Myrtle Rogers of Marion County, Tennessee

[Quote from Sequachee Valley News, 29 October 1896, Supplement, p.5]:

"Miss Myrtle Rogers is proving to be quite a valuable assistant postmaster."

[Source]: Rogers (untitled item) in Sequachee Valley News (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Marion, Tennessee) 1896-1952, 29 October 1896, Supplement, page 5 (digital image 5), Image and text provided by University of Tennessee, Library of Congress, via Chronicling America Historic Newspapers website.  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89058250/1896-10-29/ed-1/seq-5/ (04 February 2023).

William 'Squirrel' Murray Biographical Sketch

William S. 'Squirrel' Murray was born in Tennessee. As a child, he moved with his parents to northern Murray County, Georgia, where his father worked in a shoe shop. William learned the trade of shoemaker and worked in that trade. In 1884, he married Elizabeth Cordwell in nearby Whitfield County. By 1893, he had opened his own shoe shop there, at Dalton. William and Lizzie had at least seven children. The family probably lived in or near a community called Fashion.

Somewhere along the line, Will or Bill (he went by both) picked up the nickname of "Squirrel." Besides being a shoemaker, Squirrel Murray was a writer-poet-philosopher, publishing a column in the Dalton Citizen. His writing was a mixture of humor,  poetry, and philosophy. He also took photographs for the paper. At the same time, ads for his shoe shop appeared in the paper. Squirrel was quite a character. In 1904, he took a shot at Bob Holland (a neighbor), but missed, owing to a policeman's intervention. The feud went back one year, though the cause is unknown. After that, mentions of Murray are scarce and discreet, though friends hoped he would start writing to the paper again. 

The family moved to Chattanooga. Squirrel and his wife were separated by 1910 (Lizzie reported herself as a widow). William died in Birchwood in 1942, and was buried at Silverdale cemetery, according to his death certificate. His daughter, Myrtle Barnes, was the informant.

William 'Squirrel' Murray: Clues to Identify Him

Clues to Identify William S. 'Squirrel' Murray, a writer, poet, philosopher, and shoemaker, of Murray County and Whitfield County, Georgia. It includes clues to identify some of his friends and peers (other local writers and neighbors).

"Squirrel Murray, Carl Kenner, Charlie Glenn and Burroughs Sanders spent yesterday in Rome."

Burroughs Sanders in North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia) 1868-1924, 11 May 1899, page 8 (digital image 8).
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1899-05-11/ed-1/seq-8/print/image_578x817_from_331,3187_to_1285,4535/ (accessed 11 March 2022).

Trying to find connections:
1900 census, Dalton

Burroughs [Burrus] Sanders: G94S-2LZ - 7/106 - p.2,
       W. Dalton, Thornton Avenue, age 27, Clerk
Carl Kenner: KZKQ-JNG -7/106 - p.12
       Cleveland Street, off Hamilton, age 25
       Cotton Buyer
William S Murray: LVLP-L9N -7/107 - p.11, E. Dalton
    age 40, shoemaker
        North Hamilton by Tyler, near Depot Street

Will S. Murray shot at Bob Holland:
Bob Holland: Family Search PID G68K-8WVC

Bob Holland in Census: -7/106 - p.11, W. Dalton

       Hamilton Street, age 21, Merchant

Lank W. Barrett: Family Search PID: 9J4L-9F3
      
George Glenn, P. Rooney, and Squirrel Murray are mentioned as poet-writers for the newspaper. George E. Whitman and P. Rooney sign columns mentioning Squirrel Murray and the others. James Wells. S.A.R. Cousin LANK (L. W. Barrett, later a Washington correspondent), The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, March 10, 1906, page 6 (digital image 6).

Research Question: Is Samuel Thomas Rooney a.k.a. P. Rooney?
    Family Search PID 24F2-TDW

Other cronies: Charlie Glenn, W.C. "Bill" Glenn (later, is in DC, I think), George E. Whitman, George Glenn (maybe a.k.a. George Whitman), "Bird" Jones (sells exotic birds?), Henry Hamilton, P. Rooney, Cousin Lank, S.A.R.

Giddens might be Riley Giddens, works on road laws, etc. In a later, 1912 piece, he is R.W. Giddens. I believe his daughter, Myrtle Giddens, is also a correspondent.

