Sarah McMurray
Sarah McMurray | |
|---|---|
 McMurray, c. 1908 | |
| Born | Sarah Ann Silcock 26 August 1848 |
| Died | 14 September 1943 (aged 95) Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Other names | Sarah Ann McMurray |
| Known for | Wood carving |
| Spouse |
Robert McMurray
(m. 1872; died 1927) |
| Children | 6 |
| Parent(s) | Simon Bonnet Silcock and Susannah Flower |
| Relatives | Alfred Saunders (uncle) Sarah Page (cousin) Samuel Saunders (cousin) |
| Signature | |
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Sarah Ann McMurray (née Silcock, 26 August 1848 – 14 September 1943)[1] was a New Zealand woodcarver and craftswoman.[2]
Biography
[edit]McMurray was born in Nelson, New Zealand, on 26 August 1848, the daughter of Susannah Silcock (née Flower) and Captain Simon Bonnet Silcock.[3] Her mother arrived in New Zealand on the Sir Charles Forbes in 1842, having immigrated from England with her parents and sister.[4][5] McMurray was the third of 14 children.[6] McMurray's maternal aunt, Rhoda Flower, was married to Alfred Saunders, a prominent politician and advocate for women's suffrage.[5][7]
On September 12, 1871, she married Robert McMurray.[8] Born in Northern Ireland, he had emigrated to Australia and subsequently to the Otago goldfields.[9] Following their marriage, they resided at his farm, "Thorneycroft," in Brightwater.[10] They had six children.[11] Later they lived for some time in dense forest in the Inangahua Valley on the West Coast of the South Island. In the 1880s they moved to a farm in Awahuri in the North Island.[3] She was among the signatories to New Zealand's 1893 women's suffrage petition.[11] Later moving to Wanganui.[3]
She began wood carving as a hobby and later, at 50, she enrolled in a local technical college to develop her wood carving skills.[10][3] She was prolific and elaborately carved most of the furnishings in her house.[12][3]
In 1914 her and husband Robert McMurray moved to Palmerston North. She continued her woodcarving in Palmerston North working in the garden shed. She worked mainly in kauri.[3] She also handmade toys for her children and grandchildren one of which is in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[13]
Death
[edit]McMurray died at her home on Ada Street in Palmerston North on 14 September 1943, aged 95.[14][15] She is buried at Terrace End Cemetery next to her husband, who died in 1927.[11][16][17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sarah McMurray person overview and related information". Museum of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "McMurray, Sarah, 1848–1943". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Orwin, P. M. (1992). Macdonald, Charlotte (ed.). The Book of New Zealand Women (Repr. (twice) ed.). Wellington: Williams. pp. 392–393. ISBN 0908912048.
- ^ "Susannah Silcock in about 1870s". Tasman Heritage. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ a b Tales of a pioneer: episodes in the life of Alfred Saunders. University of Auckland Library, 2009. 1927. p. 63. ISBN 9781927289600. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024.
- ^ "92 and Still Going Strong". Manawatu Times. Vol. 65, no. 201. 26 August 1940. p. 5 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Saunders, Alfred". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ "Married". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. No. 43. 27 September 1871. p. 6 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Robert and Sarah Ann McMurray". manawatuheritage.pncc.govt.nz. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ a b "92-Year-old Pioneer". Wanganui Chronicle. No. 203. 29 August 1940. p. 8 – via Papers Past.
- ^ a b c "S. A. McMurray". New Zealand History. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Talented Age!". Manawatu Times. No. 218. 16 September 1935. p. 6 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Toy policeman - Collections Online". Museum of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Death". Manawatu Times. No. 219. 15 September 1943. p. 1 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Grand Old Lady of 95 Years Passes". Manawatu Times. No. 226. 23 September 1943. p. 2 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Cemetery and cremation search". Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Death". Manawatu Standard. No. 241. 8 September 1927. p. 1 – via Papers Past.
External links
[edit]
- Photographs of Robert and Sarah Ann McMurray, Manawatu Heritage
- New Zealand woodcarvers
- 1848 births
- 1943 deaths
- 19th-century New Zealand women artists
- 19th-century New Zealand artists
- People from Palmerston North
- People from Nelson, New Zealand
- People from Whanganui
- Women woodcarvers
- 20th-century New Zealand women artists
- Burials at Terrace End Cemetery
- 19th-century New Zealand people
- People from Brightwater
- 19th-century New Zealand women farmers
- People from Manawatū-Whanganui