Margaret (Wallace) Morison (1687 - 1769)

Born 1687 in Ireland

Descendants

Died 18 Apr 1769 at about age 82 in Peterborough, Hillsborough, New Hampshire

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Biography

Margaret (Wallace) Morison was one of the Londonderry, New Hampshire Scots-Irish Immigrants to America 1718 onwards.

Birth

Margaret Wallace was born in 1687 in Ireland, probably near Londonderry.^[1]

Marriage

Margaret Wallace married John Morrison around 1707, probably in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.^[2]

Children

John and Margaret were the parents of:^[3]

1. Robert. "Tradition says there was a son Robert, and that he was left in Ireland by his father when he emigrated to America in 1719. He was preparing for a Presbyterian minister. He completed his studies, and was waiting for a vessel in which to take passage to America, when he was taken sick and died."^[4]
2. Captain Thomas, born 1710 in Ireland, died Peterborough, New Hampshire 23 Nov 1797 at age 87.^[5] He married Mary A. "Polly" Smith, the widow of Mr. Buchanon, on 2 Oct 1739 at Lunenburg, Massachusetts.
3. Ezekiel, b. in Ireland; d. 1740, in Parish of Windham, N. H.^[6]
4. Jonathan, born in Londonderry, N.H., 8 Sep 1719, died 1787, married Nancy Tufts. He was the first boy born in Nutfield (Londonderry).
5. Jane/Janet/Jenet Mitchell, born 6 April 1722, in Londonderry, died Peterborough, New Hampshire on 11 Nov 1791 at age 70. She married Deacon Samuel Mitchell of Peterborough.^[7]
6. Elizabeth, born 13 June 1723, died 15 September 1808, married William Smith 31 Dec 1751.
7. Capt. John, born 20 Sep1726, died 27 Dec 1816 in Londonderry, Colchester, Nova Scotia. Married Martha Anderson around 1757. He was a blacksmith.
8. Margaret born Feb 1728, and died 29 April 1811, married Deacon Samuel Moore.
9. Hannah born 19 April 1730, died 30 Nov 1760 and married Samuel Todd of Londonderry.
10. Moses born 7 June 1732 and died in Hancock, New Hampshire, married Rachel Todd, daughter of Colonel Andrew Todd.

Migration

She immigrated to New Hampshire in 1718 - 1719, with her sons Thomas (age 9) and his younger brother Ezekiel in tow.^[8] They boarded the ship the "Robert" which was part of a de facto flotilla of five ships in September of 1718. The "Robert" departed from Londonderry, Ireland, and "about one hundred families arrived in Boston on Aug. 4th; and twenty families more, in one of the vessels, landed at Casco Bay, now Portland. Among these were three of the families, Gregg, Morison, and Steele, who afterwards settled in Peterborough. The vessel [the "Robert"] had intended to put in at Newburyport, but arrived at Casco Bay so late in the season, that she was frozen in, and they, unable to provide more comfortable quarters, were obliged to spend the whole winter on board, suffering severely from the want of suitable accommodations and food. It is said that on first landing upon that cold and cheerless coast, the wintry ocean behind them and naked forests before, after the solemn act of prayer, they united in singing that most touching of all songs: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion"; and with peculiar feelings, as they surveyed the waste around them, and remembered the pleasant homes which they had left, might they add: 'How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?'"^[9] The Abenakis took offense at the expropriation of their land by speculators, and took sporadic actions to evict the settlers. The Indian problem became so great that many of Scotch-Irish abandoned the site at Casco Bay for new lands in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Temple, the young man who had organized the whole expedition of the five ships, added, "But the greatest part removed to Pennsilvania and a considerable Part to Londonderry for Fear of the Indians who were very troublesome at that time."^[10] They left Casco.Bay early in the spring, and began their settlement in Londonderry, April 11, O. S., 1719."^[11] Margaret had been pregnant since January of 1719, so that when they fled to New Hampshire, she was 3 months pregnant. Women at this stage experience: Morning Sickness, Fatigue, Loss of Bladder Control, Vaginal Discharge, Constipation and Heartburn, Back Pain and Abdominal Pain, Leg Cramps and Varicose Veins, Mood Swings and Food Cravings, Nasal Congestion, Sleep Disturbance, Lack of Libido; and they are advised to: Prepare for morning sickness, Limit stress (!), Get lots of sleep, Eat healthily, and Exercise.^[12] The flight from the Abenakis was quite an ordeal, but she successfully gave birth on 8 September 1719 to Jonathan, the first boy born in Londonderry.

Death

Margaret died April 18, 1769 in Peterborough, New Hampshire at age 82, and is buried at Old Street Cemetery in Peterborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.^[13] Her tombstone inscription reads:

Here lies the body of Mṛṣ Margret Morriſon (wife of Mṛ John Morriſon) who  departed this Life April. 18. 1769. In the 82ḍ year of          age

The Grave Stone of John & Margret Morison by Carol Richard

Research Notes

An earlier iteration of this profile contended that she was born in Scotland, on March 8 or March 12, 1686. This date does indeed come very close to the 1687 birthdate implied in the grave stone inscription. However, this is purely coincidental. Both Margaret and her husband John were born in Ireland, as stated in three different records made of their children's deaths that each recorded this fact at separate times (see Images). This means that there was no wedding between this Margret Wallace, age 17, and Walter Buchanan, and therefore she was never the mother of John Buchanan. Since both John and Margaret were from Ireland, they will have married around 1707, when she was 20. This John Buchanan was born in 1713, yet Margaret Wallace Morison's second child, Thomas, was born in 1710! The whole Buchanan side show is completely invalid.

