MURRAY / GRINSELL
Family History
* (All Place references are South Australian
unless stated otherwise)
The children of Horace Inkster Murray and Eleanor
Christine Grinsell [b]
Jean Eleanor born c 1917 (at Milang? Died there in 1936 aged 19?)
Arthur Horace born 15/10/1918 at Milang
[a]
Jessie born c 1925 (at Milang ?)
Evelyn born c 1927 (at Milang ?)
Joe born
Joe born
Horace Inkster Murray
Horace was born 22/11/1888 at Milang (on Lake Alexandrina) in Sth Aust, parents Arthur Inkster Murray and Jane Goldfinch [f]
Horace
(age 27) married Eleanor Christine Grinsell (27, father Joseph Charles
Grinsell) at the Church of Christ in Milang 16/1/1917. [I]
In several
SA Directories up to and including 1928, Horace is listed as “Labourer” of
Milang. [d]
He had
several brothers and sisters, all born Milang … [f]
Arthur
Henry 24/4/1884
Jane
Catherine 2/4/1886
Leonard
Robert 23/9/1891
Lily
Inkster 3/8/1880
Margaret
Jane 12/9/1881
May
Elizabeth 3/11/1882
In a
Milang local history book there is a 1910 photo of Horace (along with a May
Murray, p128) working at a butter factory (building still exists). There is also a reference to him working for
an ostrich farmer in the district called Dunk (p257).
In the
same book is a photo of a Len Murray (p96) by the paddle steamer
“Jupiter”. He looks young and I presume
this is Horace’s younger brother Leonard Robert, who was born 1891 and also
worked in the butter factory, but died of tetanus aged only 21 in 1915.
There is
also a Jean Murray (p220), presumably his eldest daughter (looks about 8), at
school in 1925.
Under
“Some Citizens of Milang” (p268), Murray Family, there are references to May,
Horace, and Len. [n]
Horace
seems to have died in 1927, but there is no headstone in the Milang cemetery
for him, and there is no record of his burial in Milang or Strathalbyn [e].
His
Directory entries stop in 1928 [d].
The only
specific reference to Horace’s death found so far is the 1927 Govt Gazette [c],
which usually suggests a death in hospital, or an inquest, or a death the
subject of a police report, but I
couldn’t find the item.
On the SA
Deaths Index 1926-30 [d], it lists Vol 491, Page 545, but shows no date or Regn
District. There is also no record on
the “Sudden Deaths” Index 1840-1940, or the Abbott (Newspaper Obits) Index [d].
Eleanor Christine Grinsell
Eleanor
was born 9/7/1890, in “Birmingham” England [b]
Her father
was Joseph Charles Grinsell [i]
Eleanor
had a twin brother John Paul, who died in 1967. [b]
Eleanor
died at Warradale 25/8/1969, age 79 , and her ashes are interred at Centennial
Park [k]
Arthur Inkster Murray
Father of
Horace Inkster Murray above, Arthur was born c 1851 [l]
No arrival
data found for Arthur, and he could have been born in the colony, although he
doesn’t appear in the conventional SA Genealogy indexes. He could also have arrived here with his
parents as immigrants.
He married
(aged 29, father John Murray) on 15/4/1880, to Jane Goldfinch (aged 28, father
Henry Goldfinch) at her father’s residence at Milang [i]
Arthur
died 3/6/1908 (aged 57), and was buried in the Milang cemetery [l]
Jane Goldfinch
Mother of
Horace Inkster Murray above, Jane was born in the “Adelaide Dist” 18/2/1852, to
Henry Goldfinch and Jane nee Hillman
[f]
Jane had
several brothers and at least one sister … [f]
Jane died
at Milang 22/9/1934, aged 83, and was buried in the town cemetery, although
there is no memorial [g]
Joseph Charles Grinsell
Father of
Eleanor Christine Grinsell above, born (guess) c 1855.
