McMurtrie Family

of Sussex/Warren Co.,NJ

Sometime before 1735, the McMurtrie family arrived in northern New Jersey. The earliest documented record of the family in New Jersey is contained in records of a store operated by Jacob Janeway in Bound Brook in East New Jersey (near present day New Brunswick) for which we have records beginning in 1735. Joseph McMurtry appears numerous times in these records between November 1735 and April 1737. In the first entry, Joseph buys a jug that cost 2/6 (possibly 2 shillings 6 pence), 1 G.Mall (possibly a gallon of something) for 2/- (possibly 2 shillings 0 pence. One other member of the family, Thomas McMurtrie, shows up on a 1742 map as living in a cabin near a spring on a piece of land near what is now Bernardsville in Somerset County, New Jersey. In 1750, Joseph, Robert and Thomas McMurtrie, all assumed to be brothers, and James Hanna and Robert Houey, assumed by some family historians to be brothers-in-law, purchased a 1250 acre parcel in Sussex County lying alongside the Delaware River and extending about a mile east to the edges of Scotts Mountain, near what is now the town of Belvidere, NJ.

The origins of the family are shrouded in mystery, but the evidence suggests that they had come from Northern lreland. In Snell’s History of Sussex County, New Jersey. we read:

“In 1735 three brothers named Green settled in that part of Old Greenwich now known as Oxford Township. They were soon followed by Shippens, McMurtries, McKees, McCrackens and others, all of whom were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians"

From a leaflet on file in the library of the New Jersey Historical Society at Newark, entitled “Early Records of the McMurtrie Family”' by J.B. Crayon(1907), the following paragraphs are copied verbatim:

“In the early settlements of Morris County, neighborhoods were formed in which nearly all were related and all were of the same religious opinions, usually Protestants, or, more denominationally, Presbyterians. Roxiticus, named for an Indian Chief, was one of these early settlements, founded by Scotch and Scotch-Irish people, about 1720.

Roxiticus, which in later years become the town of Mendham, NJ, is located in Morris County near the border line separating it from Somerset County. Thomas's land, which he selected for a home, was located in Bernards Township, Somerset County, just across the line and near which, later, the town of Basking Ridge was established.

To this settlement, at a very early date, come three brothers named McMurtrie--Thomas, Robert, and Joseph. They were thrifty Scotch people and become large land owners in Morris, Somerset, and Warren Counties in New Jersey.

It appears from the records, that the three brothers along with two brothers-in-law, as a partnership, bought a parcel of land in Oxford Township from John Alford of Charles Town, Massachusetts Bay Colony, called the Alford Tract containing 1250 acres, and on part of which now stands the City of Belvidere. This tract was located in the western part of New Jersey, fronting on the Delaware River, south of the Pequest River. They bought this tract, according to deed on file and recorded in Burlington, New Jersey, dated 5 Nov 1750, and caused a division to be made among them. Then on 5 May 1753, releases and deeds were signed by all five men, severally, to each other, for their individual shares.

The above is mostly correct; however, the McMurtry land was not in Morris County. It was in that portion of Roxiticus that became Bernards Township, Somerset County.

Major migrations from Northern Ireland to the American colonies occurred between 1715 and 1720, between 1724 and 1729 and then in the 173Os. It was probably during one of these periods that the McMurtries came to America.

+2. Thomas McMurtrie, b.ca 1700-1710; m Mary ???; d.1788

+3. RobertMcMurtrie, b.ca l7O5-l7l5

+4. Joseph McMurtrie, b. ca 1690-1700

5. daughter; m James Hanna

6. daughter m Robert Houey

Though many family historians have assumed that James Hanna and Robert Houey as co-purchasers of the Alford Tract were brothers-in-law to Thomas, Robert and Joseph, no documentary proof of this exists.

2. THOMAS MCMURTRIE, b. ca 1700-1710; m Mary ??? bef 1732; d. 1788, Bernards Township, Somerset Co.,NJ.

Thomas located in Somerset County where his house appears on a survey done in 1742. Based on Thomas’ 1785 will, his children were James, Thomas, Robert and A Daughter , who married a Martin. Though one early historian reported that “Thomas and his sons took an active part in the Revolutionary War”, the only documentary evidence of such participation is for Thomas’ son Thomas and Thomas’ grandson John. Thomas died in 1788; the same early historian reported that Thomas’ “wife, Mary died soon after and both are buried in the old church yard without monuments.”

