1 THE ANCESTRY OF DENNIS MORRISON Dennis Morrison, of Carson City, Nevada, is a ...

15 Pages·2010·0.06 MB·English

THE ANCESTRY OF DENNIS MORRISON

Dennis Morrison, of Carson City, Nevada, is a member of the Morrison Surname Project, which
uses y-DNA haplotypes plus what is known of each member’s lineage to align members into
possible close kinship groups. Dennis is a member of Group Q, which now consists of eleven
people. Most of the people in Group Q can trace their ancestry to the piedmont and foothill
country in Iredell, Burke, and McDowell Counties of North Carolina prior to the American
Revolution. Dennis, however, can trace his ancestry only back to a man named James J.
Morrison, whose entry in the United States Census of 1870 for Calhoun County, Arkansas, gave
his age as 35 and his birthplace as Tennessee. In his household were his wife Nancy J., age 22,
birthplace Mississippi, and three children: Nancy, aged 9; George H., aged 3; and William N.,
aged 7 months. All of the children were born in Arkansas1.

There are some insignificant errors in the above census data, but the information is fundamentally
correct and serves as the starting point of a search both backward and forward in time to determine
the forebears and descendants of this family of five. Of most importance to the members of Group
Q is the male line, since y-DNA is passed exclusively and almost without change from father to son.
Even so, learning about the original family of Nancy Jane Morrison is useful because the know-
ledge gained may help to learn the identity of the paternal forebears of James J. Morrison. Dennis,
of course, has a dual interest; Nancy Jane’s forebears were also his.

Information gained in this inquiry has come in large part from Ancestry.com. Within the
Ancestry databank, the most useful has been census data. Examination of the census has been
both direct, by looking for and finding persons related to Dennis, and indirect, by finding people
who were associated with his ancestors and, by association, may help to identify them. Marriage
information and the Social Security Death index has supplemented the census data. Calhoun
County, Arkansas, cemetery surveys were also useful in providing information about some of the
members of the elder George H. Morrison’s family.

The results of the inquiry are based on facts taken from public records as much as possible,
although speculation and educated guesses were necessary in some cases. When either of these
non-factual methods was employed, the writer tried to say so clearly and to explain his logic for
using them. In several cases, information from unproven ancestral lines available in
Ancestry.com was used; these are noted in the narrative and cited as “family tradition.”

Morrison’s in Calhoun County, Arkansas

As a point of departure from the James J. Morrison census data of 1870, people named Morrison
who lived in Calhoun and Ouachita Counties in Arkansas (Ouachita was a parent county of
Calhoun) in 1850, 1860, and 1870 were identified. Their relationship, if any, to James J.
Morrison is considered important. The study found the people listed on the following chart:
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Census Ouachita County Calhoun County

1850 John B. Morrison 1816 AL
Mary “ 1833 TN None
Benjamin “ 1847 AR
Sarah A. “ 1848 AR

1860 K. Morrison 1837 Scotland W. P. Morrison 1800 TN
Mary “ 1824 OH
C. H. “ 1831 OH
James “ 1835 TN
Sarah “ 1836 GA
G. H. “ 1837 TN
Julia “ 1841 AR
George “ 1853 OH
Harriet “ 1855 OH
Martha “ 1857 AR
Frances “ 1860 AR

1870 None Jas J. Morrison 1835 TN
Nancy J. “ 1848 MS
Nancy “ 1861 AR
Geo H “ 1867 AR
Wm N “ 1869 AR
Wm P. Morison 1803 TN
Sarah “ 1823 TN
Geo H. “ 1838 TN
Julia “ 1843 AR
Sarah J. “ 1857 TN
Naoma “ 1859 AR
Nancy “ 1863 AR
Jas W “ 1865 AR
The people of most interest in these two counties all gave their birthplaces as Tennessee and are
highlighted in bold type.

Five family groups are on the list. Two were immediately eliminated:
In 1850 the family of John B. Morrison of Ouachita County is of no interest,
even though John’s wife Mary is from Tennessee – she is not a Morrison by birth.

In 1860, the family of C. H. and Mary Morrison from Ohio, with two children, is of no
interest, either. K. Morrison, born in Scotland, is single and is of no interest.

