Our earliest known Furray ancestor was William Christopher (or Christian or Chris) Furray, born between 1780 and 1790 in Scotland. If he is the same man who was married to Polly Robinson on 18 June 1803 in Shenandoah Co., Virginia, then his father was Daniel Furray, but this remains unclear. Family tradition states the children were born in Wheeling, (West) Virginia, but no Furray's appear there in census or tax records for the same time period. Furray's do appear in Shenandoah Co., Virginia. Chris Furray was the father of at least seven children, probably by two wives:
- Nancy Furray was born on 7 February 1814 in Virginia and died after 1880 in Phelps Co., Missouri. She was married to Michael Wolf on 13 November 1834 in Crawford Co, Missouri.
- John Furray was born about 1815 in Virginia. He was married to Susannah Gardner on 17 November 1842 in Crawford Co. John died in the early 1890's.
- Joseph Furray was born about 1818 in Virginia and was married to Sarah Ann (--?--).
- Samuel Furray was born on 30 June 1820 in Virginia and died on 9 October 1894 in Phelps Co., Missouri. He was married to Lucretia Benton on 25 January 1844 in Crawford Co., Missouri./li>
- Mounce Monroe Furray was born on 22 November 1821 in Virginia. He was married first to Lavina Benton on 5 June 1845 in Crawford Co., and second to Elizabeth Price on 14 December 1848 in Crawford Co., Missouri. Mounce died on 7 November 1890 in Phelps Co., Missouri.
- Isaac Furray was born about 1821/22 in Virginia. He was married to Mary C. (--?--).
- Melinda Furray, no information.
Chris Furray died about 1849 in Crawford Co., Missouri. Probate records indicate that his son-in-law Michael Wolf was the administrator of his estate.
Correspondence from other family members state that Furray was of Scottish ancestry (confirmed in census records where his children state their father was born in Scotland), lived in Virginia, lived in Ross Co., Ohio, where he worked at the James Iron Works, and then accompanied the owner Thomas James to Missouri where James erected the Meramec Furnance and buildings in what is now Phelps County. He was regarded as a "drunkard, tavern brawler, and possibly a murderer..."! No documentation has been found for these statements.
The Furrays, Presbyterians, lived in the Elk Prairie area of Phelps County where many are buried in the Elk Prairie cemetery near the Presbyterian Church.