Subject: Re: McMurtry family history

 

Hi Virginia,

I am sorry to say that I do not have any information about your family in my files. I will send a copy of this email to Richard McMurtry in California. I know that he has some information on three African American families that he has researched.

I cannot see the family in the 1930 or 1880 censuses but they are listed in the 1920 census in Thomastown, Leake Co, Mississippi. here they are

Mcmurtry     Tresden    Head           35    born MS
        Virginia    Wife                        33         “
        Lue E        daughter                11            “
        Almeda    daughter                   9            “
        Lee        son                              6            “
        Tresden    son                        4 6/12        “
        Leon        son                        2 8/12        “
        Lucy        daughter                    2        “

There is also this couple on the same page

McMurtry    Sanford    Head          80    born MS
        Emmie    Wife                        78    “

Thank you for writing and sharing your family stories.

Regards
Sam
the 1910 census, we find Tresden living next store to

 

Ellen McMurtry age 54  born MS  father born GA mother born Ga, identified as a farmer, 12 children, 6 alive

(Son) Hayward aged 21 born MS

Jersey (dau) aged 15 born MS

 

Tresden McMurtry aged 24, md 3 years

Virginia McMurtry aged 25 md 3 years 2 children, 2 alive

Dau aged 2

Almeta aged 1/12

 

 

1900

McMurtray, Ellen 1852 Black b MS  father born GA mother born GA farmer, 11 children 7 alive

Kate dau Nov 1884

           

T.Eda son Feb 1886 b MS

Samuel son Jan/Jun1887

Haywood son Apr  1888

Maggie dau May 1890

Juim Belle dau Aug 1894


Virginia wrote:

HI SAM

 

IT WAS EXCITING TO HEAR FROM YOU. THANKS FOR RESPONDING.

 

WELL:

 

MY FATHER WAS:

 

TRESDEN T. MCMURTRY JR -  BORN  09 /05 /15 - DIED 05 /24 /91

IN LEAK COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.  MY FATHER LEFT MISSISSIPPI  IN HIS LATE TEENS AND DID NOT RETURN THERE TO LIVE. 

 

HIS FATHER, MY GRAND FATHER WAS:

 

TRESDEN T. MCMURTRY SR.-  BORN  IN THE 1890s   DIED:  MIDDLE TO LATE 1940s

 

I KNOW THAT THIS GRANDFATHER FARMED IN LEAK COUNTY AND DIED THERE. 

 

 

TRESDEN SR'S  WIFE - MY PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER WAS:

 

VIRGINIA   (WEST)  MCMURTRY - I AM NOT ABSOLUTELY SURE  WHETHER THE ( WEST ) NAME WAS HER MAIDEN NAME, OR THE NAME OF HER SECOND HUSBAND.  SHE AND MY GRANDFATHER DIVORCED WHEN MY FATHER WAS 14.  GRANDMOTHER VIRGINIA MOVED TO TENNESSEE AND RE - MARRIED.  SHE DIED SHORTLY AFTER THAT. 

 

THERE WERE 9 CHILDREN THAT LIVED TO ADULTHOOD.

 

SUZIE ELIZABETH MC MURTRY  MCKINGHT BORN 1909  - LIVING BUT UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE.

 

LILLIE ELOISE MC MURTRY  REED DIED IN MERRIDIAN MS. DIED IN THE   1980s

 

ALMETER MCMURTRY  GOSHEA - NOT LIVING

 

TRESDEN T. MCMURTRY JR. 1915 -  MY FATHER DIED 1991

 

LEON MCMURTRY - DIED IN THE MIDDLE 1940s IN TENNESSEE

 

REGINALD MCMURTRY -  REMAINED IN LEAK COUNTY MI ALL OF HIS LIFE AS FAR AS I KNOW.  I HAVE NEVER MET HIM.  CIRRENTLY UNABLE TO LOCATE BIRTH OR DEATH RECORDS.

 

RUBY  MCMURTRY -  THIS AUNT DID MARRY AND MOVED TO NEW YORK WHERE SHE RAISED HER TWO CHILDREN.  LIVING I THINK BUT CANNOT LOCATE  HER

 

ELIZABETH  MCMURTRY -  THIS AUNT ALSO MARRIED AND MOVED TO NEW YORK. I KNOW THAT SHE NO LONGER LIVES IN NEW YORK,

 

CHRISTINA MCMURTRY -  DIED AS A CHILD.

 

AN  UNNAMED MALE CHILD WHO DIED AT BIRTH. 

 

THIS ACCOUNT OF THE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN TOLD. 

 

WHEN MY GRANDFATHER (TRESDEN SR) WAS A TEEN, HE WAS SENT TO LIVE WITH AN UNCLE (ON HIS MOTHER'S SIDE )  IN ANOTHER STATE.  HE WAS SUPPOSE TO BE HELPING HIS UNCLE WITH FARMING.  WHILE TRESDEN SR,  WAS AWAY THERE WAS AN OUTBREAK OF SMALL POX THAT CAUSED THE DEATH OF HIS ENTIRE FAMILY.  WHEN HE RETURNED THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT.  THIS TRESDEN LIVED ALONE UNTIL HE MARRIED AND HAD HIS OWN FAMILY -  DUE TO THIS EPIDEMIC, MY FATHER AND HIS SIBLINGS HAD NO AUNTS, UNCLES OR FIRST COUSINS. 