Sources

1. ↑ All death records of her children record her place of birth as Ireland. John Morison Sr, the father of John Morison whom she married, lived near Londonderry. Consequently, given the marriage, it seems reasonable to conclude that Margaret lived somewhere nearby.
2. ↑ This is an estimate. The second child of Margaret and John was Thomas, who was born in 1710. A 2 year interval between births would put Robert's birth at ca. 1708, and subtracting a year for gestation, this would yield a marriage date of 1707. When John and Margret emigrated in 1719, he must have been around 11 years of age, and when his grandparents migrated in 1723, he would have been 16, which may be a plausible age at which someone could attend a boarding school with an intention of gaining a degree in theology. This would mean that Margaret was 20 years old when she married John.
3. ↑ The History of the Morison or Morrison Family, 133. Find a Grave has an unsourced list of children.
4. ↑ The History of the Morison or Morrison Family 133.
5. ↑ New Hampshire Death Records, John Morrison in entry for Thomas Morrison, 23 Nov 1797.
6. ↑ The History of the Morison or Morrison Family 133.
7. ↑ New Hampshire Death Records, John Morison in entry for Jenet Mitchell, 11 Nov 1791.
8. ↑ However, Gale Research, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s, page 224, says that she migrated in 1723, the year that John Sr. and his family came over. It is clear that this is a confusion between John Sr. and John Jr., since the latter's son Jonathan was born in New Hampshire in 1719.
9. ↑ O'Brien, 179. This hymn may be heard at YouTube, Linda Ronstadt - Rivers Of Babylon - 12/6/1975 - Capitol Theatre (Official).
10. ↑ O'Brien, 179.
11. ↑ Quoted from Smith, 258-260, based on Morison, An Address, 9 -10. "O. S." stands for "Old Style," the designation for the Julian calendar, which was still standard at that time in the British Empire and in a number of other Protestant countries. This date in the Gregorian calendar is 22 April 1719.
12. ↑ Bodywise > Blog > 3 Months Pregnancy: Symptoms, Baby’s Development, & More.
13. ↑ Find A Grave.

See Also:

• Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950.

• "New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS2R-NXG : 10 March 2018), John Morrison in entry for Thomas Morrison, 23 Nov 1797; citing Peterborough, Bureau Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,095.

• "New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS2T-VY7 : 10 March 2018), John Morison in entry for Jenet Mitchell, 11 Nov 1791; citing Peterborough, Bureau Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,096.

• John Mackenzie (Chaplain to a Regiment during the Siege), A Narrative of the Siege of Londonderry; or, The Late Memorable Transactions of that City Faithfully Represented to Rectify the Mistakes, and Supply the Omissions of Mr. Walker’s Account, in 149-279 (241). In John Hampton, George Walker, John Mackenzie, and Thomas Ash, The Siege and History of Londonderry (Londonderry: J. Hempton, Diamond; London, Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., 1861).

• John Hopkins Morison, An Address Delivered at the Centennial Celebration, in Peterborough, N.H. Oct. 24, 1839 (Boston: Isaac R. Butts,1839).

• Dr. Albert Smith, History of the town of Peterborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, with the Report of the Proceedings at the Centennial Celebration in 1839 (Boston: Press of G.H. Ellis, 1876), p. 174.

• Leonard Allison Morrison (1843-1902), Frederick William Leopold Thomas, The History of the Morison or Morrison Family with Most of the "Traditions of the Morrisons" (Clan MacGillemhuire), Hereditary Judges of Lewis, by Capt. F. W. L. Thomas, of Scotland, and a Record of the Descendants of the Hereditary Judges to 1880. A Complete History of the Morison Settlers of Londonderry, N.H., of 1719, and Their Descendants, with Genealogical Sketches. Also, of the Brentwood, Nottingham, and Sanbornton, N.H. Morisons, and Branches of the Morisons who Settled in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Nova Scotia, and Descendants of the Morisons of Preston Grange, Scotland, and Other Families. (Boston: A. Williams & Co., 1880).

• Bodywise > Blog > 3 Months Pregnancy: Symptoms, Baby’s Development, & More (electronic text).

• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 22 July 2023), memorial page for Margaret Wallace Morrison (12 Mar 1686–18 Apr 1769), Find a Grave Memorial ID 8506767, citing Old Street Cemetery, Peterborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA; Maintained by Emily Mathews (contributor 48056766).

Acknowledgement

Wallace-5813 was created by Bruce Danner through the import of Southard Worley Danner family tree_2015-01-19_01.ged on Jan 19, 2015.