The Children of Josiah Morton

The Children of Josiah Morton

Are We Missing Six Children of Josiah Morton?

Josiah Morton (1760 - 1844) appears to have been the father of at least 12 children, probably by two wives, though so far only six have been positively or tentatively identified. Of course it is possible that one or more of these 12 children died quite young, never lived to marry, and disappeared early from all known records. Or one or more of the sons might have left the Caswell County, NC area to seek greater advantages elsewhere before becoming old enough to be listed for tax purposes or marry. But a careful look at both the 1800 and 1810 Census enumerations for Josiah Morton suggests that five still unknown sons and a still unknown daughter survived childhood but remain yet unidentified.

One fact that will complicate the search for these missing children of Josiah Morton is that all indications are that as Josiah Morton grew older, his economic circumstances took a turn for the worse. This might have meant that Josiah Morton had little to hand over to each of his sons in order to set them up in life. The two daughters who married first both went to Tennessee with their husbands, and the third daughter became part of the core Azariah Graves Morton household after her husband's death. The sons were perhaps left to fend for themselves. Or the weakening economic circumstances of Josiah Morton may be evidence that all of the sons were being provided for with money or animals as they left Caswell County, NC to seek greater fortunes elsewhere, eliminating the need for Josiah Morton to execute a will and distribute his small amount of remaining property among widely scattered children.

General Lack of Definite Evidence:

We have definite birth dates for only three of the known Josiah Morton children:

Ann B. "Nancy" Morton Richmond (14 March 1785)
Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin (18 February 1790)
Azariah Graves Morton (23 March 1804)

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MESHACK MORTON, JOSIAH MORTON
AND
PEYTON MORTON CHRONOLOGY


1734 Amelia County, VA created from Prince George County, VA

1754 Prince Edward County, VA created from Amelia County, VA
1760

26 December 1760 Josiah Morton born in Prince Edward County, VA [Statement in Revolutionary War pension application filed in Caswell County, NC in 1833]

1764 Charlotte County, VA created from Lunenburg County, VA

1766

Alleged birth date of Meshack Morton? (Which one?)

1778

28 May 1778 John Zachery of Charlotte County, VA sells land to Meshack Morton (100 acres) of Prince Edward County, VA [Meshack Morton Land Purchase A] [Prince Edward County, VA Deed Book C, pages 325-26]

19 October 1778 Meshack Morton and wife Mary, of Prince Edward County, VA sell land to Thomas Tatum of Cumberland County (100 acres on Brierly River) [Meshack Morton Land Purchase A] [Prince Edward County, VA Deed Book 6, page 186]

1780

5 May 1780 Peyton Morton marries Nancy Wimbish (witness Robert Bowman) (this suggests Peyton Morton and Robert Bowman were either relatives or close neighbors, most likely relatives) (if Peyton Morton was born ca. 1760 he could well have been an older brother to Josiah Morton) (why are there no known deeds to Peyton Morton in Prince Edward County, VA?) (Did Nancy Wimbish inherit land from her father?) [Prince Edward County, VA Marriage Records]

1782

2 March 1782 Meshack Morton purchases 100 acres on N. Hico from John Ashburn (Ashburn had acquired this land from Governor Richard Caswell in ____) (bounded by Thomas Kilgore) [Meshack Morton Land Purchase B][Caswell County, NC Deed Book A, page 616]

9 March 1782 "Meshak" Morton and William Richmond witness a deed [Caswell County, NC Deed Book B, page 54]

19 March 1782 Meshack Morton and William Morton witness a deed (presumably William Morton is an adult son of Meshack Morton?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book A, pages 579-80]

26 December 1782 Josiah Morton marries Mary Roberts [Amelia County, VA Marriage Records][But this may be the wrong Josiah Morton?](why are there no Virginia land records for this Josiah Morton?)

1783

7 July 1783 Peyton Morton v. John Zachery (found for plaintiff)[Charlotte County, VA Court Order Book 5, page 103]

1784

Meshack Morton listed in North Carolina tax list (Gloucester District, Caswell County)

One white poll
No black slaves
320 acres []Meshack Morton Land Purchase C in 1784]
206.13.4

3 May 1784 Peyton Morton v. John Zachery and Royal Bowman [Charlotte County, VA Court Order Book 5, page 154]

4 June 1784 Peyton Morton v. John Zachery and Royal Bowman [Charlotte County, VA Court Order Book 5, page 168]

20 July 1784 "Meshag" Morton buys 320 acres on Reedy Fork from Jonathan Law adjoining William Richmond and Matthew Richmond [Meshack Morton Land Purchase C] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book E, page 79]

3 November 1784 Royal Bowman and Peyton Morton witnesses for James Foster [Charlotte County, VA Court Order Book 5, page 234]

