John Muir (1838-1914) Genealogy

"I heartily congratulate you on your good scotch name. To be born of Scotch parents is a great blessing. Muir is rather a common name in Scotland and whether we are nearly related or not I don't know: but to be Scotch at all and related to the heather moorland or Muirlands is a grand fortune."

- John Muir - letter to Mrs. Muir Webster, December 15, 1906.

Ancestors, Siblings, Spouse, and Descendants

Ancestors of John Muir

John Muir's Paternal Grandparents

John Muir - of Crawfordjohn, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Sarah Higgs Muir, - from Manchester, England

John Muir's Maternal Grandparents

David Gilrye (shortened from Gilderoy)- came to Dunbar from Northumberland, England
Margaret Hay Gilrye - of Coldstream

John Muir's Parents

Daniel Muir, father (1804-October 6, 1885) b. Manchester, England. m. Ann Gilrye 1833 in Dunbar, Scotland. d. 1885 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. - See Daniel Muir Gravesite.
Daniel Muir had a sister, Mary, born in 1793, who married Hamilton Blakely.
Ann Gilrye, mother (March 17, 1813 - June 22, 1896) Ann Gilrye Muir had only one sister Margaret, who survived childhood from among her 9 siblings, and who was married to Captain John Rae. See Ann Gilrye Muir gravesite at Silver Lake Cemetery, Portage, Wisconsin (off-site link).

Siblings of John Muir and Their Children:

Muir, David - (July 11, 1840 - October 28, 1916). Married to Catherine Cairns, had four children:
- Anna
- Carrie
- John (September, 1868 - June 15 1886)
- Wilberforce
after Catherine's death, David married Juliaette Treadway (1844 - 1906).
Reid, Margaret (Maggie) Muir (September 30, 1834 - June 22, 1910). Married to John Reid (1835 - 1926) on December 18, 1860 . Born in Dunbar, Scotland, buried in Strentzel cemetery, Martinez, California.
- Anna (b. November 19, 1861). Married (?) Waterman 5/15/1889, Nebraska.
- Jessie (July 29, 1863 - December 8, 1944)
- Andrew - died as a baby
- Henry (Harry) Daniel - b. August 2, 1870.
- John, Jr. (1874 - 1954). Married Bertha B. (1876-1955)
  - John Muir, Jr. (1909 - 1955)
  - Russel L.
  - Gail
- Margaret (Maggie) May - (b. January 16, 1873), Married Arthur B. Coleman on 12/28/1893).
  - Miriam (died December 7, 1974)
Galloway, Sarah Muir - (1836 - 1932). Married to Galloway, David - husband of Sarah Muir (1828 - 1884)
Muir, Daniel (Dan) - (1843 - ?). Married to Emma;
- Mabel Muir.
- After Emma's death, Dan married "Alice," this union resulted apparently resulted in at least one daughter, also named Alice.
Hand, Mary Muir - (October 5, 1846 - ?) twin to Annie. Married to Willis Hand.
Muir, Anna (Annie) - (October 5, 1846 - January 15, 1903) - twin to Mary
Brown, Joanna Muir - (1850 - ?); m. Walter Brown, 1881.
Joanna was the only of Muir's siblings to be born in Wisconsin rather than Dunbar Scotland. She was married to Walter Brown. Two of her deceased infants are buried in the same family plot with her father Daniel Muir. See Daniel Muir Gravesite.

John Muir's Wife

Louisa Wanda (Louie) Strentzel Muir (1847 - 1905) b. July 6, 1847 in Honey Grove, Texas. m. John Muir April 14, 1880 in Martinez, California. d. August 9, 1905, Martinez, California.

