MORGAN-Nathaniel
(David) NATHANIEL WILLIAM MORGAN
Nathaniel Morgan began his life in Bath County, Kentucky on the fourth day of the year in 1797. He was the son of William Thomas Morgan from Kentucky County, Virginia to Montgomery, Kentucky. He died on the 21st of June in 1850 at age 84. He was high sheriff of Bath County meaning he was the major tax collector. His wife, Sarah Cunningham was born 20 August 1767 in New Hanover County, North Carolina and when her husband died, desired to see her children (and grandchildren) who had come to Fountain and Parke Counties, Indiana. So, her son, Nathaniel, always their rock, put her on her old nag and travelled with her. She did indeed make it to our area but died later that year (10 Nov 1850) and is buried in Wolf Creek Cemetery on the Parke County/Fountain County line area.
Nathaniel had 10 brothers and sisters who spread-out across the country - here is a very brief accounting of his family.
1- John (born 1789 Montgomery County, Viriginia) died Nov 1859 in Jefferson County, KS buried Jerusha Butcher (born 3 April 1797 died 20 July 1848 buried Wolfe Creek Cem, Parke County, Indiana). They had seven children.
2 - Elizabeth "Betsy" (born 21 Oct 1791 Montgomery County, Virginia - died 19 Aug 1844 Parke County, Indiana ) is buried at Wolfe Creek Cem, Parke County married John Whiteside Roach and had 11 children.
3 - James Morgan (born 16 April 1793 married Lucinda Rice died 8 August 1865) - he was one of the few who stayed in Bath County, Kentucky. - They had 10 children
4 - Ambrose Dudley whom I quite excited about. I've (Karen Bazzani Zach, your GenWeb coordinator) been researching this family for 45 years and have never found what happened to this brother. As I began writing this, I was looking through census records and findagrave.com. BINGO !! Ambrose is now much more complete. He was born in 1794 Montgomery County, Virginia and died in Menard County, Illinois. His wife Eliza Brown (born in Kentucky, probably Bath County 12 Nov 1809 died 10 Nov 1875) -- they had four of their children
5 - William C. Morgan was born in Bath County, Kentucky 19 August 1795 and died 19 August 1857 in Clay County, Indiana. His wife, Sarilda Termain died in Clay County 7 May 1882. They had nine children
6 - Nathaniel above
7 - Fannie Morgan - died young.
8 - Sarah "Sally" Morgan was born 4 July 1798 and died 28 May 1843 - her husband was William C. Butcher (3 March 1799 - 2 March 1858 in Putnam County, Indiana buried Butcher Cem) and they had 12 children scattered in the Putnam, Parke and Clay County areas of Indiana
9 - Mary "Polly" Morgan born 28 March 1800 married Patrick Daniel Jones and had at least six children. In 1860 they were in Coffey County, Kansas and obviously there needs to be more research on this family.
10 - Margaret (called Peggy) born 1802 in Montgomery County, Kentucky died 30 August 1884 in Posey Township, Rush County, Indiana. She married Lewis Bravard and there were six children born to them. Know quite a bit about this family but want to know more - anyone researching Peggy, do let me know.
11 -- Lucy Elizabeth Morgan was born 23 July 1804 - Nathaniel wrote to a couple of her sons in 1863 she was in Ames, Iowa at this time. She married Massa Arrasmith (22 Dec 1802 - 11 Oct 1854) and they had 10 children.
Nathaniel was literally sent to the Parke/Fountain County area in order to take care of his sisters. It was a bit odd since his older brother, William C. was already in Indiana, just a couple of counties away from the girls. Evidently their father did not trust the husbands.
Nathaniel was a school teacher upper most but also a farmer. As far as we know he did not marry until he was 35 years old when he wed Elizabeth Summers (born 20 August 1813 the daughter of John Summers III and Mariah Barbara Runkle. She had one brother with whom his mother died a few days later from childbirth complications. Her father would marry twice more and remain in Parke County where he died 5 January 1872).
Elizabeth and Nathaniel had six children, but he lost not only his beloved wife on the 22nd of June in 1849. They lost their second born son William D. who wa born 19 Sept 1836 and died the day before his mother. On the 1st of July Nathaniel already morning his wife and son lost his first-born child, John S. (born 9 Nov 1833).
