Thomas Murrie was married four times and fathered fifteen children. This newsletter names the children and provides a short sketch of each. Deborah Murrie Deborah Murrie was the first child of Thomas Murrie. Census records show that Deborah was born about 1813 in North Carolina. She was probably named after her grandmother Deborah Murrie. Deborah married William Walker in Johnson County, Illinois on June 5, 1843. Walker had been married earlier and children from his previous marriage are shown with the couple in the census of 1850. Also shown are their children. These were: George age 6, Nancy age 4 and Thomas age 2. William Walker and Deborah Murrie Walker's son George Walker married Mildred Gray on October 31, 1862. This union produced a child named Mary. George died of small pox on July 27, 1864 while serving in the Union army. His widow Mildred Gray Walker married Washington Jackson Murrie on November 15, 1865. The couple raised Mary and she married Thomas H.Sharp on October 9, 1879. Mary died a few months later on May 8, 1880 and is buried next to her mother Mildred Gray Walker Murrie in Murrie Cemetery. Nancy Walker probably died as a child. She is not shown with the family in the census of 1860. Thomas M. Walker married his half cousin Margratt Riddle. (Daughter of Elizabeth Murrie and Richard Riddle.) They are shown living with William Walker and Deborah Murrie Walker in the 1870 census. William Walker was 70 years old in 1870 and perhaps Thomas did the farming. This couple had at least four children but records of them as adults could not be found. Deborah Murrie Walker died sometime after 1870. It is not known where she is buried. James Murrie James Murrie was born in North Carolina on September 27, 1814. He was probably named after James Murrie of Caswell County North Carolina. This James Murrie may have been the brother of Thomas Murrie - he stayed in North Carolina when the rest of the Murrie family moved to Tennessee in the early 1820s. James Murrie married Mary Caroline Moore in Henry County Tennessee on January 8, 1844. Their children Sarah, Thomas, and Martha were born in Tennessee. James Murrie's father Thomas Murrie moved to Johnson County in the late 1830s and his uncle William Murrie moved to Massac County at about the same time. James Murrie and his family remained in Tennessee until about 1852 when they moved to Massac County. James' children Sarah and Thomas died young. His daughter Martha Murrie married James Cooper on June 8, 1865. This marriage produced nine children. Research has not been extensive enough to show many descendants of these children. One of the nine children, Mary Cooper, married George Hillebrand on January 15, 1888 in Metropolis. Descendants of this couple may still be in the area. James Murrie died on August 29, 1872. He is buried next to his children Sarah and Thomas in the Murray Cemetery in Massac County. (Note: Murrie is spelled in a variety of ways in historical documents. The "ie" version is seen frequently with James and his son Thomas. However the gravestones for James, Thomas, and Sarah illustrate the problem with only looking for the "ie" version of Murrie. Each of the three gravestones has a different spelling .) Elizabeth "Betsy" Murrie Elizabeth was probably the first child of Thomas Murrie and Margaret Redding. Her exact year of birth is hard to pinpoint because census records listing her age are inconsistent. However, using the census records in conjunction with her obituary and her gravestone indicate a birthyear of about 1818-1819. (Her parents were married on March 28, 1818) She was born in North Carolina and it is likely that she was named after her father's sister Elizabeth Murrie. Elizabeth's first marriage was to Richard Riddle in Johnson County on May 5, 1841. The Riddle farm was close to the farm of her brother Washington Jackson Murrie and close to the William Mount farm. (She later married William Mount.) The children of Richard and Elizabeth were: Mary Elizabeth, Amanda Catherine, James Stanford, Andrew Jackson, and Margratt. Some of the surnames through four generations of this family are: Scott, Calhoon, Hester, Cook, Sumner, Nelson, Laney, Weir, Young, and Kerley. After her husband's death, Elizabeth married William Mount. Mount was a widower and had several children before his marriage to Elizabeth. The children of William Mount and Elizabeth Murrie were: Frances "Bud" Marion, Nancy