WILLIAM Sabin MORLEY
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WILLIAM Sabin MORLEY
| DorothyPaul51 (View posts) | Posted: 14 Apr 1999 12:00PM GMT |
Classification: Biography
Surnames: Morley, Carroll, Loan, Bashford, Rose, Coleman, Cromwell, Metcalf, Kelly
"A Twentieth Century History of Berrien County, Michigan;" Judge Orville W. Coolidge; Lewis, Chicago; 1906. pp 422-424.
WILLIAM S. MORLEY. Only four residents of Berrien County have longer resided within its borders than William S. Morley and no history of this part of the state would be complete without the record of this worthy and honored pioneer settler who has now passed the eighty-fourth mile-stone on life's journey. He was born in the township of Burns in Allegany county, New York, August 19, 1822. His father, William Morley, was born in Pennsylvania near Harrisburg in 1796 and when a young man went to New York, being married in Allegany county, that state. He was an Episcopalian minister and also followed the occupation of farming. His mother lived to a very advanced age of one hundred and five years, while his sister Betsy reached the age of one hundred and two years. His last days were spent in New Troy, Berrien County, where he departed this live at the age of seventy-six years. In early manhood he had wedded Miss Jan Carroll, who was born in New York and died in Berrien County at the age of seventy-eight years. In their family were five sons: John, who died in 1871; Thomas O., who enlisted in the Union army in 1862 and died while in the United States service; William S. of this review; Ambrose, who died at the age of seventy-five years; and Louis W., a practicing physician of Nebraska.
William S. Morley spent the first eight years of his life in the state of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Marion county, Indiana, where they remained for two years. In 1832 the family settled on Portage Prairie, in Bertrand township, this county, at which time there were more Indians than white settlers. The family home was established in the woods on the Carey Mission reserve almost immediately after the government had completed its survey. The trip was made from New York down the Allegany river to Maysville, Kentucky, and thence by steamboat to Madison, Indiana, which at that time was the capital of the state. From that city they proceeded to a point twelve miles north of Indianapolis journeying by wagon, and after two years passed in Marion county continued on their way to the territory of Michigan. On reaching a beautiful country there they decided to locate and the father gave one hundred dollars for a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Bertrand township which had been entered by Eli Grice. Upon this farm William S. Morley remained until twenty-two years of age.
Starting out in life on his own account, he had as his capital good health, an axe and fifty dollars in money after he had paid the minister's fee, for he had won a companion and helpmate for life's journey by his marriage on the 12th of May 1844, to Miss Elizabeth Loan, who was born in Licking county, Ohio, November 5, 1827, and came to Berrien County with her parents in 1835. She was a daughter of William and Mary (Bashford) Loan, the former a native of Scotland and the latter of Ohio.
The young couple began their domestic life upon a farm and Mr. Morley operated a breaking team through the summer of 1844. In that way he made enough money to pay for the team, after which he purchased forty acres of land in Lake township and took up his abode thereon. He assisted in organizing the township in 1846. Two years were devoted to farm labor, after which he was engaged on the construction work of the Michigan Central Railroad until 1848 and assisted in running the first construction train through. After a time he sold his property in Lake township and in 1849 went to Wisconsin, where he purchased a land warrant for one hundred and sixty acres of land. He lived there for nearly two years and prospered in his business there, returning with one thousand dollars in money. This he invested in Michigan property, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of and one mile north of New Troy. Here he lived for two years or until 1854, when he sold out and removed to Iowa, where he purchased about a section of land. There he carried on general agricultural pursuits for ten years and on the expiration of that period he disposed of his property west of the Mississippi and in 1865 returned to Michigan, purchasing a farm in Wesaw township, upon which he has resided continuously since. He has ninety acres of land here in the home place, which is operated by his son, who has a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the same township, eighty acres being on section twenty and eighty acres on section twenty-eight. Mr. Morley has bought and sold many farms and his business deals have usually proved profitable, bringing to him a comfortable income. In all of his business transactions he has been thoroughly reliable and he bears an honorable name in business circles.
