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Still Chasing Mary Morton

At this point my family tree has expanded to include almost 3,000 individuals, and there are road blocks and mysteries in every line. But there are a few that nag at me more than Mary Morton, mother of Albert Henry, who ostensibly died in childbirth with Albert, 10 May 1885. Yet I have never been unable to find a death record or grave, nor have I been able to learn much about her family other than her parents’ names.

I’m going to use this post as a working draft to track my continued efforts and pray for a breakthrough, so if it seems more like notes or a draft of a post, that’s because it is! I will start with what I do know, detailed in my last post about Mary: Closing in on Albert Henry’s Mother and will work from there.

Mary Morton’s Parents

Samuel K Morton

  • Cooper.
  • Born in Kentucky according to the entry for Mary Morton on the 1880 US Census.
  • Estimated birth year is about 1819 (1870 US Census) or about 1825 (1860 US Census).
  • Married twice in Brown County, Illinois (Nancy Barlow 8 Apr 1847, then Julia Ann Riddle 10 Aug 1848)
  • He was in his mid to late 20’s at the time of his first marriage. It’s unknown when he came to Illinois, whether as a child with his parents or as an adult.
  • Died prior to the 1880 US Census.
  • The Chicago Evening Mail, 6 Sep 1873 reported that a man by the name of Samuel Morton died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mt Sterling, Brown County.

Julia Ann Riddle

  • Born Jul 1826 in Kentucky.
  • Died before 1910 US Census.
  • Father born in North Carolina.
  • Mother born in Virginia.

Marriage

  • Samuel K. Morton and Julia Ann Riddle were married 10 Aug 1848 in Brown County, Illinois. I have found multiple marriage index and registry entries for this marriage but have not seen the actual document, which may include new information like their parents names or specific county or municipality in Kentucky where they were born.
  • There’s also an indexed record for a prior marriage for Samuel K. Morton, 8 Apr 1847 to Nancy Barlow.

Action Steps

  • Get copy of Samuel K Morton & Julia Ann Riddle marriage record from Brown County IL (10 Aug 1848).
  • Get Copy of Samuel K Morton & Nancy Barlow marriage record from Brown County IL (8 Apr 1847).

Searching for Mortons and Riddles in a Kentucky Haystack

Frustrated by many fruitless hours spent searching for clues to Samuel Morton and Julia Riddle’s families of origin, I decided to cross reference Mortons and Riddles recorded in the 1830 US Census in the state of Kentucky. There are 8 counties that recorded at least 1 Riddle and 1 Morton in 1830: Clark, Trigg, Christian, Boone, Jessamine, Nicholas, Owen, and Campbell.

Clark CountyTrigg CountyChristian CountyBoone CountyJessamine CountyNicholas CountyOwen CountyCampbell County
William RiddleJames RiddleNancy RiddleJoyce RiddleGeorge RiddleGeorge RiddleJohn RiddleThos Riddle
Archibald MortonWilliam RiddleCharles MortonJoseph RiddleEllanor MortonSarah MortonHarry MortonFountain Riddle
John MortonAquilla RiddleElam RiddleWllers Morton
Samuel MortonRichard MortonJohn Riddle
John MortonJohn Riddle
Armstead MortonValentine Riddle
Hezekiah MortonIsaac Riddle
Neal Riddle
Jas Morton

This provides a pretty short list of leads assuming a) the families of Samuel Morton and Julia Riddle lived in Kentucky in 1830, b) their surnames were spelled as expected on the census, and c) they indeed lived in the same county as one another. The 1830 Census provides only the name of the head of household, and a count of other members of the household according to age, sex, and race (white or slave).

I will use abbreviations for white male (WM), white female (WF), male slave (SM), and female slave (SF). This is followed by the age ranges of the individual, so “1 WM 20-30” denotes 1 white male between the ages of 20 and 30. In 1830, Julia would’ve been about 4 years old and Samuel would’ve been as young as about 5 or old as about 11. I will strike through any names I feel I can eliminate through household composition. So what we’re looking for in these returns are:

  • Riddle family with a WF under 5 or WF 5-10 in the same county as…
  • Morton family with a WM 5-10 (or possibly WM under 5).

Clark County

  • William Riddle: 2 WM under 5, 2 WM 5-10, 1 WF 40-50 (difficult to read but says 10 total in household)
  • Archibald Morton: 1 WM under 5, 2 WM 5-10, 1 WM 10-15, 1 WM 30-40, 1 WF 20-30, 1 WF 40-50, 7 total in household.
  • John Morton: 1 WM 20-30, 1 WM 80-90, 1 WF 15-20, 1 WF 70-80, 3 SM under 10, 2 SM 36-55, 14 total in household.
  • Samuel Morton: 1 WM 80-90, 1 WF 80-90, 1 SM 10-24, 2 SF 10-24, 1 SF 24-36, 6 total in household.