1785

Peyton Morton on tax list for Prince Edward County, VA (3 souls)

A Josiah Morton on same Prince Edward County, VA tax list (4 souls)

July Court 1785 Meshack Morton witnesses a power of attorney [Caswell County, NC Will Book B, page 83]

23 September 1785 State Grant No. 879 to Thomas Wiley for land of unknown acreage adjoining Meshack Morton and John Richmond, Sr. on Reedy Fork of North Hico [Caswell County, NC Deed Book D, pages 352-53]

16 October 1785 Meshack Morton a witness to a deed for land of unknown acreage sold by Jonathan Law to Thomas Wiley (locate earlier deed to Jonathan Law?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book E, page 70]

December 1785 Meshack Morton marries Nancy Ashburn?[WHERE?]

1786

Meshack Morton listed in North Carolina tax list

18 December 1786 Will of Bartholomew Zackery (names son John Zackery) [Prince Edward County, VA, Will Book 2, page 135]

1787

[Charlotte County, VA Will Book 1, pages 395+, Peyton Mirtin?]

Peyton Morton not on tax lists for Virginia in any county, suggesting either that he did not own enough property to be listed or had already moved to North Carolina

Two Josiah Mortons listed for Prince Edward County
Josiah Morton (page 1292)
Taxed for self and one slave, one horse and two cattle

1788 John Zachery in Caswell County, NC [Prince Edward County, VA Deed Book 8, page 100]

1790

Census enumeration for Josiah Morton (which state?)

Census enumeration for Peyton Morton (which state?)

16 November 1790 State Grant No. 1040 to John Law for 41 acres adjoining Meshack Morton, William Richmond and Umphrey Donaldson [Caswell County, NC Deed Book G, page 301]

1791

[July 1791] Peyton Morton a debtor to estate of Thomas Van Hook [Caswell County, NC Will Book B, page 422]

1792

27 January 1792 Meshack Morton sells 220 acres on Reedy Fork of North Hico adjoining William Pleasant [part of Meshack Morton Land Purchase C in 1784] to Thomas Boman (witnesses are John Zachery and Simon Roberts)[Caswell County, NC Deed Book H, pages 241-42]

27 April 1792 "Paton" Morton witnesses deed from Meshack Morton to Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) (100 acres on Reedy Fork N. Hico) (could be either Meshack Morton Land Purchase B in 1782 or more likely remainder of Land Purchase C in 1784) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book J, page 254]

21 November 1792 John Law sells to Job Siddall 41 acres on Reedy Fork of Hico adjoining Meshack Morton and William Richmond (description would relate to Meshack Morton Land Purchase C in 1784) (locate earlier deed to John Law?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book H, page 219]

1793

11 January 1793 Meshack Morton and J. Zacherey witness a deed from Robert Kimbrough to Samuel Morton for 86.9 acres on south fork of Country Line Creek adjoining John Kimbrough (the first of four 1793 deeds from Robert Kimbrough in which he is partitioning his landholdings) (locate earlier deed to Robert Kimbrough?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book H, pages 122-23]
28 January 1793 "Paton" Morton and J. Zachery witness a deed from Robert Kimbrough to Thomas Wiley (the second of four 1793 deeds from Robert Kimbrough in which he is partitioning or selling his landholdings) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book H, page 140]

20 March 1793 Meshack Morton a witness to a deed from Robert Kimbrough to John Kimbrough on Michael's Br. (the third of four 1793 deeds from Robert Kimbrough in which he is partitioning or selling his landholdings) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book H, page 279]

20 November 1793 Robert Kimbrough sells land to Meshack Morton (448 acres on South fork Country Line Creek on Michael's Br.) (the fourth of four 1793 deeds from Robert Kimbrough in which he is partitioning or selling his landholdings) [Meshack Morton Land Purchase D] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book H, pages 268-69]

1794

[October Court 1794] Meshack Morton and Peyton Morton make cash payments to estate of John Crisp [Caswell County, NC Will Book C, page 104]

1796

19 February 1796 Josiah Morton purchases at estate sale of "Mesheck" Morton [Caswell County, NC Will Book C, page 167]

10 March 1796 Thomas Wiley sells to Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) 50 acres on Reedy Fork of N. Hico adjoining Meshack Morton (description would relate to Meshack Morton Land Purchase C in 1784 and to State Grant No. 879 to Thomas Wiley in 1785) (locate earlier deed to Thomas Wiley?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book J, pages 210-11]

July Court 1796 Inventory of estate of Meshack Morton [Caswell County, NC Will Book C, page 168]

July Court 1796 Sales of estate of Meshack Morton [Caswell County, NC Will Book C, page 167]

