He married Catherine J. Lynch of New Albin in October 1870, at Rose Mission Church, Waucoma, Fayette co. Iowa. Catherine was born in New Washington, Cranberry twp., Crawford County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Matthew Lynch (originally of co. Wexford, Ireland) and Catherine Lynch, of Lawler, Chickasaw co. Iowa. John moved from Lawler to New Albin between August 1872 and June 1873.

John was a shopkeeper & operated a general merchandise store in 1874 in New Albin and owned several parcels of real estate there. He was naturalized October 6, 1874 at the Allamakee County courthouse. He moved his family to Dubuque in the 1880s or 90s. Catherine died March 25, 1920 and John died May 28, 1928.

They are buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Dubuque, Iowa.

The seven daughters of John Bertram Murray and Catherine Lynch of New Albin, Iowa 1870-92, then Dubuque, Iowa after 1892 where they lived at 1300 Bluff St. through the 1920s.

Right to Left:
Mary (Murray) Murphy, Elizabeth (Murray) Parmalee, Catherine (Murray) Lynch, Johanna (Murray) Muldoon, Agnes (Murray) Burns, Florence (Murray) Baldheim, Levon (Murray) Keenan.

John Murray was a grocer and owned several properties in New Albin that he sold in the 1890s. He was born 6 Jan 1842 in a thatch in Curragh Upper, Clondulane, co. Cork, behind the police barracks (now down). His parents were Michael Murray and Mary Ellen O’Brien. Michael Murray was a working steward on the estate of Edward Kiley Carey, known as Careysville, and when his father Patrick died about 1852, Michael moved his family across the road to the stewards lodge where his father Patrick Murrihy lived in Careysville townland. Mary O’Brien was the daughter of William O’Brien and she was raised in a thatch (now down), that was located to the left of the house that came to be owned by the Hickey family.

It should be noted that John B. Murray who was living in New Albin in 1881 when his mother and uncle James Murray died, paid for the two beautiful marble Murray headstones located in the Clondulane Graveyard. (See New Albin Letter - opens in a new window)

Catherine Lynch was born in New Washington, Township of Cranberry, Crawford County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Matthew (Amathall) Lynch and his second wife Catherine (surname unknown). Their first daughter Mary Ellen Murray was born on their 80 acre farmstead.

John and Catherine also had a son Dr. John B. Murray b. 1877 a dentist in Dubuque; a son Frank Murray b. 1879 who was a brakeman in the roundhouse in Chippewa Falls; James Murray b. 1885 died aged 9 months; and a son Edward Murray b. 1890 of Mason City.