 

THATS REALLY ALL I KNOW

 

THANKS AGAIN

VIRGINIA

 

WELL  HELLO RICHARD

 

IT IS GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN.  THIS IS REALLY EXCITING!!

 

1. THE LILLIAN ELOISE MCMURTRY REED, YOU WROTE TO  WAS FATHER'S THIRD SISTER.  TO NEICES AND NEPHEWS SHE WAS AUNT LE, BUT PROFESSIONALLY SHE WAS DR. LILLIAN ELOISE MCMURTRY  REED Ph.D..  DURING HER LIFE SHE MARRIED DR. WALTER E. REED JR. THEY HAD ONE SON, WALTER III AND THERE IS NOW A WALTER IV WHO SHOULD BE ABOUT 30. 

 

2. THE ELDEST CHILD OF TRESDEN JR. MY GRANDFATHER AND VIRGINIA  MCMURTRY IS

 

    SUZIE ELIZABETH MCMURTRY - MCKNIGHT.  BORN IN 1909.  SHE STILL LIVES TODAY. 

    NO CHILDREN.  SHE MAY BE THE OLDEST LIVING MCMURTRY. 

 

3. OVER THE YEARS I HEARD MY FATHER SPEAK OF AN RELATIVE,  HAYWARD, BUT I DON'T KNOW

    HOW THIS RELATIVE  WAS RELATED .

 

4. THERE WAS ALSO A LINCOLN MCMURTRY LIVING NEAR US.  MY FATHER SAID THAT HE WAS HIS

    SECOND OR THIRD COUSIN.  THIS LINCOLN PASSED AWAY IN  THE 1980's WITH I THINK ONE SON

    LIVING.

 

5.MY FATHER'S BROTHER LEON MCMURTRY WHO WAS THE YONGEST OF THEIR FAMILY DIED IN A

    TRAFFIC ACCIDENT IN THE LATE 40's HE AND BEEN IN THE ARMY.  UNCLE LEON NEVER MARRIED

    BUT FATHERED ONE SON.  AFTER LEON'S DEATH THE CHILD WENT WITH MOTHER AND WE LOST

    CONTACT WITH HIM, 

 

    MY FATHER ALSO HAD A BROTHER NAMED REGINALD MCMURTRY-  TRY AS WE DID, REGINALD

    COULD NEVER BE COAXED OFF THE FARM.  WE LAST HEARD FROM HIM IN THE MIDDLE 70's

    WHEN MY FATHER WENT TO MISSISSIPPI TO ATTEND THE FUNERAL OF HIS SISTER LILLIAN. THIS

    WAS IN THE MIDDLE 70's I THINK. 

 

AS FOR MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY :

 

1. MY FATHER TRESDEN T. MCMURTRY JR MARRIED MY MOTHER  LUGENIA SIMS MCMURTRY IN 1946.

    THEY MADE THEIR HOME FIRST IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS UNTIL 1952.  THEY THEN MOVED,  WITH

    4 CHILDREN TO ROBBINS, ILLINOIS.  FINALLY IN 1969 MY FAMILY MOVED TO HARVEY, ILLINOIS.

 

2.MY  PARENTS HAD SEVEN CHILDREN

    a. VIRGINIA DELORSE MCMURTRY LAKE   b CHICAGO 1947 (MYSELF)

    CURRENTLY LIVING IN KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS

 

    b  YVONNE    AND   EVONNE   MCMURTRY   TWINS b 1946 - DIED AS INFANTS

 

    c  STEPHEN LEE MCMURTRY   b 1949  CURRENTLY LIVING,  HAD 2 SONS  STEPHEN JR. &  SHAWN

 

    d  MILTON  EARL MCMURTRY  AND  HILTON EARL MCMURTRY -   TWINS b. 1952

 

        MILTON DIED 2002 - NO CHILDREN.

 

        HILTON HAD 3 CHILDREN  2 SONS -  BRADLEY JERIMAH , & KEVIN JOSEPH  1 DAU.  SEVAH JEAN

        HE CURRENTLY LIVES IN GARY, INDIANA

 

    e  SABRINA LYNN MCMURTRY JOHNSON - b 1959-  TWO DAUGHTERS - ERICHA NICHOLE AND

        DANIELLE  CHERISH,  THESE ARE FINE YOUNG WOMEN ATTENDING COLLEGE.  DANIELLE IS

        STUDYING MEDICINE AT HOWARD THIS YEAR. 

 

3. ACCORDING TO FAMILY STORY, I WAS FIRST NAMED JOYCE, BUT AT AGE FIVE, MY DAD AND HIS SISTERS DECIDED THAT SINCE I WAS THEN THE YOUNGEST GRANDDAUGHTER, IT BE EASIST TO  CHANGED MY FROM JOYCE TO VIRGINIA DELORSE TO HONOR MY GRANDMOTHER - VIRGINIA.

 

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR MCMURTRY FAMILY.

 

THANKS

 

  .Virginia