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Messages - ddwalters

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Down / Re: Murray/Keenan's in County Down
« on: Thursday 10 September 15 00:51 BST (UK)  »
Excellent; I'd not heard of this before. I'll try tonight and use all the usual mis-spellings of Murray and move the dates around too.
Thanks again for all your help.

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Down / Re: Murray/Keenan's in County Down
« on: Monday 07 September 15 14:55 BST (UK)  »
Thank you for the quick reply. I did send to New York City to have a search done of the marriage certificates files but they couldn't find anything based on my request. The takeaway from that was I was either looking in the wrong borough (I had assumed that since they lived in Brooklyn, they'd have married there as well), in which case, I need to expand my search into New York proper and/or Kings County overall. The second case might be that the date I had was off as well. My information was taken from an online request for information made 15+ years ago by a relative that I'd never met who has since passed away. While  I've been able to collaborate most of her information in recent years, it's details such as dates, etc. that I still can't confirm. I'll continue to dig. I do believe that Anna's parents names were Thomas and Nora Keenan  and that Thomas  may have been born in Clonduff abt. 1816 but I cannot confirm that either.
Oddly enough, I was able to find the probate records for Mary Keenan Murphy online late last night and that mentioned she had a sister that lived in Mossend, Glasgow and a brother that lived in Curcullion, County Down. Every day brings new information and new clues.
I'll continue to look for that marriage certificate to see if i can find out who Patrick's parent were.
Thanks again.

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Down / Murray/Keenan's in County Down
« on: Sunday 06 September 15 16:49 BST (UK)  »
Good morning; my name is David Walters and I'm writing from the States. I'm looking for information re: my maternal great-great grandparents, Patrick Murray and Anna Keenan. All I have on them is what I've posted below, that they came to New York City in the 1860's then migrated to Washington State by way of Nebraska in the 1870's. I have tried looking online but there are many Murray's and Keenan's in New York at the time so here I am. Any assistance at all would be greatly appreciated.

 Here is the history that I have:

Patrick Murray was born March 4, 1843, in Newry, County Down, North Ireland. In 1861, he came to NYC where he lived with his brothers. Anna Keenan was born in 1849 in Hilltown, County Down, North Ireland. She came to America in 1867 and lived with her sister (Mary Keenan Murphy)in Brooklyn. The sister's husband was a Sandy Hook pilot (Thomas Murphy). Patrick and Anna were married on April 22, 1869, in NYC.

Three of their children, Margaret Ann (Mrs. Charles H. Clemons) 1870-1962, Ella (Mrs. James Glancy) 1872-1958, and Thomas (1873-1938) were born in NYC.

Patrick worked on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge until 1874. At that time, the Murray's joined a party that was immigrating with General John O'Neil, a leader of the Fenian Brotherhood, to what is now O'Neil City, Nebraska. Their daughter Mary (Mamie-Mrs. Michael Laverty) 1875-1963 was born there.

In 1877, the family again started the trek westward with Grays Harbor (then Chehalis County) as their destination. They came by railroad from Columbus, Neb., to San Francisco, and after several weeks wait, got passage on a boat to Portland, Oregon. From Portland, they took a river steamer to Kalama, changing to a railroad which took them to Tenino, WA.

They were in Tenino for 3 weeks, trying to make arrangements to get to Grays Harbor, and met Mrs. Cornelius Newton of Oakville, who told them James Gleason was due to pick up a wagon he had ordered form the east. Gleason offered them transportation, and the trip took 3 days with overnight stops at Grand Mound and at "Blockhouse" Smith's near Oakville. The third night they reached the Gleason homestead on the Satsop. Patrick Murray located a homestead on what is now the John Olsen ranch at Saginaw. He farmed the land until he retired in 1902; Patrick Murray died in 1922 and is buried in Elma, Washington in the family plot.

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