Descendents of John Muir

(Annie) Wanda MUIR (1881 - 1942) b. March 25, 1881 in Martinez, California. d. July 29, 1942. Married Thomas HANNA (1881-1947). b. July 29, 1881. m. June 20, 1906. d. October 26, 1947.
- Strentzel HANNA - (b. June 20, 1907 - d. November 13, 1973). Married Edna (Sherry) SHERIDAN (b. May 16, 1906 - d. November 8, 1991)
  - David HANNA. Married Sharon
    - HANNA
  - James HANNA. Married Carol
    - Matt HANNA
  - Susan HANNA. Married C.Terry FLYNN
    - Maureen FLYNN
    - Allison FLYNN
    - Michael FLYNN
- John Muir HANNA. b. March 15, 1909, San Francisco, d. December 1, 2007. Married Virginia Edna YOUNG August 6, 1939 (Virginia was b. 7-24-12 in Stockton; d. 2-5-99)
  - Bill HANNA. Married Claudia - See Muir-Hanna Vineyards - Family Wine label from John Muir's descendents (off-site link)
- Richard Rae Hanna. b. March, 1912. d. July, 1992. Married Kathleen
  - Kevin HANNA
  - Tom HANNA
  - Owen HANNA
  - Joan HANNA. Married BROWN.
- Richard Rae HANNA. Married Jean.
- Robert HANNA. d. 1958. Married Mary HANNA-SWANSON
  - Timothy HANNA. Married NICKI.
  - Dennis HANNA
  - Neil HANNA. Married SHELLY.
    - Robert T. HANNA b. March 22, 1980. Married Lavina NABER.
      - Sierra Rose HANNA b. August 15, 2009.
    - Rebecca HANNA
- Jean HANNA deLipkau Clark - (Muir's only granddaughter) - b. 1919. d. January 28, 1976. Married Eugene DE LIPKAU 1938.
  - Louise DE LIPKAU. Married POWELL.
    - Michael Scott DE LIPKAU (son); married Danielle Mostert September 30, 2000
    - Harlan Curtis POWELL (son); married Andrea Helen Swank March 23, 2003
    - Jaimie Suzanne POWELL
  - Ross DE LIPKAU
  - Isabel DE LIPKAU. Married James E. GAINES.
    - Rene GAINES
    - Robert E. GAINES. Married MiKelle C. Holste.
      - Makenzie Cailee Gaines.
    - Camille GAINES
    - Leonard GAINES
- Jean HANNA re-married Noel A. Clark
- Ross E. HANNA - b. October 20, 1922. Lives in Dixon, California; Married Gladys 1949.
  - Lynne HANNA. Married LINCOLN.
    - Allison LINCOLN. Married ______________. Has 6 children.
  - Harold HANNA. Married Terry.
    - Tim HANNA
    - Elizabeth HANNA
  - Michael MUIR (changed from HANNA). See Michael's re-tracing of John Muir's 1,000 mile walk to the gulf via horse-drawn carriage.
Helen Lillian MUIR (1886 - 1964) b. January 23, 1886, Martinez, California. d. June 17, 1964. Married Buel A. FUNK b. May 25, 1889. m. October 1909. d. October 3, 1934.
- Muir FUNK b. February 2, 1911. d. 1970. Married. Although some sources state that he later changed name to Wayne Muir, his son Michael Funk states that his father never changed his name (Personal Communication, February 9, 2005). Did not change his name when the rest of family did, as he was involved in competition for a job at the time, and thought it might affect his chances.
  - Michael FUNK. b. September 24, 1937.
    - Terri FUNK Graham. b. May 5, 1965, Palmdale, CA. Married Michael Dee Graham April 20, 1991.
      - Ian Michael Graham, b. March 9, 2002 (Ian is the Scottish form of John)
  - Gail FUNK. b. March 26, 1952.
- Stanley MUIR (changed name) b. July 17, 1912. d. August 17 1962.
- John MUIR (changed name) - b. June 28, 1914. d. April 23, 1973.
- Walter MUIR (changed name) - b. May 27, 1916, d. December 9, 2004. Married Margaret. Walter pre-deceased his wife Margaret, her son Earl, daughter Marlene, seven grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. In 2000, Walter told an interviewer that he had every book written by his famous grandfather and many written about him by other authors. He told the interviewer, "The more I study him and the things he did, the more amazed I am. He had the most incredible way of describing things, in words I wouldn't even think of." Articles: Walter Muir, grandson of the naturalist John Muir, returns to the house in Daggett where he was born and spent his boyhood by Stuart Kellogg, Victorville Daily Press ; Grandson of Muir dies at 88 by Wesley G. Hughes, San Bernardino County Sun, December 11, 2004.
  - Marlene MUIR. b. May 25, 1935.
  - Earl GUY
Helen and three of her sons changed their name from Funk to Muir in 1940. Muir Funk did not because his first name was Muir.

Sources:
- The Heart of John Muir's World: Wisconsin, Family, and Wilderness Discovery , by Millie Stanley
- Son of the Wilderness by Linnie Marsh Wolfe
- John Muir National Historic Site
- Holt-Atherton Library, University of the Pacific
- Family members

For inquiries about John Muir genealogy, or if you believe you may be related to John Muir but are not listed above, please contact the following:

Harold Wood, Webmaster of the John Muir Exhibit, for inclusion on this page:
email: harold.wood@sierraclub.org
Shan Sutton, Head, Holt-Atherton Special Collections,
email: ssutton@pacific.edu
Phone: (209) 946-2945
Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections
University of the Pacific Library
Stockton, California 95211
Phone: (209) 946-2945
Fax: (209) 946-2810
and
Chief Park Interpreter, John Muir National Historic Site, National Park Service.
email: JOMU_Interpretation@nps.gov

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