An excerpt from Dennistoun Past and Present by James Baird 1922.
Was born in the northern part of Glasgow in April 1843, After receiving a meagre education he was early apprenticed to the trade of marine engineering and was a period thereafter employed by Messrs Singer. Without outside assistance he developed a literary bent, and contributed many poems - especially humorous ones - to the 'Glasgow Weekly Mail'. He was after a time able to publish a book of his poetry, and by 1879 he had issued three volumes of his poems. In this year he won the medal offered by the committee of the Burns Monument at Kilmarnock for a poem on the Ayrshire Bard. After this he became a member of the staff of the 'Mail' and wrote several serial stories - 'Fire and Sword' 'Sweet Nellie Gray', Bob Allan's Lass', etc besides issuing various other books. including 'Recent and Living Scottish Poets'. It is as a poet, however he will be remembered, as he had the real poetic chord in his nature. He died at his house in Bellgrove Street on 12th February 1901.
Further information is available http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/murdoch/
Alexander Murdoch (1841-1891) - A Scottish Engineer, Poet, Author, Journalist
Alexander Murdoch was born in Taylor Street, St Mungo Parish, Glasow on 23rd of April 1841. It was only in later years that he added his mother's surname, Gregor, as his middle name.
It appears that his marriage and the births of another four children before the 1881 Census on the 3rd of April, 1881, did not in any way hamper Alexander Snr.'s literary efforts and ambitions in the 1870s, for, not only did he contribute many serious and humorous poems to the 'Glasgow Weekly Mail', but also published two volumes of poetry, namely, 'Lilts On A Scottish Lyre' in 1873 and 'The Laird's Lykewake and Other Poems' in 1877. Then in 1879 he won the medal offered by the committee of the Burns Monument at Kilmarnock for a poem on the Ayrshire Bard and afterwards accepted a position on the staff of the 'Glasgow Weekly Mail'.
While with the 'Mail', Alexander G. Murdoch, as he then styled himself, developed his prose ability by writing several popular serial stories and then published at least two more books, namely, 'Recent And Living Scottish Poets' in 1883, and 'Scotch Readings - Humorous And Amusing' in 1889. But sadly, he died of Nervous Debility and Pleurisy at his home in 38 Bellgrove Street, Glasgow, on the 12th February 1891.
