The Quilietti Family

The story of a Scots Italian family

MURRAY and MURPHY connections

Thanking Vanessa for getting in touch with Helen. Her mum and Helen [author] are DNA Hits and verifies the connected Irish lines, Murray, Murphy and beyond. This family belongs to Helen’s Maternal grandmother’s line Helen Denholm Crawford. Her lines are Crawford/Murphy/Murray/McGee/Brady who were mostly from Monaghan in Ireland and who found themselves in Edinburgh during the Potato Famine of 1846

Vanessa’s words. “My mum came over to Australia when she was 6 years old, however my nan ( who is Alice Ruby Murray) had quite a lot of brothers and sisters. My nanna’s brother Bert remained and had daughters, and one of them Frieda is still living in Edinburgh to this day. I will let Frieda know as I’m sure she will be excited to hear of the connection.“

There are more than one branch of the Murray’s connected two our own. This branch is connected through Helen Denholm Crawford Morrison who was my maternal grandmother. The other main branch of the Murray’s is connected through my paternal line. My great grand father’s sister Valentina Quilietti married Alex. Murray. Both sides of the family have Irish origins.

Vanessa Emerston – AUSTRALIAN Branch

  • Vanessa’s line.
A snapshot of Vanessa’s line. Our connection is Mary Murphy who married Henry Murray. Mary’s sister Annie is my 3rd Great Grandmother. Annie married William Crawford, they are all of Irish Descent, mostly from Monaghan.

  • William Crawford and Annie Murphy the link
The connected lines. Helen Quilietti Stanton [author] had a DNA hit with Vanessa’s mum.

VANESSA’S direct line

Henry Murray 1770 and Jane Griffin 1776-1839

Daniel Murray. 1799-1870 and ROSEANN O’NEILL 1808-1872


St. Mary’s RC Broughton Place in Edinburgh was where the marriage took place between Daniel Murray and Roseann O’Neill 4th March 1839.
Daniel’s father Henry Murray 1770-1839 and his mother Jane Griffin 1776-1839 had moved from Ireland and were employed in the Linen Mills where work was ample at this time the surrounding areas of Fife and also in Lanark. Henry may have been. born in County Antrim.
Daniel however became a Master shoe-maker by profession.
They produced 8 children between 1837 and 1851 and most them died in infancy or as young adults. Their eldest daughter Jane was born before their marriage in 1837 but baptised in St. Mary’s.
John O’Neill and Margaret Murray were sponsors at the baptism in St. Mary’s for baby baby Jane 1837-1840.
The 1841 Scottish Census finds Daniel with his family living at 36 West Port and working as a Shoe Maker.
With him his wife, and also James Murray age 19 working as an apprentice shoemaker
[who may have been a brother] and his youngest baby Agnes.
[their two eldest children had by now died].
By 1851 and continuing to 1861 Daniel had moved into the profession of Old Clothes Broker at 165 Cowgate with his wife Roseann and their growing family
  • children
  • JANE MURRAY 1837-1840
  • CHARLES MURRAY 1839-1840
  • SARAH MURRAY 1843-1929 married James Hughes, Blacksmith. 5 children. They resided in the Grange area of Edinburgh.
  • Henry Murray 1845-1899 see below
  • Daniel Murray 1846-1861
  • Elizabeth Murray 1850- unknown
  • Roseann Murray 1851-1855

    HENRY MURRAY 1845-1899

    When Henry Murray was born on July 26, 1845, in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, his father, Daniel, was 46 and his mother, Rose Ann was 36. He married Catherine McKenna on February 20, 1865, in Edinburgh In St. Patrick’s RC Chapel in little Ireland which was the Cowgate. Sadly she died shortly thereafter, possibly due to a difficult birth. The couple both lived in the Cowgate which was and still is known as Little Ireland. The Chapel was St. Patrick’s Chapel where so many of our ancestors were baptised and married. The Irish names depict their heritage as does their residences. In fact many of our family were in the rag and bone business where the old clothes were recycled.

    • First marriage
    1865 in Edinburgh,
    Henry Murray, Tailor, son of
    Daniel Murray, Hawker of Old Clothes
    and Rose Anna O’Neill
    married Catherine McKenna,
    daughter of James McKenna, Mason and
    Margaret McGinn.

    Henry then married Mary Murphy and they had at least two children together, Daniel Murray 1872-1949 and Mary Ann Murray 1874-1940.