12 August 1796 Josiah Morton witnesses a deed in Caswell County, NC for a sale by James Jones to Step Roberts of Nottaway County, VA (130 acres south fork of Country Line Creek adjoining the Ridge Path) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 7]

1797

January Court 1797 Accounting for estate of Meshack Morton filed by Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) and Mary Morton, widow of Meshack Morton [Caswell County, NC Will Book C, page 214]

4 July 1797 Josiah Morton purchases land in Caswell County, NC from Thomas Boman (75 acres on Country Line Creek, adjoining Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner), Jonathan Starkey, Royal Boman decd.) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase A] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 90)

10 September 1797 Gabriel Lea listed as Guardian to orphans of Meshack Morton (Lewis, William, Meshack, Paton, Any, Jacob, Martin, Ezekiel) and sells 448 acres on South Fork of Country Line Creek to Thomas Wiley [Meshack Morton Land Purchase D in 1793] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, pages 112-13]

23 November 1797 John Siddall (died 1798, Caswell County, NC?) sells land in Caswell County, NC to Peyton Morton (97 acres on Country Line Creek plus 200 acres?) (Josiah Boman a witness) [Peyton Morton Land Purchase A] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 245] [see earlier Caswell County Deed Book C, page 130, Harrel to Sidel in 1785]

13 December 1797 Leah Boman sells land in Caswell County, NC to Peyton Morton (70 acres on Country Line Creek adjoining Jesse Carter [prominent Caswell County, NC store owner], Josiah Morton, Slade) (this must be land inherited from Royall Boman in 1791, as it adjoins land purchased by Josiah Morton in 1797 from another Boman heir and presumably other land Peyton Morton will purchase from another Boman heir in 1798) [Peyton Morton Land Purchase B] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 246]

1798

24 October 1798 Josiah Morton purchases land in Caswell County, NC from Jonathan Starkey (150 acres on Country Line Creek adjoining same Morton and Jesse Carter [prominent Caswell County, NC store owner]) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase B] (locate earlier deed to Jonathan Starkey?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 309]

Simon Roberts sells land in Caswell County, NC to Peyton Morton (75 acres adjoining Josiah Morton, Joseph Boman, Thomas Boman) [Peyton Morton Land Purchase C] (this must be land inherited by wife of Simon Roberts from her father Royall Boman in 1791, as it adjoins land of three other Boman heirs and land bought by Josiah Morton from another Boman heir in 1797?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 260]

1799

20 March 1799 Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) conveys 150 acres on Rattlesnake Creek to Mary Morton (likely the widow of Meshack Morton) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, pages 80-81]

23 July 1799 Josiah Morton purchases land in Caswell County, NC from Robert H. Childers (245 acres on Cabin Branch adjoining Lay and Thomas Slade) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase C] (locate earlier deed to Robert H. Childers?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, pages 88-89]

23 July 1799 Josiah Morton sells land in Caswell County, NC to Barkley Elam (land adjoining Jesse Carter [prominent Caswell County, NC store owner], Solomon Graves and land formerly belonging to Peyton Morton) [75 acres of Land Purchase A?] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, page 137] [FIND EARLIER DEEDS]

14 August 1799 Peyton Morton sells land in Caswell County, NC to Robert H. Childers (97 acres adjoining James Kitchen, Job Siddall) [Peyton Morton Land Purchase A] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, page 225]

1800
Census enumeration for Josiah Martin (Caswell County, NC)(appears on a page with very darkish ink)
5
2
0
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
0
1 slave

Census enumeration for Payton Martin (Caswell County, NC)(next to Thomas Wiley)
0
1
1

0
1
4
2
0
1
0
0
2 slaves

29 January 1800 Josiah Morton sells land in Caswell County, NC to Lot Egmond (245 acres on Cabin Creek adjoining Lay and Thomas Slade) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase C] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, page 326]

3 March 1800 Peyton Morton sells land in Caswell County, NC to Barkley Elam (145 acres on Country Line Creek adjoining Jesse Carter [prominent Caswell County, NC store owner]) [Peyton Morton Land Purchase B and Peyton Morton Land Purchase C?] [This land was subsequently sold by Barkley Elam's executor to Daniel Wilson in 1800, and sold by Daniel Wilson to Miles Wilson in 1801, who immediately sold it to Jesse Carter on the same day] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, pages 216-17]

29 October 1800 Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) and other executors of Barkely Elam sell to John Wilson of Halifax County, VA 25 acres including mill property, 150 acres adjoining Josiah Morton, and 75 acres adjoining Jesse Carter [prominent Caswell County, NC store owner] and Peyton Morton) (three separate land sales?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, pages 296-97]