But three families are of interest. They are headed by:
W. P. (Wm. P. in 1870) Morrison from Tennessee, born in 1800 or 1803, with his
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wives named Sarah (the first born in 1836 in Georgia and the second born in 1823 in
Tennessee) and daughters Martha, Frances, and Sarah J.2, 3

Jas J. Morrison from Tennessee, with his wife Nancy J., daughter Nancy, and sons
Geo H and Wm N. Also of interest was James Morrison of Tennessee, born in 1835
and single in 1860.

G. H. (Geo H in 1870) Morrison of Tennessee, with his wife Julia, daughters Naoma
and Nancy and son Jas W.4,5

Not only are the heads of these three families from Tennessee, but their ages suggest that Wm P
could be the father of both Jas J and Geo H.

As it turns out, the study of these three families has not yet helped to learn the ancestry of James
J. Morrison. No positive familial linkage among them was found in previous studies. Since the
present inquiry has also failed, further research is necessary. It is important to include in this
report, however, a reference to a study entitled “James J. Morrison, Ancestor of Dennis
Morrison.”6 This study determined that another James J. Morrison, coincidentally born in 1835
in Tennessee, and whose father was Robert W. Morrison, could not possibly have been the
ancestor of Dennis Morrison.

In the quest to learn more about James J Morrison, a great deal was learned about Nancy
Morrison’s original family. Even more was learned about the descendants of James J. and Nancy
Jane Morrison. Most of this paper will be devoted to these two topics.

Then there will be a discussion about William P. Morrison while he lived in Arkansas, followed
by a discussion of the family of George H. Morrison the elder (1836 or 1837, Tennessee);
George H. lived in Calhoun County from 1859 until his death in 1911.

At the very end of the paper, a series of “next steps” will be identified in the continuing effort to
discover James J. Morrison’s paternal ancestors.

James J. Morrison and Nancy Jane Adams/Letlow(Ludlow)/King/Morrison

Arkansas marriage records show that James J. Morrison married Nancy J. King on August 1,
1866, in Calhoun County.7 Examination of the 1860 United States census reveals Nancy J. King,
age 21 and born in Mississippi, at Washington, Bridge Creek and Fremont, Ouachita County,
Arkansas. She was the wife of William King, age 22, born in Arkansas. In their household is
Margaret N. Ludlow, age 2, born in Mississippi.8 Arkansas marriage records show that William
King and Nancy Jane Letlow were married on March 7, 1860, in Calhoun County.9

Immediately above the King family census entry is the family of Nathan N. Adams, age 48, born
in Tennessee. The rest of the household consists of Margaret Adams, age 44, born in Alabama,
and William, Washington, and Martha Adams, aged 19, 16, and 13, respectively, all born in
Mississippi.10

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Calhoun County, Arkansas, 1860 census records include James Morrison, an unmarried boarder
in the household of J. H. Adams, age 24, who was born in Tennessee.11 A suspicion that James
might be the James J. Morrison who married Nancy J. King in 1866, an idea that J. H. Adams
might be a member of Nathan N. Adams family, and notice of the proximity of Nathan N.
Adams to the William King family in the 1860 Ouachita County census, led to a search for the
family of Nathan Adams in 1850. This logic process may sound like a “long shot,” but it is not;
Dennis Morrison’s family tradition says that Nancy Jane’s maiden name was Adams.

Nathan Adams, age 37, born in Tennessee, was found in the Northern Division of Carroll
County, Mississippi in the 1850 census.12 The other members of his family were:
Margaret Adams, age 24, born in Alabama
James Adams, age 14, born in Tennessee
Nancy Adams, age 11, born in Mississippi
Jackson Adams, age 8, born in Mississippi
Washington Adams, age 6, born in Mississippi
Martha Adams, age 3, born in Mississippi
Franklin Adams, age 0, born in Mississippi

This 1850 Mississippi family is definitely the same one as Nathan N. Adams in Arkansas in
1860. Nathan, Margaret, Washington, and Martha are members of both households. Their
birthplaces are the same in each record. James Adams, age 14 in 1850, is probably J. H. Adams,
age 24 in 1860; Nancy Adams, age 11 in 1850, is most likely 21 year old Nancy J. King of the
1860 Ouachita County census. Jackson Adams, age 8 in 1850, is presumably William Adams,
age 19 in 1860. Franklin Adams is missing and probably deceased by 1860.