Ann, Thomas Benton, and Sidney Angeline. Some of the surnames though four generations of this family are: Mayers, White, McFatridge, Foy, Loudenback, Walter, Simpson, McGee, Trout, and Taylor. Elizabeth died on February 17, 1901. She is buried in Concord cemetery. Her son James Riddle is buried in an adjoining grave. Her daughter Sidney Angeline Mount Pankey and her daughter in law Rosa Smith Mount (first wife of Thomas Benton Mount) are also buried in Concord. Thompson Murrie Thompson Murrie was the first son of Thomas Murrie and Margaret Redding. He was born in North Carolina about 1820. He was probably named after his father. Thompson's first marriage was to Sarah Jane Pangburn in Johnson County on February 17, 1842. (Thompson's sister Margaret Ann Murrie married Benjamin Franklin Pangburn that same year.) The couple's farm was near the Pangburn farm and not far from other Murries. Thompson and Sarah Jane had five or six children. The first five were: Mary F., Hannah E., Margaret A., Annie, and Sarah Jane. The sixth child was William H. It is not clear if William H. was the last child of this marriage or the first child of Thompson's second marriage. Some of the surnames though four generations of this family are: Bowman, Modglin, Garrett, Hill, Lasley, Camden, Crumpecker, Davis, Owings, Beasley, Chavers, and Kreighler. The name of Thompson Murrie's second wife was either Mary Baldwin or Mary Wilson. The Illinois Index of Marriages shows the marriage of Thompson Murrie to Mary Wilson in Johnson County on December 13, 1856. She is identified as Mary Baldwin on a marriage document for her daughter Imogene Murrie. It is likely that her maiden name was Baldwin and she had been married to a Wilson before her marriage to Thompson Murrie. The couple had the following children: James L., John Westley, Imogene, Annie Gertrude, Charles T. and Thomas. Some of the surnames though four generations of this family are: Reed, Lee, Revella, Pepper, Henson, Ditterline, Hartline, Olsen, Bershears, and Stites. Thompson Murrie died on January 11, 1871. Thomps Murrie, his wives Sarah Jane Pangburn Murrie and Polly Baldwin Murrie (nee Wilson) a daughter Hanna Murrie, and a son William H. "Bill" Murrie are buried in adjoining plots in the Murrie cemetery. Also with the group is Desota Murrie, the infant son of Wm. H. "Bill" Murrie. William Murrie William Murrie was born in North Carolina about 1821. He may have been named after Thomas Murrie's brother William. William Murrie married Rachael DePoister in Johnson County on October 10, 1840. The couple had the following children: Thomas J., Mary A., James W., Polly A., William Franklin, John, Andrew Jackson, and Abram Henry. Thomas J. Murrie died in Rebel hands as a result of wounds he received at the battle of Belmont, Missouri. James died at age 11 and John also died young. Mary married Lathe Roberston but the couple did not have children. Descendants are from the other children of William Murrie and Rachael DePoister. Among the surnames for four generations are: Ross, Verhines, Hutchison, Carter, Middendorf, Bailey, Ragsdale, Kramer, Throgmorton, Crain, Veach, Lingle, Harris, and Shelton. William Murrie died on May 5, 1869. He and his wife Rachael share a tombstone and are buried in Casey Springs Cemetery. Their son James W. Murrie is buried near them. Also buried close by are their daughter Polly Murrie Ross and their grandchildren Julie Ross and Elvira Ross. Their son William Franklin and his wife Margaret McFatride Murrie are buried in another part of the cemetery. William Franklin's daughter Emma Rhoda Murrie Carter is buried in Casey Springs. Also buried in Casey Springs are Williiam and Rachael' son Andrew Jackson Murrie and his wife Imogene Morris Murrie. Stanford Murrie Research done by B. J. Murrie note a son named Stanford who died as a boy. Census reports dated prior to 1850 do not include the names of family members and so a record of Stanford could not be found. Elizabeth Murrie Riddle named a son James Stanford Riddle. James was born in 1846 and may have been named in memory of Stanford Murrie. According to the notes left by B. J. Murrie, Stanford was buried on the family homestead. Margaret Murrie Margaret was born in Tennessee in about 1826. She may have been named after her mother Margaret Redding Murrie. It is interesting to note that William Murrie was born in about 1821 in North Carolina and