William Morrison Family

William Morrison

William Morrison (1825 -- 1908)

born: 23 Jun 1825, Ballyferis,Co. Down,Ireland
bapt: 28 Jun 1825, Ballywalter,Co. Down,Ireland, at Presbyterian Church
died: 11 Aug 1909, near Independence,Polk Co.,Oregon
bur.: near Independence,Polk Co.,Oregon, at Smith Cemetery (Block 23, Lot 7, Space 4)
spouse: Jeanie WEIR: marr: 12 Mar 1870; born: 1845-1846, Scotland; died: 11 Jun 1891, Oregon; bur.: near Independence,Polk Co.,Oregon, at Smith Cemetery (Block 23, Lot 8, Space 4)
Children:: Samuel MORRISON; Maggie MORRISON; William Irving MORRISON

Father: William MORRISON (1805-1879)
Mother: Mary Jane THOMPSON (1807-1879)

According to Sadie (Morrison) Shuger, William, or Will, was the first of the family to emigrate to the US. When he had accumulated $60, he would send it back to Ireland to pay for another of his brothers to come over. Will worked with a farmer in Indiana after immigrating. The farmer was an understanding man and helped some people to get to America. By the 1870 census, however, William has settled near Springdale, in Adams township of Keokuk County.

On October 3, 1870, William and James Morrison were naturalized as US citizens in Keokuk County, Iowa

Sadie Morrison Shuger's rememberances said her uncle Will died in Oregon in the same year as Sadie's father (1912). The Oregon state archives death index has a William B. Morrison who died August 9, 1912 in Jackson Co. The certificate says he was only age 38, and Jackson Co. is well south of Polk Co. so that must be a different William Morrison. The William Morrison here died on August 11, 1909 according to his tombstone.

The links between the Morrison family found in Oregon and this William Morrison from Ireland and Iowa are because the 1900 census entry for the Oregon William fits very well with the earlier Iowa census records. The 1900 census entry for William Morrison in Oregon differs a little bit from Sadie's account since that census says he immigrated in 1868 (which isn't before James' 1863-4 emigration), and it also states he was born in Nov., 1823, instead of June, 1825. So the match isn't perfect, but given the frequent inaccuracy of census records, the two families appear to be the same.

In 1996, Dennis Nicklaus was fortunate enough to get in touch with Rita (Morrison) Colyer, a descendent of William. Rita didn't really know much about William's origins at the time, but she did supply William's birthdate, which matches well with his baptismal records, and she also knew the wife of her great-grandfather William was named Jennie Weir, which again is a perfect match with the William Morrison of this branch. This coupled with the census match-ups between Oregon and Iowa shows the William Morrison branch in Oregon is the same as the one in Keokuk County, Iowa. It turns out the rememberances of Sadie (Morrison) Shuger were slightly mistaken since William died in 1909 (exact birth and death dates are on his tombstone) in Oregon, not 1912.

William and family went to Oregon in the late 1880s. They are still in Iowa for the 1885 census. Rita (Morrison) Colyer found that William bought his first property, in Pedee, Polk County, Oregon on August 20, 1889. He purchased an 80 acre ranch for $1000, and the deed was recorded July 30, 1891 (a month after his wife died).

Smith Cemetery was relocated from the Camp Adair area in 1943. It is behind Fircrest Cemetery which is on the main road.

Census: 1870, Adams Twp,Keokuk Co.,Iowa
Census: 1880, Adams Twp,Keokuk Co.,Iowa
Census: 1885, Adams Twp,Keokuk Co.,Iowa
Census: 1900, Falls City Precinct,Polk Co.,Oregon

Sources for this individual: @S64@ @S28@ @S30@ @S34@ @S65@ @S66@ @S1220@

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