WELCOME TO MURRAY KIN

Welcome to all Murray Clan family members.
Photo in Selkirk of the Common Riding pipers.

My name is Alexandrina Murray, and I have created this blog specifically for descendants of the Scottish Murray Families from the Border towns and Shires of Selkirk: Roberton: Lilliesleaf: Stow: Melrose: Bowden: Eildon: Galashiels:Yarrow: Ettrick: Innerleithen Pebbles: Ancrum: Roxburgh: Kelso: Ladhope: Jedburgh and surrounding districts.

If your Murray kin were originally from Selkirkshire, Roxburghshire or Peebleshire, please join our online community. We would love to hear from you.

Family members of 'Our Murrays' were known to have left Scotland to live in Australia, Canada and the United States of America as well as the Kiwi country of New Zealand.

As we all endeavour to rejoin the 'silver thread of kinship' that binds us all, it is my hope that the lives of those foundation Border Murrays families will take on new meaning for all of us, as well as for our own descendants.

We may learn more about ourselves by studying their particular circumstances, and also perhaps come to realise the reasons that many of them originally left their beloved Border homeland. Some of us may be reunited with our direct/indirect relatives and correspond with many new and interesting people with lots of intriguing stories to share.

Our Blogs will expand from families who were located in specific areas.

ie: James Murray and Elizabeth Hall from Selkirk, their children Alexander Buchan Murray and wife Agnes Wylie, also John Murray and his wife Helen Moffat, their children including William Murray and wife Elizabeth Lees.

Eventually each family line will have their own Blog.

Other Murray family researchers will join in the conversations and provide very valuable information on their direct ancestors also. ie:

CAmeron Murray of Canada and William Bill Murray of Australia are reasearch William Murray born 1777 circa and wife Elizabeth Mitchell of Thornilees in Innerleithen.

John Robert Murray of Jedburgh is researching his direct relatives Robert Murray and Helen Leithhead + their children including Robert Murray and wife Christian Lockie residing in Sunderland Hall in Selkirk 1850's.

Irene Thoroughgood also of Scotland is researching her direct line from John Murray of Peebles and his wife Elizabeth Laidlaw +their children including Walter Murray and Younger Kerr of Sunderland Hall West Lodge in Selkirk in 1840's.

Georgia Clement of Queensland Australia is researching her direct relatives and families descended from David Murray and Agnes Gray of Melrose and Bowden and Eildon. Also their relatives David Murray and Christian Buchan of Bowden.

I have researched most of the families from this area, especially those from Selkirk, Melrose and Bowden. Many are in my data base along with their descendants..you never know,,,yours might be there too!

So let us begin....Just who is it that YOU are descended from?

JOHN MURRAY & HELEN MOFFAT OF SELKIRK

John Murray b1822 & Helen Moffat b1816 of Selkirk
Son of James Murray b1798 and Elizabeth Hall b1796 of Selkirk.
John Murray was born in 1822 in Selkirk Scotland.

He was a Woollen Dyer of Selkirk & son of James Murray- born 1798 an Inkleweaver in 1817 in Selkirk, and Elizabeth Hall. John Murray was also a brother of Alexander Buchan Murray.

John married Helen Moffat who was born in Williamlees Melrose: a farm & Estate of 3,000 acres owned & tenanted by the Murray family of Melrose. Helen's parents were William Moffat (a Shepherd) at Williamlees and Helen Rintoul daughter of William Rintoul a stonemason of Temple and Roslyn in Midlothian.

John Murray & Helen Moffat had four children that we know of, and Helen had one daughter from a previous marriage named Helen Rathie born 1844.

The children of John Murray Woollen Dyer of Selkirk Scotland and Helen Moffat of Melrose and Innerleithen were:

1.James Murray born 1851 in April in Innerleithen Peebles Shire.
James married Christian Stewart of Yarrowford.
Descendants of this family are still living in Selkirk as far as we know.
See more about this family in another posting.


James was also working in the Woollen Tweed industry in Selkirk.
See more about this family in another posting.


