My Morgan Ancestors

Ok, it has been forever since I posted on this blog. I guess I had better get back at it and what better way than to talk about my Morgan ancestors. My grandmother (second from the left in the photo above) was Clara Ethel Morgan. She was one of 13 children but only the four pictured above lived to reach adulthood. Pictured are Hazel Gladys, Clara Ethel, Mary Luanna "Mayme", and Albert Earl. They were the children of Calvin Douglas Morgan and Laura Belle Roberts.

Calvin Douglas Morgan was born April 29, 1861 in Lancaster, Wabash County, Illinois. He married Laura Belle Roberts January 11, 1882 at Gards Point, Wabash County, Illinois. She was born January 30, 1865 in Mt. Carmel, Wabash County, Illinois and was the daughter of Archibald Ruddle Roberts and Lucinda Montgomery. Calvin died August 22, 1910 in Allendale, Wabash County, Illinois following an appendectomy performed on his kitchen table of all things!! Laura Belle died June 8, 1930 in Evansville, Indiana. Calvin Douglas and Laura Belle had the following children:
#1. Infant Child Morgan born and died June 22, 1882 in Lick Prairie, Wabash County, Illinois.
#2. Clara Ethel Morgan (my grandmother) born October 14, 1884 Lick Prairie, Illinois. She married Elkanah Richards Clark June 3, 1903 and died May 14, 1960 in Rockford, Illinois.
#3. Flora Belle Morgan born November 19, 1886 in Lick Prairie and died March 15, 1896 in Lick Prairie.
#4. Nellie Maud Morgan born July 13, 1890 Lick Prairie died January 31, 1892 Lick Prairie.
#5. Albert Earl Morgan born September 23, 1892 Lick Prairie died April 17, 1948 Allendale, Illinois. Married Eva Elizabeth Wolfe December 24, 1912 Allendale, Illinois.
#6. Infant Girl Morgan born and died June 23, 1893 Allendale, Illlinois.
#7. Mary Luanna "Mayme" Morgan born January 8, 1895 Allendale Illinois died January 12, 1968 Berwyn, Illlinois. Married Joseph T. Williams June 14, 1913 Wabash County, Illinois.
#8. Thirza M. Morgan born April 8, 1897, Allendale, Illinois died June 30, 1897 Allendale.
#9. Talmah R. Morgan born December 22, 1898 Allendale, Illinois died January 8, 1900 Allendale, Illinois.
#10. Hazel Gladys Morgan born October 14, 1900 Allendale, Illinois died October 7, 1974 Mt. Carmel, Wabash County, Illinois. Married Rienza Wolfe September 1, 1917 Wabash County, Illinois.
#11. Infant Boy Morgan born January 8, 1903 died January 25, 1903 Allendale, Illinois.
#12. Clinton C. Morgan born March 7, 1904 Allendale, Illinois died August 14, 1904 Allendale.
#13. Addie Sybil Morgan born December 7, 1906 Allendale died October 13, 1907 Allendale.I can't even begin to imagine what these parents went through each time they lost a child. It must have been devastating. These are the tombstones of all of the children who died in infancy or childhood in the Lick Prairie Cemetery.

Calvin Douglas Morgan was the son of George W. Morgan and Mary Eliza Preston. George W. was born February 5, 1836 in Wabash County, Illinois. He died September 4, 1906 in Wabash County. Mary Eliza was born March 5, 1837 in Wabash County and died November 9, 1898 in Wabash County. George W. and Mary Eliza were married September 3, 1857 at her home in Edwards County, Illinois. They had 11 children, 4 of whom died in infancy.
#1. Franklin Morgan born August 21, 1858 Lancaster, Wabash County, Illinois. Died January 30, 1916 West Salem, Edwards County, Illinois. Married #1 Emma Hedrick December 18, 1879 Edwards County, Illinois; #2 Elzira Greathouse March 7, 1888 Edwards County, Illinois; #3 Martha "Mattie" Bogard January 15, 1895 Edwards County, Illinois.
#2. Infant Boy Morgan born and died April 18, 1860 Lancaster, Wabash County, Illinois.
#3. Calvin Douglas Morgan (my great grandfather listed above)
#4. Nancy Ann Morgan born April 17, 1863 Lancaster, Illinois died November 3, 1865 Lancaster.
#5. George W. Morgan Jr. born March 14 1865 Lancaster, Illinois died October 30, 1897 Wabash County, Illinois. Married Della Talley November 22, 1888 Wabash County, Illinois
#6. Jacob Morgan born January 26, 1868 Lancaster, Illinois died October 14, 1933 West Salem, Edwards County, Illinois. Married Lenora R. Nading November 7, 1889 Wabash County. They both died on the same date. They were killed when their car was hit by a train. (My grandfather, Elkanah Richards Clark who married Clara Ethel Morgan was killed in April of that same year when his truck was hit by a train.)
#7. Joseph Morgan born February 8, 1870 Lancaster, Illinois. Died May 2, 1946 in Illinois. He married #1 Ida Elizabeth Myers January 24, 1894 in Wabash County, Illinois. #2 Lydia (last name unknown) between 1910-1913 Wabash County.
#8. Infant Girl Morgan born and died January 26, 1876 Lancaster, Illinois.
#9. Eli Morgan born January 16, 1873 Lancaster, Illinois died January 1, 1934 Homer, Illinois. Married Stella Tarpley January 8, 1896 Wabash County, Illinois.
#10. Infant Boy Morgan born and died April 2, 1875 Lancaster, Illinois.
#11. Nellie Morgan born July 7, 1876 Lancaster Illinois, died June 14, 1945 Mt. Carmel, Wabash County, Illinois. Married John Lewis Bradham January 29, 1893 Wabash County, Illinois.

