Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
Creator: | Morrow, David Sr. Family |
Title: | David Morrow, Sr. Family Papers |
Dates: | 1818-1938 |
Extent: | 0.41 linear feet (1 container and 1 oversize folder) |
Abstract: | David Morrow Sr. was the son of John Morrow and brother of John Morrow Jr. and William Morrow. The family originated in Knock, parish of Castlenagh, County Down, Ireland. William Morrow emigrated to Virginia, and with family friend Alexander J. Stewart, who had settled in New York City, corresponded with the remaining Morrow family members in Ireland. The David Morrow Sr. family, including David Sr., his wife Abigail, and their children, David Jr., William, and Abigail, emigrated from Belfast, Ireland in 1832, and were settled in Euclid, Ohio, by 1833, where they farmed. David Morrow Jr. and his brother William, continued to farm after the death of their father in 1836, eventually acquiring their own land in Glenville, near Cleveland, Ohio. David Morrow Jr. married Eliza Shade, and they had three children; David Wilson, Abigail, and Eliza Lillie. David Wilson Morrow attended Shaw Academy in East Cleveland, and graduated from the Case School of Applied Science in 1890. He went into practice in Cleveland as a civil and architectural engineer, establishing the firm of Morrow and Cross. He was an active member of the Cleveland Engineering Society, the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, and the Cleveland Automobile Club. He married Ruby Jessamine Adams in 1905, and they had four children, two of whom survived, Ruth and David. The collection consists of genealogical and biographical sketches, correspondence, appointment books, tax returns and other financial papers, probate record journals, wills, deeds, trust and estate agreements, land plats and other real estate papers, minutes, transcripts, and other legal documents. |
MS Number | MS 4803 |
Location: | closed stacks |
Language: | The records are in English |
David Morrow, Sr. (d. 1836), was the son of John Morrow and brother of John, Jr. and William. The Morrow family originated in Knock, the parish of Castlenagh, in County Down. At the time of their emigration from Ireland, they were living in Belfast and were members of the Third Presbyterian Church.
The family corresponded with relatives for at least ten years prior to their arrival in America. David Sr.'s brother, William, was apparently the first to leave Ireland for America. He settled in Goochland, and later Richmond, Virginia. He may have enlisted in the United States Army as there are hints of this in his letters to the elder David Morrow in Ireland. David Sr. and William corresponded for several years prior to the arrival of the Morrows in the United States. The most notable of family correspondents was Alexander J. Stewart. The Morrows had befriended and entertained him on numerous occasions, and this relationship was a beneficial one for the Morrow family. Alexander J. Stewart settled in New York City in 1818. He was largely responsible for financial and moral support of the Morrows upon their arrival in America, particularly a nephew and some nieces of David Sr., William Gillmore and Rebecca and Sarah Morrow.
The Morrow family emigrated from Belfast, Ireland, in the late summer of 1832. The family included David Sr.; his wife; and their children, David Jr., William, and Abigail. They were settled in Euclid, Ohio, by 1833. They were a farming family. David Sr. died in 1836.
David Morrow, Jr. (d. ca. 1911) immigrated to America with his family. He and his brother, William, continued to farm after the death of their father. In 1848, they acquired their own land from John Gillman of Glenville, Ohio. William died ca. 1850s and David, Jr. became sole heir of the land. He married Eliza Shade (1837-1926) towards the end of the Civil War. There is no record that David Jr. served in the war. David, Jr. and Eliza had at least three children, David Wilson, Abigail (married to Charles Lucas), and Eliza Lillie (married to Edwin Selfe, divorced in July 1900). David, Jr. died ca. 1911. Eliza Shade Morrow died in November 1926.
David Wilson Morrow (1866-1939), the son of David Morrow, Jr. and Eliza Shade, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 3, 1866. He attended Presbyterian-sponsored Shaw Academy in East Cleveland. He entered the Case School of Applied Science in 1890, serving as class treasurer and graduating with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1893. He went into practice as a civil and architectural engineer. Over the course of several years, the firm of Morrow and Cross was responsible for the structural engineering of many local shops, warehouses, and other industrial and commercial complexes. He was an active member of the Cleveland Engineering Society, the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, and the Cleveland Automobile Club, one of the founding organizations of the American Automobile Association (AAA). He married Ruby Jessamine Adams (d. 1918), daughter of Arthur Adams and Diana Elizabeth Green (d. 1915), on June 28, 1905, in Brecksville, Ohio. They had four children, two of whom survived, Ruth (married Braun) and David. David Wilson Morrow died on July 7, 1939, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The David Morrow, Sr. Family Papers, 1818-1938, consist of genealogical and biographical sketches; correspondence; appointment books; tax returns and other financial papers; probate record journals; wills; deeds; trust and estate agreements; land plats and other real estate papers; and minutes, transcripts, and other legal documents.