2.Jane Murray born 1853 in Selkirk Selkirk Shire
Jane's occupation was also within the Tweed Manufacturing industry.
Jane married Joseph Cockburn of Selkirk in 1882 and had children.
See more about this family in another posting.


3.William Murray born 1855 in Selkirk Selkirk Shire (our ancestor)
William's occupation was Woollen Mill Manager & Tweed Finisher earlier.

William married Elizabeth Lees of Selkirk and they had 5 children before she died aged 24 years at Tillicoultry in Clackmannanshire.

William Murray then married Marion Barnard (Marion Bernard)of Tillicoultry and had a further 5 children. William was transferred to Ireland after 1890 circa to Manage a Tweed Woollen Mill in County Kerry & Cork however the family returned to Glasgow in Scotland to live after World War 1.
See more about this family in another posting.


Our family is descended from this William. His son John William Murray was born in 1881 and married Alexandrina Macinnes of Falkirk and Skye in Glasgow Scotland in 1911.

John William Murray and Alexandrina MacInnes immigrated to Sydney Australia in 1926 with their young children: William Murray, Mary Murray, Elizabeth Lees Murray.

John William Murray at age 19 was listed as a 'Locomotive Engineer in the 1901 Scottish Census. He was living in Glasgow with his younger brother Thomas Lees Murray. John was a Engineer also working for Dalgetty & Co in Glasgow 1920 circa and also during WW1 John Murray designed rudders etc for early prototype submarines. See more about this family in another posting.


4.John Murray born 1859 in Selkirk Selkirkshire
His occupation was 'Police Officer' or 'Police Constable'

John Murray married Margaret Neil Sword (Margaret Sword) of Selkirk and they had a daughter named Agnes in Scotland prior to immigrating to Australia 1880 circa after which they had a large brood of children in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales where John was a Police Sergeant and at Kogarah Bay in Sydney where they lived.
See more about this family in another posting.


If you wish to comment please do so here or on the individual postings to be provided for each family above.
Posted by ALEXANDRINA MURRAY at 4:09 PM 0 comments
Labels: My Direct Family

WILLIAM MURRAY & ELIZABETH MITCHELL

William Murray was born in 1777 circa~ supposedly at Channelkirk in Berwickshire. William was a Shepherd of Thornilees by Innerleithen in Peebles Shire/Selkirkshire and Williamlees Estate in Melrose. Both of these very large estate farming communities were 1,500- 3,000 acres by 1841 circa.

Approximately 15-20 years ago I was contacted by William Bill Murray of South Australia regarding a possible connection between our families. At the time I could not see one, however I researched Bill's family in any case re the possibility of a connection. I found most of William & Elizabeth's children once I had obtained census records in 1841-1851 and worked backwards as I don't think that any of their children had been registered in the parish records as they were seemingly members of the breakaway free kirks of George Lawson ~ Associated Sessions possibly, and in a similar vein to our own Murrays had not registered any children in the Established Presbyterian Kirk parish records prior to 1855.

After many many years, to my great surprise I found William Murray living at the same house as my own family of Murrays and Moffats at Thornilees Estate at Innerleithen. William Moffat our 5X grandfather was also a Shepherd at Thornilees and previously Williamlees~ Williamlaw @ Melrose (owned by Murray family of Melrose). Both William Murray and William Moffat were at the same household in Thornilees and together at Thornilees for the both census in 1841 and 1851. William Moffat had in fact been at Williamlees when his daughter Helen Moffat was born in 1816.

By 1851 Helen Moffat had married our John Murray born in 1822 @ Selkirk. Their son James Murray who married Christian Stewart was born just prior to the time of the census and was listed as a baby to Helen Moffat wife of John Murray in 1851; William Murray was listed as a Widower as his wife Elizabeth Mitchell was deceased by then.

Cameron Murray of Canada contacted me over the past 12 months and we exchanged information on this family. Finally after losing contact with Bill Murray for 15 years we finally re-established contact in January 2009 with Bill thankfully, and can now move forward with our research.

