Merritt Judson Bray

Brief Life History of Merritt Judson

When Merritt Judson Bray was born on 11 January 1876, in Burnside, Hancock, Illinois, United States, his father, Walter Scott Bray, was 25 and his mother, Rebecca Black, was 26. He married Mary Christina Weinrich on 22 February 1912, in Hancock, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 daughters. He lived in Burlington, Des Moines, Iowa, United States in 1930 and Ferris, Hancock, Illinois, United States for about 10 years. He registered for military service in 1876. He died in September 1962, at the age of 86.

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Family Time Line

Merritt Judson Bray
1876–1962
Mary Christina Weinrich
1886–1957
Marriage: 22 February 1912
Dorothy E Thomas
1907–
Florence Priscilla Thomas
1909–

Sources (17)

  • Merritt J Bray, "United States 1950 Census"
  • Merritt J. Bray, "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940"
  • Merritt Judson Bray, "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918"

World Events (8)

1877 · The First Workers Strike

The country was in great economic distress in mid-1877, which caused many workers of the Railroad to come together and began the first national strike in the United States. Crowds gathered in Chicago in extreme number to be a part of the strike which was later named the Great Railroad Strike. Shortly after the strike began, the battle was fought between the authorities and many of the strikers. The conflict escalated to violence and quickly each side turned bloody.

1881 · The Assassination of James Garfield

Garfield was shot twice by Charles J. Guitea at Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. on July 2, 1881. After eleven weeks of intensive and other care Garfield died in Elberon, New Jersey, the second of four presidents to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln.

1900 · Gold for Cash!

This Act set a price at which gold could be traded for paper money.

Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of the places in Berkshire and Devon. The former is probably named with Old French bray ‘marsh’, the latter from the Cornish element bre ‘hill’.

English: perhaps a topographic name from northern Middle English bra ‘steep (river) bank’ or ‘brow of a hill’, denoting someone who lived at such a place.

English (of Norman origin): habitational name from any of several places in Normandy or Picardy called Bray (Eure, Calvados, Aisne, Somme); see 6.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

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