Was Squirrel Murray given a smackdown by Dalton's poet laureate? D. R. Loveman kind of insults Bill (hits Bill's ego): The Dalton argus. (Dalton, Ga.) 18??-????, March 23, 1895, page 1 (digital image 1).
__________________

Squirrel or Bill Murray:

"George Francis Train "Squirrel" Bill Murray will spell from a Blue Back Speller, purchased from Farnsworth Bros." (Inferred: Will Murray must be in charge of a spelling bee. It's possible that he is a contestant, but as an adult, he is probably the teacher.)

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053937/1894-01-20/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_509x817_from_2718,4312_to_3636,5784/
    ALSO CLIPPED DUPLICATE?:
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053937/1894-01-20/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_509x817_from_2708,4271_to_3669,5812/

BILL MURRAY in 1894: mature adult, handsome, dignified; probably middle-aged. He chaperones young people on a moonlight stroll: The Dalton argus. (Dalton, Ga.) 18??-????, August 18, 1894, Image 1.

A joke about Bill Murray (supposedly quoting him): terms of endearment, "Old Beeswax"
The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, July 28, 1894, page 1 (digital image 1). https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053937/1894-07-28/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_529x817_from_945,3825_to_1886,5277/

Another reference: V. L. Ran identifies Bill Murray as a resident of Dalton, who formerly lived in Murray County. The author of the letter takes offense at a joke Murray had made about the Texas boys and moonshine, and says that Murray has become stuck up since moving to Dalton.

[Source]: "Locke Ran's Letter" (dtd. Trinity Mills, Texas, 9 March 1895), The Dalton Argus (Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia), 16 March 1895, page 4, (digital image 4).

The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, April 27, 1895, Page 3, page 3, (digital image 3)

The Local Observer writer identifies Bill as owning a shop: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, May 16, 1895, Image 3

The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, February 27, 1897, Page 7, Image 7. LANK expects a visit from Bill Murray (it is a dotters' get-together); praises Bob Loveman (poet) on his success;

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1897-08-26/ed-1/seq-8/print/image_566x817_from_1071,5654_to_1994,6986/

Bill is strong: The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, July 08, 1899, page 9, (digital image 9).

Philosophical piece, with humor: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, December 28, 1899, page 2 (digital image 2).

North Georgia citizen. (Dalton, Ga.) 1868-1924, January 18, 1900, page 2 (digital image 2). (Politicians and Hogs)

Silliness on marriage: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, February 01, 1900, page 6 (digital image 6).

Letter about coffin factory, highly ironic:
North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, February 08, 1900, page 8 (digital image 8).

Funny, cute letter poking fun at county correspondents, of which he is one:
North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, February 15, 1900, Image 2
  (Right after it is a hilarious response from a country correspondent).

Citizen complains about Dahlonega paper not crediting the Citizen with Bill Murray's articles.
North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, March 22, 1900, page 4 (digital image 4).

Praises the old blueback speller (which earlier he had used in a spelling bee, according to an 1894 item.
   North Georgia Citizen (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, October 11, 1900, page 3 (digital image 3).

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, October 11, 1900, Image 3 ) Poking fun at the ScandaLouisville Gazette.

Bill Murray: crazy description of one Bill Johnson: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, January 31, 1901, Image 2

Bill Murray plays the fiddle (mentioned by another correspondent): The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, February 02, 1901, Page 5, Image 5

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, February 07, 1901, page 2 (digital image 2).  Philosophy of life.

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, March 13, 1902, Image 4 (about lying; funny, philosophical).

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, March 20, 1902, Image 4 (Silly quips, words of wisdom).

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, April 03, 1902, Image 4 (Silly fishing trip)

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, April 10, 1902, Image 2 (Silly politics)

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, May 01, 1902, Image 4 (Funny. Local happenings).

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, March 12, 1903, Image 2 (Silly, about a goat)

Bill Murray letter about job consideration:
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1903-08-06/ed-1/seq-6/print/image_600x817_from_3338,48_to_6329,4116/
   ("four small children" fits; two others were 17 or older, and the 7th was not yet born).

Bill Murray letter to the Government about worthless seed:
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1904-06-09/ed-1/seq-6/print/image_623x817_from_2513,50_to_4863,3129/

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, July 07, 1904, Image 8.  Bill Murray, the Mount Rachel philosopher.  https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1904-07-07/ed-1/seq-8/print/image_623x817_from_1745,4832_to_2557,5896/
        ******No town in Whitfield County will
        standardize as "Mt. Rachel," but one place
        name in Whitfield County, that can be
        identified as Mt. Rachel, is a summit at
        the dead end of (now) Ashworth Drive,
        off of the north terminus of Hamilton St.
        It seems to fit W. S. Murray, but check
        the dates of residence.

