James and Paron Murrah – 1845 Yalobusha, Mississippi Census

James & Paron Murrah were enumerated in 1845 in the Mississippi State Census.

Here is the record:

Head of Family: J. M. Murrah

5 Males:

1. James Madison
2. William Wells
3. James Madison (Son)
4. Reuben
5. Daniel

3 Females:

1. Paron
2. Melvina
3. Darthula

This record fits this family dynamic perfectly.

James & Malinda Murrah – 1870 US Federal Census

James & Malinda and their 4 children were enumerated in Aiken, Bell, Texas on 21 Jun 1870 on the 1870 US Federal Census.

Here is the record:

Photo courtesy of Ancestry.com

1870 Jun 21: 1870 US Federal Census, Texas, Bell County, Aiken; sheet 17A p5; Household 32, Family 37
1. J. N. Murrah, 37, male, white, farmer, personal property valued at $500, born in Alabama, male citizen over age of 21.
2. Malinda Murrah, 37, female, white, keeping house, real estate valued at $800, born in Tennessee.
3. James Murrah, 12, male, white, born in Texas, attended school for 5 months.
4. Jacob Murrah, 9, male, white, born in Texas.
5. Easter Murrah, 2, male, white, born in Texas.
6. Daniel Murrah, 1, male, white, born in Texas.

Things To Note:

• James Murrah was 37 years old in 1870, making him born about 1833 in Alabama.
• James Murrah owns personal property worth $500
• Malinda Murrah is also 37 years old in 1870, making her born about 1833 in Tennessee. (Place does not match what I currently have.) 
• Malinda Murrah owns real estate with a value of $800. (Where did she get this and why does she own it and not her husband?)
• James Murrah (son) was 12 years old in 1870, making him born about 1858 in Texas.
• Jacob Murrah was 9 years old in 1870, making him born about 1861 in Texas.
• Easter Murrah was 2 years old in 1870, making her born about 1868 in Texas.
• Easter Murrah was enumerated as a “male”
• Daniel Murrah was 1 year old in 1870, making him born about 1869 in Texas.

NEXT TO DO: Locate James & Malinda Murrah and family in 1880 US Federal Census

James & Malinda Murrah – 1860 US Federal Census

I have been looking for James & Malinda in the 1860 U. S. Federal Census. Even going page by page in Lavaca County, still no luck.

I am going to add this to my research list and come back to it. Hopefully, after gathering a little more information about this family, I will be able to pin them down.

Next To Do: Locate James & Malinda Murrah in the 1870 U. S. Federal Census.

1860 US Census Trouble!

I have been looking for James & Malinda in the 1860 U. S. Federal Census. No luck so far.

I am resorting to going page by page through Lavaca County, Texas. (I am hoping this is where they were)

This will take some time to do, though!

I will post when I find something of interest, if you have any ideas, please let me know!

Introduction to James & Malinda Murrah Family

Here is what I THINK I know about this family. AGAIN, some of this is undocumented! Unless you see documentation, PLEASE do NOT assume I am correct…

James Madison Murrah was born on 2 Aug 1833 in Alabama. He married Malinda Abegail Power on 19 Dec 1855 in Hallettsville, Lavaca, Texas. Malinda was born on 12 Mar 1832 in Alabama. Her parents are Miles H. Power and Esther Kuykendol.

To this marriage was born 4 children:

1. James Buck Murrah was born 2 Aug 1856 in Lavaca County, Texas. He died on 17 Mar 1924 in San Antonio, Bexar, Texas of heartblock.

2. Jacob Richard Murrah was born 26 Aug 1861 in Lavaca County, Texas. He married Fannie Hord on 12 Jul 1883 in Brown County, Texas. Jacob died on 13 Feb 1934 in Del Rio, Val Verde, Texas of Jaundice – Infected Gall Bladder.

3. Esther Abagail Murrah was born 17 Aug 1867 in Bell County, Texas. She later married Edward Hord. She died on 25 Apr 1939 in Del Rio, Val Verde, Texas of Gumma of the Brain (Neurosyphilis).

4. Daniel Murrah was born about 1870 in Texas.

This is a basic listing of what I know about this family. We have taken a look at James in the 1840 & 1850 US Federal Censuses while researching his parents. Because of this, we will begin with the 1860 census for this couple.

James Madison Murrah – Unanswered Questions!