These sad deaths were due to drinking milk from cows that had eaten (white) snakeroot, a weed with a pretty flower. This poisons their milk. This was a fairly common way of death as the root was so prominent and the cows were attracted to it. Thinking the milk was good, those who drank freely often passed on from a violet sickness including that is similar to a violet case of today's flu. With three other sons (Elijah W, James Dudley, David Runkles) and a daughter, Sarah Jane, he needed a wife.
Sarah Bowers Reichard (one son, Sam) Sowers (five children Mary, Lewis, Phoebe, Noah and Absalom) was raising her children on her own, after having lost two husbands (Solomon Reichard and Michael Sowers). They had lived in the same area and both admired the other so in March of the next year they were married. Neither thought they would have any children but on the second day of June in 1852, my great grandfather, Joseph Nathaniel Morgan was lifted into the world.
Nathaniel Morgan was quite frugal and often purchased more farm land when he had paid off the previous piece. He owned early on (Section 36, Jackson Township, Fountain County) 80 acres then purchased soon after another 50. This was on the 19th of March in 1830 but he was here by 1829 where he is listed as teaching in the first school house in the area. This was likely at Wolfe Creek. Other properties he bought were 80 acres in June 1833 and another 40 in Dec 1836. Various other wheelings and dealings in land were recorded in Parke and Fountain Counties. He also served as a Justice of the Peace early on and for many years thereafter.
The settlement of his estate was interesting. Passing away on the 16th of May in 1872, his widow, Sarah Bowers Reichard Sowers Morgan lived another nine years. She took a great deal of personal type items at the property settlemen, including 4 beds and bedding; a bureau; dining table (which was only valued at 75 cents) a breakfast table; a cook stove; 8 chairs; a pie safe; a chest; a clock; two iron kettles; a book; a mirror; two "smoothing" irons; sacks; brass kettle; jars and milk pans along with a sorrel mare ($120) and gray mare ($30). Another items she took was his tobacco and pipe as she smoked one as well.
Carpenter tools, ax handles and the such were taken by his children but my great grandfather, Joseph was only 20 and likely had little money to spend, thus buying few things but included single and double trees, a hatchet, grindstone, cultivator, harness, hay fork all under $5 each. However a few larger purchases include a wagon for $40 and 1/2 interest in a wheat drill for $20.00. The price of his heifer was $16 and 25 heads of hogs for #37.50. One would think he was setting up to get married but that did not happen for another six years. His mother died 3 years afterwards.
Very much concerned about the Civil War and the plight of the Black people, Nathaniel Morgan's father had set all of his slaves free long before he passed in 1850. However, he provided them property and money to start with and three of their slaves decided to stay with the household and he paid them as well. Nathaniel did not know the answer but worried on it quite an amount.
The patriarch of the family although not the oldest he also knew a great deal of the family history so we have several (wish there were more) letters from family members and to them which was full of family information, discussion on prices of the day and answering many questions regarding various topics. Some can be read here.
Nathaniel Morgan seemed like a good man who had lots of enjoyment in life along with so much heartache. My great, great grandfather and I'm proud to be his!
Karen Bazzani Zach
Fountain County Indiana GenWeb coordinator
I also wrote a blog on my ancestor, David Nathaniel William Morgan - here it is
#5 - David Nathaniel William Morgan – how’s that for a name? He was born in Bath County, Kentucky on the fourth day of 1797. His parents were William Thomas and Sarah (Cunningham) Morgan. Both were full of spunk but won’t tell you more as I will probably write about them sometime during my 52-week ancestor challenge. “Nathaniel” was the youngest son of Will and Sarah, their sixth of seven children. He lived to be the oldest by five years, outliving the second brother, James. His brothers and sisters lived all over, but only James stayed in Bath County, Kentucky. Betsy Roach and family went to Parke County; William C. to Clay County; and Sally Butcher to Putnam County, whereas my ancestor above came to Fountain County (right on the Parke line, though). Also the youngest, Peggy Bravard (their name found spelled so many different ways) died in Rush County, Indiana. Sister Fanny passed away young and John and Polly went to Kansas whereas the other brother, Ambrose Dudley died in Menard County, Illinois his family going on to Iowa.
