Sarah Luella Morgan found!

The lovely elusive Sarah Luella Morgan has finally surfaced. Thanks to internet access of so many records and my increased familiarity with the Garrard Morgan family. 

Recently cousin Karen shared copies of two letters Mary Linton Morgan sent to people in Indiana and Illinois during her search for family information of her deceased husband, John Hamilton Morgan. Her 1925 letter to the Greensburg Indiana newspaper illustrates how far we've come. Morgan's eighty-two year old cousin Woodson Morgan of Peoria, Illinois' response to Mary's 1931 questions led me to Luellie Edison's gravestone in Larimore, Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Sarah Luella Morgan Edison

James Morgan information was posted  here and here.
Leonidos Morgan information was posted here and here.
John Morgan descendant Eliza has located and nicely sourced Garrard Morgan family information in FamilySearch. It's now evident that Garrard Morgan the younger is also known as Jap.

It was cousin Woodson's knowledge and efforts penned below that finally sent me to look in Ancestry.com.

He wrote: I also know little of Garrard Morgan 5 sons - 1 daughter, Wm, John, Leonidas, James, Jap is Girrard - Louilla. Whether any living I do not know -

I found the two following newspaper articles at Ancestry.com once I realized Sarah Louella had married an Edison. Those facts have always been penciled in on one of my mother's pedigree worksheets, however, Edison had been crossed out and changed to Addison. 

Whatever the truth or error of these 1885 newspaper stories, Luella did move to North Dakota with Mr. Marsalius Edison. A quick look for a marriage record in the Bloomington, Illinois area has proved fruitless thus far.

Find-a-grave pictures Luellie Edison's gravestone in Larimore, Grand Forks, North Dakota. Her husband's is there also. 

John Morgan and Joseph Standing Mission Travels continue. April 29 - May 5, 1876.

Today's only church in Johnsonville, Indiana from Wikipedia

(Continued from here.)

“was treated very kindly by all especially by Mr. Johnson’s folks”

This statement from John Morgan's previous journal entry has become a theme for this area and time and the people he is meeting in and around Johnsonville, Indiana. They became his life-long friends. 

Perrysville, Indiana, April 29, 1876 – Stayed over the forenoon at Mr. Johnson’s during the forenoon and came over to Mr. Crouch’s where I had supper and talked with an ex-minister for quite awhile. Spoke to Mr. Wright’s to a large audience. Received a letter from Mellie. All Well.

Perrysville, Indiana, April 30, 1876 – Came over to Mr. Jones’, had dinner; put on clean shirt and walked down to the Grange Hall. Had supper with a Mr. Wright, spoke to a large house and was earnestly asked to come back again, which we promised to do. Had a good meeting.

Covington, Indiana, May 1, 1876 – Walked across the country to Mr. Shelby’s this morning. Got my box of clothing from Normal, rode around with Mr. Shelby some length of time. Cool and unpleasant.

Covington, Indiana, May 2, 1876 – Remained at Mr. Shelby’s during the day. Read. Talked and slept in the evening. Went down to town to hold meeting and found the Hall locked. Quite cool.

Over the River, May 3, 1876 – Went to town this morning and made arrangements for meeting Friday night. Walked over to Jones’ and secured two school houses to speak in; stayed all night at Mr. Jones’. Do not feel as well as I might.

May 4, 1876 – Walked up to Mr. Salt’s where I had dinner, went to see the School Marm about the School house. Had a pleasant talk; obtained her consent and appointed a meeting. Plowed a round for a man. Came on down to Salt’s who crossed me over the river in a canoe. Came on to Shelby’s and spent the balance of the day in talking with Joe and Shelby. Cool. Wrote a letter to Jimmie.

Covington, Indiana, May 5, 1876 – Wrote a letter to the People’s Paper and some letters to others. Went fishing in the afternoon and got very wet.

(To be continued.)

John Hamilton Morgan Journal, Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

John Morgan and Joseph Standing Mission Travels continue, April 9 – April 13, 1876.

 

Looking across the Wabash River to Fountain County.

Warren County, Indiana

Courthouse, Warren County, Indiana, 1877.