Examination of Arkansas marriage records revealed that James H. Adams married Martha E.
Stover in Calhoun County on July 17, 1856.13 That agrees with the 1860 census records for the
J. H. Adams family. J. H. Adams’ wife was Martha; in the household were John “Stopher”, aged
10, and Bettie “Stopher”, aged 7, who were in all likelihood related to Martha (nee Stover).

From the information in the preceding six paragraphs, the following conclusions can be drawn:

Nancy Adams had a child with a man named Letlow or Ludlow in Mississippi in 1858,
when she was 19. Given the morals and laws of the time, they were probably married.
Their daughter Margaret N. may have been named for Nancy’s mother. Letlow/Ludlow’s
fate is unknown; a likely assumption is that he died before Nancy made her way to
Arkansas.

Nancy and her young daughter either moved to Ouachita County, Arkansas, with the
family of her father, Nathan Adams, or followed them there after Letlow/Ludlow was no
longer in her life.

In Arkansas, Nancy J. met and married William King. Margaret N. Ludlow became a
member of their family. By 1866, William King was no longer a part of Nancy’s life (he
may have died during the Civil War) and …

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Nancy married James J. Morrison. It is possible that Nancy King and James J. Morrison
met through James’ association with James H. Adams, Nancy’s older brother and James
Morrison’s 1860 landlord. Alternatively, they may have met by means of George H.
Morrison (the elder), whose wife was Julia King, the sister of William King14 and former
sister-in-law of Nancy J. King.

By 1880, Nancy J. Morrison had moved north and west from Calhoun County and was a widow
living at Lees Creek in Washington County, Arkansas. The census entry identifies her as “N.J.”
Morrison. Immediately below her is N. E. Adams, identified as Nancy’s sister. Then there are:
Georg H. Adams, age 13, son, born Arkansas; William M. Adams, age 10, son, born Arkansas;
Martha M. Adams, age 8, daughter, born Arkansas; Ida B. Adams, age 6, daughter, born
Arkansas; William Adams, age 13, son, born Missouri; and John Adams, age 10, son, born in
Kansas.15

There are errors aplenty in this census record. The most important error pertains to the children
of Nancy J. Morrison, who were misidentified with the surname of Adams. Since N. E. Adams,
identified as Nancy Morrison’s sister, was in the household, it appears that the census taker
applied the name “Adams” to all the children who are listed below her name. N. E. Adams was
probably Nancy’s sister-in-law instead of her sister, since the last two people listed in the
household are a second William Adams, aged 13, and John Adams, aged 10. These last were
likely the children of N. E. Adams; their ages and birthplaces are inconsistent with Nancy J.
Morrison’s children.

It is clear that N. J. Morrison is in reality Nancy J. Morrison of the 1870 Calhoun County census.
She reports herself as born in Mississippi, her father as born in Tennessee and her mother in
Alabama, and her sons George H. and William M (N?), aged 13 and 10, both born in Arkansas,
are in the household. All of this is consistent with the family of James J. and Nancy J. Morrison
in the 1870 census. The presence of Martha and Ida suggests that the two are probably the
children of James J. Morrison and, if so, that James J. died between 1873 (after Ida was
conceived) and 1880.

At this point, it seems appropriate to summarize the members of James J. and Nancy Jane
Morrison’s family:

James J. Morrison, born in 1835 in Tennessee, died between 1873 and 1880, most likely
in Arkansas.
Nancy J. Morrison, born in 1839 in Mississippi, died in 1913 in Oklahoma.
George H. Morrison, born 1867 in Arkansas, died in 1942 in Oklahoma.
William N/M Morrison, born 1869 in Arkansas, died ?
Martha M. Morrison, born 1872 in Arkansas, died ?
Ida B. Morrison, born 1874 in Arkansas, died after 1900.