5 November 1800 Josiah Morton purchases at estate sale of Robert Bruce [Caswell County, NC Will Book D, page 27]

1801

23 January 1801 Bartholomew Dameron, Sr. and Payton Morton sell to Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) two slaves named Massa and David [Does this suggest that Dameron and Morton's wife were co-heirs to an estate that owned these slaves?] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book L, page 324]

5 December 1801 Josiah Morton purchases land in Caswell County, NC from Robert H. Childers (97 acres adjoining James Kitchen, Jeb Siddal, Tobias Williams) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase D][Caswell County, NC Deed Book M, page 204]

1802

8 March 1802 "Paton" Morton witnesses deed for Robert H. Childers for sale to Charnol Hightower of 200 acres on Step Roberts line [Caswell County, NC Deed Book __, page ___]

27 September 1802 Lot Egmon sells land in Caswell County, NC to Josiah Morton (245 acres adjoining [Bird] Lay [Lea?], Thomas Slade)[Josiah Morton Land Purchase C] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book M, page 347]

1803

List of Caswell County Taxables - Josiah Morton (491 acres)

Land Purchase B 150 acres
Land Purchase C 245 acres
Land Purchase D 97 acres
Possible TOTAL 492 acres

Mary Morton (150 acres)
Meshack Morton - No land, only poll tax
Peyton Morton, Sr. - No land, only poll tax
Peyton Morton Jr. - No land, only poll tax

22 April 1803 Josiah Morton purchases land in Caswell County, NC from Luke Prendergast (146 acres on Country Line Creek adjoining James Noel, Sol. Graves, Siddle) [This was the majority of State Grant No. 1174 to Luke Prendergast on 7 April 1801 for land entered 10 March 1779 (200 acres on Reedy Fork and Country Line Creek), Caswell County, NC Deed Book N, page 30] [Josiah Morton Land Purchase E] [Caswell County Deed, NC Book N, pages 14-15]


1 November 1803 Josiah Morton sells land in Caswell County, NC to Lewis Evans (97 acres adjoining James Kitchen, Jeb Siddeall, Tobias Williams) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase D] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book N, pages 92-93]

1804

Birth of Azariah Graves Morton, son of Josiah Morton and unknown presumed second wife

18 February 1804 Josiah Morton purchases at estate sale of John Fargerson [Caswell County, NC Will Book E, page 101]

16 November 1804 Josiah Morton purchases at estate sale of Aldridge Rudd [Caswell County, NC Will Book E, page 186]

1806

28 January 1806 Thomas Wiley sells 148 1/3 acres on Country Line Creek to son Alexander Wiley, it being Mary Morton's dower in lands of Meshack Morton, deceased [Caswell County, NC Deed Book O, pages 182-83]

10 April 1806 "Paton" Morton witnesses deed for John Warrick [Caswell County, NC Deed Book O, page 203]

1807

29 August 1807 Josiah Morton witnesses a land sale by John Harrill to John Richmond [Caswell County, NC Deed Book P, pages 137-38]

1808

4 January 1808 Meshack Moreton marries Patsey Boulton [this Meshack Morton may not be from Caswell County, NC but could be a Virginia relative?] [Charlotte County, VA Marriage Records]

1809

10 April 1809 Josiah Morton sells land in Caswell County, NC to Nat Burton to pay debt to Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner) (with Peyton Morton as witness) (245 acres on Cabin Creek and 82 ½ acres on Country Line Creek) [Josiah Morton Land Purchase C and something else?] [Caswell County, NC Deed Book Q, pages 36-37]

4 June 1809 Josiah Morton one of commissioners to make dower allotment to Nancy Rudd, widow of Aldridge Rudd [Caswell County Deed Book Q, pages 44-45]

11 August 1809 Bird Lay sells land to Thomas Slade, Sr. (adjoining land owned by Josiah Morton) [for earlier deed, see division of land of John Lay at Caswell County, NC Deed Book K, page 296 (7 October 1798), with Bird Law as grandson receiving 1/6 of his deceased father's portion) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book Q, pages 131-32]

12 September 1809 Josiah Morton witnesses sale by Benjamin Sewell and James Scott to William Kimbrough [Caswell County, NC Deed Book Q, pages 37-38]

1810
1810 Census enumeration for Josiah Morton (Caswell County, NC, page 489)
1 male under 10
3 males 10 to 16
3 males 16 to 26
0 males 26 to 45
1 male 45+
1 female under 10
1 female 10 to 16
1 female 16 to 26
0 females 26 to 45
1 female 45+
0 free blacks
3 slaves
1 loom
250 measures of cloth
125 gallons distilled spirits (?)

1810 Census enumeration for Peyton Morton (Caswell County, NC, page 489)
0 males under 10
0 males 10 to 16
1 male 16 to 26
0 males 26 to 45
1 male 45+
1 female under 10
1 female 10 to 16
1 female 16 to 26
0 females 26 to 45
1 female 45+
0 free blacks
0 slaves
0 looms
0 measures of cloth
0 gallons distilled spirits (?)