In the
1881 Census of Staffordshire, living at 157 Heathfield Rd, Handsworth, is a
John Grinsell (Head, 56, born Wolverhampton, a Silversmith employing 170
people), Mary E Grinsell (Wife, 64, born Bridgenorth Shrops), and Joseph C
Grinsell (Son, 25, born Birmingham, Silversmith) [p]
Presumed
this is Eleanor’s father, still single and living at home with his parents, but
can’t quickly see any cross references to make this a certainty. Grinsells are really thick on the ground in
the Wolverhampton-Birmingham area.
In the
Index of the 1891 Census of Staffordshire (a County that encroaches on the
northern section of current day Greater Birmingham), there is listed an Eleanor
C Grinsell, born c 1882 in Staffs (a daughter of a head of a house), a Joseph C
Grinsell, born c 1856 in Warwickshire (which adjoins Staffs), the Head of a house,
and a John Grinsell, born c 1882 in Staffs (the son of a head of a house). [o]
This is
probably them, but to be sure the full 1891 Census page for one of these people
would have to be purchased to confirm they are actually part of one
household. If this is the case, this
would also provide the mothers first name, an address, occupations, etc.
In the
1896-7 Trade Directories for Birmingham (part Staffs) is listed John Grinsell
& Sons, electroplaters, Victoria Works, St Georges. [q]
This may
or may not be relevant, but if the 1881 Census data above is the family, then
this is probably Eleanor’s grandfather and father (and brothers?) in business
together. There is a snippet of oral
history that suggests that Eleanor “had servants” when she was a child.
But, there
are no Grinsell shipping arrivals data for Sth Aust 1888-1908 [j]
There are
no Grinsell entries in the South Aust Trade (Milang) or the General sections of
the Directories between 1919 and 1923
[d]
So, with
Eleanor marrying in Milang in 1917, aged 27, to a basic working class local, it
raises questions of – how and when did she arrive in SA? – did she come out on
her own? – and if she was from a fairly prosperous manufacturing family (John
Grinsell & Sons made high class silverware well into the 1920s that are
valuable antiques today) what was she doing out here anyway?
There are
a set of microfilms in the Adelaide Lib’s Family History section covering the
1908 onwards shipping arrivals, but they aren’t indexed, which means a long
slog working backwards from 1916 (I’ve checked the few weeks of 1917 before she
married but couldn’t find her).
Mrs (J C)
Grinsell
Mother of
Eleanor above, born (guess) c 1860
No
information yet found regarding this person
John Murray
Father of
Arthur Inkster Murray above [i]
Born
(guess) c 1820
There is a
John Murray marrying a Marjorie Inkster 18/5/1843 at Delting in Shetland, and
went on to have (at least) Ann Inkster bapt 1844, Magnus bn 1855, James
bn 1858, and Margaret bn 1860, but no Arthur recorded. [p]
Both
Murray and Inkster are fairly common names on Shetland, but this is one of the
few places where they occur together. [p]
Presumed
that the Murray’s came from Scotland somewhere (Scot-type “colouring”, and
where did the “Magnus” come from in Gordon’s name?), and Inkster is solely a
Scottish name, found virtually only in the Highlands, although strictly
speaking it appears to be originally INKSETTER, and is Scandanavian in origin,
from when the Shetlands and Orkney Islands were part of the Norse kingdom. There is also a suggestion that (up there)
even Murray was once MORA, also Scandanavian from the same heritage. [p]
Mrs (John) Murray
Mother of
Arthur Inkster Murray above, born (guess) c 1820
No
information yet found regarding this person
Henry Goldfinch
Father of
Jane Goldfinch above, Henry was born c 1819
[g]
Henry
married (“Full Age”, no father recorded) Jane Hillman (ditto), on 4/12/1845, in
the historic Holy Trinity Church in Nth Tce Adelaide [i]
They had
at least five children … [f]
Margaret (born Mt Barker) 14/9/1846
Henry (born Strathalbyn) 20/2/1850
Jane (born “Ad Dist”) 18/2/1852
Leonard (born “Ad Dist”) 3/12/1853
Frederick (born “Ad Dist “) 20/2/1856
This
suggests that both Henry and his wife-to-be Jane Hillman were “Old Colonists”,
that is, emigrated to SA as young people in the first few years of the new
colony. A search of the early arrivals
data in the Adelaide Library would soon pick this up, probably along with the ship(s)
they came out on, where the originated, and who was with them.