This collection is of value to researchers studying the genealogy of the Morrow family of the Cleveland, Ohio, area. It is also of interest to those studying the history of immigration to the United States, and specifically, Irish emigration from Northern Ireland. The sociological and historical perspectives of this collection relate to the nineteenth and early twentieth century environments of Belfast, Ireland; New York City, New York; Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; and Cleveland (including Euclid, East Cleveland, and the village of Glenville), Ohio.
The William Morrow and Alexander J. Stewart letters provide the researcher with a contrast between life on the early American frontier and the vibrant life of immigrants found in New York City. These letters are written from the viewpoint of Irish immigrants to the Morrow family, while still living in Belfast, and later, East Cleveland. Among Alexander J. Stewart letters is one dated October 30, 1824, that mentions Lafayette's visit to New York City. Researchers interested in women's history will find accounts of an immigrant Irishwoman's daily life of interest, first in her native Belfast, Ireland, and later in New York City and in East Cleveland, Ohio, contained in the Abigail Morrow Correspondence.
Other family correspondence offers the researcher a broad view of the personal and public lives of the Morrow family in Ireland and America through letters of introduction and correspondence. Of special interest to Irish historians is mention of the beginnings of the Great Famine. The Morrow family financial, probate, and real estate records reveal personal details of the family's struggles and triumphs through deeds, wills, divorce papers, appointment books, purchase agreements, and other documents.
Genealogists will find some worthy notes in Series II: Financial, Legal, and Miscellaneous Records, David W. Morrow documents. The legal records of the Morrow family will be useful to those who are researching the legal system and court case transcripts of the early twentieth century. Local historians might be interested in the minutes of a village meeting held in Glenville, Ohio, on December 20, 1900.
None.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4803 David Morrow, Sr. Family Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Ruth Morrow Braun, 1992 and 1993
Processed by Richard B. Robertson in 1999
Series I: Personal Correspondence 1818-1872 undated |
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Sub-series A: David Morrow, Sr. 1818-1823 undated |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 1 | Morrow, William, correspondent 1819 undated | |||||||||
1 | 2 | Stewart, Alexander J., correspondent 1818-1823 | |||||||||
Sub-series B: David Morrow, Jr. 1823-1877 |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 3 | Morrow cousins, correspondents 1844-1877 | |||||||||
1 | 4 | Stewart, Alexander J., correspondent, to Belfast, Ireland 1823-1832 | |||||||||
1 | 5 | Stewart, Alexander J., correspondent, to East Cleveland, Ohio 1833-1872 | |||||||||
Sub-series C: Abigail Morrow 1835-1868 |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 6 | Family and friends, correspondents 1835-1868 | |||||||||
Sub-series D: Other Family Correspondence 1831-1837 |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 7 | Letters of introduction and correspondence from friends 1831-1837 |
Series II: Financial, Legal, and Miscellaneous Records, David W. Morrow 1890-1927 1931 1936 |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 8 | Alumni record 1915 | |||||||||
1 | 8 | Engineering design directions 1920 | |||||||||
1 | 9 | Appointment books 1931 1936 | |||||||||
1 | 10 | Income tax returns 1913-1916 | |||||||||
1 | 11 | Minutes from Glenville village meeting 1900 | |||||||||
1 | 11 | Transcripts, court cases involving Morrow family 1900-1927 | |||||||||
1 | 12 | Receipts 1890-1927 |
Series III: Probate Records, Morrow Family 1900-1934 |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 13 | Probate journal, David W. Morrow 1915-1934 | |||||||||
1 | 14 | Wills; divorce papers, and trust agreements of Morrow family: David Morrow Jr., Eliza Morrow, and Eliza Lillie Morrow 1900-1929 |
Series IV: Real Estate Records, Morrow Family 1848-1938 |
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Box | Folder | ||||||||||
1 | 15 | Deeds 1848-1938 | |||||||||
1 | 16 | Land plats, Cleveland, Ohio; Morrow family property (Originals housed in Oversize Folder 1.) ca. 1900-1938 | |||||||||
1 | 17 | Receipts 1914-1938 |