1810 Census enumeration for Mary Morton (Caswell County, NC, page 489)
0 males under 10
0 males 10 to 16
2 males 16 to 26
0 males 26 to 45
0 males 45+
0 females under 10
1 female 10 to 16
1 female 16 to 26
1 female 45+ [presumably Mary Morton?]
0 free blacks
0 slaves
1 loom
100 measures of cloth
40 gallons distilled spirits (?)

1810 Census enumeration for Mishack Morton (Caswell County, NC, page 489)[this is presumably the younger Meshack Morton?]
0 males under 10
0 males 10 to 16
1 male 16 to 26
1 male 26 to 45 [presumably Meshack Morton?]
0 males 45+
0 females under 10
0 females 10 to 16
1 female 16 to 26
0 females 26 to 45
0 females 45+
0 free blacks
1 slave
1 loom
70 measures of cloth
30 gallons distilled spirits (?)

1812

10 January 1812 Mary Morton sells 50 ½ acres on Rattlesnake Creek to Anderson Morton (probably part of land conveyed to her by Jesse Carter in 1799) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book Q, pages 401-02]

31 August 1812 Noel Burton to Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner), by virtue of Josiah Morton deed of trust, 245 acres on Cabin branch and 82 ½ acres on Country Line Creek [Caswell County, NC Deed Book R, page 8]

1816

Peyton Morton mentioned in will of Jesse Carter (prominent Caswell County, NC store owner)

1817

Estate records for Mary Morton (this may or may not be Meshack Morton's widow) [Caswell County, NC Will Book H, page 105]

Mary Morton estate [Caswell County, NC Will Book H, page 171]

Mary Morton Sale [Caswell County, NC Will Book H, page 203]

25 March 1817 Leasburg lots (#3 and #4) sold for judgment against Peyton Morton in favor of John Graves & Sons [Date of purchase of these lots is unknown? - were they gift or bequest or were they distributed via lottery?] [Caswell County Deed Book R, page 436] [Lots were immediately resold - Caswell County, NC Deed Book S, page 49]

26 March 1817 Alexander Murphey sells to Gabriel Lea two town lots in Leasburg (#3 and #4) purchashed at sheriff sale against Payton Morton [Caswell County, NC Deed Book S, page 49]

1818

21 April 1818 Luke Prendergast sells land on Reedy Fork adjoining "Morton" (this description relates to Meshack Morton Land Purchase C in 1784) (did Prendergast purchase or inherit this land, or was it land inherited by his wife?) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book S, page 229]

5 May 1818 Possible death of Peyton Morton in Virginia? [No other information posted at LDS website, so this information is highly suspect]
6 May 1818 Josiah Morton is mentioned in connection with the settlement of Jesse Carter's estate, and division of Carter's real estate [Caswell County, NC Deed Book T, pages 123-127]

1820

Census enumeration for Josiah Morton
1 male 10-16
1 male 16-26
1 male 45+

1826

9 October 1816 Josiah Morton land sold by Sheriff to James Chandler to satisfy debt to James Yancey but no deed every conveyed? [This fact mentioned in 1834 sale by Susan S. Carter Galloway]

1830
Census enumeration for Josiah Morton

1833
Josiah Morton files Revolutionary War pension application in Caswell County, NC

1834

7 May 1834 Land purchased from Josiah Morton by Jesse Carter is mentioned in sale by Susan S. Carter Galloway (82 ½ acres, Wiley Tract)[Caswell County, NC Deed Book EE, pages 300-301][NO PREVIOUS DEED FOR THIS LAND?]

1838

4 December 1838 Debt from Josiah Morton is mentioned (deed from Luke Prendergast to Josiah Morton)(55-60 acres on Country Line Creek) [Caswell County, NC Deed Book EE, pages 121-22] [check this reference carefully as it may refer back to 1818 deed involving Luke Prendergast and likely nearby landholdings]

1840

Census enumeration for Josiah Morton (living with son Azariah Graves Morton in Rockingham County, NC)

1844

23 August 1844 Josiah Morton dies, presumably in Rockingham County, NC [Final Pension Payment papers]

MESHACK MORTON:

Land Purchase A (100 acres) 1778 SOLD 1778
Land Purchase B (100 acres) 1782
Land Purchase C (320 acres) 1784 SOLD part 1792 SOLD 1792
Land Purchase D (448 acres) 1793
Dower Settlement ( SOLD 1806 SOLD 1812 (50 ½ acres) to A. Morton

JOSIAH MORTON:

