(By Stephen Kelley from the People’s Defender 1983)
Continuing our story from last week, Robert Morrison lost his wife Mary in 1813 following almost ten years of marriage. When she died, Robert was left to care for their six children, the youngest being only seven days old.
Just weeks after the loss of his young wife, Morrison volunteered his services for the War of 1812. As a result of his stature in the community and friends in the Ohio legislature, he was appointed Captain and commanded a company of seventy one Adams Countians from July 29 through September 8, 1813. This company of militia was used as reinforcements at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Shortly after his company was mustered out of active duty, Morrison was elevated in rank to that of Major and served on the staff of Colonel Duncan McArthur. McArthur later served as governor of Ohio.
Following the end of hostilities, Major Morrison was offered a captains’s commission in the regular army by General William Henry Harrison. He refused, preferring to return to his family and farm in Adams County. Shortly after arriving home, in June, 1814, he married Miss Phoebe McGowan who survived him.
In 1817, Morrison was elected to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives. In those days, House members ran for office each year. Robert Morrison was re-elected the following three terms, serving his constituents a total of four years in the Ohio Legislature. During his first year of office, he was appointed by his fellow House members Brigadier General of the Ohio militia. He continue in that capacity for several years.
In October 1821, General Robert Morrison was appointed by the Governor of Ohio, an Associate Judge for Adams County. He completed the unexpired term of that office vacated by his good friend, Thomas Kirker, former Governor of Ohio. Between the time of his appointment through 1850 when Associate judge positions were abolished, Judge Morrison served twenty five years on the bench.
In February, 1863, Robert Morrison, the immigrant, farmer, family man, general judge, died at the age of eighty one. According to his biographer, David McDill, during the last decade of his life the general was..”bald with age and trembling with paralyis. His hand trembled so much that he could scarecely write his name and could not hold a cup to his mouth… toward the close of his life he was afflicted with severe attacks of palpitation of the heart, attended with great difficulty in breathing. Still he continued to plow, chop wood, mow, pitch wheat, and do almost all sorts of work on his farm up to the time of his death.”
McDill went on to stress that despite his many physical ailments, Judge Morrison rarely missed church services including the mid week prayer meetings. He accepted his death with dignity full of the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ in whom he had placed his trust so many years before. He was interred in the Cherry Fork Cemetery.