Margaret Murrie was born in Tennessee in about 1826. (The birth place of Stanford Murrie is not known.) This suggests that the family migrated from North Carolina to Tennessee sometime between 1821 and 1826. Margaret Murrie married Benjamin Franklin Pangburn in Johnson County on November 8, 1842. The couple is shown in the 1850 census with the following children: Harriet A., John W., and Andrew J. Their farm was located near the farm of Margaret's brother Thompson Murrie and his wife Sarah Jane Pangburn Murrie. The family sold their land in 1851. They were living in Maryville, Missouri in 1860. John W. and Andrew were still with the family. Harriet was not shown and she either married young or died in the 1850s. B.J. Murrie's research suggest that Margaret married a man named Brown and the family moved West. He noted that Margaret had nine children. The family could not be located after 1860. Mary Ann "Polly" Murrie Mary Ann Murrie was born in Tennessee in about 1827. There is some evidence that Thomas Murrie had a sister named Mary Ann. If he did, then he probably named this daughter after his sister. Mary Ann Murrie married John Calvin Thomas in Johnson County on July 4, 1848. The family farmed near her father Thomas Murrie. The couple had the following children: Minerva Jane, Samuel E., Allen H., Mary Ann, Sarah, Sidney, James M., Margaret Alice, Abbie E., and William Monroe. Among the surnames for four genrations of this family are: Miller, Comer, Cook, Pickens, Simpson, Whiteside, Rushing, Underwood, Wallace, Rambo, Rogers, Gunter, Butler, and Eldridge. Mary Ann died in September of 1896 and is buried next to her husband John Thomas in the Murrie Cemetery. Their children Sidney, Sarah, Samuel E. and Allen are buried near them. Washington Jackson Murrie Washington Jackson Murrie was born in Tennessee on May 18, 1828. He may have been named after Presidents Washington and Jackson. Andrew Jackson was very popular in Tennessee and was elected President in 1828. Washington Jackson Murrie married W. Nancy Neely in Johnson County on March 4, 1850. The couple's farm was located near the farm of Washington's sister Elizabeth Murrie Riddle and her husband Richard Riddle. Washington and Nancy had the following children: John J., William D., Nancy Jane, Mary Ann, Thomas Benton, and Charles Monroe. Among the surnames for four generations of this family are: Turner, Taylor, Rogers, Becker, Alsip, Hill, Kerley, Newton, Choate, Clayton, Bishop, Verhines, Pitcairn, Lang, Mount, Anderson, Pesek, Johnson, Trover, Baitey, Beasley, Reynolds, Alexander, Goins, and Grant. Washington's wife Nancy died on September 9, 1865. He married Mildred Gray Walker two months later on November 14, 1865. This marriage was convenient for both of them. Mildred's husband George Walker (nephew of Washington Jackson Murrie) died during the Civil War leaving Mildred with a young child. Washington Jackson was a widower with six children - the oldest was fourteen years old. Washington Jackson Murrie and Mildred Gray Walker had two children of their own: Otto and Oscar. Among the surnames through four generations of this family are: Beatty, Stuches, Boswell, Walbright, and Lee. Washington Jackson Murrie died on April 14, 1894. He is buried along with Nancy Neely Murrie and Mildred Gray Walker Murrie in Murrie Cemetery. Washington's children John, William, Nancy Jane, Mary Ann, Charles Monroe, and an unamed infant are also buried in Murrie Cemetery. John W. Murrie John W. Murrie was born in Tennessee about 1829. John married Sarah Jane Neely (twin sister of Washington Murrie's wife Nancy Neely) in Johnson County on April 17, 1851. This union produced two children: Thomas D. Murrie and Margaret Ann Murrie. Sarah Jane Neely Murrie died in the 1850s. Some of the surnames through four generations for this family are: Farmer, Farris, Morgan, Teague, Ritchey, Howell, and Crawford. After the death of Sarah Jane, John Murrie married Nancy Elizabeth Calhoon in Johnson County on April 22, 1857. Chapman's History of Johnson County notes that John and Elizabeth had a son named John. If so, John may have died young. There is no record of him in census reports, probate documents, etc. Chapman's History of Johnson County reports that John Murrie was murdered near his home about four miles east of Vienna on the Metropolis Road. "The murder was suppose to have been done by a man named Holt, but no certainty