The children of James P. and Margaret "Peggy" Turner Hamilton.

James P. Hamilton
1790 - Born
1810 - Married Margaret Turner in Nicholas County, Kentucky
1837 - Moved to Decatur, Indiana
1844 - Died in Decatur, Indiana

At his death in 1844, James P. Hamilton, left as his heirs; the widow Margaret, Jesse T. Hamilton, Garrard and Eliza Morgan-late Eliza Hamilton, George W. and wife Sarah Jane Hopkins, and John T., Sarah M., James A., *David W., *Francis P. and *Garrard M. Hamilton. * minors.


Jesse T Hamilton: An interesting biography of Jesse T. Hamilton is found on-line here. It explains when and why Jesse ultimately left Kentucky and moved to Decatur County, Indiana.

Eliza Ann Hamilton Morgan: see earlier posts in the index to the right.

Sarah Hamilton Hopkins: 1860 Census, Adams Township, Decatur, Indiana
Sarah Hopkins, 41, (no other information) born KY
Living with Blahs & Arie Stogdell (born KY)

John T. Hamilton: 1860, Census, Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana
John T. Hamilton, 40, farmer, born KY
Martha, 34, housewife, born KY

The Agricultural Society of Decatur County sponsored county fairs. "The greatest county fair was held in 1858, when R. R. Cobb [mentioned in this post] served as president, J. O. Adams as secretary of the society and John T. Hamilton as marshal of the grounds. Current accounts of the fair say that whisky was secretly sold on the grounds in spite of the marshal's efforts. Exceptionally good horse races were held."

"John T. Hamilton had a shop where he carded wool, flax, linen and linsey. He also has a saddlery and harness shop."

David W. Hamilton: is mentioned here and here in John Morgan’s journal. An 1892 account of D. W. Hamilton, and his picture, is found here.

During the Civil War he served in the Indiana Seventh Regiment, Company E; Captain David W. Hamilton.

Garrard Morgan Hamilton: 1860 Census, Washington Township, Decatur, Indiana
Morgan Hamilton (no age or other information)
Living with David & Hannah Lovett family

From New Family Search: by Mary Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah; birth date also shown as 1835; From Mr. L. D. Branden, Editor of the Greensburg Daily News, Morgan Hamilton was a lieutenant in the Seventh Indiana Regiment in the US Civil War.

Sarah M., James A., Francis P., nothing further yet.

References: Mary Ann Linton Morgan documents CD-ROM no. 2328 pt. 1, 2 publication: Mesa, Arizona: J.L. Tanner, 2004.

Ancestral lines of the Donihan, Franzee, and Hamilton families, by Frances Frazee Hamilton (b. 1866, main author) FHL US/CAN Film [1321182 Item 7]

Your clan heritage: Clan Hamilton, by Donna Jean (Hamilton) Cochrane, published by D.M. Cochrane, 1999. FHL 929.273 H18. Title also known as, Hamilton: early Kentucky settlers, Bracken County (1797), John Hamilton Sr., about 1745-1810, John Hamilton, Jr., 1765-1849, John O. Hamilton, 1794-1883, Bracken Co. (1803-1818) Gallatin County (1818-1884): early Kansas settlers, Alexander Hamilton, Coffee County and Woodson County, 1832-1912, Alexander Oscar Hamilton, Woodson County (1870-1914), Gray County (1914-1937).
Online 1915 History of Decatur County by Harding found here.
I was referred to the picture of the Hamilton Coat of Arms by Mary Ann Linton Morgan's Hamilton research notes.

Morgans in the Eastern United States.

View Eastern Morgans in a larger map

A Morgan descendant in Indiana discovered this post and believes William F. Morgan may be her ggg grandfather. She found a grandmother in the family reunion picture posted here and is starting her own genealogy blog.

Ruth Stemm Morgan, wife of Wm. Bruce Morgan

reunion picture, #10, front row

How wonderful! Her blog is heichelbech-weillgenealogy.blogspot.com. She’s already posted here. Check out her lovely pictures and information about her grandmother. I hope to see more, and learn much from her posts.

More about Uncle G. M. [Garrard Morgan] Hamilton's family.

The letter introducing us to Uncle G. M. [Garrard Morgan] Hamilton is posted here. In his letter he proudly acclaims his daughter and grandchildren to Mellie. I now recognize the word I marked [illegible] that G. H. wrote to describe his daughter, Gail. It should be slow. Daughter, Gail Miers, is not slow in producing two beloved grandchildren.

