USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Windham > The history of Windham in New Hampshire (Rockingham country). 1719-1883. A Scotch settlement (commonly called Scotch-Irish), embracing nearly one third of the ancient settlement and historic township of Londonderry, N.H > Part 70
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CHILDREN.
1. Hugh-M.+, m. - Orr; settled in Ogle Co .. Ill.
2. Nancy+, m .- Aiken ; lived in Ill. : . .
3. William+, d. at sea.
4. James+, d. at sea.
5. Jolin+, d. at sca.
6. Martha+, d. young.
7. Henry4.
8. Daniel4, m. Mary Clark; m. 2d, Dec. 31, 1833, Elizabeth Claggett : lived in Nashua, and sons James5, and Roberts, by first wife, res. in that city.
4. John3, b. Sept. 28, 1759 ; m. Esther Holmes, and lived in New York.
5. William3 [12], b. Ang. 16, 1761; m. Sarah MeCleary, of Londonderry.
6. Henry3, b. Aug. 26, 1763; graduated at Dartmouth Col- lege; taught academy at Groton, Mass. Became a trader ; res. Windham ; store stood near Kendall's Mills ; d. Feb. 14, 1798.
. Hannaha, b. Nov. 30, 1767 ; d. Oct. 10, 1832, æ. 65,- mother of Dea. S. Moore.
·
651
GENEALOGIES : DEA. JOHN-A. MOORES.
8. Hugha, b. March 7, 1770; probably d. young.
9. Jennet®, b. June 9, 1772 ; m. Daniel Bradstreet, and lived in Hartland, Vt. Two children.
10. Andrew8, b. Jan. 2, 1778; d. at sea.
11. Daniel3, b. May 17, 1780; was for a while prisoner at Dartmoor prison. England, and d. at sea.
12. Lient. William3 [5] ( William2, James1), b. Ang. 16, 1761 ; was called " lieutenant." "He lived where his grandson, Dea. John- A. Moore, now resides, and d. April 24, 1823. He m. Sarah, dau. of Thomas MeCleary, the emigrant to Londonderry, and sister of Dea. John MeCleary, of Windham. She was b. in Londonderry, Feb. 15, 1762 ; d. Oct. 7, 1843. Children, b. in Windham : -
13. Betsey (or Elizabeth), b. Nov. 2, 1787 ; single ; d. in Windham, Jan. 7, 1821.
14. William4, b. Nov. 14, 1798; d. March 7, 1811.
15. James+ [20], b. Dec. 24, 1792; m. Jane Anderson.
16. Thomas+, b. April 2, 1795; d. Feb. 16, 1826.
17. John4, b. June 23, 1798: an excellent mechanic; d. in town, Jan. 11, 1831.
18. Martha4, b. Feb. 21, 1800; d. Feb. 4, 1819.
19. David-MeCleary4, b. Aug. 1, 1803; d. Sept. 7, 1804.
20. James+ [15] (William8, William2, James1), b. Dec. 24. 1792; was owner and occupant of the farm resided upon by his son, and built the present house in 1818. He d. Nov. 28, 1831. He m. April 1, 1823, Jane, dau. of Daniel Anderson, b. May 13, 1798; d. Dec. 3, 1854. Children, b. in Windham : -
21. Sarah-Jane5, b. Jan. 21, 1824 ; d. Jan. 25, 1825.
22. Cynthia5, b. March 1, 1828; m. Nov. 9, 1848, Washing- ton-1 .. Hay, b. Boston, Mass., Dec. 18, 1825 ; res. New Bedford, III. .
CHILDREN.
I. James-W.6. b. Windham, April 22, 1850; m. Sept. 14, 1882, Annie-A. Fairbanks, of Dubuque, Ia. ; merchant; res. New Bedford, Ill.