It also seems appropriate to discuss Nancy’s child/children born before her marriage to James J.
Morrison. The first was Margaret N. Ludlow, born in 1858 in Mississippi. The possible second
is Nancy King (identified as Nancy Morrison in the 1870 census), born in 1861 in Arkansas. I
say possible second because Margaret N. Ludlow could be Margaret Nancy Ludlow, and be
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identified in the 1870 census as Nancy Morrison, aged 9 instead of 12. Either way, nothing
more is known because she is/they are not present with Nancy Morrison after 1870.

In 1900, Nancy was still in Washington County, Arkansas. In her household were her youngest
daughter, Ida, and a grandson, William H. Morrison, who was born in November, 1898.16 (Was
he the son of William M/N, the second son of Nancy and James J. Morrison, or the son of Ida B.
Morrison?)

Nancy has not been located yet in the census of 1910; family tradition holds that she died in
November, 1913, in Oklahoma and was buried in the town of Stilwell, in the northeastern part of
the state.17 A photograph of her alleged gravestone in the Stilwell City Cemetery gives her dates
as 1840 to 1912.18

There is a great deal of information about Nancy’s son George H. Morrison (the younger), who
was the great grandfather of Dennis Morrison. George can be found, in addition to entries in
1870 and 1880 in his parent’s households, in the census records from 1900, 1910, 1920, and
1930 as head of his own household.

Some descendants have the tradition that George H. Morrison married a Willie Hall in 1890,
from whom he was divorced in 1893.19

George H. Morrison married Eve (or Eva) Ellen Hatfield in Washington County, Arkansas, on
March 18, 1894.20 They were present in Kentucky township, Madison County, Arkansas, (east
of Washington County) in 1900 and 1910, where he worked as a farm laborer and farmer,
respectively. Seven of their children were born there.21,22

By 1912, George and Mattie had moved into Oklahoma (as shown by the birth dates and states of
birth of their two youngest children), where they remained the rest of their lives. In 1920, they
were at Hulbert in Cherokee County, which is about midway between Wagoner and Tahlequah.23
In 1930, George and Eva and the two youngest children lived in Lincoln County, northeast of
Oklahoma City. He continued to make his living as a farmer or farm laborer.24

By combining the information in the several census records cited above, the family consisted of
the following people:
George H. Morrison born in May, 1867 in Calhoun County, Arkansas
Eve (or Eva) Ellen Hatfield born in 1876 in Indiana
Luther L. Morrison born February 18, 1894 in Arkansas25
William B. (Bertie) Morrison born in 1896 in Arkansas
James N. Morrison born in 1898 in Arkansas
Teddy Morrison born in 1904 in Arkansas
Isa Morrison born in 1906 in Arkansas
Retta Morrison born in 1908 in Arkansas
Keron (Nerva?) Morrison born in 1910 in Arkansas
Elzie L. Morrison born in 1912 in Oklahoma
Flossie Morrison born in 1914 in Oklahoma

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Since Isa and Keron were absent in subsequent census enumerations, it would appear that they
died before 1920. Family tradition holds that George Morrison died at Peggs, Cherokee County,
Oklahoma, on June 18, 1942.26 Eva is said to have died July 28, 1949, at Salina, Mayes County,
Oklahoma.27

Luther, the eldest son of George and Eva Morrison, was Dennis Morrison’s grandfather. He was
present in the census records of 1900 and 1910 with his parents. His World War I draft
registration shows his residence as Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 191728, but he has not been located
in the 1920 census. He married Mattie Taylor about 1920. In 1930, Luther and Mattie were
registered in South Fox township, Lincoln County, Oklahoma, near Luther’s parents. They had
three sons, all born in Oklahoma: Raymond, born about 1922; Bobby C., born on April 14, 1927;
and Leon, born about 1929. In their household were Mattie’s parents, J. H. and Fannie E.
Taylor, both born about 1870.29

Luther Morrison died December 18, 1966, at Langley, Mayes County, Oklahoma, according to
family tradition.30

Bobby C. Morrison, Dennis’ father, appears only in the 1930 census (with his parents).
He was first married to Doris Atkinson. Dennis Morrison was born to them at Concord,
California, in 1951. Later, Bobby and Doris divorced; Bobby eventually remarried and moved
back to his native Oklahoma31 (not necessarily in that order), where he died November 4, 1994,
at Prue in Osage County.32

The charts below summarize Dennis’ lines to the extent they have been described in this paper.

