| Margaret Murray Third Class Passenger Lost |
|
 image:Daily Missoulian, Sunday, 16 May 1915, page 3. |
|
| Born | Margaret Gray c. 1889 Scotland |
| Died | 7 May 1915 (age 27) At sea |
| Traveling with | – Walter Murray (son) – Elizabeth Young (housemate) |
| Citizenship | British (Scotland) |
| Residence | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Spouse(s) | James Murray (? – 1915, her death) |
Margaret Murray, 26, was born in Scotland as Margaret Gray. She later emigrated to Chicago, Illinois, United States, where she lived at 6853 South Green Street with her husband James Murray, and they had a son, Walter. They shared an address with Charles Young and his wife, Elizabeth. Both husbands were employed by the Chicago City Railways Company and did not sail with their wives on Lusitania’s last crossing.
Margaret and Walter were traveling on Lusitania to return to Scotland to visit Margaret’s mother, who lived in Castlegate, Lannark. Margaret had not been back to Scotland in 8 years, and at the time of the voyage, Walter was 4 and a quarter years old. Elizabeth Young traveled with the mother and child. All three were lost in the Lusitania sinking.
The Saturday, 8 May 1915, New York Times, names Margaret, Walter, and Elizabeth as being from Memphis, Tennessee, or who had, at least, had booked passage in Memphis, while mentioning that their husbands were employed by Chicago City Railways Company.
Contributors:
Judith Tavares
References:
New York Times, Saturday, 8 May 1915.
Daily Missoulian, Sunday, 16 May 1915, page 3.
Margaret Gray was born in Cornwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland on 12 August 1889. She was the daughter of coal miner James Gray and Christina Aitken.
She married James Tait Gray (14 Sept. 1886-May-? 1954) on 22 June 1910, Glasgow, Scotland, where she was working as a domestic servant and he, a car conductor.
Their only child, Walter George Tait Gray was born on 20 November 1910, at 22 Broomgate Street, Lanark, Lanarkshire, Scotland, which was Margaret’s family home.
James immigrated on 22 Sept. 1911 on board “SS Cameronia” to New York. His wife and son joined him there on 1 April 1912 on board the “S.S. Caledonia”.
The family moved to Toronto, Ontario a year later and on 25 October 1914, James had enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.
In 1915, at the urging of his good friend, he moved his little family to Chicago, Illinois.
Margaret had wanted to visit Scotland for several years and although James could not get time off form work, Margaret went a head with Walter and a family friend, Elizabeth Young (She was also from Scotland and married to James’ best friend, Charles Young, who worked with him). At the time of their departure the Young and Murray families were living at the Young residence: 6953 South Green Street, Chicago.
News of the tragedy hit James and Charles within days. They set out to the local Cunard offices, seeking answers. They were there for some days as a letter dated on May 11th tells how James refused to leave until he had word of his wife or son. He carried a photo of little Walter with him.
In 1917, James married Margaret Wilson Keeley, a Scottish widow with five children, in Chicago.
Together they had two children: Christina Thompson Murray ( 3 December 1919-3 November 2004) and John James Murray (1924-15 Sept. 1934, died aged 10 after being involved in a hit and run).
Margaret Wilson Keeley Murray died 3 December 1937.
James Tait Murray died in May of 1954.
Hello Hildur,
Would love to compare research notes with you on the Murray/Gray family. Please email me when convenient.
Thank you,
Jack Murray
themurrays(at)dmci.net