“Morgan L. Miers was born in the year 1855 on the farm on which he now lives, one and one-half miles south of the pleasant village of Burney, in Clay township, Decatur county, Indiana, the son of Thomas S. and Mahala (Braden) Miers, both members of pioneer families in that section of the
county. … “

Reared on the home farm in Clay township, Morgan L. Miers received his elementary education in the local schools, which he supplemented by four years at Indiana University, where he graduated in law. He then devoted his time to the development of the growing farm interests of his father. Morgan gradually bought land as he prospered, until he owned fourteen, hundred and sixty acres of choice land in Clay township. He was a man of an optimistic nature, as was his father before him. Beyond giving his chief attention to his great estate, Mr. Miers found time to extend his activities in other directions in numerous enterprises in Decatur and adjoining counties. Since the opening of the Third National Bank of Greensburg, thirty-four years earlier, Mr. Miers had been a director. Morgan was president of the same for the two preceeding years; a position of prominence in the financial circles of southern Indiana exceeded by few therein.

"Thirty-three years ago Mr. Morgan Miers was united in marriage to Gail Hamilton, of Clay township, this county, daughter of G. M. and Mary Susan (Logan) Hamilton, members of pioneer families in Decatur county, the latter of whom was a daughter of John Logan, and to this union two children were born, a son and a daughter, Roy, now twenty-three years of age, and Mary, now aged sixteen, the latter of whom is attending school in Boston, Massachusetts. Mrs. Miers met her death in an automobile accident on October 20, 1914, a tragedy which plunged the entire community into mourning, for she was a woman of exceptional strength of character and for years a leader in good works in the vicinity in which her gentle influence so long had been exerted in all good ways. "

The Weekly Democrat
Greensburg, Decatur County, Indiana

Friday, October 23, 1914

Plans now being made by the Miers family contemplate the removal to this city of Morgan L. Miers from the Deaconess hospital, Indianapolis, tomorrow.

An X-ray examination was made of Mr. Miers’ ankle Wednesday morning to determine the status of the injury. It is said that the bones were crushed.

The body of Mrs. Miers will be brought here on the same train with Mr. Miers and funeral arrangements will then be made. Advices received Wednesday by Geo. W. Adams of the Third National Ban k, indicated that the body would be kept in Indianapolis until Mr. Miers was able to be brought home and that Thursday probably would be the day.

Few details concerning the accident beyond that given Tuesday in meager reports from Indianapolis were obtainable today. Clint Blades of Rugby, who was aboard the train which struck the Miers automobile, state late Tuesday afternoon that the engine of the auto “died” on the track. He said he saw Mrs. Miers under the wreckage and that Mr. Miers was in the automobile, apparently sitting at the wheel. The flagman at the Fletcher avenue crossing is said to have made the statement that Miers ignored his warning and ran upon the track in front of the train. The machine apparently stopped there and was “dead’ during the intervening moments between its arrival on the crossing and the crash.

People here and at Burney were greatly exercised over the accident and sought details from every quarter. One report received at Burney Tuesday afternoon was that Myers had been fatally hurt and that death was only a matter of a few hours.

Newspaper article from Copy made by Indiana State Library, Genealogy Division. I took the picture in front of my house last week. History of Decatur County here.

John Hamilton Morgan Cemetery Plot. September 9, 2010.

Because They Lived!

Some time ago John Hamilton and Helen Melina “Mellie” Groesbeck Morgan descendants became concerned about the children buried in the Morgan plot who did not have gravestones. That dilemma is not new to the John Hamilton Morgan plot at the Salt Lake City, Utah Cemetery.

A little history of the plot follows:

The first need for a gravestone for John Hamilton Morgan is discussed here.

Last year’s call for assistance is posted here.

The location and pictures of John Morgan family gravestones can be found here and here.

Thursday, September 9, 2010 new gravestones were being set in John Morgan’s Plot at the Salt Lake City Cemetery

John and Mellie’s three children, Elizabeth, John, and Flora Groesbeck.


John and Mellie’s daughter Ruth.

The new stones were set according to the Sexton’s directions. The stone for the three children is in the upper left, near the NE corner of the Morgan plot. The stone for daughter Ruth, with her husband, Sol Burke Kunkel, is near the center of the west plot line in front. The two stones to the right of the large John Morgan marker are for John and Mellie, and went in following Mellie’s death in 1930. The two stones in front of the large John Morgan marker are (left) for daughter Eliza Ann, with her husband, James Frank Smith. The stone to the right of the Smiths is for Marie Polly Bovee Groesbeck (Mellie’s grandmother). The stone east of the Kunkels, near the north plot line, is for Jennie Whipple, who was presumably buried here under Mellie’s direction.