    Henry re-married in 1871 to
    Mary Murphy 1850-1883
    Mary’s dad was
    Hugh Murphy 1821-1876
    and her mother
    Annie McGee. 1831-1904
    They had seven children, and sisters Mary and Annie are our joint DNA Hits

    After Mary’s death Henry married for the third time in 1885 to Ellen Daily. Henry died on March 7, 1899, in Canongate, Midlothian, Scotland, at the age of 53.

    • Third marriage
    Henry’s Murray’s death age 53

    DANIEL MURRAY’S 1872-1949 – children

    • Daniel Murray 1872-1949 married Elizabeth Brady Fielding 1875-1934.
      He joined the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Scots in WW1
    Daniel’s death in 1949 Edinburgh, 28 St. Mary’s Street.
    • Elizabeth Brady Fielding at the left married Daniel in 1903 [second marriage]
    Elizabeth Brady was born on 1st March 1876 in Brodie’s Close, The Cowgate, Edinburgh. She was the illegitimate daughter of Sarah Brady who worked in a Rag Store in the Cowgate, as many other members of the family did back then.
    Sarah moved on and she had a relationship with George Fielding 1852-1923. On Sarah’s death certificate she is documented as being single. They had one other surviving son George Fielding 1878-1949. George senior may have been Elizabeth’s natural father.

    Elizabeth Brady Fielding married
    John William McGUIRE
    1866–1902
    BIRTH 18 JUL 1866 • Edinburgh, Scotland
    DEATH 6 FEB 1902 • Edinburgh, Scotland.
    They had four children
    Francis, Winifred, Elizabeth and Sarah McGuire
    In 1902 John died and Elizabeth re-married in 1903 to Daniel Murray.1872-1949
    They in turn had the children listed underneath and a couple more who died as infants. They however separated in the year 1925 but never divorced.

    MARY or Mae Murray 1904-1985

    • Daughter Mary or Mae Murray 1904-1985 NSW.
    .
    Eldest daughter Mary Murray 1904-1985
    She was born in Middle Arthur Place in Edinburgh. She married in New South Wales in 1923 to Eric Martin Bergstrom Henningsen
    1901–1980
    BIRTH 31 JUL 1901 • Horsens, Nordjylland, Denmark
    DEATH 31.3.1980 • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Henry Murray 1906-1950

    Second child was Henry Murray [right] 1906-1950. He was a house-painter and lived in India Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh with his wife Margaret Nelson Cummings.
    Henry/s death
    • Next surviving son was Daniel George or Danny Murray 1910-1950. Photographed here with his dad who died in 1949.

    Daniel George MURRAY 1910-1940

    Danny died when he was only 40 years old with his usual residence still in Edinburgh’s Old Town at 73 St. Mary’s Street off the Royal Mile.

    James Hughes Murray 1912-1940

    Birth of James Hughes Murray. More tragedy when he died very prematurely at Dunkirk age 27. He had married Lily Osborne in 1934 in Newington in Edinburgh.
    Dunkirk

    Albert George Murray 1914-1992

    • Albert George Murray 1914-1992
      with his wife Isabella Knight Baillie Wilson “Isa”
      1918–1992
      BIRTH 26 OCT 1918 • Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
      DEATH 2 MAR 1992 • Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
    • George and Isa in later life

    AGNES Mary Murray 1918-1997

    • Agnes Murray 1918-1997
    Birth in St. Mary’s Street in Edinburgh. AGNES died in Perth Western Australia
    she married
    Reginald Clifford Robinson
    1907–1990
    BIRTH 02.10.1907 • Inverell, New South Wales, Australia
    DEATH 11.06.1990 • Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
    • Agnes arriving in Australia
    • Reginald or Bob and Agnes with their twins and a little daughter – names unknown NSW

    ALICE RUBY MURRAY – Vanessa’s Gran 1919-1986

    • Alice Ruby Murray was born on 30 October 1919 at 23 St. Mary’s Street in Edinburgh which had been the family flat for many years. You can see below that her step-aunt recorded the birth
    Her marriage in 1941 was to Henry Brooks. They both worked in the nearby Cinema which I presume was the Edinburgh Playhouse on Greenside Place. Alice was still residing at the home she was born in 23 St. Mary’s Street, just off the Cowgate where I presume that she attended St. Patrick’s RC Church where all her ancestors had been married before her.
    • Henry Brooks (Harry)
      1920–1984
      BIRTH 18 JANUARY 1920 • Edinburgh, Scotland
      DEATH 18 DECEMBER 1984 • North Ryde, Bennelong, New South Wales, Australia
      His father was a Music Hall Artist.
    • In later life Harry Brooks
    1954 the family emigrate from Southampton on the New Australia. Her husband I assume would have gone earlier. The family home is still 23 St. Marys Street. With Alice is four children, Daniel, William, Eric and Carol. Mum told me their address before moving to Australia was 30B Cumberland Street. Uncle Brian and Uncle Les were born in hospital, however Uncle Eric and mum were born at home. Due to rules at time, could only have first two in hospital – Cumberland Street was the Brooks family address in 1941
    On their arrival in Sydney we see the family in Macdonaldtown Hostel, Wilson Street in Sydney
    • Alice and Henry in later life
    • Wedding day in Edinburgh

