Possible new line of Immigrant Brother James?

Notes – Ancestors of Dale Morrison, Q0081

March 10, 2015

While reviewing some notes of Jim Morrison (IL) about one Fergus S Morrison and his manuscript “Distant Cousins?” (Fergus S Morrison article) I thought posting a condensed version of this data and a recently discovered piece of information that may shed some light on the ancestry of Dale Morrison, who has found his ancestral line from Benjamin Franklin Morrison back difficult to research.

Jim was attempting to identify the parents and descendants of Fergus Snoddy Morrison; and find any siblings who might have offspring that will lead to a male available for Y-DNA analysis as part of the Morrison-Q project. He has so far made an excellent case for the first part.

Fergus S Morrison is named in a number of Independence Co. Arkansas sources between 1820 through 1860 – in Federal Census records as well as land records. His wife (unnamed) apparently had died before the 1840 census when a male 50-59 is listed, and children, male one under five, females two under five, one five-nine, one ten-fourteen, and two fifteen-nineteen. (There being no female of age to be spouse to Fergus in 1840 census, it is possible that she died during childbirth). The same family unit is found in the 1850 census, with the youngest child a Margaret B age 11, born ca 1839. The 1860 census identifies the same family unit, with the two of the daughters out of the household. By the 1870 census, the oldest daughter, Narcissie (unmarried) was found age 49 living by herself in Independence Co. Arkansas.

Now we move our discussion to Benjamin Franklin Morrison, the earliest known ancestor of Dale Morrison. Benjamin F Morrison was born ca 1807 in Georgia. He died Feb 1865 in Greenbrier, Independence Co. Arkansas. (Ref: Ancestry, FindaGrave, buried in Franklin Cemetery, Decatur Co. Iowa. Buried next to BF Morrison is Margaret). From the year of his birth [1807] in Georgia until the 1840 census, his location, with his family, is unknown at this time.

Benjamin F Morrison is found in Madison Co. TN in 1840, with children and female of age to be his wife. Benjamin F. Morrison is found in Independence Co. Arkansas in 1850, with wife, Margaret, and more children. Benjamin F Morrison is found in Independence Co. Arkansas in 1860, with wife, Margaret, more children, one of whom was a 25 year old son named Thomas. Also living with them was a man named Hiram Morrison, age 25, born in NC.

Back to my NC records. One Hiram Morrison was a son of Andrew C. Morrison and Eliza Miller Morrison.¹ My research indicates that Hiram was born 1834, married in Brazos TX to Lucy S Hardy, and all children were born in TX. Hiram had about 10 siblings, and apparently all remained in Iredell Co. BUT, and this is important, a note in the Morrison-Williams Register, after the names of Henry and Eliz. Guy Morrison [Hiram’s grandparents], reads – “believed they went to Arkansas.” Nothing more.

POSSIBILITY: Hiram went with (or took) his grandparents to Arkansas, Independence Co. specifically, where they knew (or related to) other Morrisons. Hiram stayed for a period of time, and his grandparents returned to Iredell Co. Elizabeth died in 1849, so if this scenario holds, they would have returned prior to that year.

Comments about the first mentioned Fergus Snoddy Morrison: Proposed that the parents of F. S. Morrison are James Morrison born 1750 Rowan Co., who married Eleanor Snoddy, born 1751 in NC a daughter of Samuel Snoddy and Elizabeth Sloan. This James Morrison is a son of brother James Morrison and wife Mary, possibly nee McMahan.

To parallel the two possible lines from Brother James and two of his sons, Andrew and James:

It should be noted that Jim Morrison (NC Jim) also has a male in his line who was in Arkansas – James Alexander Morrison [1881].

I am hoping that descendants in the brother James line will have research that can add to this body of findings, and will contact either Dale or me.

Reviewed with Dale Morrison, March 2015.
By Jean M Morrison, inquiries and comments welcome.
Morrij3@cinci.rr.com

Footnotes:

¹ The possibility of Benjamin F Morrison being a descendant in the brother James line was noted when Dale Morrison joined Morrison Q, and the first results of his Y-DNA analysis were received. Andrew C Morrison is a descendant of brother James, through Henry Morrison, Andrew Morrison, to brother James who married Eleanor Snoddy.

² Eleanor Snoddy was daughter of Samuel Snoddy and Elizabeth Sloan. Eleanor’s brother Thomas went to Arkansas to care for their mother ca 1830, per Will of one of Snoddy children.

³ Henry’s brother Andrew died young, at age 39 on 1833, with 11 children, and is buried in Word Cemetery, 20th District, Bedford Co., TN with four of his young children. His widow Jane, went to Benton Co. Arkansas in 1844 as a widow, where three of her sons Andrew, Robert and Leander, and a daughter of Martha, had already settled, of age.