Trigg County

  • James Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 2 WM 15-20, 1 WM 50-60, 2 WF 5-10, 2 WF 10-15, 1 WF 40-50, 7 total in household.
  • William Riddle: 2 WM under 5, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF 15-20, 4 total in household.
  • Aquilla Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF 15-20, 3 total in household
  • Richard Morton: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 30-40, 2 WF under 5, 1 WF 20-30, 6 total in household.
  • John Morton: 2 WM under 5, 2 WM 20-30, 1 WM 60-70, 1 WF under 5, 1 WF 20-30, 7 total in household.
  • Armstead Morton: 1 WM 40-50, 1 WF 40-50, 1 SM 10-24, 4 SF under 10, 1 SF 24-36, 1 SF 36-55, 9 total in household.
  • Hezekiah Morton: 1 WM 30-40, 1 WF 20-30, 1 SM 36-55, 3 total in household.

Christian County

  • Nancy Riddle: 1 WM 15-20, 1 WF 15-20, 1 WF 40-50, 2 total in household.
  • *** Charles Morton: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 30-40, 1 WF under 5, 1 WF 5-10, 1 WF 20-30, 1 SM 10-24, 1 SF under 10, 1 SF 10-24, 8 total in household.

Boone County

  • Joyce Riddle: 1 WM 5-10, 1 WM 10-15, 1 WM 15-20, 1 WF 60-70, 2 SM under 10, 1 SM 10-24, 1 SM, 1 SM 55-100, 4 SF under 10, 2 SF 10-24, 1 SF 36-55, 16 total in household.
  • Joseph Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 2 WM 5-10, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF under 5, 1 WF 10-15, 1 WF 15-20, 2 WF 20-30, 1 WF 40-50, 10 total in household.
  • Elam Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF under 5, 1 WF 20-30, 4 total in household.
  • John Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 20-30, 2 WF under 5, 1 WF 5-10, 1 WF 20-30, 6 total in household.
  • John Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF 15-20, 1 WF 20-30, 1 SM 10-24, 5 total in household.
  • Valentine Riddle: 2 WM 20-30, 1 WF under 5, 2 WF 5-10, 2 WF 15-30, 7 total in household.
  • Isaac Riddle:
  • Neal Riddle:
  • Jas Morton: 1 WM 5-10, 1 WM 15-20, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WM 40-50, 2 WF 10-15, 1 WF 15-20, 1 WF 20-30, 1 WF 40-50, 9 total in household.

Jessamine County

  • George Riddle: 2 WM under 5, 2 WM 5-10, 1 WM 10-15, 1 WM 30-40, 1 WF under 5, 1 WF 30-40, 8 total in household
  • Ellanor Morton: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 5-10, 2 WM 10-15, 1 WM 15-20, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF 5-10, 2 WF 10-25, 1 WF 15-20, 1 WF 30-40, 1 WF 40-50, 1 SM 36-55, 1 SF 10-24, 1 SF 36-55, 15 total in household.

Nicholas County

  • George Riddle: 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF 20-30, 1 SF 10-24, 3 total in household.
  • Sarah Morton:

Owen County

  • John Riddle: 1 WM 5-10, 1 WM 20-30, 3 WF under 5, 1 WF 20-30, 6 total in household.
  • Harry Morton: 1 free colored person 36-55, 1 total in household.

Campbell County

  • Thomas Riddle: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 30-40, 1 WF 5-10, 1 WF 15-20, 1 WF 20-30, 1 SM 10-24, 6 total in household.
  • Fountain Riddle: 2 WM under 5, 1 WM 20-30, 1 WF 15-20, 1 SF 10-24, 5 total in household.
  • Wllers Morton: 1 WM under 5, 1 WM 30-40, 1 WF 10-15, 1 WF 30-40, 4 total in household.

Charles Mills Morton

Hiram Henry and Mary Ann Morton were married in Burton Township, Adams County IL at the home of “Mrs. Morton”. I decided to look into land owned by Mortons in Burton Township and came across an 1872 (4 years before the Henry marriage) land map with two land tracts attributed to Charles M. Morton:

The landowner, Charles Mills Morton, was a farmer, born 15 Nov 1797 in Orange County, Virginia, son of John M. Morton and Mary Tandy. Charles died 6 Jul 1874, 2 years before the Henry marriage, which would support the designation of the estate as belonging to Mrs. Morton, as stated on the marriage license.

Charles Mills Morton
Charles Mills Morton

It would be very helpful if Charles was Samuel Morton’s father, however I haven’t been able to find any supporting evidence of this. I think it’s reasonable to assume he was kin but the relationship has not been established. Perhaps he was an uncle?