7. James McMurtrie, died between 1773 and 1785; m Agnes ____. Had four children- John (born 1752), James, Jane and Joseph (born 8 Mar 1764). John, James and Jane migrated to North Carolina around 1785 and then to Tennessee around 1794 and Joseph migrated to Pennsylvania around 1800.

+8. Robert McMurtrie, b. 1749; m Agnes McVicker; died 1822; resided Somerset Co.

9. A daughter McMurtrie, m Zephaniah Martin; d. bef 1785. Had one child, named James who died 1827

10. Thomas McMurtrie

3. ROBERT MCMURTRIE, b. ca 1705-1715. ; d. bef 6 Sep 1777 , Hardwick Township, Sussex Co. NJ. Although no documents indicating his children have been found, there are references in the county records to Isabella, George, Robert and Anna McMurtrie who may be Robert’s children.

Isabella McMurtrie married in Hardwick Township and is therefore assumed to be the daughter of Robert McMurtrie who died in Hardwick Twp. George McMurtrie administered Robert’s estate and is therefore assumed to be Robert’s son. Both George and Isabella have a connection to the Reeder family. George married Rachel Reeder in 1778; Isabella married Joseph Reeder after James Stinson, her first husband, died. Anna McMurtrie is assumed to be George’s sister because George was a bondsman in the will of Francis Lock of nearby Hunterdon Co. who died in 1777. Anne married Francis in 1771. A Robert McMurtrie, Jr who appears in the Sussex records in the 1790's is assumed to be the son of Robert of Hardwick.

There are also records of what appears to be another generation of descendants of Robert. There are three brothers, Joseph, Simon and James who moved to Canada from Sussex Co., NJ. about 1800 and it is assumed that these are the sons of Robert McMurtrie, Jr. and grandchildren of Robert who died in 1777. Joseph's children were born 1800-1812 which suggests a birthdate for Joseph in the 1770s. Joseph and Simon settled in a Shaker community in Ohio and Joseph later went to Attica, Indiana. James seems to have migrated back to the USA and settled in western New York where his children were born. The children migrated back to Toronto where one of them - James Stinson McMurtrie - was naturalized though he died in New York when a young man. Courtland and Susan McMurtrie married in Toronto in the 1830s and Courtland moved to Illinois, along with a brother Robert. We don't have proof of these relationships but the circumstantial evidence is compelling and we know these three brothers were not descendants of Joseph or Thomas McMurtrie/try; so it is most likely they are Robert's descendants.

11. Robert McMurtrie md ???

12 Isabelle McMurtrie, b. ca 1735; m(l) James Stinson m(2) Joseph Reeder; who died 1799.

13. George McMurtrie, b. 1745; m 1778 Rachel Reeder

14. Anna McMurtrie; m 1772 Francis Lock

4. JOSEPH MCMURTRIE, b. co 1688-1700s; md abt 1718. As mentioned above, Joseph first appears in historical records in 1735 in store records in Bound Brook, but sometime between that date and 1750 had located on the farm on the Delaware River near the present Belvidere, Warren County. NJ. He died there in Oxford Township, Sussex Co. in 1761/2. ( Family historians have made assertions about Joseph that have either proven to be false or for which no documentary support has ever been found. Frederick James McMurtrie in a 1934 monograph claims that Joseph was born in Dalmellington, Ayrshire, Scotland in 1685, that Joseph married Anne Boone in Philadelphia, PA in 1723, and that Joseph had brothers David and William.

A letter written in the late 1700s in the possession of the Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Historical Society indicates that David and William were uncle and nephew, not brothers, and that David came to Philadelphia from London where he was in business and that William followed him years later. David subsequently located in Huntingdon County, but William stayed on in Philadelphia. Furthermore, genetic analysis shows that there is no relationship between the Dalmellington McMurtries and the McMurtrys.. Since Frederick James was wrong about the relationship between William and David, it raises a question about the credibility of his other unsupported assertions.

Frederick James appeared to be interested in showing a family connection between the New Jersey and the Philadelphia/Huntingdon County families consistent with the tradition invented by John McMurtrie of Colorado in 1892. Correspondence between various McMurtrie families in the 1890s and early 1900s indicated that there might be a connection of the Philadelphia family to Dalmellington Scotland. Hence, Frederick James appears to have postulated a Dalmellington birth for Joseph. Joseph may have been born in 1685 as Frederick James asserts, but 1688-1700 is a likely range. The Dalmellington parish register reportedly has a gap during these early years; so Frederick James may have asserted a birthdate in 1685 because that could not be refuted by the parish registers. Joseph may more likely have been born in Northern Ireland rather than Scotland.