My great great grandfather, George W. Morgan was the son of Calvin Morgan and Nancy Gupton. I will write about Calvin and my theories on his parentage in my next post.

Posting on Ancestry.com

I know that it has been quite a while since I have posted here. I have been busy--all day, every day--putting all of my lines, pictures etc on Ancestry.com. I have added several different lines.

I have three different lines for my husband. He is adopted but thanks to a very comprehensive adoption history, I was able to find both his birth maternal and paternal lines. And, we have been able to meet a sister from his maternal line and cousins and an aunt from his paternal line. I have put the information from his birth paternal line in a tree called Ritten/Ryten Gershtenman/Gorman Family Tree. This line goes back to Russia and Poland. Both of these families immigrated to America and settled in Detroit. His birth maternal line information is in a tree called Thomas and Walker family tree. The Thomas' came from Wales. Edward Thomas worked in the coal mines in Boulder County, Colorado but moved to Detroit where he died. His wife took the Merrill name from her stepfather but her mother was a Walker from Indiana and her father was a Grehear from Germany.His adoptive line is in a tree entitled Runta and O'Malley Family Tree. The Runtus family immigrated from Lithuania to Pennsylvania where Anthony worked in the coal mines. The O'Malleys and Worns families were from Graves End, England and immigrated in the early part of the 1900's to NYC and on to Detroit.

As for my lines I did my dad's side first. This one is called Brooks, Dye, Ice Family Tree. The Brooks' went from Pennsylvania to Delaware to Virginia to Harrison County, West Virginia to Washington County, Ohio. It was in West Virginia and Washington County, Ohio that they intermarried with the Dye and Ice family--both very prolific families in the area. Other names in this line are Bogard from New York to West Virginia; Sayers from Ireland to Pennsylvania to West Virginia; Taylor from New York to Washington County, Ohio and Pearce from Delaware to Monroe County, Ohio.

I am still working on putting my mother's tree online. I have a LOT of names to put on line. I know that I could just download a gedcom file but I wanted to put each name on individually so I could check them against what is already online. When I eventually get it all up to date, this line will include Clarks from Richland County, Illinois back to Virginia and Barbados; Richards and McCoy from Richland County, Illinois back to Wilson County, Tennessee; Morgan and Gupton from Wabash County, Illinois back to Carter County, Tennessee and North Carolina; Roberts from Wayne and Wabash Counties, Illinois back to Virginia; Gaddy and Montgomery from Wabash County, Illinois back to North Carolina and Virginia; and Preston and Finney from Wabash County, Illinois back to Hamilton County, Ohio and points east.

I had posted much of this information years ago but Ancestry.com has updated it's site and method of adding family trees--so to stay up with the times, this is why I am doing it again. Plus it is a great way to share pictures and other information with others.

So, forgive me for not posting here for awhile.

Wordless Wednesday-My Great Great Grandmother

This is my great great grandmother, Mary Eliza Preston Morgan, in front of her house about 1880.

Ok, I know that you are busy checking out other Wordless Wednesdays but please bookmark me and drop back some time. This is my genealogy blog. I will be discussing my ancestors and from time to time I will be giving some instructions on how to do your own search. But now, go back to Wordless Wednesday and have a happy day.

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