John Hamilton and Mellie Morgan’s descendants, through children Nicholas Groesbeck Morgan and Bessie Morgan Rex, contributed to these stones. A special thank you to Bessie’s youngest daughter, Flora.

“The place where a man is buried is sacred to me” Joseph Smith – From the bronze monument of a grieving family in the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds

Garrard Morgan Hamilton. [1835 - 1915]

What is the story of Garrard Morgan [G. M.] Hamilton?

He was the youngest son of James P. and Margaret "Peggy" Turner Hamilton, so named in the Decatur, Indiana 1844-1848 probate proceedings for his father, James. Garrard's older sister, Eliza Ann Hamilton, had married Garrard Morgan III in 1833 in Nicholas County, Kentucky. Could Garrard Morgan Hamilton have been named after his older brother-in-law, Garrard Morgan, when he was born in Indiana in 1835?

At the time of James' death in 1844, Garrard was named executor of his father-in-law's estate.

This 1900 letter from G.M. Hamilton to his niece, Mellie Morgan, widow of John Hamilton Morgan, reveals much. A "big thank" you to cousin Karen M. for making it available to us.


July 9, 1900
Mrs. Helen M. Morgan:

Dear Niece
Your very kind and welcome letter came in Saturday, July 7th and contents carefully noted and hasten to answer but first let me apologize just a little. Yesterday, Sunday, my wife looked up a letter of yours written March 1, 1896 and she says it was the last letter from you and that I never answered it. Well, well that’s just like me, for if I don’t answer social letters while they are fresh, I never do and in this case I must fess up I am ashamed but will try and do better in future. In some of your requests in letters March 1st /96 you ask me to give you the genealogy of our family. Well I am a bad hand at this business. First our old Bible was lost in some way but Bro. Dave had a list of


my Fathers - Mothers and the children and I enclose this to you or a copy but if you want the genealogy of the Morgan family you will have to write to Eliza for that or I am going to see her some time in this month or August and will get it for you if you wish. 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

he was at Bills Worthingtons. My never with a woman he called his wife but not the women we know as his wife. I have been in the merchandising business since I quit the road work from 2 to 4 men, 2 all the time and 4 besides myself part of the time and I work almost night and day to keep things going. Have a good trade am the only genl store in the city and you bet I hoop em up. My wife is well and Gail Miers my dtr is not [illegible]. [s]he has a boy named Roy Hamilton Miers and a little girl borned 7 Feb 1899 17 months old and you can wager your last $ she’s grandpas honey will send you the children’s photos if I can ever have them taken but that like everything else at our house it is put of[f] [illegible] to an other but will know you I will do the best I can. Now you did not

tell me a word about yourself or the children. How is Mellie Jr how many children has she and is her husband sheriff yet. How are the balance of the children and little Nick. He must be quite a boy now – would like to hear all particulars from you. How did you come out with the Morgan Hotel & c. the whole family [illegible] with me with love and with the kindest of regards to yourself, Mel and her husband and children and the bal of your children. Hoping to hear from you again soon, I am very truly yours, G. M. Hamilton

1900 Census

Washington Township,

Greensburg City, Decatur, Indiana
Gail Hamilton (Morgan L.) Miers' family

1955 (about) PH Rex family reunion. Is this on Monte Cristo?

L-R adults on back row are Ross, Winnie, Rich, PH,

Maeser, Helen, Glenn, Doty, Flora

No. 4 - Perfect Family Reunion Picture!

At this summer's PH Rex family reunion, posted here, cousin Yara gave me a DVD of her father's slides. Thank you so much, Yara! These family reunion pictures are from that disc. If her father, Harold, took these pictures, why is his family missing? Aunt Mary must have taken these pictures. They look like they are up Monte Cristo. Does anyone remember?

The following pictures illustrate well what a family goes through as they gather for their family reunion group picture.

No. 1 - Lets get ready for our picture!

No. 2 - Yes, you must look into the Sun!

No. 3 - That's good. What are those two in the front

(Susan and David) bickering about?

We need to take another picture.

Look to the top picture,

No. 4 - for the final product.

2010, Percy Harold and Bessie Morgan Rex Family Reunion.

From Camp Zarahemla, Porterville, Utah (2009).
Camp Zarahemla (2009)

Descendants of Percy Harold and Bessie Morgan Rex gathered the last Saturday afternoon in July, 2010, for a family reunion in Porterville, Utah, at Camp Zarahemla. Be sure and check out the John Hamilton Morgan Family web page here for pictures and an informative review of the gathering.