Goldfinch
is overwhelmingly a Kent-London area name
[p]
In a
Milang local history book there is a reference to a H.Goldfinch Jnr (p52),
trustee of the Congregational Church in 1862, (“Jnr”? If this is Jane above’s brother,
who did marry and live most of his life in the district, he was only 12 in
1862! – must mean the father?), also a school prize being awarded to a Jane
Goldfinch (p55), also Henry Goldfinch, farmer in 1860 (p67), and to a petition
for a local council in 1856 signed by Henry Goldfinch (p72) [n]
(Goldfinch
is still a local name in the Milang area).
Henry died
at Sandergrove 24/7/1911, aged 92 [g]
Jane Hillman
Mother of
Jane Goldfinch above, born (guess) c 1820
Jane died
at Strathalbyn 15/2/1896 [g]
Hillman is
predominantly a southern England name, heavily concentrated from Sussex across
to Wiltshire [p]
??????? Grinsell
Father of
Joseph Charles Grinsell above, born (guess) c 1820
There is a
John Grinsell bapt 20/10/1822 at Wolverhampton, parents John & Eleanor, and
a John Grinsell married an Eleanor Atkins 9/12/1821 at St Mary’s
Birmingham [p]
This may
or may not be the parents of Joseph Charles Grinsell above. The bapt date is within 3 years of the John
Grinsell of the 1881 Census, and the birthplace is the same, and his wife’s
name Eleanor turns up in a later generation, but that’s about it. Lots of Grinsells in that part of the
world. And even if this is the John of
the 1881 Census, he doesn’t have to be “our” John.
Mrs (?????) Grinsell
Mother of
Joseph Charles Grinsell above, born (guess) c 1820
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SOURCES …
[a] Army
record summary
[b] Oral
history, per Arthur’s wife Dot Murray
[c] SA
Gen & Hist Soc (online database)
[d] Fam
History Section, Adelaide Library
[e] Alexandrina
Council, Strathalbyn
[f] SA
Births Index (SAGHS)
[g] Cemetery
Indexes (SAGHS)
[h] SA
Deaths Index (SAGHS)
[i] SA
Marriage Index (SAGHS)
[j] Shipping
Arrivals records, Adelaide Library
[k] Centennial
Park records
[l] Headstone
Milang cemetery
[m] Biographical
Index of SA (SAGHS)
[n] “Alexandrina’s
Shores” (History of Milang)
[o] Family
History Online
[p] Mormons
FamilySearch database online
[q] Historic
Directories Online
MILANG CEMETERY …
In the
Milang cemetery the only Murray grave is a fairly plain but tidy multiple site,
with a single pillar type stone that reads …
“In loving memory of ARTHUR INKSTER,
beloved husband of JANE MURRAY, who died June 3rd 1908, aged 57,
also LEONARD ROBERT, beloved son of the above, who died July 11th
1915, aged 22.”
(There are
undoubtably Goldfinch and Hillman graves or burials in the Milang cemetery but
I didn’t know these family names at the time.)
OTHER DEATH RECORDS …
Buried in
Milang cemetery there is (all Murrays “of Milang”) Lily d1881 (4mths), Margaret
Jane d1881 (1mth), Arthur Inkster d1908 (57), Leonard Robert d1915 (21), Jane
d1934 (83), and Jean Eleanor d1936 (19)
[g], and also Arthur Henry d1884 (7mths) [h]
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