Continued from here.

State Line, Illinois, April 9, 1876 —Visited Mr. Wm. Cunningham this morning. Spent the forenoon of the day very pleasantly in conversation with him and his family. Had dinner with them and returned to Mr. Johnsons’s and bidding them goodby, came on up to Mr. Mort Lindsay’s where we stopped tonight. Spoke at the Price schoolhouse to a very large audience, on the prophecies, who paid close attention to what we had to say.

Johnsonville, Illinois, April 10, 1876 —Came to this point and secured the Brush College to speak in. Stopped at Mr. Jas. Johnson’s and was kindly treated. Miss Dora played on the piano which I appreciated. Spoke to a good audience.

Warren County, Indiana, April 11, 1876 —Raining this morning hard. Remained at Jas. Johnson’s during the forenoon. Came in town to Mr. Wagner’s and stayed all night. Obtained the School House to hold meeting in. Warm and pleasant this afternoon.

Alvin, Illinois, April 12, 1876 —Went over to the Wabash River in the morning and secured another school house to hold meeting in. Came back to Mr. Frank Salt’s where I stayed over night. Spoke at the School house to a fair audience. Looks stormy.

April 13, 1876 —Came over to Mr. Lyon’s and leaving our valises, we started for Covington, distance some seven miles, had a lontg tiresome walk. Received a letter from Mellie and one from Jimmie. Spoke at the Bunker Hill school house to a good sized audience. Came home with a Mr. Wm. Salts, who treated me kindly. This farm is the one that Brother John Murdock was born on and quite a number of Mormon people went from this locality. We are now in Indiana and have been well treated and kindly received by all. There appears to be a different atmosphere here to what there is in Illinois. Am in hopes that we shall be able to do a good work in the neighborhood.

Covington is a city in and the county seat of Fountain County, Indiana.
Jimmie [James] Morgan (1850- ): John Morgan's brother.

(To be continued.)

John Hamilton Morgan Journal, Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Pictures from Wikipedia.

James Morgan, brother of John Hamilton Morgan. Part 2.

(Continued from Part 1 here.)

James' mother, Eliza Ann Hamilton Morgan, wrote a news filled letter from her Champaign, Illinois home on April 29, 1895 to daughter-in-law, Mellie Morgan, which is posted here. The paragraph in it, where she writes about James [Jimmie], is below.

James Morgan [1850- ]

Picture taken 1905.

Mr. Richard sent the 20 dollars as you requested (thanks to you both). We gave it out for insurance on the property for the next 3 years and Jimmie sent us 40 dollars to pay taxes. We manage to keep even by being economical and working.

Additional information about James is contained in a July 9, 1900 letter from G. M. [Garrard Morgan] Hamilton of Greensburg, Indiana to Mellie Morgan in Salt Lake City. It appears G.M. is Eliza Ann's brother. John Hamilton Morgan writes in his journal of visiting this same Uncle Morgan.

On October 27, 1882, John wrote in his journal entry, posted here, Started early this a.m. and drove to town and at 10 a.m. took train for Indianapolis where I visited cousin Robbins and uncle Morgan Hamilton. Attended the Grand Opera with cousin Gail Hamilton and saw the Hanlons play. Stayed all night at uncle Hamiltons.

A sample portion of the original 4 page letter follows here. A typed version of the paragraph about James from this letter follows.

Greensburg, Ind., July 9, 1900
Mrs. Helen M. Morgan:
Dear Niece

Your very kind and welcome letter came in Saturday, July 7th ... Eliza Morgan, John’s mother is now in Middletown Neura County Indiana living with her son, Dr. Wm. Morgan. She came near dying last winter in Chicago but she pulled through all right and the last from her was doing very well. Don’t know anything about Jim Morgan only he is N G and if he is dead or his wife is dead I don’t know it. The last I heard from her she was living in Denver with the children. She is a good woman. The last I heard from him was about 1 year ago he was at Bills Worthington [illegible]with a woman he called his wife but not the woman we know as his wife ...

