20:08 (UTC) 2 Apr 2023 - Morel-705

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

This is a copy of the Text of the profile of Pierre Rodolf Morel (bef.1712-abt.1752) as it existed at 20:08 (UTC) 2 Apr 2023.

Contents 1 Data Fields 2 Note 3 Biography 3.1 Family and Property 3.2 Children 3.3 Death and Legacy 4 Research Notes 4.1 Pierre's Parents 4.2 Place Creation 4.3 Often Conflated 4.4 Deconflation #1 4.5 Deconflation #2 4.6 Origins 4.7 yourDNAportal 4.8 DNA Connections 5 Sources

Data Fields

Birth Date: 7 Aug 1712 (before this date)
Birth Place: Switzerland
Sibling: Daniel Morel (1716-1747)

Note

Note: There were two Peter Morels who arrived with their families in Georgia just two months apart, one arriving 14 January 1733/4 and the other about 12 March 1733/4. See Often Conflated.

This profile is focused on the life of Peter Rodolph Morel a silk weaver and probable Huguenot ^[1] whose family we assume fled religious persecution settling in the Huguenot refuge in Switzerland. At some point he'd cross the English Channel to London and the silk weavers enclave Spitalfield. It is not clear how and where he met Jacques Landry and his family, ^[2] a gardiner, before or after coming to London, but they certainly bonded on their passage to Georgia where they were settled together as the only two who stepped off the passenger ship James to be permanently tied together for at least the next 4 generations, untiafter the American Revolution.

Wht become abundantly clear while developing these colonial families was people frequently named their children after each other making genealogically speaking differentias between parents sometimes, cousins extremely challenging, but also clarifying people from other families with completely diffeerent trajectories.

It begins with Trustee's Georgia who offered skilled craftsmen 50 acres per family, a part of which would grow white mulberry trees that would cultivate silk workms. The Trustees Garden was a collaborative silk producing efforts already fuly operational in South Carolina and could support an empoverished skilled community to payback the investments afforded by Britissh clergy and businessmen .^[3][4]

Biography

According to the Early Settlers of Georgia, Pierre Morel was a weaver. Further research shows he lived in the weavers enclave of Spitalfields London. The series Who do you think You Are tells us: "The silk-weavers of Spitalfields - the largest and poorest group of Huguenots - are perhaps the best known. They stuck together and many remained nonconformist..They are also the easiest to research because they needed help, especially at the end of their working lives, which generated records (check out the holdings of the Huguenot Library)." ^[5]

Historical newspaper articles, reveal the following:

Wednesday 12 Sep 1733 at the Palace Court in England, the following was recorded as being discussed “Receiv’d of Mr. Peter Noailles fourteen Pounds for the Passage of Peter Morell his wife two Children and a Maid Servant to Georgia, and a further Sum of twelve Pounds towards the maintenance of the said Persons in Georgia for One Year.” and “That a Letter be sent to Mr. Oglethorpe to put Peter Rodolph Morell under Christie’s Grant if possible; Or to set him out fifty [50] Acres, for Which a particular Grant must be made.” ^[6]

Saturday, 15 Sep 1733, in the newspaper Applebee’s Original Weekly Journal, of London, England, an article stated “Last Wednesday the Trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America made choice of the following Persons and Families to go and settle in the said Colony, who are to go on board the James, Capt. John Yoakley at Prince’s Stairs, Rotherith in a Fortnight’s Time…” Among several passenger names, “Peter Morell” and family of Lamb Street in “Spittlefields”, England were listed as passengers.^[7] Spittlefields, known as Spitalfields is a parish in London England. Lamb Street is north of the current London Bridge on A3 to the A-10 and north of Brushfield Street that runs between A-10 and A-1202.^[8] Spitalfields was an established community and “By the 1680s Spitalfields was already largely built up” and “was thickly populated, mainly with weavers and members of the allied trades.”^[9]

Thursday 18 Oct 1733 at the Palace Court in England, the following was recorded as being discussed, “Mr. Vernon reported the Muster taken on Board the James Captain Yoakley September 28th 1733 to be twenty One Men, Nine Women, Eight Boys, and Twelve girls, making forty…” ^[10] Although a total of 40 passengers were recorded, the numbers add to 50.