2. George-E 6, b. April 4, 1852 : d. Nov. 14. 1855.
3. Cynthia-J.6, b. Windham, March 22, 1854; d. July 3, 1857.
4. Mary-E.6, b. Mendota, Ill., April 28, 1856; res. New Bedford, Ill.
5. Nellie-E.6, b. April 27, 1858.
John-E.6, b. Mendota, April 1, 1860.
7. Park-G.6, b. New Bedford, Aug. 25, 1868.
S. Frank-B.6, b. New Bedford, April 6. 1870.
23. Dea. John-A.5, b. March 1, 1831 : res. Windham ; occupies the home farm, and tills the ancestral acres. Attends church in Londonderry, and became an elder of that church during the pas- torate of Rev. William House; was selectman in 1865. He m. Nov. 23, 1855, Nancy-Elizabeth, dan. of James Armstrong, b. April 26, 1834.
CHILDREN, BORN IN WINDHAM.
1. Alice-Janes, b. April 24, 1858; res. Windham.
2. Nellie-Oriettas, b. May 18, 1861; teacher; res. Windham.
3. Cinderella-Jessie3, b. Nov. 16, 1866; res. Windham.
652
GENEALOGIES : DEA. SILAS MOORE4.
DEA. SILAS MOORE'S FAMILY.
1. Dea. Silas Moore1, was b. in Windham, June 9, 1793 ; lived at the farm now owned by Ephraim McDaniel, and near the first Moore settlement. He was a nephew of Lieut. William Moore3, and son of Hannah Moore3, who d. 1832, and grandson of Capt. William Moor2, who was in the Bunker Hill fight, who was the son of Charter James Moor1, the emigrant.
Dea. Silas Moore lived 35 years of his married life on his farm in the north part of Windham; was made an elder of the church in 1833, and was held in general esteem by his townsmen. He rem. to Chester in 1852, and to Mendota, Ill., in 1856, where he d. April 23, 1865.
He m. Dec. 30, 1818, Hannah Hills, b. March 20, 1800; and now (1882), in a beautiful old age, res. in Chicago, Ill. Children, b. Windham :
2. Martha5, b. Jan. 26, 1821 ; d. Nov. 27, 1846.
3. Jeremiah5, b. April 14, 1823; m. May 28, 1846, to S .- II. Bradford ; d. Morley, Mo., Aug. 13, 1869.
4. Albert5, b. July 4, 1827 ; d. Jan. 15, 1828.
5. John5, b. Jan. 1, 1829; in. Oet. 17, 1852, in Dracut, to Miss Bodwell; d. Laeon, Ill., Nov. 21, 1856.
6. Silas-Milton5, b. Dec. 15, 1830; m. in Chicago, April 10, 1856, to Elizabeth Davidson ; a valued citizen and prominent business man of Chicago, Ill.
CHILDREN.
1. Edwin-Davidsons, b. in Mendota, Ill., April 29. 1858: d. Mendota, Nov. 14, 1858.
2. Jennie-Edgerton6, h. Mendota, June 24, 1860.
3. Mary-Ellen". b. Chicago, Oct. 5, 1861.
4. George-Milton", b. Chicago, Aug. 19, 1865; d. Dec. 4, 1870.
5. Harry-Steads, b. Chicago, July 13, 1869; d. Chicago, July 29, 1869.
7. Orrin5, b. Sept. 11, 1833; m. in Ithaca, N. Y., to Mary L. Frost, Oet. 2, 1856; res. Chicago.
8. Sarah5, b. Feb. 20, 1836; d. Nov. 7, 1839.
9. Ellen5, b. May 14, 1837; m. Mendota, III., Oct. 30, 1860, to Rev. C .- M. Barnes ; res. Chicago.
10. James-Hills5, b. July 4, 1840; in. Chicago, Oct. 10, 1865,
to Nancy Warner; in insurance business ; res. Chicago, Ill.
MORRILL FAMILY.