1904: Will S. "Squirrel" Murray shot at Bob Holland. The trouble goes back a year. Murray was arrested.
         North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia) 1868-1924, 25 August 1904, Page 1, Image 1
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1904-08-25/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_623x817_from_4141,1343_to_6027,3813/

NO MENTION 1904 - 1906 UNTIL:

1906: Shake writes; misses Bill's letters.
North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, February 01, 1906,  page 2 (digital image 2).

In charge of fiddlers at the fair: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, August 02, 1906, Image 8

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield,  Ga.) 1868-1924, August 30, 1906, Image 2. SCANDALouisville Gazette again, laughing at correspondents. Hilarious!

Goofy poem: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, March 15, 1906, Image 4 ("He hasn't done anything since.")

********1907-1908 Bill Murray's "RETIREMENT"
This article says Bill Murray has come forward from a year's retirement to do a piece on socialism (this refers to it as "funny," but it sounds like a sincere push for socialism):
-----North Georgia citizen. (Dalton, Ga.) 1868-1924, September 03, 1908, Image 4
-----Socialism in "Political Parties," North Georgia citizen. (Dalton, Ga.) 1868-1924, September 03, 1908, Image 6

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, September 24, 1908, Image 4. Funny, philosophical letter to the editor about progress.

Bill Murray, about aeroplanes: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, January 06, 1910, page 6 (digital image 6).

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, July 11, 1912, page 4 (digital image 4). (Long piece on socialism).

Bill Murray also takes photos: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, May 23, 1912, page 2 (digital image 2).

North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield,  Ga.) 1868-1924, July 04, 1912, page 5 (digital image 5).  Cute poem.

Image 1
North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, October 17, 1912, Image 1. Reunion of the Citizen's Correspondents have dinner and visit the county fair; Bill Murray took a group photo.
******In next issue, C.R. Vance, who clipped the photo, identifies the photographer as "SQUIRREL" Murray.   North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, November 07, 1912, page 6 (digital image 6).

Old correspondents: Philom and Junius, James Wells, Mr. Giddens, Shope, McCamy. Bill "Squirrel" Murray took a picture of them Ref. North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, November 07, 1912, Image 6). C. R. Vance, the new correspondent, wrote about them more than once.

_________

RELATED, BY LANK: Lank's letter, from Washington DC, alludes to the shoes that Bill Murray half-soles shoes with (and, considering the affectionate repartee that passes between these correspondents, who all know each other, it has to be Bill "Squirrel" Murray). This, and shoe-shop ads that appear at the time Murray is in Dalton, helps identify William "Squirrel" Murray, and William "Will" or "Bill" Murray, the shoemaker, as one and the same. The occupation also helps identify Murray in census.
  ---- The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, February 06, 1897, Page 6, Image 6
   The Washington letter reports on an event related to the presence of Queen Lil (quick lookup, last queen of Hawaii, protested Hawaii being ceded to the US).
       Note: LANK is L.W. Barrett.    : The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, November 29, 1902, page 8 (digital image 8). He is in Washington DC.

Lank mentions Bill Murray, and also tells of W.C. Glenn [Bill Glenn] arguing a case: The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, May 04, 1895, page 6 (digital image 6).

LANK: Congratulates Frank on having Bill Murray to write for him; is enjoying the letters. Is this when Bill becomes a regular????
       North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, March 22, 1900, page 3 (digital image 3).

LANK in DC:
The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, December 15, 1894, page 6 (digital image 6).

LANK in DC: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, May 03, 1900, page 6 (digital image 6).

I think Bill Murray also plays the fiddle. Mentioned fiddling twice, but not specifically that he plays it.

Bill Murray must be a grown man, probably married and middle aged, in 1895; his joke (per a writer) complains about boy next door slamming the door.
    North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, June 27, 1895, Image 4

LANK in DC mentions Bill: North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, August 09, 1900, page 2 (digital image 2).

Sager, of Rocky Face, hopes Bill Murray will give us a speech at the dotter's picnic. (Dotters are writers; the country correspondents sometimes call themselves dotters and call their writing "dots."
    North Georgia Citizen. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 1868-1924, May 17, 1900, page 5 (digital image 5).

MRS. W.C. GLENN is appointed postmistress of the House of Representatives: The Dalton Argus. (Dalton, Whitfield, Ga.) 18??-????, November 12, 1898, Page 5, (digital image 5).
****Bill Murray's possum poem is here (but is like blackface humor).