In 1902 Mr. Morley was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 3rd of October of that year. Eight children have been born of their marriage: Ambrose, who is living in Buchanan; Mary Jane, the wife of C.O. Rose of North Dakota; Alzina L. the wife of William Coleman of Bertrand township; Cordelia Ellen, the wife of James O. Cromwell, of Oklahoma; James B. who is living upon the home farm with his father; Hannah Elizabeth the widow of William Metcalf of Vancouver, British Columbia; Harriet E. the wife of John Kelly of Dumont, Iowa; and William H. who operates the home farm and also a good farm of his own, giving his attention to the supervision of two hundred and fifty acres of land altogether. He has taken swamp land and converted it into a find farm and is one of the active, enterprising and prosperous agriculturists of the community. Mr. Morley also has thirty-two grandchildren and thirty-six great grandchildren and the Morleys hold annual reunions here, which are delightful occasions and keep up the family spirit.
In his political views William S. Morley has been a life-long Democrat, casting his first presidential ballot for James K. Polk. He served as justice of the peace in Wesaw township for six years and was also justice of the peace in Iowa for ten years. He has likewise acted in other official positions and has held some school offices. Long a devoted and faithful member of the Methodist Protestant church, he has been active in its work for thirty-five years and has been ordained one of its elders. He has also been a stalwart champion of the temperance cause and he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Only four people in Berrien County have longer resided within its borders. When he arrived here in 1832 there were only three buildings in South Bend, Indiana, and the village of Buchanan and the city of Benton Harbor had not been founded. He did considerable hunting in his younger days and has killed all kinds of wild animals that haunted the forest here save panthers, which he frequently saw. Many days he hunted with the Indians and he went through all of the hardships, trials and experiences of pioneer life. He retains very vivid recollections of the early days and relates many interesting incidents of pioneer times when the work of civilization had scarcely been begun here. At long distances were seen log cabins and little clearings, but the greater part of the county was still covered with the native forest growth and gave little promise of future development.
[William's brother Thomas O. Morley, is my direct ancestor. I am willing to share my information with anyone working on a Morley line. Dorothy]
WILLIAM S. MORLEY. Only four residents of Berrien County have longer resided within its borders than William S. Morley and no history of this part of the state would be complete without the record of this worthy and honored pioneer settler who has now passed the eighty-fourth mile-stone on life's journey. He was born in the township of Burns in Allegany county, New York, August 19, 1822. His father, William Morley, was born in Pennsylvania near Harrisburg in 1796 and when a young man went to New York, being married in Allegany county, that state. He was an Episcopalian minister and also followed the occupation of farming. His mother lived to a very advanced age of one hundred and five years, while his sister Betsy reached the age of one hundred and two years. His last days were spent in New Troy, Berrien County, where he departed this live at the age of seventy-six years. In early manhood he had wedded Miss Jan Carroll, who was born in New York and died in Berrien County at the age of seventy-eight years. In their family were five sons: John, who died in 1871; Thomas O., who enlisted in the Union army in 1862 and died while in the United States service; William S. of this review; Ambrose, who died at the age of seventy-five years; and Louis W., a practicing physician of Nebraska.
William S. Morley spent the first eight years of his life in the state of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Marion county, Indiana, where they remained for two years. In 1832 the family settled on Portage Prairie, in Bertrand township, this county, at which time there were more Indians than white settlers. The family home was established in the woods on the Carey Mission reserve almost immediately after the government had completed its survey. The trip was made from New York down the Allegany river to Maysville, Kentucky, and thence by steamboat to Madison, Indiana, which at that time was the capital of the state. From that city they proceeded to a point twelve miles north of Indianapolis journeying by wagon, and after two years passed in Marion county continued on their way to the territory of Michigan. On reaching a beautiful country there they decided to locate and the father gave one hundred dollars for a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Bertrand township which had been entered by Eli Grice. Upon this farm William S. Morley remained until twenty-two years of age.
