Rome, Georgia April 14, 2014.

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Rome, Georgia was established in 1835 and is the seat of Floyd County. 

Portions of their courthouse were built at that time.

Rome, Georgia is named after Rome, Italy. Both cities have seven hills and three rivers.  Rome, Georgia’s Coosa, Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers converge in the downtown area. It also appeared to me that there are as many roads to drive into Rome on as there are rivers and hills. Getting lost took no effort.

Great Grandparents John and Mellie Morgan arrived in Rome in 1886 by train.

As ill-prepared as we were following our arrival at the Atlanta, Georgia airport where we picked up our rental car, the adventures of discovering  Rome, Georgia─I would never trade. 

Churches steeples poke up on hills and corners throughout the downtown.

The downtown city clock tower tops this hill.

While standing in the center of this street corner

 I turned in a circle to snap these pictures.

There were churches and beauty everywhere.

After making our way over a bridge or two we found the following view .

The County Court Complex on the Oostanaula River.

From copy of John Hamilton Morgan Journal from Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah in my possession.

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Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee 1886 and the Incline Railway 2014.

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The view from the front seat of the Incline Railway Car is straight down to Chattanooga below. Fortunately the decent is at 6 mph. 

Traveling up or down the incline rail you pass another train traveling in the opposite direction. The track momentarily separates half-way through the one mile ride.

I insisted we travel to and from Lookout Mountain by this means because great grandfather John Morgan wrote that he took his wife Mellie with him on the Incline Rail in the 1880's.  Or so I thought. I haven't been able to locate that account in his journal since.

The first of January 1886 John Morgan traveled to the Southern States Mission and his daughter, Mellie, accompanied him to act as his secretary. She became ill during her stay and President Morgan remained in the area longer than he'd planned to nurse her to health.

March 14 1886  … got a carriage and took Mellie [daughter] and Misses Sarah and Susie Fowler to Lookout Mountain. Went to Rock City, Natural Bridge and other points Returned at 6 p.m. Mellie standing the trip pretty well. … 

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Chattanooga,Tennessee and Chickamauga, Georgia Battlefield, 1863, 1883, 2014.

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Wilder's Brigade Monument, Chickamauga Battlefield, Georgia

123rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry officers listed on the base of Wilder's Monument

Across the border from Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee we visited Chickamauga Battlefield. There an attendant at the visitor center pulled up the “soldier details” for John Morgan, 123^rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, handed us a copy, and sent us in the direction of the monument honoring “Wilder’s Mounted Brigade” and the Illinois 123^rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry--of which John Morgan was a member. It was a breath-taking sobering walk through the past.

 

 The Wilder's Brigade Monument is 85 feet high and we were able to climb up it. The platform atop affords an excellent view of the battlefield and surrounding area. It marks the spot Col. Wilder's brigade occupied on September 20, 1863 and where widow Eliza Glenn's house once stood.

A newer metal plaque names the various divisions involved.

An interesting connect between Colonel John T. Wilder (later General) and President John Morgan is revealed here on this morning's Amateur Mormon Historian post. Twenty years after they served together on the Chicamauga Battlefield, Missionary Jacob Franklin Miller recorded that General Wilder was "jesting with Pres. Morgan about the Battalion he was now leading."

Take the time to read the entire Amateur Mormon Historian post here. You'll discover now sterile President Morgan's journal entries for that time are in comparison to his new missionary, and you'll see the terrific map of Elder Miller and President John Morgan's railroad trip from Salt Lake City to Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1883.

From John Hamilton Morgan's Journal, March 3, 1883 – Saw many evidences of the recent disasterous [sic] flood on the Ohio River bottoms. Arrived in Cin. At 8 a.m. Changed cars and continued our journey to Chattanooga where we arrived at 10:25 p.m. Were met by Elder Snow. This long journey has been made without a single accident occurring or a failure to connect in a single case.

March 4 – Busy during the day arranging for the Elders to get away to their fields of labor. In the p.m. held a priesthood meeting and afterwards visited Cameron Hill where I met Gen. Wilder and others.

March 5– The last of the Elders left today, all feeling pretty well and desiring to do good.

(To be continued.)

Note:  Missionary Jacob Franklin Miller (set apart, February 26, 1883 returned March 27, 1885) from John Hamilton Morgan Southern States Missionaries List. John Hamilton Morgan Journal entries from my copy of his journal at Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah.

2014 Trip to Lookout Mountain.

1864 view from atop Lookout Mountain from Wikipedia

John Morgan always took visitors, family,and missionaries up to Lookout Mountain when they were new to the Tennessee, Georgia area. He must have liked going up there himself. Last November’s Faith to Persevere; the Southern StatesMission, 1875-1898 lecture by Heather Seferovich featured some inviting pictures and showed missionaries sitting on the edge of an incredible rock precipice.

Two weeks ago spring break found our family visiting Georgia. With the help of friends we were able to visit Lookout Mountain and other areas great Grandfather Morgan wrote of in his journal.

Lookout Mountain, along with Sand Mountain to the southwest, makes up a large portion of the southernmost end of the Cumberland Plateau. The summit, called “High Point”, is located just east of Thompsonville in Walker County, Georgia, and has an elevation of 2,392 feet above sea level. The foothills of the mountain extend into Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. 

Looking north from the top of Lookout Mountain over Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Moccasin Bend.

In 1886 John Morgan, his wife Mellie, and brother William Spry visited here.

November 12

Woke at 5:30 a.m. Raining hard. Took train at 6:25 a.m. and came to Chattanooga. Arrived at 10:35 and found quite an amount of mail awaiting me.

November 13

Started at 9:30 a.m. in company with Mellie and brother [William] Spry and drove to top of Lookout Mountain. Visited Rock City, Natural Bridge, Sunset Rock, and Grand View. Had dinner at the Hermitage and returned to the city at dark. Attended the Salvation Army Meeting for an hour.

 This large monument at the center of Point Park is the New York Peace Memorial. Atop its shaft a Union and a Confederate soldier shake hands under one flag, signifying peace and brotherly love.

Artillery batteries mark a segment of the siege lines that once encircled Chattanooga.

(To be continued.)

John Hamilton Morgan Collection available at the Mountain West Digital Library MWDL

My search for information about my great grandfather John Hamilton Morgan began here five springtime’s ago. I visited the Salt Lake Cemetery and snapped pictures of the Morgan family markers and sent them to Amy at The Ancestor Files.

The more I learned about him the more I wanted to learn about him.

Descendants donated his journals, papers, and some pictures to the Marriott Library, Special Collections, University of Utah. I have frequented the collection during the last five years. Anxious to verify an item last week I attempted to pull up the list of their materials and learned that the John Morgan collection is now in a digital format. It is available on-line through the MWDL Mountain West Digital Library and anyone can visit it here.

The copy of this remembrance card I had made from the collection was so poor I could not read it. I was happy to see it revealed on the face page of the collection and I can now read what is written.

A precious one from us has gone,

A voice we loved is stilled;

A place is vacant in our home,

Which never can be filled.

God in His wisdom has recalled,

The boon his love had given;

And thou the body moulders here,

The soul is safe in Heaven.