Guide to the Murray D. Henry Papers 1890-1957
Cage 618

Summary Information

Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Creator
Henry, Murray D.
Title
Murray D. Henry Papers
ID
Cage 618
Date [inclusive]
1890-1957
Extent
1 container., .5 linear feet of shelf space.
Language
Collection materials are in English.
Abstract
Includes deeds, agreements to property owned by Murray D. Henry. Also includes other types of documents related to his property investments in Pullman.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 618, Murray D. Henry Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Biography/History

Murray David Henry was a Pullman pioneer and businessman. He was born on May 26, 1865 in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, to David Steward Henry (d. 1911) and Rebecca Cline Henry (d. 1912). Murray Henry was one of five children. His siblings included Mrs. J. T. (Mary) Chilton, Whittier, California; George N. Henry (1853-1926), Pullman; John T. (1862-1926), Pullman and Spokane; W. D. Henry, Chambers; and Mrs. Alice Hardy, Palouse. In the late 1860s the family began moving west for Oregon. Due to misfortune they only traveled as far as Missouri. In the spring of 1879 the Henrys left Missouri by wagon and finally headed west. After six months on the trail, they arrived in the Palouse country. Instead of continuing on to Oregon, they stayed in Washington Territory and farmed land on Union Flat near Pullman.

Murray Henry was a businessman in Whitman County, Wash., for all his adult life. In 1881, at the age of sixteen, he began operating a freight wagon between Almota and Colfax. By the late 1880s, he farmed a section of land on what later became Pullman's Military Hill. He also farmed what was known as the Drinkwater place north of the town.

In 1889, Henry constructed his first of several business buildings in Pullman. It was destroyed in the fire of 1890. He then constructed the first brick block built after the fire. He was also associated with his brother, John T., in the contracting business. Henry served on Pullman's first volunteer fire department. He also was a member of the city council for nineteen years. Henry retired from business shortly after the First World War, but he remained a long-term investor in Pullman real estate, both business and residential property.

Murray D. Henry married Lou S. Clark of Oregon on July 20, 1892. They became parents of five children, Mrs. Mabel Henry Tatham and Arthur Henry of Pullman; Mrs. Laurel Henry Goff of Walnut Creek, California; Ernest Henry of Opportunity, Washington; and Harold Henry of Salem, Oregon. Lou S. Henry passed away on October 17, 1926. In 1933, Murray Henry married Edith Cox of Pullman. She died in 1945. Murray D. Henry died on August 28, 1948, in Pullman after suffering a stroke.

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Arrangement

The Murray D. Henry Papers are organized into two series. The first includes deeds and agreements to property owned by Henry throughout Pullman, from the 1890s forward. Those of particular interest concern party walls between business buildings on Block 7, Original Townsite of Pullman (the 200 block along the north side of East Main Street). The second series contains several types of documents, with most having some relevance to real estate and business property ownership. These include lease agreements, a chattel mortgage, and tax receipts on Henry's Pullman property investments.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections  © 2012

http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/

Terrell Library

P.O. Box 645610

Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA

509-335-6691

mascref@wsu.edu

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Acquisition Information

The Washington State University Libraries acquired the Murray D. Henry Papers from Criss Orton of Seattle in May 1993 (Orton is Henry's great-granddaughter). They were accessioned as MS93-28.

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Related Materials

Related Material

See also the Henry family history, Cage 1856, Washington State University Manuscripts Archives and Special Collections.

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Names and Subjects

Family Name(s)

  • Henry family

Geographic Name(s)

  • Pullman (Wash.)--History--Archives

Personal Name(s)

Creator(s) :
  • Henry, Murray D. --Archives

Subject(s)

  • Real property --Washington (State)--Pullman--19th century
  • Real property --Washington (State)--Pullman--20th century
  • Pioneers
  • City Planning
  • Washington (State)

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Detailed Description of Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series 1. Deeds and Agreements, Pullman, Washington 
folder

Block 7, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 1

Block 33, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 2

Block 45, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 3

Block 46, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 4

Blocks 46, 55, and 58, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 5

Block 54, Original Townsite of Pullman [also known as "Block 54, Moore's Addition" to the Original Townsite] 

 6

Block 55, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 7

Block 4, Reaney's [First] Addition to Pullman 

 8

Block 7, Reaney's Second Addition to Pullman 

 9

Block 3, Rossiter's Addition to Pullman 

 10

Block 13, Garden City Addition to Pullman 

 11

Blocks 18 and 21, College Hill Addition to Pullman 

 12

Block B, Holbrook Addition to Pullman 

 13

Irregular Piece of Land adjacent to Farr's Third Addition to Pullman 

 14

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Series 2. Miscellaneous Legal Instruments and Other Documents 
folder

Agreement, Pullman Amusement Co. and Theatorium Theatre Property 1917 

 15

Agreements and Leases, #126 in Block 7, Sanborn Fire Map, Pullman, Washington 

 16

Building Agreement and Sewer Easement, Lot 14, Block 46, Original Townsite of Pullman 

 17

Promissory Notes 

 18

Bill of Sale, Reno Robbins to M. D. Henry 1916 

 19

Chattel Mortgage, E. F. Emmick and E. L. McAlister, movie theater equipment 

 20

Bond, Pullman Building and Loan Association 1890 

 21

Miscellaneous Receipts 

 22

Tax Receipts 1896-1930 

 23

Inventory List, 609 State Street [old address system] 

 24

Newspaper Clipping, Legal Notice 1895 

 25

Correspondence 

 26

[Memorandum Book], [Murray D. Henry] 1890-1910 

 27

Memorandum Book, [Murray D. Henry] 1930-1939 

 28

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