Nicholas Murray was Moderator of the General Assembly

Moderator of the General Assembly

The Moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a presbyterian or reformed church. Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator....

 of the Presbyterian Church

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...

 of America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Murray was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway

County Galway

County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. In 1818, he emigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, becoming an apprentice printer with Harper Brothers. Later in life, he was ordained a minister, and became Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly of America.

Murray wrote extensively of his travels and on archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

, which was an abiding interest. An occasional pseudonym

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 was KIRWAN. He died in Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown

-Places:Elizabethtown is the name of several places in the United States:*Elizabethtown, California*Elizabethtown, Illinois*Elizabethtown, Indiana*Elizabethtown, Kentucky*Elizabethtown, New York*Elizabethtown, New Mexico*Elizabethtown, North Carolina...

in 1861.

Select bibliography

• Letters to the Rt. Rev. J. Hughes, Roman Catholic Bishop of New York, by Kirwan. 2nd series, 1848
• Kirwan's letter to Dr. Cote, on Baptism, with Dr. Cote's reply, 1849
• the Decline of Popery and its causes. An address, etc,, New York, 1851
• Romanism at home, being letters to the Hon. Roger B. Janey, 1852
• American Principles on National Prosperity. A thanksgiving Sermon (on Ps. CXVIII.25), etc., 1854
• Kirwan (i.e., N. Murray) on Bedini and Dr. Duff. An address, etc, 1854