I found a James Morgan in the 1910 census in an Indiana prison. After conferring with the Indiana archivist, I determined he was our James Morgan, and ordered all of the material in his file, including his picture. The left hand side of the 17x22 ledger sheet they sent me is below. Perhaps James didn't know both of his parents were deceased by 1901.


James' wife is shown as Irene. When I read this yesterday, it looked like June to me. James was incarcerated for six years, the last three in a hospital. Many questions answered, so many more to find answers to. The letters are from cousin Karen M., with a big, Thank You! Entries from John Hamilton Morgan's journal at the Marriott Library, University of Utah. Prison documents from Indiana State Archives, Commission on Public Records, 6550 E. 30th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219.

James Morgan, brother of John Hamilton Morgan. Part 1 of 2.

James Morgan
b. June 12, 1850, Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana
p. Garrard Morgan, Eliza Hamilton
m. Mary, Irene [June]
d.

In 1863, while John Morgan, was serving in Alabama in the Civil War, he wrote his mother. The letter is posted here at The Ancestor Files and illustrates John’s concern for each of his siblings. It is the earliest mention of his brother James, “Jimmie,” other than the 1860 Census, that I’ve found.

Sunday Evening
Maysville, Ala
Dec 21st 1863
Mrs. E. Morgan
Dear Ma:

“... I get letters frequently from Will. Reced one from Lu last evning also one from Morg. Kiss Jap for me. I would give a thousand dollars to see. Is Lon studying any now. Tell him to improve his time above everything else. Let novels and such trash alone. Let him have something solid and something that will give him information to read. Knowledge is more than gold and silver. Poor Jimmie. I am sorry his jaw troubles him yet. He is a good boy and has the go aheaditiveness about him to make a man of himself one that will make his mark.

“Tell Pa that I wish I was home to help him but as long as there is an armed foe to my country at large, I will be found in the ranks of the Patriot army. It is getting late and I must close. Goodby John”

The entries below are from the 1880 Manasa, Conejos, Colorado census. Interestingly enough James Morgan appears on another census in Colorado that year, where he is living in a boarding house in Ammas City, La Plata, Colorado. James’ occupation is Nursery.

In 2008, cousin Flora Lee, and her mother, took a road trip to Manassa, Colorado, and thereabouts. They made acquaintance with some friendly residents, who shared some histories that Flora Lee was able to copy.

From Manassa, Colorado, A history of its Growth from Early Days by Donald L. Haynie, with an account written by his maternal grandfather, Gervacius Wayne Rogers. The Rogers history was published in The La Jara (Colorado) Gazette about 1934.

"Among some of the very early conveniences established was a post office. Peter Allen was the first postmaster and Miss Jane Elledge (now Mrs. Stephen A. Smith) was his assistant. It was located in the Allen home; later, it was moved to the Dillingham H. Elledge residence. The colonists had a tri-weekly mail at first, and Ashbury Huffaker was the first carrier. He packed the mail on foot from Conejos. Later, George Elledge carried it on horseback. The carrier got 40% of the cancellation at the Manassa Post Office, the balance going to the postmaster to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the office.

“A co-operative store sprang up on the Elledge lot. This store was owned principally by Silas S. Smith and the Elledge people. James Morgan, a brother of President John Morgan, was the manager, as well as clerk. He was succeeded by Silas S. Smith, Jr."

There are entries in John Morgan’s journal of his interest in purchasing, and shipping trees to Colorado. Throughout his journal entries he mentions writing to his brother, and meeting him on some of his travels. For example:

On November 10, 1885, from Kansas City, he wrote: Had a horse and buggy and rode out to Blair and Kauffman’s Nursery four miles from the city to see about some fruit trees …

On January 25, 1881, from Salt Lake City, he wrote: In the office today … Wrote a letter to Brother Jimmie.

On June 5, 1887, after arriving in Kansas City, he wrote … Met Jimmie, his wife during the evening. Left for Memphis at 9 p.m.

(To be continued.)
Picture of James (Jimmie) Morgan from Nicholas Groesbeck Morgan's Gray pamphlet. Additional references will appear at the conclusion of Part 2.