1. William Morrill, b. 1829, Tengwick, P. Q .: m. 1851, Jane McFaddin, of that place. She bought part of the Webster, or McCoy, farm, May, 1872. Child : -
2. Rufus2, b. May 12, 1852; res. Windham.
653
GENEALOGIES : MORISON.
MORISON, OR MORRISON, FAMILY.
" Though death our ancestors has cleekit, An' under clods them closely steekit, We'll mark the place their chimneys reekit."
-- " Rustic Bard."
In the Atlantic Ocean, on the west coast of Scotland, sepa- rated from the main land by a strip of water a few miles in width, are the Hebrides, or Western Islands. The largest of these is Lewis. In the district of Ness, near the Butt of Lewis, the Mor- isons have, from time immemorial, had their home. On this isl- and, whose shores are washed on every side by the Atlantic, smitten by every storm, and swept by every wind that blows, they resided for several centuries, though in the mean time some of the name crossed to the mainland of Scotland. But Lewis was their early home.
ORIGIN OF THE FAMILY.
In a "Description of Lewis by John Morisone, Indweller there," written two hundred years ago, or between 1678 and 1688, he says: " The first and most ancient inhabitants of this countrie were three men of three several races. One of them was ' Mores,' the son of Kennanus, whom the Irish * historians call Makurich, whom they make to be son to one of the kings of Norovay, some of whose posteritie remain in the land to this day. All the Morisons in Scotland may challenge their descent from this man."
The second of these three men alluded to by the "Indweller " was Iskair MacAulay. He was the progenitor of the Macaulay family, of which the celebrated English historian was a member. The third was Maenaicle, progenitor of the Scottish family of Macleod. The chief of the Clan Morison lived at Habost, Ness. He was Hereditary Judge, or Breive (Breitheamh) of Lewis. The family is in 1883 very numerous in Lewis and Harris, and the adjacent islands.
EARLIEST MENTION OF MIOIR, MHUIR, MHOR, OR MORE, THE ORIG- INAL OF MORESON, MORISON. +
In the year 503, three brothers, named Fergus, Lorn, and Angus, came over from Ireland with their followers, and settled on the western coast of Scotland and the adjacent islands. In 787, these were attacked by the sons of Morgue, which means " a man from the sea." They were of the Norse-viking race. One of the daughters of Morgue married Kenneth Mhor, or More, who lived in Lewis, and came from Glen Moreson in West
* Gaelic, or Scotch Highland historians.
t For fuller information of any member of this family, see "History of the Morison, or Morrison, Family," by L -A. Morrison. published 1880.
654
GENEALOGIES : MORISON.
Lothian, Scotland, where a battle was fought in the year 640; - Mhor, Mhoir, or More, meaning " big or large man." This battle was called " the battle of big sons of big men in the Glen," hence the name of "Glen Mhoireson," or Glen Morrison.
THE ARMS.
Old John Guillim, writing two hundred years before Burke, implies that what is called " the Dersay, or Dorsey-Morison arms, seems to belong to the name of Morison"; they are the same arms as here given.
PRETIO
ESTAT.
PRUDENTIA
MORISON.
The motto, " Pretio Prudentia Praestat," is translated, " Pru- dence precedes the prize," or " Prudence is better than riches."
EXPLANATION OF THE THREE MOORS' HEADS IN THE ARMS AND CREST.
It is asserted that an early member of the family, named Ken- neth Mhoir, or More, accompanied Lord James Douglass into Spain about 1330, where they engaged with Alonzo XI to fight on the Christian side against the Moors. In a charge against the enemy, Kenneth More slew three Moors and cut off their heads, when one of the Scots exclaimed : "One Scottish Christian More can kill three Pagan Moors," hence the coat of arms, and crest, and motto.
The members of this family left Lewis, their island-home, passed to the mainland of Scotland, thence into England, into Ireland, and scattered from those points over the earth. Among the carly settlers of Londonderry, N. II., were Robert, David (No. 1), Samuel (No. 2), James (No. 13), and John Morison (No. 21). These five men were among the 119 persons to whom the charter of the town was given. And their locations appear upon the map.