Directory Links: Headrick Surname

Headrick Directory ~ Research Sites
Seeking William Headrick of Blount County, Tennessee & Murray County, Georgia

Southern Muse created this page as a convenience for researching a specific line of Headricks, including Jacob and William Mathew Headrick of Murray County, Georgia, and their descendants; and William M. Hedrick (the Revolutionary War soldier) of Sevier County, Tennessee. Southern Muse has worked for many years to establish and document the connection between the families of these two states, based on a lineage that was published in The "Connection" in East Tennessee. We have accumulated quite a lot of research and good documentation, but have had difficulty finding primary or good secondary documentation on the tie between John and Lizzie (Myers) Headrick, of Tennessee, and Jacob Headrick of Murray County, Georgia, who is said to be their son. These are links that have been helpful in our own search. While they are targeted very specifically to the Headrick family, they might be of use to anyone searching other families in East Tennessee and North Georgia.

Directory Links 

Sevier Co. Public Library
Tennessee State Library and Archives
Tenn. State Lib. & Arch. Genealogy
Index to Tenn. Death Records
Blount Co. History & Genealogy Project
East Tennessee Historical Society
Hamilton Co., Tenn. Genealogical Society
Smoky Mountain Historical Society
Berks Co. Historical Society (Pennsylvania)
Lancaster Co. Historical Society (Penn.)
The Genealogical Society of Penn.
Michigan in the War (Headrick C.W. interest)
North Georgia History Links
Earth Station 9 Search Index
Blount & Sevier County Maps
Cove Creek & Waldens Creek, Tn. (Map)
Crowson's Cove (Map/Plat Project)
Tennessee History (Pro-Union E. Tenn.)
Rejected Pensions w/Emert (tngenweb)
Headrick Obituaries (unrelated-Indiana)

Tennessee Civil War Home Page
Tennessee C.W. Sourcebook
Tennessee Death Certificates
1st Ga Inf: Forgotten Guerillas
Midwest Genealogy Library
The American Civil War
Sevier Co. Forum (GenForum)
Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest
Book/Colonial Social Class Barriers
John Guin's Genealogy
Jacob & Polly (Rice) Headrick
Moffie Jane Headrick
Georgia Archives
American Revolution
US GenWeb Project
Tennessee GenWeb
Southern Archives
Blount-Sevier County Maps
Cove Creek, Tennessee Map
Greeneville, Tennessee Map
Vital Records Sites
Genealogy Research Sites
Cyndi's List
Find A Grave

Barker: Pensions [H] at tngennet.org

Ricetown Chapel Cemetery, Blount Co., Alabama

Original North Georgia Kin Page

Nancy (Petty) Murray in Oklahoma

 

Needs update: we know a little more now...

Nancy (Petty) Murray in Oklahoma

Winfield Scott Murray had died in 1877. Afterwards, Nancy had moved from Fannin County to Murray County, Georgia. Sometime early in the 20th century, before 1910, Nancy MURRAY and her grown offspring, Elias, Will, and Jane, move to Comanche County, Oklahoma, by way of Texas. We know that Elias and possibly Will were in Texas part of the time before settling in Oklahoma.

Will marries Ninnie SNIDER. Their descendants live in Comanche County, Oklahoma. Elias married Vera SMITH late in life. Vera never has any children. Jane MURRAY never marries. Nancy MURRAY of Fletcher, Oklahoma, dies there on the 18th of April, 1917. She is buried at Elgin, but later removed to Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma, because the cemetery at Elgin is neglected. In 1939, Elias orders tombstones for the graves of his father and two little sisters back in Georgia. The stones are erected by NEAL MONUMENT COMPANY of Blue Ridge, Georgia, with the help of Dallas WOODY (a relation of the PETTY family) and Willy Lee Pritchett, the grandson of W.S. MURRAY.

One other son who is never mentioned in census, at least by the name we know, is "Gains" MURRAY. Gains has a son named Jim, whose picture is found among Vera (SMITH) MURRAY's pictures. The caption says that he is the son of Gains, "Will's half brother." Will would be the younger William, Nancy's son, who moved to Oklahoma. This would make Gains the son of W.S. MURRAY and his first wife, Caroline. 

Winfield Scott MURRAY has been a difficult individual to research. It took many years of research to put together this skimpy biography, and we still know nothing about his parents. What we know of the children of his first marriage is vague--we only know what we have pieced together from census and from that one photo caption of Jim MURRAY. We do feel that Winfield Scott MURRAY may turn out to be related to the Buncombe County, North Carolina line of MURRAYs. However, we have no real documentation as yet--just circumstantial pointers.

Any and all information on Winfield Scott MURRAY, first wife, Caroline, or their children would be greatly appreciated.