In 1743, the First Earl of Egmont, first President of the Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America, recorded Peter Rodolf Morel, wife, two children, and a servant among those who went from Europe to Georgia at the "Trustees' Charge". ^{[11] [12]}

9: Morel (Pet. Rodolf); Weaver; embark'd 28 Sept. 1733; arrived 14 Jan. 1733-4; Settled at Highgate.^[13]

10: — (Martine) w.; dead 5 feb. 1733-4; Settled at Highgate.

11: — (J'o. Ant.) Son; Settled at Highgate.

12: — (Mariane) d.; Settled at Highgate.

…

3: Pater (Anne Maria); Serv't. to Pet. Morell; embark'd 28 Sept. 1733; arrived 14 Jan. 1733-4.

Martine, his wife, died 5 February 1733/4, weeks after their arrival.^[12]

Family and Property

Research shows that Peter/Pierre Morel was a silk weaver brought to the Georgian colony in 1733/34 in response to the Trustees Garden. The Trustees Garden collaborated with Charleston South Carolina to cultivate different plants and seeds for orchards of white mulberry trees to nurture silk worms that created a textile industry in Georgia ^[14]. In order to accomplish this, immigrants like the Morels were alotted 50 acres of land a portion of which was alloted to cultivate white mulberry trees that fed silkworm production.

Peter left a Will from which there are two thoughts. One is that this is the Will of Peter whose son through a series of contracts acquired Ossbaaw Island. A second perspective is the Will informs us that Pierre wed Mary after Martine's death in 1734; and together had another 4 children: ^[15]

Children

Mary Anne

John

Jean

Mary

Peter

Judah

The Trustee Garden seeding the effort to create a silk industry in Georgia was failing^[16]; and in the midst of Savannah's growth and urban sprawl that was claiming Highgate, there is still an effort to prove to England that the efforts to improve the circumstances of the skilled poor were improving:

Excerpt from' 'Georgia Journeys ^[17]

.:George Whitefield arrived in the colony in 1740 to establish his orphanage. Whitefiled, the magistrates, and William Stephens met to discuss the orphans in the colony. Whitefield was sure that the Trustees' deed gave him authority to take in all orphans who were or had been chargeable to the Trust, regarrdless of their present circumstances. Others disagreed with him, "having shown an Unwilllingness to deliver up those who were now grown up pretty well in Years, and therefore capable of doing them good Service, especially as the planting season was coming on...But there was the deed iwhich is nterpreted by the enthusiastic Whitefield, which seemed to saay that he had power to take any orphan from anywhere in Georgia. Even Whitefiled agreed he had no power to take William Little, orphan though he was, William was the only exception, and with good reason, for "Samuel Mercer (Constable)...has taken the same care of him as of a Son; and from a Cow and Calf which the child had at its Parents' Death, he has seen them so well looked after, that from the Increase which he has in a few Years past, probably before he comes to Man's Estate (and he is not yet more than eight or nine Years old) he may be looked on as a Man of good Substance to begin the World, and make no more contemptible Freeholder: This therefore , all agreed to be a singular Case, and to fit to remain as it was.

Three and a half years later William was doing well in school. About twenty-five children went to the school in Savannah taught byJohn Dubell; about ten of these could write. Dobell was especially pleased with the writing of five of them: Peter Morel's son John, William Woodroofe's son William; the Box boys, Phillip and James aandd William Little, an Orphan, wth. Mr. Mercer Aged 12 Years." A sample of William's and the other boy's writing was sent by Dobell to England for the Trustees to see how well they did.''

17 Sep 1740, Peter’s (of Savannah) son John, listed as a poor boy, was taken from him and returned that day to his parents. Some children were taken for weeks to years. ^[18]

The following years were difficult. The Landrys died in 1742, leaving three children. The record shows that the Landry girls Elizabeth and Jean were 18 and 19 at the time of their parent's death.

