Historical information

Mary May was born in Bedfordshire, England in 1839 and migrated to Victoria with her parents, brothers and sisters in 1852.
She married Ambrose Murrell in 1855, and they had seven children. Mary and Ambrose Murrell bought the Victoria Hotel in Linton in 1881. After Ambrose died in 1891, Mary continued to run the hotel with the assistance of her daughter Caroline, but it is understood that around the time Caroline married in 1910, Mary sold the hotel and bought the Linton Newsagency. It is not clear whether she managed the newsagency, as it was run by her son William (Bill) Murrell from about 1912, and later by his daughter Carrie Murrell. Mary Murrell died in 1928, age 94.

Physical description

Enlarged black and white copy of original photograph which has been mounted on white card. The photograph shows an older lady wearing a full-length skirt and a knitted jumper and holding a bundle of sticks (?) with both hands. She has been photographed outside, near a shed or garage. There are trees in the background. Mary Murrell, née May.