655
GENEALOGIES : CHARTER SAMUEL MORISON !.
Charter Robert Morison, who was of the same Scotch race, set- tled in Londonderry in 1719. His home'lot was east of Derry East Village (see map). His date of birth and death is not known. His wife was Elizabeth His sons were Dea. Robert and William. A fac-simile of his autograph is here given : -
Robert morigone
Rev. William Morison, D. D., came at a later date. He was born in Auchlinnes, parish of Comrey. Perthshire, Scotland; or- dained as pastor of the second parish in Londonderry, N. H., Feb. 12, 1783 ; was an able preacher and faithful pastor. He d. March 9, 1818. His wife was Jean Fullerton, of Octorara, Penn., who d. Sept. 25, 1829. Fac-simile of his autograph : -
Va
.
1. Charter David Morison1, mn. Martha-Ann McAlister. He d. childless, in Londonderry, March 28, 1775, in his 88th year. She d. Jan. 9, 1751, in her 70th year. He lived on the farm now owned by Mrs. James McMurphy, one mile north of Derry Depot. Fac-similes of autographs :
Samuel Morfon Babis moiron .
2. Charter Samuel Morison1, brother of David, m. Margaret Henry, who d. April 30, 1774, in her 90th year. He lived near his brother David; his farm is now owned by A. McMurphy ; he d. Sept. 29, 1757, æ. 76 yrs. They were worthy members of the town. Among their numerous descendants are the present per- sons of the name in Londonderry, and Hon. George-W. Morri- son5, ex-member of congress, and Judge Charles-R. Morrison5, of Manchester, N. H., an eminent lawyer, and author of several legal works, with the history of his own branch of the Morison family, and a religious work, entitled " Proofs of Christ's Resur- rection, from a Lawyer's Standpoint "; the latter published 1882.
3. Samuel Morison, Jr.1, was born in Scotland; emigrated to Ireland, and emigrated to Londonderry, N. H., in 1730. He was
656
GENEALOGIES : DEA. HALBERT MORISON2.
called " Little Sam." He lived in what is now (1883) Derry, some two miles north of Derry Depot, and about three fourths of a mile east of the southerly portion of Scobie's Pond. His house stood in what is now an orchard, a little southeast of the resi- dence of Charles Sargent, Jr., and north of the house of Philip Major. Ile died soon after April 10, 1752. Among his descend- ants is Abiel Morrison4, editor of The Sentinel, and resident of Lawrence, Mass.
This history is more intimately connected with the family of
4. John Morison1, ancestor of the family in Windham. He was b. in Scotland, in the county of Aberdeen, in 1628 (?). He emigrated to Ireland previous to 1688, and resided at, or near, Londonderry. He and his family were of the number of Scotch Protestants, who, during the celebrated siege and defence of Lon- donderry, 1688-89, were by the inhuman orders of General Con- rad de Rosen, the French commander, driven beneath the walls of the city, suffering the pangs of starvation and exposed to the missiles of death from the besieged and the besiegers. They sur- vived, and were admitted within the city. He did not come to Londonderry, N. H., with the first emigrants (but was preceded by his two sons, Charter James2 and Charter John2, in 1719), but continued to live in Ireland till 1720 or a little later, when he removed to Londonderry with a young family by his last wife, Janet Steele, where he d. Feb. 16, 1736, at the reputed age of 108 years. He lived in what is now "Derry Dock," on the farm owned in 1882 by Charles Day. He had a family of eight chil- dren ; possibly the eldest four were b. in Scotland.