As I look through the information I have and decide what I still need to learn, I have come up with a pretty good sized list of questions…

JAMES MADISON MURRAH

1. When and where was James Madison Murrah born? (I have he was born in Virginia, is this correct? If so, where in Virginia?)
2. Who were the parents of James Madison Murrah? (I have Thadeus Murrah and Caity Allen, BUT I have no idea where this information came from!)
3. When and where did James & Paron get married?
4. Why is there a gap in children between William & James?
   1. Is William really Paron’s child? She would have been about 14 when giving birth.
   2. Was James Madison Murrah married prior to Paron? If so, to whom?
5. Does James Madison Murrah have any siblings?
6. Why did his family move from Virginia to Alabama to Mississippi to Texas?
7. James Madison Murrah owned land in Alabama and in Mississippi, are their any records that go along with this?
8. When and where did James Madison Murrah die? (I have 1855 in Hallettsville, Lavaca, Texas, but nothing to prove this information either. Why did he go to Texas after the death of his wife IF the information I have is correct)
9. Did James Madison Murrah have a will when he died? If so, how do I find a copy of it?
   1. Who got his land when he died?

PARON HOLLIDAY

1. When and where was Paron Holliday born? (I have she was born about 1811 in South Carolina, is this correct? If so, where in South Carolina?)
2. How can we prove her maiden name was Holliday (I have no proof of this currently, it is just what I was given!)
3. Who were the parents of Paron Holliday?
4. Did Paron have any siblings?
5. When and where did Paron Murrah die? (I have about 1851 in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.)
6. Also, there is that BIG question of did she really marry and have a child about the age of 14? Is William Wells Murrah her son?

Brainstorm time!!

While I am creating this very detailed research plan, I will begin following James Madison Murrah (Son) and his family through the census records to get an idea of their family structure a bit more.

TO DO: List what I know about James & Malinda Murrah and their family.

Land Patent for James Madison Murrah

I have found a Land Grant issued to James Madison Murrah in 1835 in Huntsville, Alabama.

Here it is:

obtained at ancestry.com

 

 

1835 SEP 4: James Madison Murrah was given a land grant 40 1/4 acres of land in Huntsville, Alabama. The land grant states that full payment has been made by the said James Madison Murrah.

 

 

 

To Do Next:

1. Make a list of questions still needing answered for James Madison Murrah and brainstorm ways to possibly answer them.

James & Paron Murrah – 1840 US Census

I have located an 1840 US Federal Census that I believe to be James & Paron and their family…

Let’s break it down just a little bit!

1840 US Census; Mississippi, Yalobusha County; p306

1. Free White Males:

• Under 5: 2 (FITS) – Daniel and Reuben
• 5-9: 1 (FITS) – James Jr.
• 10-14: 1 (FITS) – William
  30-39: 1 (FITS) –James

 

2. Free White Females:

• Under 5: 1 (FITS) – Melvina
  5-10: 1 (DOESN’T FIT)
• 20-29: 1 (FITS) – Paron
  Note for one that doesn’t fit: I do have a large gap between William and James Jr. Possible this girl filled that gap and married or died before 1850 census?

Some things have begun to make me ask some questions here…

• Information I have says Paron was born about 1811. William was born Dec 1825. Did Paron really get married and have a baby at the age of 14?
• Was James married once before Paron and maybe William is not her biological child?
• If that is the case, who else was he married to?

Love how finding one record and looking over all the information SHOULD answer questions, but more often than not it ends up leading to more questions!

 

To Do Next:

1. Add this new information to the timeline
2. Enter above questions on research notes to remember to look for this information.
3. Record information concerning William Wells Murrah in the 1850 census to see if any new information or questions.

Timeline Started

Got the timeline started and ready to find another document to add to it!

I will begin by looking for this family in the 1840 US Census. Daniel was born about 1839 in Mississippi, so this narrows it down just a little bit and I will begin looking for them there.

Also, I will start working on information for the kids families to see what clues we can pull from them. I will start with William Wells Murrah and his family.

James Murrah Family – 1850 US Federal Census

I located James, Paron and their children in the 1850 census in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.

Extraction of Information from this census record:

1850 US Census; Mississippi; Yallabusha; North of Yalobusha River; p422 (Stamped); Lines 1-9; 18 Oct 1850.

1. James Murry, 50 years old, male, planter, $2000 real estate owned, born in Virginia.
2. Paron Murry, 39 years old, female, born in South Carolina.
3. James Murry, 17 years old, male, born in Alabama, attended school within the year.
4. Melvina Murry, 15 years old, female, born in Mississippi, attended school within the year.
5. Reuben Murry, 13 years old, male, born in Mississippi, attended school within the year.
6. Daniel Murry, 11 years old, male, born in Mississippi, attended school within the year.
7.Dorthula Murry, 9 years old, female, born in Mississippi, attended school within the year.
8. Richard Murry, 4 years old, male, born in Mississippi.
9. Rebecca Murry, 1 year old, female, born in Mississippi.

Other surnames listed on this same page:

• Tatum
• Doherty
• Brown
• Gardner
• Wilkes
• Hollady

As a side note, William Murry (Murrah) is listed as living in the house next door with Jno & Dumetta Tatum. I have no clue who these people are, but they were born in Alabama and are about 7 years older than William. Not sure if they are connected or not, but will keep an eye out for these people.

Next Step: Put together a timeline based on this census as a starting timeline to be added to as we find more documents.