No proof of the marriage to Anne Boone has ever been found and is assumed by Richard McMurtry to be in error.

+15. John McMurtrie, b. 1738

+16. Abram McMurtrie, b. 17 Jul 1741, Oxford Twp, Warren Co., NJ

17. Joseph McMurtrie, b. ca 1719-1739 (prob. 1733)

18. James McMurtrie, b. ca 1713-1733 (prob 1727)

19. Agnes McMurtrie

20. Mary McMurtrie

(put children in right order)

The 1761 will of Joseph, Sr. makes reference to Joseph and James: “If Joseph and James come, give them 7 shillings 6 pence.” Family historians think this means that Joseph and James left home and never returned and that the will was giving them a token amount to limit their claims on his estate. This Joseph and James may be the same Joseph and James McMurtry who appear in Bedford County, Virginia in 1754 just 6 years before the will was written. This Virginia Joseph married Susannah Patton in 1759 in Augusta County, Virginia and their descendants settled later in East Tennessee and Missouri. This Virginia James settled in Bedford County, VA and had several children including sons Joseph born 1743-1753 and William born ca 1745-1755 who settled in Kentucky in the 1780s and a son Samuel who went to Mississippi about 1810.

8. ROBERT MCMURTRIE , b.1749; m. Agnes McVicker; died 1822. They had eleven children:

21. James McMurtrie, b. 26 Sep 1780; d. 13 Dec 1829; Single

22. Mary McMurtrie, b. 4 Mar 1782; m(l). John Guerin; m(2) Thomas

Whitnack;d. 3 Mar 1854

23. Thomas McMurtrie, b. 19 Nov 1783; dy.

24. William McMurtrie, b. 3 Jan 1785; d. 20 Aug 1817;Single

25. Joseph McMurtrie, b. 25 Oct 1787; m. Rebecca Mulligan, b. 25

Nov 1786. He died 1 Jun 1857 and she died 20 Sep 1865. They had six children.

26. Catherine McMurtrie, b. 6 May 1789: dy.

27. John McMurtrie. b. 21 Sep 1791; m. 8 Jan 1814 Elizabeth Simpson, b. 14 Jun 1792. She died 18 Aug 1875 and he died 10 Feb 1842. They had six children.

28. Robert McMurtrie, b. 11 Feb 1794; m. 29 Aug 1816 Mary Peany,

b. 15 Jul 1795. She died 18 Nov 1871 and he died 10 Mar 1870. They had seven children.

+29. Samuel McMurtrie, b. 6 Apr 1796

30. Elizabeth McMurtrie, b. 10 Apr 1798(Twin): d. 15 Dec 1875

31. Daniel McMurtrie, b. 10 Apr 1798(Twin); d. 6 Feb 1863

15. JOHN MCMURTRIE, b. 1738, Oxford Township, Sussex Co., NJ; m(l) abt 1768 Margaret Craig, m(2) abt 1786 Sarah Albertson Butler; d. 6 Nov 1792. Margaret died 1786. He is buried in the Old Oxford cemetery,NJ. He had seven children from the first marriage. His obituary, printed in Newton, NJ, states “Died in Oxford Township, County of Sussex, on Sunday evening the 6th inst., after a lingering illness which he bore with Christian fortitude, John McMurtrie, Esq. He was a man universally respected, a good neighbor, kind husband. affectionate parent, and a worthy and useful member of society. His death is universally lamented.

From Snell’s “History of Sussex County, NJ” , Chapter VIII, Sussex and Warren Counties in the Revolution:

“Sussex County was not slow in organizing. Committees of Safety were established in all of her townships. Delegates from these formed a County Committee of Safety...” . “John McMurtrie was an organizer of the Oxford Township Committee of Safety; was a Township delegate to the County Committee of Safety which met once a month at the Newton Court House. John McMurtry, John Lowry and William White represented Oxford. He was a Captain of the Home Guard. Capt. John McMurtry and Lieut. William White, of Oxford township, being desirous to go to Boston, where the

Americans were rallying under the standard of Washington, then just appointed Commander-In-chief of the Continental Forces--'