5. James2 [13], b. about 1675; d. about March 5, 1756, in Londonderry.
6. John2 [21], b. 1678; d. Peterborough, N. H., June 14, 1776, æ. 98 yrs.
7. Dea. Halbert2. After coming to America he lived in Sheep- scott, Me., till 1735, when he located in Londonderry, and d. June 6, 1755; stated to have been three times married. Chil- dren : John3; Jennie3, m. - - Hopkins; Catherines, m. - McNeal ; Rebecca3, m. John Archibald, and her descendants . are numerous in Nova Scotia; Jane3, single; and David3, who left nu- merous descendants. Dea. Halbert Morison's home was the farm nearest in proximity to the station on the Nashua & Rochester Railroad, in Derry. This is a fac-simile of his autograph : -
halbrit morgon
8. Martha", m. Thomas Steele; d. in Londonderry, N. H., Oct. 22, 1759 ; two daughters ; four sons, Thomas8, James3, John8, David8 ; ancestors of the Steeles of Peterborough, N. H. Their farm is now included in the farm of Col. George-W. Lane, near Derry East Village.
657
GENEALOGIES : CHARTER JAMES MORISON ?.
By last wife : -
9. Samuel2, b. 1710; m. Janette, dau. of Samuel Allison1, of Londonderry ; lived on the homestead in the Dock, and d. June 21, 1802, æ. 92 yrs.
10. Hannah2, b. 1716, in Ireland ; m. William Clendennin ; d. in Londonderry, now Derry, N. H., Jan. 7, 1802. Their home was the farm near the Turnpike and Windham line, lately owned by Mr. Shields. Children, Robert8 and Mary8. The former was father of Mrs. Mary Steele, who lived on the Turnpike in Wind- ham, and d. Sept. 30, 1882.
11. Mary2, b. Ireland, about 1718; m. Andrew Jack, of Chester, one of whose daughters m. Matthew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
12. Joseph2, b. on the passage to America, about 1720; m. Mary Holmes, of Londonderry, where he d. 1807. Children : Joseph3, Abraham3, Anna, Janes, John8, Mary3, Hannah3, and Jonathan3. His home was in what is now Derry, near the Turn- pike and Windham line, and was the first farm east of Horace-B. Johnson's.
13. Charter James2 [5] (John1), b. either in Scotland or Ireland about 1675, and as a boy was one of the brave defenders of Londonderry during its celebrated siege, 1688-89. His name appears upon the memorial to Governor Shute of Massachusetts, March 26, 1718, previous to the Londonderry settlement. He was one of the proprietors of that town, and one of the 119 men to whom the charter was given, and so Charter is prefixed to his name. He was an early settler, and was one of those who signed a petition for a redress of grievances (see page 41), which resulted in the laving out of farms in Windham Range, Nov. 18, 1728; a tract of land was laid out to him, which, with bounds unchanged, has ever since been in the family name. It is the farm now owned by Albert-A. Morrison, his great-great-grandson. His home farm was in Derry, east of the Turnpike, and is now (1883) owned by W .- O. Noyes. He married Mary Wallace in Ire- land, by whom he had two sons. He married 2d, Janet Steele ; had five children ; d. about March 5, 1756; and the Great Reaper gathered the ripened shock of corn into his garner. This is the fac-simile of his autograph, together with that of his father, John Morison1.
James maryfon John in manyfon
Children : - 14. Halbert8, b. in Ireland ; d. in Amherst, N. H., about
658
GENEALOGIES : CHARTER JOHN MORISON2.
1779. He was one of the original settlers in Windham Range. William Niekles, of Londonderry, sold him land Oct. 17, 1739, upon which he lived ten years. This is now included in the farm of G .- W. Noyes. In 1746 he was under Captain Goffe, as a sol- dier from Windham, seonting for Indians, being out from April 24 to May 19, then re-enlisting for eleven days. He was sur- veyor in 1747. On Feb. 20, 1750, he and his wife Mary, for £600 O. T., deeded their home to John Cristy. In 1753 he was in Peterborough ; in Amherst in 1761, where he died as stated. He married Mary -; one child, Martha+, b. June 13, 1750.
