OBITUARY.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXVII, Issue 1413, 13 July 1900, Page 3

OBITUARY.

Mr William Archibald Murray who died on Tuesday, the 26th June, came from Scotland to N~w Zealand 42 years ago. He, as we;'! as the late Mr Thos. "Murray, his brother, bought land in the Mount Stuart and Waitahuna clis- i districts and <vas pretty extensively en- j gaged in Agriculture, as well as stock j raisins; for about: 20 years in llipsp dis- J I ricf s. H>, in com moo with his late : brothers George and Thomas, were ex- j ceptionally well informed in all matters ! connected with sheep-farming. For Many generations this has- been the oc- | cupation of nearly all branches of the i family. Since 1660 there has been an unbroken record of the occupation of sheep-farming in Berwickshire by his ancestors. The founders of the family are said to have been two brothers who landed in Dumfries. One remained there and one went to Lanavkshirp, and became the ancestor of Andrew Murray, Earl of Bothy/ell, Wallace's favourite general, and the Earls o? Annandale. Somewhere about the 14-th century, the Murray descendants of these houses settled in Berwickshire. The late Mr Murray had a pioneering spirit. He, as far as is known, was the first member of his family, along with two brothers, to leave the old land for the colonies. Since coming to the colony, he, three times, went into fresh or only partly opened up country. After spending about "2,0 years in Otago he went to Auckland and bought land in Piako district. He disposed of this about 10 years ago and again became almost a pioneer in the part of Haglan country now known as Glen Murray. Here he succeeded after much expense and labor in establishing a good sheep-farm. But the hardships and labours of the parly settler "had the effect of prematurely breaking up his constitution. For about nine years Mr Murray represented the electorate of Bruce in the General Assembly, continuing' for a time to do so after his removal to Auckland. He was rm?ch looked up to by his constituents and waa held in the highest esteem by his colleagues in Parliament. He was a man of great activity of body and mind and bad many friends in Bruce and'Olutha and indeed throughout the whole colony, Mr Murray was never married, but leaves many nephews and nieces.