James Henry Murrell (abt. 1802 - abt. 1839)

Born about 1802 in Lunenburg County, Virginia, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Margaret (McBride) Futhy — married 7 Apr 1827 in Opelousas, St Landry, Louisiana, USA

Descendants

Died about 1839 at about age 37 in Opelousas, St Landry, Louisiana, USA

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Biography

"Murrell Gang" member.

"Dalton Newsletter - Dalton Gang Letter: September 1996' by Gordon Bonnet: 'Jonathan Lyell and Mary Dalton had, among other children, Winifred Lyell, b. February 18, 1738 in North Farnham Parish, Richmond, Va. Winifred married Mark Andrews of Dinwiddie Co., Va., son of William Andrews and Avis Garnett, and had, among other children, a daughter named Zilphia Andrews. Winifred Lyell Andrews died in 1827. Zilphia Andrews married Jeffrey Murrell of Lunenburg Co., Va., son of William Murrell and Frances Pryor. They had, among other children, my ancestor, James H. Murrell, and the famous outlaw John A. Murrell... James H. Murrell moved to Louisiana, allegedly to escape his brother's bad name and influence, where he married on April 7, 1827, in Opelousas, La., to Mary Margaret McBride, daughter of Thomas Walter McBride and Julienne Bogard. They had, among other children, a daughter Emily Murrell, born on May 26, 1829 in Opelousas, La. Emily Murrell married in Opelousas on May 19, 1853 to Esprit Ariez Bonnet, son of Zacharie Bonnet and Marie Rebail of Gap, France. They had, among other children, Alfred Ariez Bonnet, who married Mary Emily Brandt, daughter of Wilhelm Brandt of Germany and Isabella Rulong. They were my paternal great-grandparents.^[1]

"Ancestry: Rootsweb (G Bonnet); 'Bonnet, Ayo, Bloomgarden, Yoast, and related families (Source: Southwest Louisiana Records, by Father Donald J. Hebert; Hebert Publications: Rayne, LA, 1974 - 1990): 'MURRELL, JAMES of Lunenbery County, Virginia (Jeffrey & Zelphy Andres) m. 7 April 1827 Mary McBride (Opel. Cte Hse: Mar #20)A "James Myrelle" living in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana on the 1830 census, listed as between 20 and 30 years of age, is probably James Henry Murrell. The death year of 1839 is an inference, and may not be correct. Mary McBride remarried to Cambridge Futhy in 1839; and her last child by James Murrell was born in that same year. From this, it seems possible that James died ca. 1839...'" ^[2] 'John Andrews Murrell was a famous highwayman and bandit along the Natchez Trace. Historians differ as to which crimes Murrell was guilty of a notorious murderer... no more than a petty thief. However, several (unverified) family stories may be of interest. The story goes that Murrell, and three of his brothers (William, Jeffrey, and James) got their start in crime early, and under the tutelage of none other than their mother, Zilpha (Andrews) Murrell. She was the owner of a roadside inn, and trained her sons to sneak into patrons' rooms at night, loot their bags, and leave silently, and all of this was going on under the nose of her upright husband, Rev. Jeffrey Murrell, who was a Methodist minister.'"^[3][4]

"Ancestry: Rootsweb (TN Weakle); 'Bushwackers, Gangs and Nightrider Stories Weakley County, Tennessee': 'John A. Murrell - Notorious Outlaw', compiled by Joe Stout from various sources: From a typewritten paper kept with the Meridian Church books... Tradition says that John Murrell, the notorious horse thief 'preacher' and his band of thieving gangsters, paid old Meridian a visit in the early history of the Church... John A. Murrell was born in Middle Tennessee in 1804. His dad was a Methodist preacher, and he was gone a lot. John did not seem to respect his father, but rather his mother, who taught him and the other children to steal. She would hide from his father what they had stolen... Mark Twain wrote this about John Murrell. "When he traveled, his usual disguise was that of an itinerant preacher; and it is said that his discourses were very 'soul-moving'--interesting the hearers so much that they forgot to look after their horses, which were John A. Murrell was born in Middle Tennessee in 1804. His dad was a Methodist preacher, and he was gone a lot. John did not seem to respect his father, but rather his mother, who taught him and the other children to steal. She would hide from his father what they had stolen. Murrell's name first appeared in the court records of Williamson County in 1823 when he was fined fifty dollars for "riot," at which time three Murrells, one of which was the infamous John A., were bound in a sum of $200 to keep peace... with his... brothers in the infamous John A. Murrell gang who robbed travelers along the Natchez Trace in western Mississippi.'" ^[5]

"REH Two Gun Raconteur: 'The Hellbender John A. Murrell', by Keith Taylor: 'Zilphia, nee Andrews, had been the daughter of a prosperous Virginia planter. Again, that was both genteel and accepted. She hadn’t been “a tavern woman” all her life; she inherited the inn from her parents. John A’s ancestors on both sides came from the state’s early landed families. Not a lawbreaker or ne’er-do-well in generations. The moral decline in the family began with Zilphia. She managed the inn (near Columbia, Tennessee), since her preacher husband was often away giving sermons.... Poor old Jeffrey didn’t know the half of it. To put it bluntly, the voluptuous Zilphia was a bigger harlot than Rahab. She was also a thief to match any in Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar, and she taught her four sons to assist her. Male travelers with bulging purses were given the come-on by “Mom Murrell,” and she would whore with them while William, her eldest, or another son, took their coin, watches, and anything else worth having. They weren’t likely to complain later. It would have meant admitting in court that they’d paid the preacher’s wife for sex, and “Mom Murrell” would surely have denied it with a scandalized face, backed by her kids, well coached to appear wild with outrage at the slur on their mother’s honor... The second brother was James. He perjured himself on John’s behalf in 1823. The following year, he was charged with counterfeiting but acquitted. Maybe the siblings had the talent in common. Mark Twain, in Chapter 29 of his Life on the Mississippi, says that “Murel’s” gang was a highly organized group of “robbers, horse-thieves, negro-stealers and counterfeiters” ...As for James, he apparently decided to straighten out. He headed for Louisiana and married, in 1827, Mary McBride, a blacksmith’s daughter. I suppose we can hope he treated her well, if only from fear of her father’s muscle. At least she got a handsome man. The Murrells were a strikingly good-looking family. The notorious John had a splendid appearance, and his sister, Leanna Murrell (one of three or four girls) was both a beauty and a superb dancer...'" ^[6]

"'Life on the Mississippi, by Mark Twain; Harper, 1883, p. 243: 'There is a tradition that Island 37 was one of the principal abiding-places of the once celebrated 'Murel's Gang. This was a colossal combination of robbers, horse-theives, negro-stealers, and counterfeiters, engaged in business along the river some fifty or sixty years ago.'" [sic] ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ [2]
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5. ↑ [5]
6. ↑ [6]
7. ↑ [7]

• "Hollier Genealogy: Hollier & Dufilho Family History 'James Murrel (P1631)'" [8]

Find a Grave, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181998768/james_henry-murrell: memorial page for James Henry Murrell (1802–1839), Find a Grave Memorial ID 181998768; Burial Details Unknown.