Adams Line

Nathan Adams = Margaret ?
(Ca. 1812 Tn – Bet. 1860-1870 Ak) (Ca. 1816 Al – aft. 1870 Ak)

Nancy Jane Adams = ? Letlow/Ludlow
(1839 Ms – 1913 Ok) (? - ?)
m. abt. 1857
Margaret N. Ludlow
(1858 Ms - ?)

Nancy Jane Letlow = William King
(Abt. 1838 Ak – Bef. 1866)
m. Mar. 7, 1860

Nancy King
(1861 Ark - ?)

Nancy J. King = James J. Morrison
(1835 Tn – Bet. 1873-1880 Ak)
m. Aug. 1, 1866 Ak

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Morrison Line

James J. Morrison = Nancy Jane King
(1835 Tn - Bet. 1873/1880Ak) (1839 Ms - 1913 Ok)
m. Aug. 1, 1866 Ak s

George H. Morrison = Eve Ellen Hatfield
(May 1867 Ak - June 18,1942 Ok) (Oct. 1, 1877 Ind- July 28, 1949 Ok)
m. March 18, 1894 Ark

Luther L. Morrison = Mattie Taylor
(1894 Ark -Dec. 18, 1966 Ok) (1905 - ?)
m. about 1920 prob. Oklahoma

Bobby C. Morrison = Doris Atkinson
(Apr.14, 1927 Ok – Nov. 4, 1994 Ok) (?)
m. ?

Dennis Morrison = Toni ?
(1951 Ca -) (?)
m ?

With industry and good luck, we will be able to extend James J. Morrison’s line farther into the
past. We must start with the Morrison’s who lived near him in Calhoun County, Arkansas,
between 1860 and 1870.

William P. Morrison

This man has not been identified by any public document earlier than 1855, although he was then
over 50 years old. The United States Government granted William P. Morrison, then of Bradley
County, Arkansas (immediately east of Calhoun County and one of the parent counties of
Calhoun) forty acres of land on March 1, 1855.33

On the 14th of May, 1855, Wm. P. Morrison married Cynthia Farmer in Calhoun County,
Arkansas.34

On January 31, 1859, Wm. P. Morrison married Sarah A. Morgan in Calhoun County,
Arkansas.35

On July 2, 1860, the family of W. P. Morrison, a farm laborer aged 60 and born in Tennessee,
was enrolled in the United States Census of that year. He lived in Huey Township in Calhoun
County, Arkansas. W. P.’s wife was named Sarah, and there were two children in the household,
both daughters. They were Martha, aged 3, and Frances, aged 3 months. Both were born in
Arkansas.36

On April 7, 1870, Wm. P. Morrison married Mrs. Sarah A. Mauldin in Calhoun County,
Arkansas.37

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Three plus months later, the family of Wm. P. Morrison, aged 67 and born in Tennessee, who
owned real estate valued at $300, was enrolled in the 1870 United States Census. The family
lived in Polk Township, Calhoun County, Arkansas. His wife, Sarah, was 47 years old and was
born in Tennessee. In this household was a 13 year old girl, born in Tennessee, named Sarah J.38

After 1870, there is no trace of William P., Sarah, or Sarah J. Morrison in Calhoun County,
Arkansas.

What is going on here? Where was Wm. P. Morrison before1855? What is happening to his
wives? Where are the daughters who lived in the household of 1860? Where did Sarah J., 13 in
1870, come from? Is this the same man in all the recorded instances? Is all of this feasible?

The answer to the first and last of these questions can be given: in answer to the first, we don’t
really know; to the last, yes, it is feasible. But underlying the feasibility assertion is an important
assumption, which is that in all of the instances recorded, the same man was involved.

Assuming it was the same man, let us build a case for feasibility.