Death and Legacy

By 1752 when Peter wrote his will, Highgate was absorbed into Chatham County. Peter had acquired a license to fund a Public House in Savannah now that Highgate was part of Savannah. Apparently, unlike the John Morel that acquired Ossabaw Island with his father-in-law, his son John now owned 500 acres of Pipemakers Creek which is part of Savannh.^[19]

Peter's Will does several things:

1. Establishes Peter More's and his family's residency in Savannah;
2. Informs us that at the time of the Will, his son John already owned Pipemakers Creek, property that is still part of Savannah. This would have meant that John was old enough to petition for 500 acres of land as well as give the state reason to think he could be responsible for it.
3. That after his obigations to the Trustees was served, Peter apparently acquired a Tavern.
4. Peter married again and had additional children so names wife Mary and other children besides John and Mary Anne.

Dates of Will place John and his family in Georgia. There are two identifyiers that clarify this Peter wrote the Will dated 1752. The first is naming his oldest children as Mary Anne and John who can be matched with Marianne and John who traveled on the boat James with their father Peter who settled in Highgate.

The second is John's claim on Pipemaker's Canal which is discussed aat length in his profile. Of interest there is Helen's discussion with G2G about which John had the rights to Pipemakers Canal.

Research Notes

Pierre's Parents

For now, I am disconnecting the following Parents from Pierre's profile hopefully temporarily:

Morel-76|Pierre Morel]]

Elizabeth van Houte

Place Creation

Highgate was a small French "hamlet" that seemingly got absorbed into its English and Austrian counterparts in Savannah, GA.^[20]

Often Conflated

Two persons named Pierre Morel arrived in early Colonial Georgia, and are often conflated:

• Pierre Morel (bef.1700-abt.1754)^[21]
• Pierre Rodolf Morel (aft.1712-abt.1752)^[12]

The Will of Peter Morel of Savannah, Victuler,^[15] is currently attached to the profiles of both of them.

Deconflation #1

The second Peter Morel bought his family passage from England and he was probably Norman.^[22] With him came his wife and 4 children. There was a 5th born in Georgia but she was probably a daughter.^[21] Of him it was said "Morel, Peter—Embark'd 14 Jan. 1733- 4; arrived abt. 12 Mar. 1733-4. An industrious man. In 1738 he cleard & planted 12 acres with corn, rice, pease & potatoes, & built convenient housing."

Apparently, Georgian Morels were Huguenots^[23] from the Netherlands.

Morels are peppered throughout Salzburger's descendants in Georgia particularly after the Revolution.^[24]

According to the lineage researched by the South Carolina Huguenot Society, Pierre was born in the Netherlands, but his parents were born in France, on most Northwestern border reason of France and Belgium.

Deconflation #2

Except for some disentanglements, I believe the truly impressive work Helen applied to the top half of Morel-509 belongs here.

As of today 21 Feb 2023, these are my thoughts: If John was to take over the responsibilities of Pipemakers canal in 1752, he'd certainly have to be older than if he was born in 1733. But the histories of the two Johns and Peters have little in common.

1. It'd be difficult to compare John of northern Georgia (I forgot, but wasn't pipemaker chanel north in Savannah?) and John of Ossabaw Island way south by Florida are so different.[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Morell]

2. I know New Ebenezer was established on the shores of the Savannah River around 1736 where they moved the Salzburgers of St. Matthews Parish out of the cespool the were first assigned. People coming off the boat were assigned where they were to go. Highgate was probably disolved into St. Matthews Parish around that time. But it was still a distinctive community because Wesley did hold a few sermons there apparently (see above)

3. I was thinking of that sad story of John being taken from his parents. Helen's John (the Morels from Ossabaw) was never that poor. Also, we already know John wasn't born 1733 in Savannah. He was "returned to his parents" so Pierre probably with "Mary" by that time.

4. Mary Morel and her connection with Goldwires is interesting [4]

5. Also looked at the Grindrats. A blog on the SCHS gave 4 paragrahs

6. Susan Rahn Morel is interesting because the Rahns came to the colonies from Switzerland as did Helen's Pierre Morel and the Gindrats.

