Murray was born in
Ballinasloe,
County Galway, Ireland, on December 25, 1802. In 1818, he emigrated to the United States, becoming an apprentice printer with Harper Brothers. He graduated from
Williams College in 1826, he was
ordained a
minister, and became Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly of America. Murray wrote extensively of his travels and archaeology, which was an abiding interest. An occasional pseudonym was
Kirwan. He died and was buried in
Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1861. ==Select bibliography==