is attached to this and no arrest was ever made." A check of the 1870 census shows that the William Holt farm adjoined the John Murrie farm. John Murrie'd death occurred on July 19, 1871. John Murrie and his first wife Sarah Jane Neely are buried in Wymore Cemetery. Buried nearby are her parents David and Anna Neely. John's second wife, Nancy Elizabeth Calhoon, died in 1873 and is buried in Vienna Fraternal Cemetery. Jefferson Monroe Murrie Jefferson Monroe Murrie was born in Tennessee about 1833. He may have been named after Presidents Jefferson and Monroe. (Naming children after famous Americans was not uncommon. Examples in our family include: Washington Jackson Murrie, Benjamin Franklin Pangburn, George Washington Modglin, Andrew Jackson Murrie and Andrew Jackson Riddle.) Jefferson Monroe Murrie was about forty years old when he married Emily Alvira West in Johnson County on February 18, 1874. He is shown as a single man in the 1870 census. "Susa" (Louisiana) Murrie and Martha Murrie, his half-sisters, were living with him. Their father Thomas Murrie died in 1865 and the three of them were probably living on the family farm. Children of Jefferson and Emily were: Ida, Fleety, Charles, Fred, Newton, Harry, and Walter. Surnames through four generations for the family of Jefferson Monroe and Emily West Murrie include: Lay, Shelton, Collie, Duer, Smith, Skirvin, Lowellyn, Combs, Street, Russel, Miles, Robinson, Burden, Conklin, Sandlin, Wallace, Soper, Moeller, Carter, Barthelme, Reed, Oleson, Cummins, Hancks, Ceballos, Narvaez, Waddell, Tuck, Money, and Jones. Jefferson Monroe Murrie died on September 2, 1897. Emily West Murrie died on June 25, 1939. Jefferson and Emily West Murrie are buried next to each other in the Murrie cemetery. Next to them is their grandaughter Edna Faye Murrie. Two other grandchildren of Monroe and Emily are nearby. One was the infant son of Robert and Ida Lay Murrie and the other was the son of Charles and Ollie Pettiford Murrie. Other descendants of Jefferson and Emily are also buried in Murrie Cemetery. Charles W. Murrie Charles W. Murrie was born in Tennessee in November of 1835. He may have been named after his grandfather Charles Murrie. He was the last of ten children of Thomas Murrie and Margaret Redding. There is no record of a marriage or children for Charles Murrie. Research done by B. J. Murrie note that Charles Murrie moved in with the Riddle children after their father died and their mother Elizabeth Murrie Riddle married William Mount. This is confirmed by the 1860 census that shows Charles Murrie as the head of household that included James, Mary, and Amanda Riddle. The Riddle farm adjoined the Thomas Murrie farm. Charles Murrie died October 5, 1860. He is buried near his parents in Murrie Cemetery. Louisiana Murrie Louisiana Murrie was the first child of Thomas Murrie and Minta Short Murrie. She was born in Johnson County in 1849-1850. Louisiana may have been named after the state of Louisiana. She was called Louise or Susa. Louisiana Murrie married James W. Mathis in Johnson County on November 17, 1872. It is likely that Louisiana died within a few years of her marriage. James W. Mathis remarried in 1877. Louisiana Murrie Mathis is buried next to her sister Indiana Murrie Warren in the Murrie Cemetery. Indiana Murrie Indiana Murrie was born in Johnson County about 1853. She was probably named after the state of Indiana and was called Indy. Indiana Murrie married Lycurgus Warren in Johnson County on October 22, 1868. She died a few weeks later on December 2, 1868. Indiana Murrie Warren is buried next to her sister Louisiana Murrie Mathis in Murrie Cemetery. Miranda Hight Warren is buried in an adjoining grave. (Miranda is misidentified as Miranda Murrie in Murrie Cemetery records. Lycurgus Warren married Miranda Hight in Johnson County in 1870.) Martha Murrie Martha Murrie the last child of Thomas Murrie was born in Johnson County in about 1856. She married L. D. Warren on March 11, 1879. (Warren had been married three times before including a marriage to Martha's sister Indianna.) Three Warren children are buried in Murrie cemetery. One of these was the son of Martha and L. D. The other Warren children were probably from Warren's other marriages. Martha's death date and the location of her burial could not be found. Please send questions and corrections to: Ed Murrie 2235 West Acres Road Joliet, IL 60435