(By Stephen Kelley from the People’s Defender 1983)
The fifth child of Robert Morrison and his first wife, Mary Mitchell, was born in their log house near Cherry Fork on September 21, 1811. It was a boy, named James, and he grew to manhood on his father’s farm learning the skills necessary for successful farming.
James was married in February 1836 to a local girl, Martha Purdy Ewing. Just eight months later the newlyweds bought a hundred gently rolling acres of land from James’ father. It was situated about a mile southeast of James’ old birthplace and cost him fifty centers per acre. He immediately began construction of a small braced-frame house on his new property. It is believed the home was completed and occupied by December 10, the day Martha gave birth to their first child, Robert Porter Morrison. Over the next twenty-two years, Martha produced eight more children, all born in the home built by their father.
In 1861, James was being persuaded to pull up stakes and move westward. His young half-brother, Marion Morrison, was at that time serving as professor of mathematics at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. In one of several letters, he wrote to James he stated, “The railroad continues to bring prosperity to Monmouth and the population swells daily. Farms and businesses flourish. Now a new track to Iowa is planned. I implore you, James reconsider. Farmland is still reasonable.”
Although life in Adams County had been good to him and his family, forty-five year old James thought perhaps things would be ever better in Illinois. Numerous other Adams Countians had already taken the plunge and moved to the western frontier sending glowing reports back home of almost unlimited farmland, incredibly rich soil, plenty of water and all of it was “dirt cheap”. Like so many of the others, James and Martha found themselves caught up in the excitement of it all. They sold their little farm in 1861 to James’ half sister and her husband, Mary and William Eckman, and moved to Monmouth where they began a new life.
As planned, the Morrisons bought farmland close to Monmouth where they lived the remainder of their lives. James, as in Adams County, served as leader in the local United Presbyterian Church. He died in January 1879, Martha surviving until February 1882.
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