George Murray |
GEORGE
MURRAY - Canada has furnished to the
United States many bright, enterprising young men who have left
the Dominion to enter the business circles of this country with
its more progressive methods, livelier competition, and
advancement more quickly secured. Among this number is
Mr. Murray, one of the most enterprising and progressive
farmers and stock breeders of Ogle county, his home being on
section 17, Buffalo township.
Mr. Murray was born near Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, Nov. 15, 1850, and is a son of Thomas Murray,
a native of Scotland, born in the city of Edinburg, Sept. 26,
1818. When a young man the father came to the new world,
locating in Ontario, Canada, in 1836, and there he followed the
blacksmith's trade throughout the remainder of his life, dying
Jan. 17, 1866. He was married in Canada, in March, 1848,
to Miss Louisa Graham, also a native of
Scotland, her birth occurring in Dumfrieshire, June 28, 1826.
She crossed the Atlantic with a brother and also took up her
residence in Ontario. She survived her husband for thirty
years, spending her last days with her son in Illinois, where
she passed away Jan. 27, 1896. She was the mother of eight
children, five sons and three daughters, of whom four sons and
two daughters are still living, namely: Mary, who
acts as housekeeper for our subject; George, of this
review; Thomas, a farmer of Holcomb, Ogle county; John,
who is married and engaged in farming in Lee county, Illinois;
Robert; and Mrs. Margaret Copenhaver,
who also resides with our subject and has two sons, George
and Robert.
George Murray was reared in Ontario,
Canada, and received a good common-school education, which well
fitted him for life's responsible duties. As a young man
he came to Illinois, in 1872, and took up his residence in
Taylor township, Ogle county, where for one year he worked by
the month as a farm hand. He then rented a farm, which he
operated for the same length of time. Since then he has
given the greater part of his time and attention to the breeding
of fine stock, in partnership with his brother importing and
dealing in pure-blooded Percheron, Clydesdale and French coach
horses. The firm of Murray Brothers became
well-known among breeders and dealers in different states and
they sold their horses quite extensively throughout the west,
doing a large and profitable business. The partnership was
dissolved in 1886, but our subject continued to engage in the
business until 1893. His first purchase of land consisted
of seventy-five acres in what is now Woosung township, but after
residing there for three years, he sold the place and in 1881
located upon his present farm, consisting at that time of one
hundred and eight-two acres. Upon the place he has made
extensive improvements, which add greatly to its value and
attractive appearance, making it one of the most desirable farms
of the locality. He has enlarged its boundaries so that
they now contain two hundred acres of valuable land under a high
state of cultivation and improved with a large neat residence,
corn cribs, granaries, barns, etc. He has also given
considerable attention to the raising of Galloway cattle, and
still feeds annually from one to four car loads of cattle and a
car load of hogs for the market. He started out in life
for himself with nothing but his own indomitable energy and
through his own efforts has acquired a comfortable competence,
being to-day one of the substantial men of the county.
Mr. Murray cast his first presidential
vote for Grover Cleveland and continued to
affiliate with the Democracy until 1896, when he supported
William McKinley, the Republican candidate. For
a number of years he has served as a member of the school board
and has been president of the district. He is also
connected with the library association and has served as one of
its trustees and directors. He and his sisters hold
membership in the Independent Presbyterian church of Polo, and
he is also a member of the Knights of the Globe. He is
held in high regard by all who know him, and he has a host of
warm friends throughout the county.
Source: The Biographical
Record of Ogle Co., Illinois - illustrated - Publ. Chicago: by
The S. L. Clarke Publishing Co., 1899 - Page 462 |