See [5]

With that said, I thought I could try and find the names of the chilldren from the descendants

7. Helen's work with Peter is interesting. Certainly gives us perspective of poverty...:

23 Feb 2023: I believe there's the Morels of Ossabaw Island and Morels of Savannah. John of Ossabaw's family were Swiss and the John born 1733 was given that island with its 155 slaves by his father in law. The property including the slaves are mentioned in John Morel of Ossabaw's will.

The South Carolina Huguenot Society tells us that Pierre's family owned their ancestral property in northernmost border of France and their property was taken by the French King because they weere Protestants. They were forced to leave everything behind and move across the border to the Nederlands. When the opportunity of free land and passage came, the Morels went to England, becoming British citizens as required by Trustees Georgia and they immigrated to Highgate in 1734. His wife died shortly upon arrival and he married Mary.

If I remember correctly, John was taken from his parents (Pierre and Mary) but quickly returned. As he was on the boat in 1734 and nobody else is mentioned, Mary Anne is not a problem. I hope she married and would be something for us to look for. John was probably around 10ish and there apparently weren't any other children to be concerned about. I assume Peter and Mary's children came after 1740.

Maybe Mary and her children emigrated after Peter's death? Many Morels are in Quebec. Might be worth checking out.

I propose that:

• As I said above, if its okay with everybody, the first part of Peter Will and children is released to this profile
• Question: Is Mary of Effingham this Mary? Perhaps Mary ? Theres information attached to her.
• Did the information Helen unearth on Peter "Jr", apply to the son of Mary Morel?
• Are there any Morel profiles in Wikitree with birth after 1733 with the same names as Mary's children?

Origins

The Morels were Huguenots,^[25][26] responding to the Georgia Trustees invitation to colonize Georgia.

The surname Morel is in the British Norman Doomsday Records, however the Haplogroup discussed in the DNA section being developed points more strongly to French Huguenot roots rather than English Normans. The Peter Morel who was a "weaver" that settled in Highgate, 5 miles south of Savannah, became well known as an innkeeper in the community. It was recorded that his family was from Switzerland and raised as a soldier which was why he was fluent in both German and French and made him helpful as they melded into Effingham County.^[27]

yourDNAportal

Portal pointing to border of France and Nederlands.^[28][29]

DNA Connections

4 Mar 2023: Last week I'd been doing some preliminary browsing of the Morel profies in Wikitree to see if perhaps I could find one of Mary's children on the list. There doesn't seem to be anything about them in Georgia so I thought perhaps there'd be land passed to the children being sold. I believe it is possible Mary Emigrated from Georgia - maybe to Quebec after Peter died.

Near the top of the Morels is Desanges Morel Dite de la Durnt\ntye. The is an mtDNA posted (this profile is female) for Lise (Bosse) Rodrigue. I compared our gedmatch and got 2 hits::

Chr 3: 5.5 cM 227 SNP density .11

Chr 19: 13.6 cM 536 SNP density .16

I'm only just beginning a serious exploration of DNA study, so I can't say I know that much. I pushed the lower limits back to 5 as I wanted more than junk, but to peek on earlier ancestral relationships.

The 13.6 cM is interesting especially as 13.6 points to a more recent MRCA of perhaps a 4th or 5th cousin. I don't know my father's family that well,but his tree in wiki is extensive and there's no Canadian connection there, especially within 5-6 generations. They're all German farmers in Pennsylvania for the most part.

I'm not familiar yet with mapping yet, but I did try posting a relationship between Lise and Peter Morel. Interesting as the 22 degree connection goes down through a marital bridge with Elizzabeth and Richard's boy, Lemuel Harvey's descendant's wife. But that has nothing to do with a DNA match with me. .

There is a connection, and a more recent MRCA than what's yet apparent.

