My great-grandfather, John Murray (1855-1937) was a merchant from Ballina, in County Mayo. He married Margaret Creighton, daughter of Matthew Creighton and Mary Davey from Sligo Town, Sligo. My grandfather, Alfred Joseph Murray (1898-1971), was son #3 and one of two children to emigrate to the United States.
John and Margaret had 9 children, 7 of whom survived childhood. They ran a business on Arran Street in Ballina.
My great-grandfather was born in the Ballina Workhouse to Hugh Murray and Mary Anne McEllin. Strangely, these two appeared to have married in 1830! All records have disappeared, though I do have Hugh and Mary Anne's marriage certificate and also a birth certificate for John Murray. Through DNA sleuthing, it is clear that Mary Anne McEllin descends from the McEllin line in Prizon/Balla.
As for Hugh, his origins are unclear. I do know that his sister, Anne Murray, and daughter, Anne Murray McGreevy, both worked as servants in Strokestown House, in Roscommon. Perhaps Hugh did, too, for a time. How or why he ended up in Ballina is unclear.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 24th Jun 1855 | |
| Date of Death | 12th Sep 1937 | |
