Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Murray, John W 
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Deb Haines http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000719 February 14, 2008, 12:30 am

Author: Past & Present Will County IL 1907

JOHN W. MURRAY. Joliet owes its growth to its industrial interests and many 
men of excellent business capacity and enterprise are employed in connection 
therewith. This number includes John W. Murray, who now has full charge of the 
spike mill of the Illinois Steel Company, manufacturing railroad spikes, bolts 
and nuts. He was born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1867, and is a son of M. 
and Ellen (Sheehan) Murray. The father came to the United States about forty-
five years ago anod was employed as watchman in the Springfield rolling mills 
for a number of years. Later he removed to Joliet, where he secured a similar 
position. His wife came to Illinois from the state of New York. Two sons of 
the family in addition to our subject are employed in the spike mill, George 
J. being in the nut tapping department, while Harry L. is also an employe of 
the concern. J. W. Murray is indebted to the public-school system of Illinois 
for the educational privileges he enjoyed. He attended school in Springfield 
and afterward served an apprenticeship at the machinist's trade. During this 
time he studied mechanical drawing and engineering under the direction of the 
Scranton Correspondence School of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and received a 
certificate on mechanical drawing. He is still continuing his studies. He was 
employed in a bolt mill in Springfield, where he remained until his removal to 
Joliet, about eleven years ago. Here he has made steady advancement, in 
industrial circles and five years ago was given full charge of the spike mill, 
manufacturing railroad spikes, bolts and nuts. This plant has a capacity of 
sixty-five thousand cases of spikes per month and twenty thousand kegs of 
bolts and nuts. Employment is furnished to about five hundred men and Mr. 
Murray gives his personal supervision to the men who are using the Vanderbilt 
spike machines. The new factory built here was constructed after Mr. Murray's 
own design and is the most complete enterprise of the kind in the country. In 
the line of his trade he has attained a skill and proficiency which place him 
in the front rank among the foremost representatives of industrial and 
manufacturing interests in Joliet. In 1892 Mr. Murray was married to Miss Anna 
Mulholland, of Springfield, Illinois, and they are now located in a pleasant 
home, which they own, at 603 Herkimer street. They have six children: Alice, 
Helen, Rosie, John, Lucy and George. The parents are communicants of the 
Catholic church and Mr. Murray is connected with the Knights of Columbus and 
the Modern Woodmen. 

Additional Comments:
PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS By W. W. Stevens President of the 
Will County Pioneers Association; Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing 
Company, 1907

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