15. Samnel8 [32], b. Ireland, 1704; d. Windham, N. H., Feb. 11, 1776.
16. Janet3, m. Samnel Steele, of Londonderry. He d. Dec. 8, 1761. Children : Thomas+ and Hannah+. She afterwards set- tled in Cambridge, N. Y.
17. Katreen3, settled in Cambridge, N. Y.
18. John3, b. Ang. 16, 1722; settled in Cambridge, N. Y .; children : Ann4, John4, James4, Samuel4. Fac-simile of his auto- graph : -
John morison
19. Thomas3, b. May 15, 1724; settled in Cambridge, N. Y .; children : Lydia4, another dan.4, and Thomas4.
20. James3, b. Sept. 24, 1728 ; settled in Cambridge, N. Y.
21. Charter John2 [6] (John1), b. 1678; came to Londonderry 1719, and he and his family were among the first sixteen families. His farm is now included in the extensive one of Col. G .- W. Lane, near Derry East Village. He removed to Peterborough, N. H., in 1750 or '51. He was in the siege of Derry, was an active hoy of ten years, and was often employed in carrying mes- sages from one part of the city to another. He married Margaret Wallace in Ireland, who d. April 8, 1769, æ. 82 yrs. She was a person of great vigor and force of character. He d. in Peter- borough, June 14, 1776, æ. 98 yrs. Fac-simile of his autograph : -
John marlon
Children :
22. Robert3, d. in Ireland.
23. Thomas8 [38], b. in Ireland 1710; d. Nov. 23, 1797.
24. Ezekiel8 [49], b. in Ireland ; d. 1740, in Windham, N. H.
25. Jonathan3, b. Londonderry, N. H., Sept. 8, 1719 ; d.
1787. He was the first male child born in Londonderry. He
659
GENEALOGIES : JONATHAN MORISONS.
was a man of parts. He is reported to have been one of the best extempore speakers ever raised in the township ; on one occasion he had been pitted against Capt. Samuel Allison, an equally good speaker. He had been worsted in the encounter, and turn- ing to Allison, in his racy way, said: "Ye are a braw speaker, but ye dinna tell the truth." Fac-simile of his autograph : -
Jonathan morison
26. Jane3, b. April 6, 1722; d. Nov. 11, 1791.
27. Elizabeth3, b. June 15, 1723; d. Sept. 15, 1808 ; m. Wil- liam Smith, and was the mother of Judge Jeremiah Smith, one of New Hampshire's most brilliant and gifted sons.
28. Jolin8, b. Sept. 20, 1726; d. Dec. 27, 1816.
29. Margaret®, b. Feb. 1728 ; d. April 29, 1811.
30. Hannah8, b. April 10, 1730; d. Nov. 30, 1760. 31. Moses8, b. June 7, 1732 ; d. in Hancock, N. H.
Of John Morison's children, only Thomas8 and Ezekiel8 were residents of Windham.
32. Lieut. Samuel3 [15] (James2, John1). He was the pro- genitor of the Morisons of Windham. He came to Londonderry, N. H., with his father in 1719, when a lad of fifteen years, and shared with others the hardships of the new settlement. Feb. 12, 1739, his father deeded him the farm (then in Londonderry) in Windham Range, now occupied by his great-grandson, Albert- A. Morrison. It is not known at what time he first came upon the farm in Windham, but it is quite evident that it was not many years after its "laying out," and not far from 1730. In 1742, Windham was incorporated as a separate township. He was moderator of the first town-meeting ever held in Windham, in 1742. He presided in thirty-one town-meetings, the last time in 1775. He was a member of the first board of selectmen, and acted in this capacity for seven years. He was clerk of the town for four years. In 1752, he appeared with a petition before the governor and council of the Province, protesting against the boundary line of Salem, which took off a slice from Windham. His mission was ineffectual. His intellectual power was robust and strong. His mind was broad, and his heart sensitive and responsive to the calls of the needy and unfortunate; was noted for his piety, was a leading and marked man in the community, and was held in the highest esteem. In a letter to his wife while serving as a lieutenant in a Massachusetts regiment during the French and Indian war (see p. 60), dated Sept. 1760, from Fort Cumberland, N. S., in closing he says : " I have nothing of moment to inform you of ; but I commit you and all my family to the care of heaven, to that God which is able to preserve you from all
660
GENEALOGIES : LIEUT. SAMUEL MORISON8.
