Obituary, The Daily Ledger, July 3, 1908

The funeral of Henry Murray will be held at the residence, 902 South L street, this morning at 10 a.m. Rev. H. Horace Clapham of Trinity church officiating. Mrs. Chandler Sloan and Mrs. Craig will sing "Nearer, My God, to Thee" and "Abide With Me." The active pallbearers will be chosen from among those who were long-time friends of Mr. Murray and will include Robert Rigney, D.D. Wheeler, George Moran, Ernest Hoppe, Harry Andrews and George B. Kandle. The honorary pallbearers, representing Steilacoom Lodge No. 2, F. & A. M., of which Mr. Murray was a charter member, will include Isaac Carson, Isaac Pincus, Allen Miller, Ira D. Light, W.L. Bair and Fred T. Taylor. Following the services at the house, carriages will be taken for the Masonic cemetery near Steilacoom, where burial services will be under the auspices of Steilacoom lodge. The Masons will be the active pallbearers there and the others will be the honorary pallbearers, reversing the order observed in the city. People who wish to attend from Tacoma can take the 12 o'clock car of the Pacific Traction company and go to the American lake terminus, from which it is about three-quarters of a mile across the prairie to the Masonic cemetery. Many pioneers of the county will probably attend the funeral.
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Obituary, Morning Olympian, July 2, 1908

Pioneer is Gone

Henry Murray, a pioneer of Thurston county, died late Tuesday night at Tacoma. He was nearly 86 years of age, having been born at St. John's New Brunswick, August 4, 1822. He left home at 14 years of age and served his apprenticeship as a ship carpenter going to the Sandwich Islands, where he was regularly discharged from the whaleship North America on the 29th of October, 1846. After that he was employed in building a schooner for W. Talbot. He received an official recommendation to the Hawaiian authorities from the British consul at Honolulu, April 27, 1847.

Mr. Murray went to San Francisco, where he followed mining successfully during the exciting days of the forty-niners. In 1849 he left for Puget Sound, landing in Olympia, January 1, 1850, where in connection with John Swan, another well known pioneer, he built the first frame house in Olympia.

On January 21, 1851, Mr. Murray married Catherine Ross, daughter of Captain Charles Ross, chief factor of the Hudson Bay company, at the farm near Fort Nisqually. Shortly after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Murray took up a donation claim of 640 acres on Muck creek, some six miles east of Spanaway, which they developed into a fine farm, noted throughout the county, and which Mr. Murray retained to the day of his death. He had resided continuously in Pierce county since 1851.

He served four terms as county commissioner from May 2, 1859, to May 21, 1862, which indicated the high esteem in which he was held by his neighbors. In those days the term was one year.

Mr. Murray also officiated as justice of the peace and performed the wedding ceremony for Frederick Meyer, one of the oldest residents of the state now living at Custer, on Lake Steilacoom.

Among the historical documents treasured by Mr. Murray is his commission as lieutenant colonel, reciting that at the general election held for the military district of Suwamish (now Mason) and Pierce counties, July 13, 1857, Henry E. Murray was duly elected lieutenant governor, as acting governor.

Besides his widow he is survived by four sons, Edward E., Nelson N., and John L., of Roy; George F., of Tacoma, and three daughters, Mrs. M. F. Hawk, of Roy; Mrs. W.A. Smith, and Miss Clara P. Murray.

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Washington State Death Records
name: Henry Murray
date of death: 30 Jun 1908
age: 85
gender: Male
father name: Robert Murray
death place: Tacoma, Pierce, Washington