Thomas J. Murray

 

Thomas J. Murray was born in Dublin, Ireland October 18, 1815. He came to America in 1847. He was educated at Maynooth college to become a teacher. Tie settled for some time in Cleveland, Ohio. This is where he met his wife Catherine Coady. Catherine Coady was born in Wexford, Ireland January 18, 1825. She came to America as a young woman in the year 1850, bringing Will Coady, her brother Ned's young son with her.

Tom Murray's friend, Ned Coady, had come to America, leaving his son, Will, in Ireland, until he could afford to send for him. Ned wrote to his sister Kate asking her to bring the lad to him.

Tom Murray went with Ned to meet the ship, and that is how Tom and Kate meet. Tom and Kate were married in Cleveland, Ohio in the year 1853. Their first two sons were born in Cleveland.

They came to Tyrone, in Monroe county, Iowa in the summer of 1856. Their first' six months, they lived with a family named Fox. In 1857, they moved into a log cabin that they had built on the banks of the cedar creek about one mile southwest of Tyrone. This land, 80 acres, was granted to them from the U. S. Government in February of 1857.

Tom's brother Richard had already acquired 204 acres adjoining them through land patent's or purchases from 1853 to 1855. Tom also bought 50 acres of land that same year from Richard.

They did not finish what was called "the big house" until 1876. Much of the work was done by the oldest son John, who was very talented in any type of construction work, and who later on was a construction boss for the Burlington railroad.

By the time they moved into "the big house" all their twelve children had been born. All but the two oldest were born in the log cabin. They had ten boys and two girls. This included two sets of twin boys and one set of triplets, one of whom was a girl.

Tom Murray had a brother Richard and a sister Rosanna. Catherine Coady had two bothers and a sister, Edward "Ned", Pierce "Pete" and Ellen. Any other brothers or sisters are unknown to us.

Tom, an experienced quarry-man, played an important role in the construction of St. Patrick's church in Georgetown, Iowa. This sandstone structure was began in 1860, with the stone being quarried at Babb's Crossing, east of Georgetown and hauled to the site by teams of horses and oxen.

Tom lived to be 93 years old. He died December 26, 1908. Kate died on may 21, 1920. They are buried in St. Patrick's cemetery, Georgetown, Iowa.

 

Source: Information taken from the Murray Family Tree by Ed Murray