Wake Wednesday - Elizabeth Reid Murray

Let's salute Elizabeth Reid Murray, if not the Mother of Wake County (Margaret Wake Tryon), most definitely the Author of Wake County. Murray was a prolific writer and contributor to the historic writings of Wake and North Carolina at large. Her obituary provides an extensive list of her writings and awards. 

From the obituary:

"Her major published works are WAKE: Capital County of NC, vol. 1 (1983); WAKE: Capital County of NC, vol. 2 (2008), with co-author K. Todd Johnson; and From Raleigh’s Past (1965). 

Other published works include: editor and compiler, North Carolina’s Older Population: Opportunities and Challenges (1960); contributor, Windows of the Way (1964); 

editor, Wake County Historical Society newsletter, 1965-1969; 

editor/photographer, Wake County history filmstrip; guest editor, “Wake County Bicentennial” edition, Raleigh Magazine (1971); 

contributor to a history of the Raleigh Fire Department; contributor, Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (1979-1996); and contributor, Encyclopedia of North Carolina (2006).

Awards: American Association State and Local History for From Raleigh’s Past (1965); first Meredith College Distinguished Alumna award (1970); W.P. Peace Award for best book on NC history (1983); Community Service Award, Raleigh Board of Realtors (1983); Wake County Phi Beta Kappa Award (1985); Silver Bowl Award, NC Museum of Art (1987); President’s Cup, Wake County Historical Society (1994); Anthemion Award, Capital Area Preservation, Inc. (1994)."

 

As genealogists in Wake County, we owe her a huge debt for her Wake : Capital County of North Carolina. All the Wake history you could wish to consume in two handy volumes. Check out Volume 1 at Digital NC.  Volume 2, cowritten with Todd Johnson is available at the Olivia Raney Local History Library which houses the Elizabeth Reid Murray Research Collection.

 

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