1. HUGH1 MORRISON
was believed born in the north of Ireland, circa 1760.
140 He died, probably in Allegheny Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania, 20 November 1839.
141 Hugh is buried in the Concord Cemetery, Allegheny Township, Venango County—see the
Concord Cemetery and Church
in the Lytle web site.
for this cemetery’s description.
Hugh married ISABELLA WILSON before 1792, probably in the north of Ireland or Scotland. Isabella Wilson was born 1768, either in Scotland or Ireland. She died 10 January 1853 in Canal Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania, at the home of Robert Jordan Neill (#9) (her son–in–law, who married Elizabeth Morrison142). Her place of burial is not known. I have no information on the names of Isabella (Wilson) Morrison’s parents. Hugh and several of his sons were ardent Abolitionists.143
Hugh Morrison’s will was written 7 August 1839, recorded 10 December 1839;
144 some extracts:
Hugh mentions his wife, Isabella (livestock, furniture, and support from estate); his daughters Elizabeth (four bushels of wheat yearly) and Sarah (twenty dollars); his sons, Thomas (one dollar), Matthew (one dollar), James (one dollar), Joseph (one dollar), William (one dollar), and John B. (all Hugh’s real estate); and his grandsons Hugh by son Thomas (yearling colt), and grandson Hugh by son Matthew (forty dollars when he becomes of age). Hugh appointed his sons Joseph and John B. Morrison as executors. Witnesses were William Lytle and Joseph Lytle [see #13 and #15 of the Lytle web site].
The following is from Sage’s (1936) biography of the Samuel Morrison family,
145 pages 10 and 11:
146
About the year 1795 a small group of families took up land in northeastern Venango county, Pennsylvania. Some authorities persist in saying that they were “Irishmen,” immigrants from Tyrone county Ulster; that they came up the Susquehanna, Sinnemahoning, the Driftwood branch, and thence across by portage to the headwaters of the Allegheny; improvising crude boats, they floated down the river. They are known to have settled within the present limits of Oil Creek township. A Hugh Morrison is known to have been in this party. His name is found on the tax list of Warren County in 1806 as the owner of 400 acres. He married Isabella ______ and died in Pleasantville, Pennsylvania, in 1839, aged 79 years, leaving children Hugh, Thomas, Joseph, William, James, and John [I know of no other mention of a son Hugh; note also Sage does not mention son Matthew or daughter Sarah]. Thomas2 Morrison (Hugh1) [note: these are Sage’s superscripts] of Venango and Warren counties was a veteran of the war of 1812 and married into the Hunter family which later was prominently identified with the development of Tidioute. Members of this branch of the family still reside in Warren County. John Morrison who served as court crier in Franklin for many years, took an active part in the opening of the first court in Warren county 1819. At the present time there is a locality in Oil Creek township Venango county known as Morrison Corners. The account ledgers of the early traders at Franklin show that a John and Samuel Morrison were among their patrons between the years 1794 and 1800. There is the possibility to explore that they were sons or brothers of James Sr. of Warren county.
The circumstantial evidence at hand seems to indicate that the Venango county family is distantly related to the Warren county branch.
I have a 17 December 1997 email from Brian Gustafson147 who descends from a James Morrison, Sr., of the Kinzua and Corydon areas, Warren County, Pennsylvania. He also suggests a possible distant relationship between the Kinzua Morrisons and our northern Venango County Morrisons.
From Addison Quincy Morrison
148 (he would be #99, a son of William and Jane Beatty Morrison) via Olive Peters’ material, 1985–1996:
Our great grandfather, Hugh Morrison, was born in Northern Ireland, and was a school master. His wife, Isabell Wilson from southern Scotland, belonged to the upper class Scotch people and her people were very indignant because she married a poor school master.
According to family legend, Hugh and Isabella eloped. According to one account, Isabella, aided by her sister, “escaped from her bedroom in her nightgown to come to America with the man she loved.”149 Another account has Hugh meeting Isabella and the two falling in love when Hugh was hired as Isabella’s tutor by her aristocratic Wilson family.”150
From Newton’s (1879)
History of Venango County, Volume I, page 203:
The first schoolhouses in Allegheny Twp. were situated near Concord Church and Asbury Chapel. One of the first teachers at the Concord schoolhouse was a Scotch–Irishman who boarded himself in the schoolhouse and taught without books. He seems to have been ahead of his times. He is remembered as a fine teacher.
One would suspect this item was referring to our Hugh Morrison. But why, having a wife, Isabella, would he board himself in the school.
From a quotation from the “Recollections of Frances M. Jones,” received from Olive Peters in 1985:
151
On Grandpa Lytle’s side, Mama does not know too much, but says her mother can remember our Irish lady ancestress named Wilson who was aided by her sister to escape from her bedroom in her nightgown and come to America with the man she loved, who was considered by her family to be beneath her station. Mama says grandma can remember she was a beautiful reader and a very well educated lady.
Children of Hugh and Isabella Wilson Morrison:153
|
| + |
2 |
i. |
Sarah2 Morrison,
born circa 1780–1790, alive in 1840, probably died in the 1840s; married John Lytle |
| + |
3 |
ii. |
Thomas Morrison, born 6 November 1794; died 7 June 1852 in Deerfield Township, Warren County; married (first) Elizabeth Hunter; married (second) Margaret Hunter (sister of Elizabeth Hunter). |
| + |
4 |
iii. |
Matthew Morrison, born 14 March 1797; died 1867; married Elizabeth Howe. |
| + |
5 |
iv. |
James Morrison, born 11 April 1799; died 30 November 1862 in Venango County; buried in Sugarcreek Memorial Cemetery, Sugarcreek Township, Venango County; married Mary Foster. |
| + |
6 |
v. |
Joseph Morrison, born 1803; died 21 February 1874; buried in Sutton Hill Cemetery, Deerfield Township, Warren County, Pennsylvania; married Ann Beatty. |
| + |
7 |
vi. |
William Morrison, born 8 July 1805; died 1885 in Derrick City, Foster Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania; married Elizabeth McMasters (also McMaster). |
| + |
8 |
vii. |
John B. Morrison, born 22 August 1808; died 1877 in Kingsville, Ohio; married Margaret McMasters (also McMaster). |
| + |
9 |
viii. |
Elizabeth Morrison, born circa 1813; married 2 March 1845 Robert Jordan Neill. |