters: Joseph of Fort Madison; Mary, Mrs. Ella Aillaud, and Henry of Newton; Mrs. Sam Raugh of Exeter, Calif.; James T. of Rodondo Beach, Calif.; David of Valley Junction; and Mrs. Margaret Maytag of Marshalltown. One brother John and two sisters Mrs. Newt Edge and Emma, preceded him in death.

He is also survived by one daughter, Mrs. Forrest Gillespie of Oak Park, Ill., and four sons, William, Harry J., Roy and Ray of Newton; three grandchildren, Dr. E. A., Mrs. Maude Cook, and Herbert of Newton; and two great grandchildren, Edward A. Jr., and Mona Lynette Cook of Newton.

Source: Newspaper Unknown; __ December 1929 (Newton Union records say he d. 12 December 1929)

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Fred’s wife was Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray, but she was not actually named in his obituary.

Family records do state his death was 12 December 1929; his headstone lists only his birth and death years.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. IA US GenWeb– http://iagenweb.org/jasper/

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McMurray Family, Horn Family (Click for Family Tree, and see Notes below.)

Sandhill Cemetery is a “Pioneer Cemetery” in Cedar County, Iowa, a place to which our family migrated in the 1850s. Pioneer Cemeteries are often neglected as farm families moved, and they become overgrown and the stones deteriorate even faster than they would normally since they are not cleaned. There is no “perpetual care” in a pioneer cemetery as there is in urban cemeteries, and they are often a place of vandalism, being away from scrutiny out in the country. So it is important that we help to maintain the final resting places of the ancestors who came before us- after all, we carry their genetic material that helps make us who we are!

So often today families live far from the gravesite of ancestors, and care of the cemetery falls to local historical or genealogical societies, or Scout troops who go in and clean up a cemetery for a service project or even an Eagle or Gold Project.

Cedar County, Iowa, has a Pioneer Cemetery Committee that is working to restore Sandhill Cemetery and others to what they respectfully should be. Sandhill had three very large evergreens in the center of the cemetery that were getting too old and needed to be removed. These trees and others have been removed so they cannot fall on headstones (or living people in the cemetery!), and the grounds are being weeded and cleaned up. Also, there are many stones like those of Frederick, AKA “F.P.,” and Hepzibah, that need attention- in fact, there are 10 Horn family members buried in Sandhill, and some of their stones need repair as well.  Some funds are provided by the county, but most of what is done is volunteer and through donations.

The Pioneer Cemetery Committee is trying to prioritize their expenditures to the headstones that need the most help right now.

Currently, for 3 of our Horn family stones- Hepzibah’s, F. P.’s, and a stone for “Henry” which is next to Hepzibah’s (he may be their son)- the Committee has found a gentleman who will repair them all for $400-425 and will clean them. He will also put new 4′ foundations under them, to help preserve them (hopefully) for another 100+ years. (Hepzibah died in 1882, Henry in 1885, and F.P. in 1887.)

It would be very helpful for our family to donate to the group as they care for the memorials to our ancestors, since the county does not provide enough to totally restore this cemetery.

All donations are tax-deductible, and checks can be sent to:

Cedar County Pioneer Cemetery Commission

c/o Cedar County Historical Museum

Attention: Sandy Harmel

1094 Hwy 38

Tipton, IA 52772

Thank you for honoring the memory of our ancestors!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. How are the McMurrays related to the Horn family?  
   

   Edw. A., Maude Lynette “Midge”, and Herbert C. McMurray =>
   William Elmer McMurray =>Frederick Asbury McMurray =>
   Henderson McMURRAY + Mary Ann HORN (married 1845) [daughter of Frederick P. Horn and Hepzibah (Clark) Horn]

2. See our previous post, “Headstones of Frederick P. Horn and Hepzibah (Clark) Horn- Sandhill Cemetery, Cedar Co., Iowa” at http://heritageramblings.net/2013/11/16/headstones-of-frederick-p-horn-and-hepzibah-clark-horn-sandhill-cemetery-cedar-co-iowa/
3. Daisy Wingert has taken the wonderful pictures for Find A Grave for the Horn family, given us permission to use them, and has communicated with us about the need for headstone repair. Daisy has also done some searching in local records to help us learn more about F.P. and Hepzibah- more to come on them later. Thanks, Daisy, who isn’t even related to us!!
4. The images from ~2007 were paid for by the author so many years ago, and permission given to use.
5. Please contact us through the blog if you have questions about donating, and we will forward them on to Daisy or Sandy.

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.