William A. Murdoch (1825-1915) of Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, married Maria Nickerson (1825-1911) and together they had seven children: Emma (1854-1917); Alexander (1856-1922); William J. (1858-1923); George (1860-1934); Anna (1862-1946); Gordon (1865-1949); and Charles (1867-1949). The family played an important role in transportation history along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. During the late 19th century through to the 1920s, the family of master mariners owned and captained the coastal steamships "Wilfred C." and "S.S. Dufferin," which offered passenger and freight services between Halifax and Sherbrooke, stopping in the communities Port Dufferin, Harrigan Cove, Moser River, Ecum Secum, Marie Joseph, Liscomb, and Sonora, before heading up the river to Sherbrooke.
Three of William A. Murdoch's sons, William J., George, and Charles became master mariners that captained the S.S. Dufferin.