McMurray Ancestors

An American Adventure

Edinburgh, Scotland - A county history indicates Sophia Heywood married Robert McMurray in Edinburgh, Scotland, and they lived in Wigton, England, near the city of Carlisle, where the family operated a general store. Carlisle is in the northwest of England, three miles from the Scottish border.

Montgomery County, Ohio - Robert McMurray Sr. and Sophia Heywood emigrated from Scotland in the early 1800's, going from New York City, to Philadelphia, then Kentucky, before settling in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio by 1832, where the elder McMurray became proprietor of the popular hotel in those days, known as the Mansion House.

Auglaize County, Ohio - In 1848 the family moved to Auglaize County, Ohio where several generations made their home. Son Robert McMurray Jr. died an untimely death in 1850. His widow Mary Hurst remained close to in-laws Robert McMurray Sr. and Sophia Heywood to assure support in raising her three children who found themselves without a father at an early age:

• Robert McMurray distinguished himself as a Captain with Company E of the 67th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Upon his return he served one term as mayor of Wapakoneta and established a law career by means of independent study. In February 2004 a tintype of Robert McMurray in his military uniform was auctioned in eBay.
• Sophia McMurray married Andrew Jackson Morey and raised a family of six children.
• William James McMurray, who for many years served as editor of the Auglaize County Republican and who edited The History of Auglaize County, Ohio, published in 1923.

Tuscaloosa County, Alabama - Margaret McMurray, the oldest child of Sophia Heywood and Robert McMurray Sr. born about 1820 in England, was visiting her cousin Thomas Maxwell in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1847 and while there met and married Dr. Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, then chair of natural history and chemistry at the University of Alabama.

Lafayette County, Mississippi - From 1854 until 1862, Professor Barnard and his wife Margaret McMurray resided in Oxford, Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Barnard served as a professor of mathematics and eventually as Chancellor of the University of Mississippi. At the beginning of the Civil War, the couple returned to the north.

New York City, New York - In 1864, Professor Barnard was named president of Columbia College, now known as Columbia University, a post he held until his resignation due to ill health in May 1888. Barnard College for women is named for Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard. No children were born to this couple. His life is all the more remarkable because he became deaf as a young man.

©2004 Sue Phillips - Material on this site may be quoted or reproduced by those engaged in non-commercial genealogical research without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the compiler. Any commercial use of this material without prior permission of the compiler is prohibited.

Updated: Sunday, March 5, 2006