Starting out in life on his own account, he had as his capital good health, an axe and fifty dollars in money after he had paid the minister's fee, for he had won a companion and helpmate for life's journey by his marriage on the 12th of May 1844, to Miss Elizabeth Loan, who was born in Licking county, Ohio, November 5, 1827, and came to Berrien County with her parents in 1835. She was a daughter of William and Mary (Bashford) Loan, the former a native of Scotland and the latter of Ohio.
The young couple began their domestic life upon a farm and Mr. Morley operated a breaking team through the summer of 1844. In that way he made enough money to pay for the team, after which he purchased forty acres of land in Lake township and took up his abode thereon. He assisted in organizing the township in 1846. Two years were devoted to farm labor, after which he was engaged on the construction work of the Michigan Central Railroad until 1848 and assisted in running the first construction train through. After a time he sold his property in Lake township and in 1849 went to Wisconsin, where he purchased a land warrant for one hundred and sixty acres of land. He lived there for nearly two years and prospered in his business there, returning with one thousand dollars in money. This he invested in Michigan property, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of and one mile north of New Troy. Here he lived for two years or until 1854, when he sold out and removed to Iowa, where he purchased about a section of land. There he carried on general agricultural pursuits for ten years and on the expiration of that period he disposed of his property west of the Mississippi and in 1865 returned to Michigan, purchasing a farm in Wesaw township, upon which he has resided continuously since. He has ninety acres of land here in the home place, which is operated by his son, who has a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the same township, eighty acres being on section twenty and eighty acres on section twenty-eight. Mr. Morley has bought and sold many farms and his business deals have usually proved profitable, bringing to him a comfortable income. In all of his business transactions he has been thoroughly reliable and he bears an honorable name in business circles.
In 1902 Mr. Morley was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 3rd of October of that year. Eight children have been born of their marriage: Ambrose, who is living in Buchanan; Mary Jane, the wife of C.O. Rose of North Dakota; Alzina L. the wife of William Coleman of Bertrand township; Cordelia Ellen, the wife of James O. Cromwell, of Oklahoma; James B. who is living upon the home farm with his father; Hannah Elizabeth the widow of William Metcalf of Vancouver, British Columbia; Harriet E. the wife of John Kelly of Dumont, Iowa; and William H. who operates the home farm and also a good farm of his own, giving his attention to the supervision of two hundred and fifty acres of land altogether. He has taken swamp land and converted it into a find farm and is one of the active, enterprising and prosperous agriculturists of the community. Mr. Morley also has thirty-two grandchildren and thirty-six great grandchildren and the Morleys hold annual reunions here, which are delightful occasions and keep up the family spirit.
In his political views William S. Morley has been a life-long Democrat, casting his first presidential ballot for James K. Polk. He served as justice of the peace in Wesaw township for six years and was also justice of the peace in Iowa for ten years. He has likewise acted in other official positions and has held some school offices. Long a devoted and faithful member of the Methodist Protestant church, he has been active in its work for thirty-five years and has been ordained one of its elders. He has also been a stalwart champion of the temperance cause and he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Only four people in Berrien County have longer resided within its borders. When he arrived here in 1832 there were only three buildings in South Bend, Indiana, and the village of Buchanan and the city of Benton Harbor had not been founded. He did considerable hunting in his younger days and has killed all kinds of wild animals that haunted the forest here save panthers, which he frequently saw. Many days he hunted with the Indians and he went through all of the hardships, trials and experiences of pioneer life. He retains very vivid recollections of the early days and relates many interesting incidents of pioneer times when the work of civilization had scarcely been begun here. At long distances were seen log cabins and little clearings, but the greater part of the county was still covered with the native forest growth and gave little promise of future development.
[William's brother Thomas O. Morley, is my direct ancestor. I am willing to share my information with anyone working on a Morley line. Dorothy]