Sleuthing at this level, i.e., going back to the 1700s, is not easy. Few records exist and even fewer stories. With that in mind, I’ve decided to lower my expectations just a bit.
Today, I had an appointment with a representative from the historical society of Gorham, Maine. Gorham is where I know Anthony Murray moved to after marrying and having several children in Wellfleet, MA – the Boston area. His son, my ancestor, Arnold Murray, was born in Gorham, Maine in late 1780.
When I walked in for my appointment, the woman greeted me the words that she had found nothing about our Murray ancestors. We chatted a while, and I shared that Anthony Murray lived with his wife in a portion of his mother-in-law’s property (Margaret Holbrook). Once she learned that information, she was able to look up Margaret Holbrook, and sure enough, references to Anthony Murray showed up. Yeah! Margaret Holbrook owned lots that are located in the current downtown area of Gorham. The footnote referenced Anthony Murray and indicated he had moved out of the area in 1794.
Reviewing Anthony Murray’s time line, he lost an adult son and daughter in late 1792 and another son in early 1793. Death records from those dates do not reveal cause of death, but I’m guessing they all succumbed to some contagion of that time – possibly smallpox. It was after this that Anthony Murray left Gorham and settled in Danville, Maine. Cause and effect? I can only speculate, yes.
Tomorrow, I have an appointment in Auburn, ME – the city that incorporated the Danville of Anthony’s time. Maybe I’ll be lucky and find some stories about what Anthony Murray did for a living, how he participated in society and where he is buried. I’ll take any of those. After that, I’m moving on down to the Boston area.
10/10/2024