evil and to comfort you when in trouble ; and that He may grant you His comforting presence, and sanctify you in heart, soul, and in spirit, is the prayer of him who is your affectionate husband till death."
famil Morifor
Mr. Morison was a rigid Presbyterian, like all his race, and about 1760 became one of the elders of the church in Wind- hanı.
In the town records he is alluded to as "Samuel Morison, Gentleman "; also in many deeds. He was prominent in all the affairs of the town, and much engaged in business of a public nature, as appears from his papers, and from many records. For that time he was well educated, having received a fair education in Ireland before his emigration to Londonderry. In the posses- sion of the writer is a file of papers which once were his (" Essex Gazette," Mass., for years 1774-75), of much interest and value. The old antiquated house, at the meeting of three roads, in which he lived (and a portion of which he built), still stands. It is the Morrison Homestead, of Windham, N. II. The end of the house nearest the barn, he built, not far from 1730, and occu- pied it. In it have been many scenes of "exuberant mirth " and the deepest sadness. Inside its walls many have been ushered into life, and the clock has ticked many lives away. Generations have gone with "all they loved," with hopes fulfilled or unful- filled, and are almost forgotten ; but the gambrel-roofed house stands ; and now, as in the "long, long ago," the opening glory of day salutes it. With an anecdote or two I will bid it adieu.
The owner of the place at one time had a sheep not noted for its genial and amiable qualities. In truth, its " bump of combat- iveness " seemed to be particularly prominent, so much so that its " butting " propensity had acquired for it an unenviable reputa- tion. Under the tutelage of " the boys," these natural character- istics were not repressed, but "became chronic." He was no respecter of persons, places, or conditions. Hle had no eye for the "eternal fitness of things," in the common and accepted meaning of the term. All rules of good taste and propriety were violated on this occasion. It so happened one unfortunate morning, while the family were in the midst of their morning devotions, that the following incident occurred.
The chapter from Holy Writ had been read; the venerable man was upon his bended knees in prayer. His elbow rested upon a chair, and his head rested on his hand. He was facing the pantry door, and on a diagonal line from the outside door of
.
661
GENEALOGIES : LIEUT. SAMUEL MORISON8.
the house, which was open. At this moment, the sheep described was passing the door, when one of "the boys" who sat near shook his hat at him. This was enough ; he accepted the wager of battle.
" Not a moment stopped or stayed he, "
But in the twinkling of an eye through the door he came, for the hat, but it was withdrawn, and the only object which greeted his startled vision was the head of the house on his knees in the manner described. Him he hit in such a manner, and with so much vigor, that man and chair and sheep were mingled in a confused mass upon the floor. Tradition does not tell us what was said by the elder at this moment.
With one more anecdote, the record of "Samuel Morison, Gentleman," is closed. He wished to keep his children free from all " Irish" ways or expressions, and was particularly guarded in his manner of training them. At one time, a person present at his home exclaimed to one of the children, "Gang and get the spurtle"* (pudding-stick), when the offender was speedily rebuked for the "Irish " expression.
He married Martha Allison, daughter of Samuel Allison, of the Double Range, Londonderry. She was born in Londonderry, March 31, 1720, and was the first female child of European ex- traction born in that town. She is represented as having been a very lovable woman. She died Dec. 3, 1761.
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