Land Purchase A 1797 (75 acres) SOLD 1799
Land Purchase B 1798 (150 acres)
Land Purchase C 1799 (245 acres) SOLD 1800 to Edmond REPURCHASED 1802 from Egmon SOLD 1809 to Burton SOLD 1812 by Burton to Carter
Land Purchase D 1801 (97 acres from Childers) SOLD 1803 to Evans
Land Purchase E 1803 (146 acres from Prendergast)
Land Purchase F (82 ½ acres) SOLD 1826

PEYTON MORTON:

Land Purchase A (97 acres) 1797 sold 1799 to Childers
Land Purchase B (70 acres) 1797
Land Purchase C (145 acres) SOLD 1800 to Elam
Leasburg Lots #3 and #4 sold 1817


We can thank Cindy for disclosing the existence of a newspaper obituary for Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin which provides her birth and death dates and confirms the names of her parents: Josiah Morton and Mary Morton. This 1857 newspaper obituary therefore helps confirm that we have located the correct 1782 Virginia marriage record for Josiah Morton and Mary Roberts. Establishing that marriage date is important for determining the likely birth order among the children of Josiah Morton.

We can establish tentative birth dates for two other likely Josiah Morton children, generally only from Census enumerations but sometimes from tombstone information as well:

Step Morton (born around 1785 but probably earlier unless he was a twin to Ann B. "Nancy" Morton Richmond?)
Elizabeth Morton Satterfield (____)

We know little about a possible birth date for Joseph Morton, though 1790 appears likely. Could he have been a twin to Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin?

Although a Josiah Morton is sometimes listed as another child of our Josiah Morton, there is almost no information to support this guess except the listing for a man of this name in Rockingham County, NC in 1840 who was aged 40-49, indicating a birth date sometime in the 1790s. Little conclusive research has been done on Rockingham County, NC Mortons other than Azariah Graves Morton, Elizabeth Morton Satterfield and Joseph Morton, so we probably need to leave a child named Josiah Morton in a "questionable" category until further evidence emerges to tie him more firmly to the group of children of Josiah Morton and not to some more distant Morton relative.

An Examination of the Virginia Tax Lists and North Carolina Census Information:

The first listing of Josiah Morton's household is for 1785, when his household included four whites. If the 1782 marriage record for a Virginia marriage to Mary Roberts is indeed for this Josiah Morton, it is quite probable that several young children had been born by 1785. We know that Ann B. "Nancy" Morton was born 14 March 1785. Almost certainly one of the other children was Step Morton, who seems to have been born in the 1784-1786 period.

Unfortunately, we must start by noting the absence of any federal Census records from 1790 for Josiah Morton. The "published" North Carolina Census information for Caswell County, NC for that year has been reconstructed from available Caswell County, NC tax lists of the approximate date.

Josiah Morton first appears in a surviving federal Census enumeration in 1800, when he was living in Caswell County, NC. His household at this time included two males aged 10-15, 2 females aged 10-15, 5 males under 10, and one female under 10. This information about 10 children must be read against the fact that at least two children appear to have been in Josiah Morton's household in 1785. One of these, at least, had been born as early as 1783 and would thus have been over the age of 15 in 1800. This child is more likely to have been a daughter than a son, as we do not appear to have any male Morton in the vicinity of Caswell County, NC likely to have been born in the early 1780s whose parentage is undetermined. As the second child might have been born in 1785, that child could have been enumerated as 15 in 1800 and theoretically could have been either a son or a daughter. But it was likely Ann B. "Nancy" Morton, born 14 March 1785.

When I first attempted a draft of this memo in November 2005, the information about Step Morton was very skimpy, and there seemed no definite proof that he could logically only be a son of Josiah Morton. Nor did we have the advantage of the very careful research done by a descendant of Step Morton. Now we know that the first two of Josiah Morton's daughters to marry went with their husbands to Tennessee: John Richmond and Ann B. "Nancy" Morton Richmond to Roane County, TN after 1810 and Lewis Martin and Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin to Sumner County, TN about 1832. Step Morton appears to have reached Williamson County, TN about 1811, suggesting that he and his sister Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin might have moved together?

Josiah's son Step Morton married Agnes "Nancy" Richmond on 2 January 1809 and was separately enumerated in Caswell County, NC in 1810; he is enumerated in Williamson County, TN in 1820. Ann B. "Nancy" Morton had married John Richmond on 21 December 1805, when she was twenty. Subsequent Census enumerations for her before 1860 remain to be found. Mary L. "Polly" Morton would not marry Lewis Martin until 2 January 1811. The Census enumerations for her before 1850 also remain to be found. These three Morton children were obviously much older than Azariah Graves Morton, born in 1804.