It is possible that a 55 year old man might go unrecorded in the census listings from 1800
through 1840 for two reasons. The first is that he was a dependent child, and the second was that
he was a non-taxpaying adult, i.e., was still dependent upon another adult. Children were
invisible to the census until 1850, being only shown statistically until then. Dependent adults
might also be invisible, owning no property and paying no taxes, until 1850. It was harder to be
invisible beginning in 1850, when all people were supposed to be enrolled by name, regardless
of legal status. However, under what name was he listed in 1850? We have already noted in this
study that Morrison children were mistakenly given the surname of Adams. Further, even if
listed as William Morrison, without the P, we might be at a loss to find him due to the very large
number of William Morrison’s in the United States in 1850. It is true that we have the further
identifiers of age and state of birth, i. e., William Morrison, born in 1800 (or was it 1803?) in
Tennessee. That does narrow the field. Even so, he has not yet been found and not for lack of
search – hours of search! He could simply have been overlooked by the census takers. At this
late date, I have still not found my own parents in 1930, and I am quite sure that I know where
each of them lived at the time!

Let us accept the best bet – he is listed but we just haven’t found him yet. Whatever may be the
answer, in 1855 he lived in Bradley County, Arkansas. We can assume that the land he was
granted was in Calhoun County, and that he lived on it subsequent to the grant. This can
probably be checked by examining Calhoun County land records.

It is safe to say William was unmarried when he received the land grant, but corrected that error
soon afterwards. What we don’t know is whether William had been married before 1855, and
whether he had children by an earlier marriage.

William must have been married to Cynthia Farmer at least until the birth of Martha in about
1857. Cynthia must have died between Martha’s birth date and January 1, 1859, when William
married the first Sarah. (But wait a minute! A woman named Cynthia Morrison married Joseph
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Calaway in Calhoun County, Arkansas in 1859!39) William, being a potent 59 year old, had
Sarah with child by late that same spring. Sarah gave birth to Frances about April of 1860.

What happened next is anyone’s guess. However it happened, the first Sarah, Martha, and
Frances were gone by the time the census of 1870 was conducted. Did they die? Probably. In
the summer of 1853, my gr gr grandmother lost two little boys within weeks of one another,
while she was pregnant with my gr-grandfather. Her survival of the birth of my gr-grandfather
was problematic, since death of a mother during or shortly after childbirth was one of the
tragedies of 19th century medicine. If that had happened, three people would have disappeared,
two little boys and their mother, with no record of their death, at least as far as the census was
concerned. The real disappearance of Sarah, Martha, and Frances meets our requirements – it is
feasible.

The third marriage, to Mrs. Sarah A. Mauldin, was just in time to confuse us, since she was
present with him in the 1870 census and had the same first name as her predecessor. Where did
Sarah J. come from? At 13, she is just the age of Martha Morrison of the 1860 census. But the
original records of the two census rolls are clear that they were two different people – both
“Martha” and “Sarah J” are written legibly and without any chance of confusing one name for
the other. My guess is that Sarah J. was not named Morrison, but Mauldin. The census taker
just assumed her name was Morrison. And that, too, is feasible.

All of this presumption and assumption is meaningless if William P. Morrison was not related to
James J. Morrison. But what if he was? We must go to next steps and lay out a course of action,
which will call for more detective work.

George H. Morrison (the elder)

Thus far we have covered two legs of this Morrison “triangle”, James J. and William P.
Morrison. We come now to the third, George H. Morrison, who must be referred to as “the
elder” to avoid confusion with the son of James J. Morrison, also named George H. Indeed, the
very coincidence of people with the same name in the same geographic area in two successive
generations suggests kinship. What would be more natural than for one brother to name a son
for another brother? But we need more than presumption to determine kinship.

George H. Morrison the elder is much less of an enigma than James J. or William P. Morrison.
This is principally because he lived in Calhoun County from before 1860 until his death in 1911.
He and his family are present in every census during that time period.

George appears first in available Arkansas records when he married Julia King on March 3,
1859, in Calhoun County.40 The following year, on August 11, 1860, he and Julia were in
Hampton Township, Calhoun County, when the United States census enrolled them. George is
recorded as 23 years old, born in Tennessee. Julia, 19, is a native of Arkansas. George is
employed as a “farm laborer”, Julia is a “weaver.”41 There may be some significance in the fact
that George and Julia are listed as family number 345, on the same census page as that on which
James Morrison appears as part of family number 343, the J. H. Adams household.

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