The Murrin Family
Murrin home in the Irish Patch Click to Enlarge)
Murrin interior (Click to Enlarge)
Cemetery locations of Murrin plots (click to enlarge)
Murrin obituaries Page 1 - click to enlarge)
Murrin obituaries page 1 - click to enlarge
Murrin obituaries page 3 - click to enlarge
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The Murrin Family of Belvidere, Illinois
Ryan – McGonigle - Mulloy – King Family Genealogy
Our website does not contain a great deal of information about this family from Belvidere, Illinois. Descendents of Francis and Adelaide (McGonigle) Ryan can trace their linkage to this family in several different ways. This is also true for the descendents of Tony and Mary (McGonigle) Mulloy. We can’t leave the King family out because they are related to this family too. We have heard this name pronounced as ‘Moran’.
How are the Smith siblings related to this clan? We are connected to this family through both the Ryan and McGonigle families. Adelaide McGonigle’s mother was born Catherine Murrin. Her parents were James and Bridget (McCloskey) Murrin of Belvidere, Illinois. Frank Ryan was also related to the Murrin family. You may recall his mother was born Elizabeth Hill. Elizabeth had several sisters, one of whom was named Ann. Ann married Patrick Murrin, Jr., from Belvidere, Illinois.
The Mary and Tony Mulloy family are also connected to this family in different ways. Mary (McGonigle) Mulloy was Adelaide McGonigle’s sister and her mother was Catherine Murrin. Tony Mulloy was also related to the Patrick Murrin, Sr., family. Mary and Tony Mulloy were also cousins to each other; however, it may have been a distant relationship. It is safe to say the Ryan and Mulloy families have several “hooks” into this family line.
The King family of Aberdeen is also related to the Murrin family of Belvidere. You read where Elizabeth Hill’s sister, Ann, married Patrick Murrin. Elizabeth and Ann had another sister, Margaret. Margaret’s daughter, Catharine, married Michael Smith, whose parents were “Irish” John and Susan (McPhillips) Smith. The Kings are descended from Michael and Catharine Smith, and also are connected to the Patrick Murrin (Jr.) family of Belvidere.
The Murrins were originally from the Killybegs area in County Donegal. When they moved to America is not known; however, we can trace their presence in Boone County and Belvidere from 1860 onward. In Belvidere the Murrin family lived in an area populated by a large group of Irish. This area was known as the “Irish Patch”. The following information shows US census records for 19th century Belvidere, Illinois.
Murrin Surname
Murrin and its variants are anglicized forms of the Irish surname O'Muireain, meaning descendant of Muireain. Muireain was a commonly used Christian name meaning "sea fair". This clan belongs to the Ui Fiachrach group of families of North Mayo and Sligo, but today are to be found in and around Killybegs, County Donegal.
1850 US Census
Census records do not show any Murrin surnames or variants of this name living in Boone County, Illinois, during this time.
1860 US Census
In 1860 all ‘Murrin’ surnames were spelled ‘Murren’ by the census enumerator.
Schedule 1 – Free Inhabitants in Village Belvidere in the County of Boone, State of Illinois enumerated by me, on the 28th day of July 1860. Post Office Belvidere.
(The following census record shows Bridget Murren living with a John and Charlotte Youst family in Belvidere. The Youst family was from Ireland too as indicated in the census. Two possibilities exist. The most likely is Bridget Murren was a domestic servant living with this family. Another possibility is that these two families were related to each other in some way.)
Schedule 1 – Free Inhabitants in Village Belvidere in the County of Boone, State of Illinois enumerated by me, on the 27th day of July 1860. Post Office Belvidere.
(The index lists this person as ‘Den Murren’.)
Schedule 1 – Free Inhabitants in Village Belvidere in the County of Boone, State of Illinois enumerated by me, on the 30th day of July 1860. Post Office Belvidere.
(Two families lived together in the same household – Owen Murren and Fal Gallagher. Owen’s wife was born Margaret Gallagher. Gallagher is another common name found in County Donegal.)
1870 US Census
The surname ‘Murrin’ is indexed as ‘Murren’.
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in Caladonia in the County of Boone, State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 8 day of ____, 1870. Post Office, Caladonia.
(In this census we find a Dennis Murrin, who was originally born in Ireland, living as a “Beggear”.)
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in The Town of Belvidere in the County of Boone, State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 22 day of July, 1870. Post Office, Belvidere
(The following shows our ancestors living in Belvidere during this time period.)
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in The Town of Belvidere in the County of Boone, State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 22 day of July, 1870. Post Office, Belvidere
(John and Mary Murren family also lived in Belvidere during this time period. You will also note that a Mary Gallagher also lived with this family.)
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in The Town of Belvidere in the County of Boone, State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 1st day of June, 1870. Post Office, Belvidere (Two families actually lived in this household. Patrick (Sr.) and Margaret Murrin were one family. Then there was a Patrick (Jr.) and Ann (Hill) Murrin family living here too. Ann (Hill) Murrin was an Aunt to Frank Ryan from Kimball, South Dakota. Also, there is some speculation by the Murrin descendents that Patrick Murren Sr. and James Murrin may have been siblings. No firm proof has been found regarding this relationship, but it is very possible.)
1880 US Census
The surname ‘Murrin’ is now being spelled ‘Murrin’ by the census enumerator.
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in the 1st Ward of Belvidere, in the County of Boone, in the State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 12th day of June 1, 1880
(In 1880 we find Patrick (Jr.) and Ann (Hill) Murrin living in their own household. By this time they had five children. The children would have been Frank Ryan’s first cousins. From family lore we believe Ann (Hill) Murrin introduced Frank Ryan to his future bride, Adelaide McGonigle.)
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in the 1st Ward of Belvidere, in the County of Boone, in the State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 12th day of June 1, 1880
(A few houses away lived Patrick (Sr.) and Margaret Murrin. Patrick’s wife was born Margaret Meehan. Next door to this Murrin family lived John Gallagher.)
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in the 1st Ward of Belvidere, in the County of Boone, in the State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 11th day of June 1, 1880
(In 1880 Anna Murrin living with the James Quinn family, who was employed as a servant. At this time we do not know how she is related to the other Murrin families living in the ‘Irish Patch’ of Belvidere.)
Schedule 1 – Inhabitants in the Belvidere Township of Belvidere, in the County of Boone, in the State of Illinois, enumerated by me on the 4 day of June 1, 1880
(Finally, the last census results show our ancestors James and Bridget Murrin still living in Belvidere. Barney was no longer listed living in this household; however, he was a traveling salesman so it is very possible he was on the road selling goods.)
1890 US Census
Unfortunately, almost all these census records for this year were destroyed by fire. The above records show the Murrin clan who lived in 19th century Belvidere according to US census records.
1898 Obituary for Margaret Murrin
(Belvidere Standard dated April 28, 1898) Death of an Aged Lady – Mrs. Madge Murrin departed this life last Thursday night at the home of her son Patrick Murrin (Jr.) aged 88 years. She has been confined to her bed the greater part of the past five years, suffering from the infirmities of old age. Mrs. Murrin leaves two children by her first husband, Mr. Hagerty – Mrs. McNellis and James Hagerty both of Belvidere. Of her second marriage (Patrick Murrin Sr.), Patrick and John and Mrs. Mary Mulloy remain to mourn their loss. The funeral was held Sunday morning from the St. James Church. A large number of friends followed the body to the grave.
Written September 2007