The Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky is comprised of the eight westernmost counties - Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken. It is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River, on the north by the Ohio River, on the east by the Tennessee River and the state of Tennessee to the south. By Kentuckians it is generally referred to simply as "the Purchase".

Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby purchased the land lying west of the Tennessee River from the Chickasaw tribe and opened the area for settlement around 1820. Within the next few years, my grandfather's ancestors came there from Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee - the Beadles, Clapps, Pryors and Wingos settled in Graves County with the Reeves and Halls in neighboring Ballard County.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Our Immigrant Morgan Ancestor

After many years of researching Morgans in the American colonies to try to find the ancestors of our Morgan 4th great grandfather Charles Morgan, we finally have a documented trail back to Anthony Morgan of Bristol, England. The Morgan name is known to be Welsh in origin and Bristol is just across the Bristol Channel from Cardiff in Wales. Charles Morgan served as a Captain in the militia forces of South Carolina during the American Revolution. Before his death in 1832, he filed a pension request on that service and it is that document that set me off on the path to finding his family and their origins.

Harbor in Bristol, England
Anthony Morgan arrived in Old Rappahannock County along with a Charles Morgan who is described as "of the city of Bristol, mariner" in a 1678 power of attorney. That POA is recorded in Old Rappahannock County [DB6 p203-205].

In 1668 Anthony Morgan apprenticed himself to Mrs. Sarah Walker of Rappahannock County for a term of seven (7) years [DB 4 p97]. This would suggest that Anthony was around 18 years old at the time which would make his date of birth around 1650.

By 1679 Anthony is recorded in the land records of Old Rappahannock which include the mention of his wife, Elizabeth. Throughout the 1680's christenings recorded in the North Farnham Parish Register document the birth of most of his children: Charles christened 28 December 1680, Bridgett christened 14 September 1682, Anny christened 14 March 1684 and Anthony christened 20 November 1686. Son Robert Morgan does not appear in the parish register but is recorded along with Anthony II as a stepson and legatee in the 1703 will of John Ware to whom their mother Elizabeth was married after the death of Anthony Morgan I circa 1688.

In July 1711 Anthony Morgan II married Ann Duncan but by February of 1728/29, he was bound by the Richmond County Court for abusing his wife Ann and living in adultery with Sarah Ann Simonds. [Richmond County Trials 1710-54:113,145]. In 1740, he sold the mill referred to in Richmond County records as "Morgans Mill" and the adjoining land to Capt. Willoughby Newton [DB9 p667-669]. Anthony Morgan II was deceased by the 5th of March 1748 when his son Anthony Morgan III, described as "of Prince William County", filed an inventory in Richmond County as administrator of his estate. On that same date, Anthony III, as administrator, also filed an inventory of the estate of William Morgan, presumably his brother.

Sale of Morgan's Mill to
Capt. Willoughby Newton
The first extant Order Book of Prince William County 1752-1753, p. 188 dated 24 July 1753, cites a suit brought by Willoughby Newton against Anthony Morgan, executor of Anthony Morgan. In 1755 in Prince William County, Anthony Morgan was appointed constable in the room of Lazarus Taylor [OB 1754-1755 p221]. His residence in that area is further supported by the index of the only extant ledger of Daniel Payne's Dumfries Stores. That ledger which covers the years 1758 to 1763 documents that Anthony Morgan was living in the Prince William County area throughout those years. The online assertions that the children of Anthony and Mary Morgan were all born in Brunswick County is proven completely false by the records of Prince William and Fauquier counties. Son Charles, in his 1832 Revolutionary War pension statement provides his date of birth as 1757 and the place of that birth as Fauquier, Virginia. Until the extant ledger from Daniel Payne's Dumfries Store was discovered there seemed to be no way to document Charles' statements but that is no longer the case.

Fauquier County was formed in 1759 from Prince William County. A Bill of Sale dated 26 August 1763 from Anthony Morgan described as "of Fauquier County" to Bennett Price further documents the statement made by Charles Morgan in his RW pension application and coincides with the dates from the Dumfries Store ledger.

After Anthony Morgan and family left the Prince William/Fauquier area of Virginia, they are next documented in Surry County, North Carolina. The 1771 tax list of Surry County lists Anthony Morgan, Samuel Morgan and Anthony Morgan, Jr. Again in 1772 Anthony and Samuel Morgan are recorded as taxpayers in Surry County, but Anthony Morgan, Jr. was absent from the tax list that year. He has not been found in any further records and may have died around this time. It's curious that about this same time Anthony's cousin Benjamin Morgan with his family also migrated to Surry County and are found there in the 1774 tax records. The RW pension affidavit of son Charles Morgan establishes that Anthony's family was living in the area of York County, South Carolina by 1775 when Charles was recruited in the Revolutionary forces there.

1478 Map of Bristol City
In February of 1787, Anthony and his wife Mary Morgan conveyed several tracts of land on Broad River to William McBrayer. After these transactions both are believed to have died by around 1795 but there are no probate records available. Without probate records, their children have been identified by an abundance of inferential data in census and land records of that area. Their children were Samuel, married Elizabeth MNU, and Anthony Jr. both born before 1750 since they were listed as adults in tax records of 1771. Charles Morgan born 1757 married Lurena Arendell, John Morgan, born about 1759 also married an Elizabeth whose maiden name is unknown, Nancy "Nannie" Morgan born about 1760 who married John Sarratt, Margaret Morgan about 1762 unmarried in 1786, William Morgan born about 1763 married Elizabeth Arendell, Elizabeth Morgan born about 1765 married John Hugh Quinn and Peter Morgan born about 1769 married Noal Daffron.

After the death of Anthony and Mary Morgan, the descendants of many of their children, primarily John and Peter remained in the York/Spartanburg area while Charles, William and several of the sons of Samuel migrated to Kentucky after 1800. Now their descendants are spread throughout the country.


Other posts on the blog about this Morgan Family -
The Charles Morgan Hall Family
Hall Ancestor - Charles Morgan
Morgan Family Myths
Identifying Our Morgan DNA
Finally Found - our Morgan Family Ancestor
More About Anthony Morgan III
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