Found it quite interesting that Nathaniel was a teacher and a Justice of the Peace, and very smart; however he did not get married until he was 35 years old. About 1830, he was sent to Indiana by his father to watch over his two sisters who came here as Will was leery of their husbands. Nathaniel married Elizabeth Summers 15 years younger than he. Sadly, she and their two oldest sons, John and William all died with milk sickness in the summer of 1849. Not only their family but several in the Wallace area died of this disease. They also had Elijah; James Dudley; Sarah Jane and David Runkles, just two years old when his mother died.
Nathaniel's father passed away suddenly just a couple of months after the milk sickness tragedy and his mother made the trip on a horse alone to come help with his children; however, she died almost immediately upon arriving in Fountain County. She wanted to see her youngest son and so she did.
Thus, he raised these children for seven years alone, then met my direct ancestor, Sarah Bowers Reichard Sowers. She had lost two husbands one quite young and had raised her own six children pretty much by her own resources, her youngest at their marriage six but oldest 29. At age 42 for her and 55 for him, they had my ancestor, Joseph Nathaniel Morgan. Nathaniel lived until Joseph was 22 and she when he was almost 30.
Although Nathaniel was not a lawyer, he often was called upon (likely as a JP) many times to do that type of thing, such as in November of 1851, he put for sale the inventory of the estate of Jonathan Cunningham (who may or may not have been a relative as I just noticed he might be as Nathaniel’s mother was a Cunningham – I’ll have to check that out) – horses, cattle, hogs, sheep, farming utensils, household and kitchen furniture and real estate in Jackson Township. If what they purchased was over $3 they could take the goods signing for credit but under $3 it was cash in hand! He signed deeds, arrested people, married them and did various other duties. Besides this job, farming and teaching (his was the first school house erected on Wolf Creek in 1829 when he was 32 so he likely did carpentry work as well).
Besides having all these children to raise, two of Sarah’s children were tagged as “idiots.” She kept her daughter Molly until her death who was either listed as “idiot” or “insane” depending on the census taker’s “take” on her or perhaps what Sarah felt like that day. Her first born, Sam Reichard was as sweet as anyone could be but very very slow. He could do little for himself – dress, feed himself and perhaps do very easy farm chores, very easy. He lived to be an old man, staying with his sister at their homestead.
During the Civil War, Nathaniel bought one of his son’s someone to go for him and tried with the other son, but Elijah had to go. He and his wife, also a Cunningham (Elizabeth Ann) had one daughter before he went to the service and upon his return, a son. However, (family lore I have never seen anything to prove one way or the other) he passed away a couple of years later from sickness contracted in the war.
Probably the most interesting of all the family stories is that Elizabeth Ann had been in love with Elijah’s brother James Dudley all along. They were the same age, had attended school together and church and had always been in love since children. However the fathers made her marry Elijah since he was the older son. So, although she felt bad about Elijah passing, she was elated to spend 28 years of her life with her beloved. He passed away in 1896 and she two years later both in their 50s and she is buried between the two brothers. So, Nathaniel saw three of his six sons buried before his own death on May 16th, 1872.
Sarah Bowers Sowers Morgan spoke high German although she was born and raised in Rowan County, North Carolina and passed away November 21st in 1881, more than nine years after her third husband. She lived alone except for Sammy and was often seen sitting on their porch in their large house, smoking her corn cob pipe. Rest in peace both of ya’!
Buried Wolf Creek Cemetery - thanks to Jon Rice for the photo
For lack of where to put this Way Bill (which is such a nifty piece of history) I decided to put it here -- so thankful to cousin Stella Gooding Fox Alward and Dellie Craig for copying, preserving and sharing !! The Wagoner family must have been friends and eventually "family" via marriages to Nathaniel Morgan. Nathaniel Morgan was my great, great, grandfather - kbz - thanks, Dellie for sending this!
Look below for the Way Bill from John A. Wagoner, Salem, North Carolina to Fountain County, Indiana
Look below for the North Carolina map of their trek
Look below for the Kentucky portion of the trip
Look below for the Indiana portion of their journey - WOW, what a neat look at history !!