A large number of researchers are now connected to Cameron Murray of Canada and William Murray of Australia , via email, in order to research this family.
Please leave all comments regarding this family hereunder via the comments link so that we can keep all relatives together with the information that they provide.

Children of William Murray of Thorniles Innerleithen and Elizabeth Mitchell of Stow are as follows:

William Murray born 1803 married Elizabeth Coldcleugh of Melrose.
Elizabeth Murray b.1807 married Robert Lowrie of Williamlees Melrose
Robert Murray b.1810 married Janet Anderson
George Murray 1813 married Agnes Younger of Tillicoultry.
James Murray 1818 married Margaret Dickson of Craiglatch Stow
Janet Jessie Murray 1822 married Mark Gray of Selkirk

Don't forget: Please leave all comments regarding this family hereunder via the comments link so that we can keep all relatives together with the information that they provide.

John Murray & Helen Moffat of Selkirk

Son of James Murray and Elizabeth Hall.
John Murray was born in 1822 in Selkirk Scotland.

He was a Woollen Dyer of Selkirk & son of James Murray- born 1798 an Inkleweaver in 1817 in Selkirk, and Elizabeth Hall. John Murray was also a brother of Alexander Buchan Murray.

John married Helen Moffat who was born in Williamlees Melrose: a farm & Estate of 3,000 acres owned & tenanted by the Murray family of Melrose. Helen's parents were William Moffat (a Shepherd) at Williamlees and Helen Rintoul daughter of William Rintoul a stonemason of Temple and Roslyn in Midlothian.

John Murray & Helen Moffat had four children that we know of, and Helen had one daughter from a previous marriage named Helen Rathie born 1844.

The children of John Murray Woollen Dyer of Selkirk Scotland and Helen Moffat of Melrose and Innerleithen were:

1.James Murray born 1851 in April in Innerleithen Peebles Shire.
James married Christian Stewart of Yarrowford.
Descendants of this family are still living in Selkirk as far as we know.
See more about this family in another posting.


James was also working in the Woollen Tweed industry in Selkirk.
See more about this family in another posting.


2.Jane Murray born 1853 in Selkirk Selkirk Shire
Jane's occupation was also within the Tweed Manufacturing industry.
Jane married Joseph Cockburn of Selkirk in 1882 and had children.
See more about this family in another posting.


3.William Murray born 1855 in Selkirk Selkirk Shire (our ancestor)
William's occupation was Woollen Mill Manager & Tweed Finisher earlier.

William married Elizabeth Lees of Selkirk and they had 5 children before she died aged 24 years at Tillicoultry in Clackmannanshire.

William Murray then married Marion Barnard (Marion Bernard)of Tillicoultry and had a further 5 children. William was transferred to Ireland after 1890 circa to Manage a Tweed Woollen Mill in County Kerry & Cork however the family returned to Glasgow in Scotland to live after World War 1.
See more about this family in another posting.


Our family is descended from this William. His son John William Murray was born in 1881 and married Alexandrina Macinnes of Falkirk and Skye in Glasgow Scotland in 1911.

John William Murray and Alexandrina MacInnes immigrated to Sydney Australia in 1926 with their young children: William Murray, Mary Murray, Elizabeth Lees Murray.

John William Murray at age 19 was listed as a 'Locomotive Engineer in the 1901 Scottish Census. He was living in Glasgow with his younger brother Thomas Lees Murray. John was a Engineer also working for Dalgetty & Co in Glasgow 1920 circa and also during WW1 John Murray designed rudders etc for early prototype submarines. See more about this family in another posting.


4.John Murray born 1859 in Selkirk Selkirkshire
His occupation was 'Police Officer' or 'Police Constable'

John Murray married Margaret Neil Sword (Margaret Sword) of Selkirk and they had a daughter named Agnes in Scotland prior to immigrating to Australia 1880 circa after which they had a large brood of children in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales where John was a Police Sergeant and at Kogarah Bay in Sydney where they lived.
See more about this family in another posting.


If you wish to comment please do so here or on the individual postings to be provided for each family above.