Azariah Graves Morton is the youngest of the three children of Josiah Morton with known birth dates. Azariah Graves Morton must therefore almost certainly be the son under the age of 10 enumerated in 1810. All evidence indicates that he was the last of the children born to Josiah Morton. It is tempting to think that Elizabeth Morton, who did not marry until 8 November 1834, was the Josiah Morton daughter under the age of 10 in 1810. If so, she was certainly "elderly" when she finally married. This suggests that (1) she was personally unattractive; (2) her father had few goods with which to make her financially attractive to prospective suitors; or (3) she remained at home longer than her sisters to help care for an aging parent.

But even the existing documents that enumerate the members of the household of Josiah Morton at various times appear flawed. It is very hard to make sense of the Josiah Morton Census enumerations without concluding that there must be minor but misleading errors in several of them.

The 1800 Census Enumeration for Josiah Morton's Household:

The 1810 Census enumeration for Josiah Morton's Household:

In 1810, the Josiah Morton in Caswell County, NC had living in his household 3 males aged 16-26, 1 female aged 16-26, 3 males aged 10-16, 1 female 10-16, 1 female under 10, and one male under 10. This information can be read in several ways. (One possibility that must be pointed out is that one of Josiah's married children might have been living with him, with his or her spouse, and perhaps with at least one child.) Unless he had married a very young second wife, the female aged 16-26 cannot have been the second wife, particularly as the household also included a female over 45. It is impossible to know whether Josiah Morton's second wife survived the birth of her son Azariah Graves Morton on 23 March 1804, but available evidence suggests she died while Azariah Graves Morton was either an infant or very young.

It is important to point out that no land conveyance by Josiah Morton ever included a dower release by a wife. The known land conveyances in Prince Edward County, VA were 19 January 1793____. The known land conveyances in Caswell County, NC were 23 July 1799, 29 January 1800, 1 November 1803 and 10 April 1809. The critical conveyance in Caswell County, NC was the one on 1 November 1803, when Josiah Morton's wife would have been around five months pregnant with a son to be born in late March 1804. It is possible that she was unable to travel to sign a dower release, and that her death during childbirth or shortly afterward made a subsequent dower release irrelevant as well as impossible. But the argument against a death in 1804 or 1805 is that she appears to have been still alive in 1810 unless the woman aged over 45 was someone else.

Taking all these facts into account, the three males ages 16-26 perhaps included Joseph Morton and two yet unknown brothers. Ann L. "Nancy" Morton Richmond had married in 1805, and Step Morton had married in 1809. The female aged 16-26 was almost certainly Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin, born 18 February 1790, which would have made her 20 for this Census enumeration. The three males aged 10-16 simply cannot be identified from available information, nor can the female aged 10-16 unless she is Elizabeth Morton Satterfield. The male under 10 is obviously Azariah Graves Morton, born in 1804. But if the female under 10 is Elizabeth, she cannot also be the female aged 10-16. We are therefore left again with the tentative conclusion that we are missing six children of Josiah Morton who are alive for the 1810 Census and would have been alive for the 1800 Census: two sons aged 16-26 in 1810, three sons aged 10-16 and a daughter aged 10-16.

The 1820 Census Enumeration for Josiah Morton's Household:

In 1820, Josiah Morton's household included 1 male aged 16-25, 2 females aged 16-25 and 1 male aged 10-15. Almost certainly the male aged 16-25 was Azariah Graves Morton, who had been born in 1804 and would have been 16. One of the females aged 16-25 might have been Elizabeth Morton, who must have been older than Azariah Graves Morton as all evidence indicates this. The other woman in this 16-25 age bracket cannot be identified. The male aged 10-15 cannot be identified unless the Census enumerator made a mistake and this was Azariah Graves Morton. One theory is certainly that the second woman aged 16-25 had been widowed, but this would require that she could have been married at 16 or so in order to have been included unmarried in the Josiah Morton household in 1810. Another alternative reading is that the age of Azariah Graves Morton was given incorrectly, and that he was the male aged 10-15. This theory would permit a married couple to have been living in the Josiah Morton household. But the easiest reading is that we are missing for 1820 one son and one daughter of Josiah Morton who were still alive in that year.

The 1830 Census Enumeration for Josiah Morton's Household:

In 1830, Josiah Morton's household included 1 female aged 30-39, 1 female aged 20-29, 1 male aged 15-19 and one male under 5. A possible reading of this enumeration is that this household included either a widowed daughter with a young grandson, or a married daughter (aged 20-29) who was at least a year older than her husband (aged 15-19). Otherwise the male under the age of 5 cannot be easily explained. But Azariah Graves Morton would have been 26, and therefore can only be the male aged 15-19 unless the enumerator made a very big mistake and omitted him entirely. The female aged 20-29 was most likely Elizabeth Morton Satterfield, who did not marry until 1834. But the woman aged 30-39 and the male under 5 cannot be identified from any information now available.

