Murdock, Marion died 1943

MURDOCK, WING

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 5/9/2017 at 12:43:25

Dr. Marion Murdock, aged former resident of Elkader, died at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 28, after a lingering illness, according to word received by friends here. She was 94 years old.

Dr. Murdock lived here in the early eighties in the home now occupied by the Joe Cox family. She was a daughter of the late Judge and Mrs. Samuel Murdock. Judge Murdock was the first lawyer to settle north of Dubuque and the first district judge of the 10th Judicial district. He was also a member of the 13th general assembly in 1860.

Born in Garnavillo, Dr. Murdock received her earlier education at Upper Iowa university at Fayette. Later she attended the University of Wisconsin and Boston university. She also studied at Oxford university in England and for four years was a student at Meadville Theological school in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Murdock was the first woman ordained as a minister of the Unitarian church. While in England she spoke from a number of pulpits and was asked to spend a year as pastor of the Unitarian church in Boston. But before the end of her year at Oxford she and Dr. Florence Buck were called to be joint pastors of the Unitarian church in Cleveland where they served six years before returning to Europe for another year of study and travel.

During other pastorates held by Dr. Murdock during her long career in the ministry, was the First Unitarian church in Humboldt, Ia., and the Unitarian church at Kalamazoo, Mich.

In later years Dr. Murdock devoted her time principally to writing and published a volume of verse including "The Hermit Thrush," a poem widely known.

Dr. Murdock is survived by a sister, Mrs. Amelia Murdock Wing of Santa Monica.

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock in All Souls Unitarian church at Santa Monica. Four Unitarian ministers assisted in the service.

~Clayton County Register, Thurs., February 11, 1943