James Murray (loyalist)

James Murray by John Singleton Copley^[1]

James Murray (9 August 1713 – 1781) was a loyalist who lived in North Carolina and Boston prior to the American Revolution, eventually escaping from Boston to settle in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was one of the few loyalists who lived in both the South and the North prior to the Revolution, making the letters he wrote particularly valuable.^[2] He moved from Unthank, Scotland to North Carolina in 1735. He was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly and became president of the Governor’s Council. He established the Point Repose Plantation at Wilmington, North Carolina. Four of his six children with his first wife died on the plantation. Thwarted in his efforts to become governor, Murray moved to Boston (1765) and established various businesses. He turned the operation of the plantation over to his nephew, Thomas Clark, who became a Patriot Brigadier general. Murray remained loyal and evacuated Boston for Halifax in 1779. His daughter married Massachusetts Governor Edward Robbins.^[3][4][5]

His sister was Elizabeth Murray of Boston, who was painted by Copley.^[6] Prior to moving to Boston himself, Murray sent his oldest daughter Dorothy to Boston to live with his sister Elizabeth. His oldest daughter Dorothy Murray was also painted by Copley.^[7][8] Murray was buried in the Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia).^[9]

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