The Joseph Morton Problem:

We do not have a firm birth date or death date for Joseph Morton, and no tombstone is known for him. He was still alive in 1860, when he was stated to be 72 and was living in the household of Thomas Russell Morton, perhaps his third son, in Chattooga County, GA. Almost certainly his wife was then dead. In fact, she was almost certainly dead before 1850 as she is not listed in Joseph Morton's household in Chattooga County, GA in 1850. The 1850 and 1860 Census returns give inconsistent information about Joseph Morton's age, as Joseph Morton was stated to be 60 in the 1850 Census but stated to be 72 in the 1860 Census. It is thus likely he was born ca. 1789, though we are left with a two-year discrepancy. We know that Mary L. "Polly" Morton was just under 21 when she married on 2 January 1811. There is certainly room for one or more unknown Morton children born between Ann B. "Nancy" Morton Richmond's birth on 14 March 1785 and the birth of Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin on 18 February 1790. Alternatively, it is possible that Joseph Morton was simply a twin to Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin.

The most puzzling fact is the fact that five Morton sons were stated to be under the age of 10 in 1800. Only two of these can be identified with any confidence, Joseph Morton and probably Josiah Morton; it would have required a huge mistake for the Census enumeration to have stated that Step Morton, who must have been born around 1785, was under the age of 10 in 1800. Step Morton must instead have been one of the two males aged 10-15 in 1800.

We are therefore left with four missing Morton sons who were under the age of 10 in 1800, as well as a missing Morton son who was aged 10-15 in 1800. It seems unlikely that all five of these Josiah Morton sons would have died young, and a careful reading of the household enumeration for Josiah Morton in 1810 also shows five unnamed males, two aged 16-26 and three aged 10-16. And other evidence indicates there is at least one Josiah Morton daughter who cannot yet be named but was alive in both 1810 and 1820.

Any male Morton with uncertain parentage who married in the Person County, Caswell County, or Rockingham County area around 1815 must be considered a likely prospect. We must also consider any male Morton known to have been born in either Virginia or North Carolina who ended up in Tennessee. (It is also possible that a Josiah Morton son might have returned to Virginia to marry a maternal cousin or a family friend.) This means that any Morton marriage in the Virginia counties along the North Carolina border should also be considered.

Joyce Harrison's information about Morton marriage bonds in Caswell County, NC and Person County, NC shows marriages by a John Morton in July 1813, another John Morton in January 1820 and a William Morton in December 1822. Could at least one of these men have been one of the missing Josiah Morton sons? Only one of the John Mortons seems a possibility, as the "missing" Morton sons of Josiah Morton were still in his household in 1810 but apparently no longer there in 1820.

Assuming these men were approximately 21 when they married, the first John Morton should have been born around 1792, the second John Morton should have been born around 1799, and the William Morton should have been born around 1801. There is no evidence suggesting that any missing son of Josiah Morton was born after 1800, so there is a second reason for eliminating this William Morton as one of the possible missing sons. Only a careful analysis of evidence tending to prevent either of the John Mortons from being the son of any other Morton father living in Caswell County, NC at the time would help support the argument he might have been a son of Josiah Morton.

Tentative Conclusion:

We are clearly left with the intriguing possibility that in addition to the six children we can now attribute to Josiah Morton there are six others who remain to be identified: a son born between 1785 and 1790, four sons born between 1790 and 1800 and a daughter. The mysterious Josiah Morton who shows up in Rockingham County, NC may be one of the missing sons as he seems to have been born during the 1790s, but who are the others? Did one unmarried son of Josiah Morton travel with Step Morton to Tennessee around 1811? Unless they died unmarried and not owning property between 1810 and 1820, these Morton sons should appear somewhere in land records, Census records or marriage records. Finding the missing Morton daughter could be much more difficult, but we must remember that we still lack a marriage record for Joseph Morton.

Is There an Hereditary Tendency Toward Twins Among the Descendants of Josiah Morton?

We know that Josiah Morton's son Azariah Graves Morton had twin sons born in November 1862, who both died young. It also seems likely that there is at least one set of twins among the descendants of Josiah Morton's daughter Ann B. "Nancy" Morton Richmond, two grandsons born in August 1860. There is a third set of twins among the descendants of Josiah Morton's son Joseph Morton, granddaughters born in May 1897. This raises anew the possibility that either Step Morton or Joseph Morton might have been a twin to a sister, Step Morton a twin to Ann B. "Nancy" Morton Richmond or Joseph Morton a twin to Mary L. "Polly" Morton Martin. If Step Morton were the twin, this fact could help explain why three of Josiah Morton's children ended up moving to Tennessee.

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