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 & 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.

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.

Introduction to the Family

Let’s start by meeting the family I am talking about.

James Madison Murrah was born about 1800 in Virginia. In about 1825 he married Paron Holliday in Alabama. Paron was born about 1811 in South Carolina. Paron died in about 1851 in Mississippi and James died in abou t1855 in Lavaca County, Texas. There were 8 children (that I know of) born to this couple.

William Wells Murrah (Born Dec 1825 in Alabama) married Unicy Powers in about 1854 in Lavaca County, Texas. They had 5 children.

James Madison Murrah (Born about 1833 in Alabama) married Molina Powers on 19 Dec 1855 in Hallettsville, Lavaca, Texas. They had 4 children.

Melvina Murrah (Born about 1835 in Mississippi) married W. Henry McElroy on 17 Jan 1855 in Hallettsville, Lavaca, Texas. They had 7 children.

Reuben Murrah (Born about 1837 in Mississippi) married Mary Eliza Burleson on 18 Oct 1860 in Fayette County, Texas. They had 1 child.

Daniel Murrah (Born about 1839 in Mississippi) married Cinthia Jane Green between 1869 and 1870 in Texas. They had 6 children.

Darthula Murrah (Born 13 Nov 1842 in Mississippi) married Robert Anderson Farley between 1855-1888 in Texas. They had 11 children.

Richard N. Murrah (Born 10 Dec 1848 in Ripley, Tippah, Mississippi) married Nancy Ann Moore on 20 Jun 1867 in LaGrange, Fayette, Texas. They had 8 children.

Rebecca Murrah (Born about 1849 in Mississippi) died before 1855.

If you have any comments, questions or see any errors please contact me!

Again, I have not gone through the documentation yet. Please do not assume that the people/dates/places listed here are absolute or correct. I will add sources as I go through what I have.