    Mary Ann Murray [Daniel’s sister] 1874-1940

    Mary Ann’s birth
    They married in the family home on 18th August 1892 and now marrying via the Church of Scotland vows in her family home at 18 Robertson’s Close, Cowgate.
    An unusual step for such a Catholic family.
    They had four children,
    JANET MILLAR 1895,
    GEORGE MILLAR 1896,
    HENRY MILLAR 1899 and
    MARY MILLAR 1901-1990
    Mary married George Glaister Strathie 1901-1961
    in St. Mary’s RC Cathedral in Broughton

    They had one known child a daughter Patricia Strathie 1941-1966.

    When Mary died in 1940 they were living at 2 Grange Court in Edinburgh, a step upwards in a nice area of the City.
    • Grange Court 2021 – all newly renovated and upmarket

    THE MURPHY connections – Monaghan, Ireland

    Hugh Murphy

    Our joint 3rd Great Grandfather, Hugh Murphy was born on July 24 1819 in County Monaghan, Ireland, the son of Hugh Murphy, Agricultural Labourer and Catherine McDonald. He married Ann McGee on August 16, 1848, in Ireland. They had eight children in 29 years of whom only 4 survived and of these only Annie and Catherine to over 50.

    Another snapshot of the tree showing the Murphy McGee line with another Connolly thrown in for good luck Our joint ancestors are Hugh Murphy and Mary Ann McGee and all those before.
    County Monaghan, marked in red here is set in 500 square miles of lush rolling hills and beautiful lakelands in the north Midlands of Ireland. This ancient landscape of drumlins in the province of Ulster derives its name from the MacMahons, the medieval ruling clan of the country

    Moving to Edinburgh during the great famine we find the family at first in Carruber’s Close, off the High Street, with Hugh working as a Costermonger, or seller of small goods in the streets of Edinburgh.

    He progressed on and became a Plasterer’s labourer and worked at this for many years. The family moved down to Stevenlaw’s Close, the West Side, just further up the High Street.

    Hugh senior died on October 13 1876, in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, at the age of 57.

    Hugh’s death – They have his widow as Catherine Murphy not Ann, unless she had a middle name.

    Ann died in the Poorhouse, Craiglockhart in February 1904 with her second husband in attendance.

    CHILDREN of Hugh Murphy and Annie McGee

    Mary Murphy 1850-1983

    This is Mary’s wedding to Henry Murray. They lived next stair to each other in Stevenlaw’s close. She was six years his junior. Her sister Jane was witness at the wedding. Mary had a short life and tied of Phitisis or TB age 33 years at 23 Dickson’s Close. They did however have two children, Daniel [d/l] SEE ABOVE. and Mary Ann 1874-1940
    This is Vanessa’s grandmother’s death. She was the daughter of Hugh Murphy and Annie McGee

    Hugh Murphy Junior 1857-1890

    One of their sons became an Artists Model [also called Hugh 1857-1890]. On his death certificate alcoholism attributed greatly to his death.

    Annie Murphy 1853-1907

    Annie is Helen’s direct line. Marrying William Crawford in 1872. They also live in Stevenlaw’s Close but NO. 14. please see separate page
    Annie Murphy’s death. Like so many of the family she died with T.B.

    Catherine Murphy. 1855-1926

    The first page,
    Catherine Murphy daughter, [third down]
    3 Bell’s Wynd, High Street, Edinburgh born 8th May 1855
    second part, third down
    parents Hugh Murphy age 32 years, county Monaghan, Ireland. Married 1847 County Monaghan Ireland, 2 girls living, one deceased
    and Annie Murphy, maiden name McGee her 4th child. Age 26 years, County Monaghan, Ireland. Catherine married in the year 1877 to James Conboy, also of Irish descent. They had a large family and whose descendants are still in Edinburgh today.

    THE MURPHY CHILDREN who died in infancy

    • Rosie Murphy 1859
    • Francis Murphy 1862
    • Margaret Murphy 1864
    • Sarah Murphy 1866-1867

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