Sources

1. ↑ More Research Needed to Prove his parents were Huguenots [1]
2. ↑ Jacques Landry [2] Early Settlers of Georgia p. 29 #s 835-842
3. ↑ Trustees Georgia lhttps://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/trustee-georgia-1732-1752/] New Georgia Encyclopedia
4. ↑ Trustee Garden ;https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/trustee-garden/'] New Georgia Enclyclopedia
5. ↑ Silk Weavers of Spitalfields [ https://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/tutorials/overseas/who-were-the-huguenots]
6. ↑ Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia, Vol. I (Atlanta, Georgia: The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, 1904), pp137-138; digital images, Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/colonialrecords04unkngoog/page/n7/mode/1up).
7. ↑ Applebee’s Original Weekly Journal, by Philip Sidney, Esq., London, England 15 Sep 1733
8. ↑ 16 Feb 2923 map of Lamb Street, Whitechapel, London, E1 6, England, United Kingdom
9. ↑ Spitalfields Forum, Spitalfields Neighbourhood Planning Forum
10. ↑ Allen D. Candler, The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia, Vol. I (Atlanta, Georgia: The Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, 1904), pp137-143; digital images, Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/colonialrecords04unkngoog/page/n7/mode/1up).
11. ↑ Earl John Perceval, "A List of Persons Who Went From Europe to Georgia …," The Journal of the Earl of Egmont (England: Earl of Egmont, 1743), p121 ("Trustees' Charge", persons 9-12), p136 ("Own Charge", person below 7, persons 11), p161 ("Trustees' Charge", person 3); digital images, Digital Library of Georgia (https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/guan/4132/pdfs/harg4132-020.pdf).
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2} E. Merton Coulter, Albert B. Saye, A List of the Early Settlers of Georgia (Decatur, Georgia: Bowen Press, 1949), p36, p39; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/234636/?offset=#page=50&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=), image 50 (persons 1037-1040), image 53 (person 1127).
13. ↑ Highgate, Georgia.
14. ↑ Temple, Sarah B., and Kenneth Coleman. Georgia Journey. University of Georgia Press, 1961. pp 123-135
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Will of Peter Morel of Savannah, Victuler.
16. ↑ Trustees Garden [3] Silk Worms
17. ↑ Temple, Sarah B., and Kenneth Coleman. Georgia Journey. University of Georgia Press, 1961. p 236
18. ↑ A Brief Account of the Rise, Progress, and Present Situation of the Orphan House in Georgia, George Whitefield, 1746, pages 329 and 334.
19. ↑ Lynn Scott, "Peter Morel, D. 1752, Savannah, GA," Genealogy.com (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/morel/156/). [conflated?]
20. ↑ George F. Jones, "Colonial Georgia's Second Language," The Georgia Review, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring 1967), pp87-100; digital images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41396333.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A6413c00a07428280917c2765e2cadf40).
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1} E. Merton Coulter, Albert B. Saye, A List of the Early Settlers of Georgia (Decatur, Georgia: Bowen Press, 1949), p90; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/234636/?offset=#page=104&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q=), image 104 (persons 879-885).
22. ↑ House of Names, Morel (England).
23. ↑ "Pierre Morel," Blog, Huguenot Society of South Carolina (https://huguenotsociety.org/blog/pierre-morel).
24. ↑ Pearl Rahn Gnann (1956), Mrs. Charles LeBey (1970), Georgia Salzburger and Allied Families (Georgia Genealogical Reprints, 1956, 1970); digital images, Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/georgiasalzburge00gnan/page/n4/mode/1up).
25. ↑ Huguenot.]
26. ↑ name="HON, Morel, France" House of Names, Morel (France).
27. ↑ Peter's contribution to assimilating Highgate to Effingham County.
28. ↑ Amanda [https://www.yourdnaportal.com/advanced_ancestry_analysis_test/10 26% was Gallia Belgica - Northern France/Belgium].
29. ↑ Wikipedia:Gallia_Belgica.

See also:

• Spitalfields in London [6]

• Early Parishes of Georgia [7]

• Map of Early Settlements [8]

• Perceval, John, Earl, 1683-1748, Robert G McPherson, and Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America. The Journal of the Earl of Egmont. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1962. Citing Page 121, 161.

• "Pierre Morel," Blog, Huguenot Society of South Carolina (https://huguenotsociety.org/blog/pierre-morel).

• Will of Peter Morel of Savannah, Victuler.

See also - review for sources.

• Lynn Scott, "Pierre Rodolf Morel; Colonial GA," Genealogy.com (https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/morel/169/).