Charles Mills Morton Marriages & Children

Charles Mills Morton married Mary Langford Hawkins 28 Jan 1825 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Charles was 27 years old at the time, so age-wise, it’s certainly possible he was married before. Charles and Mary had 4 children:

  1. Ann Parker Morton b. Abt. 1826 in Orange County, Virginia; m. George F. Terrell 19 Dec 1844 in Orange County; d. 4 Nov 1913 in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois. (Note: Ann’s Find A Grave memorial attributes Charles Mills Morton as Ann’s father, however her marriage record lists the John as her father’s name. Will dive into that discrepancy below)
  2. Joseph Langford Morton b.  31 Jan 1828 in Orange County, d. 1 Sep 1848 in Burton Township.
  3. Mary Jane (Morton) Proctor b.  21 Apr 1830 in Orange County, m. Oscar Proctor 27 Dec 1853 in Adams County, d. 30 Apr 1895 in Burton Township
  4. John Edmund Morton b. 9 Sep 1832 in Christian County, Kentucky, m. Emily J. Brown 22 Mar 1855 in Adams County, d. 24 Jan 1917 in Perry, Pike County, Illinois.

Mary Hawkins died 19 Feb 1834 and Charles remarried to Nancy Varner 17 Sep 1835 in Adams County, Illinois. They had 4 children:

  1. Harriet Ann (Morton) King b. 15 Jun 1836 in Burton Township, m. Clinton E King 15 Jul 1869 in Adams County, d.  21 May 1901 in Quincy
  2. Henry C Morton b. 8 May 1839 in Burton Township; m. Missouri Jane Lightfoot 9 Feb 1860 in Adams County, d. 13 Jun 1902.
  3. James Edgar Morton b. 4 Jan 1841 in Burton Township. d. 18 Aug 1861 in Burton Township.
  4. Virginia Christiana “Jennie” (Morton) Bookout b. 21 Dec 1842 in Burton Township, m. Granville Bookout 22 Oct 1868 in Adams County, d. 1 Sep 1899 in Missouri.

*** I believe the 1830 US Census for Charles Morton in Christian County, Kentucky, is Charles Mills Morton. Household breakdown:

  • 1 white male under the age of 5: Joseph Langford Morton
  • 1 white male between the ages of 30-40: Charles Mills Morton
  • 1 white female under the age of 5: Mary Jane Morton
  • 1 white female between the ages of 5-10: Ann Parker Morton
  • 1 WF 20-30: Mary Langford (Hawkins) Morton
  • 1 male slave between the ages of 10-24
  • 1 female slave under the age of 10
  • 1 female slave between the ages of 10-24
  • 8 total in household.

Ann Parker Morton

1850 US Census Burton Township, Adams County. Age 24, lives with husband George Terrill and young children Mary and Edmund. Listed immediately following the Charles Mills Morton family.

1860 US Census Burton Township, Adams County. Age 35, lives with husband George and 6 children.

1870 US Census Burton Township, Adams County. Age 44, lives with husband George and 9 children.

1880 US Census Burton Township, Adams County. Age 53, widow with 5 children. Listed immediately before Ann’s brother Henry Morton’s family. This would’ve been 5 years before Albert Henry was born and Mary Elizabeth Morton died. Mary and Hiram Henry were living in Lee Township, Brown County, Illinois at this time, about 30 miles east.

Her obituary states Ann was “born in Virginia in 1824 and was brought to this country in 1832 at the age of eight years by her father, her mother having been dead six years.” Was Charles Mills Morton married once before Mary Langford Hawkins?

I should note that none of these dates should be taken as gospel. I have accurately recorded the dates I have found, but none of them line up perfectly so we should assume there’s a +/- 1-3 years on everything.

Is it just Kentucky in here, or am I getting warm?

Charles Mills Morton and Mary Hawkins had one child, John Edmund Morton (b. 9 Sep 1832) in Kentucky and they were recorded by the 1830 census living there. A historical account of Charles Mills Morton states “Mr. Morton moved from Virginia to Christian county, Ky., in 1831, and remained there two years, and then concluded to move still farther west. He, with several other families, mostly relatives, came to Adams county. He came to Illinois in 1833 to make a home for himself. His wife died the next spring after he came, but kind friends assisted him to take. care of his little children.”

I don’t think Charles Mills Morton was Samuel Morton’s father, but I think I’m on the right track. Maybe he was an uncle?

Let’s look for Mortons in the 1840 US Census records in Adams County, Illinois:

Could Lloyd, Jesse, or either of the two Jareds be Charles Mills Morton’s brothers? And possibly Samuel Morton’s father?

Other Morton Land Patents

The Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales shows a number of Mortons who purchased land from the state. I extracted that information and put in in a spreadsheet, viewable here.

Index found in Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999 for Elizabeth M Morton: Here.

William Morton

Joel Morton

Theophilus I Morton

Other

There’s a Morton Cemetery in Burton Township, Adams County (Charles M Morton family)

William K Morton married Polly Nash 25 Oct 1810 in Casey County, Kentucky

Samuel K Morton, Civil War Captain

Elizabeth Morton, daughter of Daniel A K Morton, born 24 Sep 1852 in Logan, Kentucky