Ellen & Samuel Murray

Ellen Campbell Murray

Samuel Murray

My great-great grandparents.
Ellen Campbell was born May 12, 1839 in Ohio. She became a teacher before meeting and marrying Samuel on October 9, 1869.
Samuel Murray was born June 21, 1848 in Maryland. He was know to be a frail, sickly man, who suffered from diabetes, and perhaps TB. Samuel died January 21, 1881.
Ellen lived on, never remarrying, until she passed away March 22, 1918 during the influenza pandemic.
Although both Ellen and Samuel's families were farmers, they instilled the value of an education in their son John Edward (my great-grandfather) who became both a farmer and a teacher.
John Edward's daughter Edna became a nurse, and then a school cafeteria worker.
Her daughter, my mother, almost became a nurse, then changed course and was 3 units short of her teacher's degree, before marrying.
I worked as a telephone operator for several years before transferring to a facilities technician position. I retired at 48, and have moved back to the land.
We've gone full circle now. Although I don't plan to farm for profit, I do intend to grow food for our table.
Grapes grow well up here, so I just might learn to make wine.