Nathan Morris
BURIAL Oak Creek Cemetery, Jewell County, Kansas, USA[1]
Parents: Thomas Morris 1769–1815, and Sarah Musgrave 1770–1818 [2]
"Now, I will write some of my recollections of father Nathan Morris. He was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, Tenth month 8, 1806. He was the son of Thomas and Sarah Morris. He moved, with his widowed mother, to Wayne County, Indiana, when a young man. Sometime after his mother's death, he married the eldest daughter of John and Charity Benbow. After their eldest child, Sarah was born they moved to Grant County. He entered eighty acres just north of Daniel Baldwin. After building a one-room log cabin, in the middle of the claim, he cleared out a garden and corn patch and set out an orchard. This was the old one (on the forty acres Allen Dillon bought of father afterward). He lived in that cabin some years until he built a large two-story house, which had a splendid brick fireplace and wide' hearth. In this house, I was born. Father planted a fine orchard west of this house—apples, pears, peaches, cherries. West of the house, inside of the picket fence, he planted some plum trees for shade for his string of beehives. The garden was on the south. There were roses on each side of the gate and currant bushes in the back of the garden." [3]
Spouses
1. Miriam Benbow Morris 1808–1851, married 23 Sep 1829, Wayne, Indiana, USA
2. Abigail Baldwin Peacock 1822–1893, married Nov 24, 1852, Grant, Indiana, USA
"Nathan Morris and wife, Miriam, with a family of children, came in 1832 and took the quarter-section lying immediately north of Daniel Baldwin, where he made a good farm. Nathan was energetic, progressive. and made a good and useful citizen. He was the father of twenty-two children. He emigrated west, in 1865, and died in Jewell County, Kansas, in 1881, having been a minister in the Society of Friends from early manhood. His old farm has been divided up and is now owned by different parties." [4]
In the 1850 United States Federal Census, Nathan Morris reports that his Age is 43, and his Birth Year is abt 1807. His Birthplace is South Carolina, and his Home in 1850 is Liberty, Grant, Indiana, USA. His Occupation is Farmer; Industry: Agriculture. His Real Estate is valued at $ 2600. Household Members, Name, and Age are Nathan Morris 43, Mariam Morris 41, Thomas Morris 16, John Morris 15, Ruth Morris 14, Axum Morris 12, Milly Morris 10, Aaron Morris 7, Lydia Morris 5, Nathan Morris 4, Coela Morris 2, and David Morris 1. [5]
"The first wife of Nathan Morris. Miriam Benbow, died at her home in Grant county during his forty-third year, leaving a large family. He then married Abigail Peacock, whose maiden name was Baldwin, and who was also the mother of a large family. Nathan Morris, by his two wives, was the father of twenty-two children, fifteen by his first wife and seven by the second." [6]
In the 1860 United States Federal Census, Nathan Morris reports that his Age is 53, and his Birth Year is abt 1807. His Birth Place is South Carolina, and his Home in 1860 is Fairmount, Grant, Indiana; Post Office: Jonesboro. His Occupation is Farmer. His Real Estate is Valued at $ 6400, and his Personal Estate is Valued at $ 1000. Household Members, Name, and Age are Nathan Morris 53, Abigail Morris 39, Axerm W Morris 22, Lydia Morris 17, Nathan Morris 13, Lela Morris 12, Mary Morris 7, Miles Morris 3, Etta Morris 2/12, and Lydia Peacock 14. [7]
In the 1870 United States Federal Census, Nathan Morris reports that his Age is 63, and his Birth Year is abt 1807. His Birthplace is South Carolina, and his Home in 1870 is Mound, Miami, Kansas; Post Office: Stanton. He is a white male citizen over 21. His Occupation is Farmer. His Personal Estate is Valued at $ 500, and his Real Estate is Valued at $ 2000. Household Members, Name, and Age are Nathan Morris 63, Abegail Morris 48, Selia Morris 22, Mary Morris 16, Miles Morris 12, and Levi Morris 8. [8]
In the 1880 United States Federal Census, Nathan Morris reports that his Age is 73, and his Birth Date is Abt 1807. His Birthplace is North Carolina, and his Home in 1880 is Burr Oak, Jewell, Kansas, USA. He is a married white male Head of House. His Spouse's Name is Abigal Morris. His Occupation is Farming. Household Members, Name, and Age are Nathan Morris 73, Abigal Morris 58, Miles Morris 22, and Levi Morris 18. [9]
DEATH - Nathan Morris died 21 Jun 1881 (aged 74), Burial Oak Creek Cemetery Jewell County, Kansas, USA [1]
"Father died in 1880. He walked over three miles to a meeting, preached, as usual, returned home, and in a few days he passed away, and was laid to rest in the Oak Creek Graveyard, near Burr Oak. Jewell County, Kansas. He had preached fifty-one years. He was liberal in every good cause. I have seen a cartload of eatables, clothing" and things go out of the house and cellar at one time, and in his rounds among the poor, if he saw children too thinly clad would go to the store and buy cloth for us to make u]), telling us the size and sex, so we could fit them. My mother died in the fall of 1850. and father later married Abigail Peacock, widow of John Peacock." [10]
"Nathan Morris, from the time of his young manhood, was one of the most zealous ministers of the Quaker church. He preached and worked for his denomination and for the good of humanity. Year after year, and never with a cent of remuneration. Equal to his zeal for the ministry, was his splendid charities, and it is said that no one ever left his door empty-handed. With all his liberality he prospered, and nowhere was there ever a better illustration of a common truth, that those who are most generous in their charity are often the most blest in their material fortunes." [11]
Now, father had a hobby for planting orchards, and every time I write of a change in farms just think there he was looking after fruit supplies, for no one had better fruit than he had. He lived in the two-story house and continued adding a room or two until it was quite a roomy place. (It was burned down after we left there.) My father sold the north forty to Sammy Dillon and the south forty to Allen Dillon, and moved to a farm near Marion, in the spring of 1852.
In 1857 father traded this farm for the old Charles Baldwin farm, near Back Creek meeting house. Charles and Eunice Baldwin lived in the west end of this house. There were three orchards, as father bought three other farms. Grandmother had half of the west one, near the road. So I went to school at the old stamping ground. The turnpike was made while we lived there. Father had a share of stock in the road when he left. He sold his share to Jonathan P. Winslow in time of the war.
In the spring of 1869, we went to Iowa by way of the old covered wagon.
In September we went back to Indiana. I went to normal at Back Creek and boarded at William Pierce's, then stayed in Fairmount with sister Sarah that winter. Father lived in the little town at Oak Ridge, as his farm was occupied until March. Father attended Oak Ridge meeting. His farm joined the meeting-house yard on the north. The next spring I took the school for the summer and stayed at home. The next winter I stayed with Sarah, as Micah had moved into the Jonathan Baldwin hotel.
In the spring, father took a notion he would go back to Iowa. He had interests there. We went by train this time.
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edited by Jim Alvey