A wave of Irish immigration to the United States brough David Murray and his parents to Illinois seeking a better life. The Great Famine, also called the Irish Potato Famine of 1845–49, occurred in Ireland when the potato crop failed in successive years leading to a devastating famine that killed almost one million people. The crop failures were caused by late blight, a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant. It hit especially hard in County Mayo where the Murrays lived, causing the Murrays and millions of others to flee Ireland.
David Murray was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland on March 11, 1848. His parents were Stephen and Mary Hoban Murray. After moving to the United States the Murray’s lived in Batavia, Kane County, Illinois where David grew up. As an adult David worked as a machinist in a local machine shop. He married Mary Walsh on December 6, 1876 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Batavia, Illinois. They had four children together – Stephen, William, Margaret and Mary.
David Murray died on September 23, 1928 in Batavia, Illinois, he was 80 years old. David Murray was the great grandfather of Michael Reilly Farr on his mother’s side of the family. Many of Michael Farr’s father’s ancestors lived in Fulton County, Illinois.
Farr's of Fulton County, Illinois 