Ross Morton

This is the story of my grandfather, Ross Morton, who was born in 1885, the third of five children of Samuel (1848-1913) and Sue (Smith) Morton (1848-1924) of Ohio County, Kentucky. This story is constructed from information that my grandfather wrote down before he died and from what I have been able to piece together.

Biography of Ross Morton

Richard Morton Sr.

The Morton family is descended from the Morton's of County Durham in the north of England (see map below). Durham is a land of desolate moors, barren rolling hills and steep cliffs running to the North Sea. In the mid-1700's the people of County Durham were mainly poor farmers and later coal miners as many still are today.

Richard Morton Sr. (1749-1828) was born in County Durham, England on July 3, 1749. In the years from 1749 to the mid-1760's, when Richard Morton Sr. was growing up in County Durham, the English went to war twice with France and Spain. The Morton's able-bodied sons were possibly conscripted by the Queen's army to fight these battles. In the second war, which later came to be known as the French and Indian War ending in 1763, England defeated France and won all of the land in North America east of the Mississippi river. This land, which included Kentucky, had formerly been claimed by France. It was settled mainly by French trappers. The French trappers built many trading posts along the major waterways including the Green River. The village of Ceralvo on the Green River was one of these French trading posts. It is very likely that the French and Indian War was the stimulus for the founding of the Morton family in America. After the French and Indian War, George III, King of England, bestowed many land grants in the newly acquired territories of North America as a reward to his loyal subjects, principally those who had fought in the Wars. Richard Morton Sr. of County Durham, England, or perhaps his father or brothers, evidently received such a grant.

In the late-1770's, Richard Morton Sr. settled somewhere near the French trading post of Ceralvo on the Green river in what would later become Ohio County, Kentucky. He settled, we believe, on the land of his original land-grant which was probably about six thousand acres (~10 sq. miles). The map below merely illustrates the size of such a land-grant. We do not know the actual boundaries other than the assumption that it probably bordered Ceralvo and encompassed the land that we eventually knew as the Morton "homeplace" along Green River west of Ceralvo.

Just getting to this area of Kentucky in those days would have been a major undertaking. Richard Morton Sr. probably didn't get to Kentucky until after 1775 when Daniel Boone and a team of about 30 axe-men were hired by the Transylvania Company to build what would come to be called the Wilderness Road. This road stretched from Virginia to Lexington, Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap and took several years to build. Richard Morton Sr. at the age of about 26 or 27 was quite probably one of the estimated 200, 000+ settlers that used Daniel Boone's Wilderness road to settle the Ohio Valley.

We are not sure whether Richard had his grant of land in Kentucky when he left his home in England and came to America sometime before his 21st birthday in about 1770. He arrived just prior to the American Revolution and we do not know what his politics were. However, it seems likely that Richard would have been a British Loyalist, having just arrived and probably wanting to either get or keep the grant of land he was eventually to acquire.

We know that in about 1770, Richard Morton Sr. married Margaret Downs. They most likely met and married somewhere in Maryland or Virginia before they moved to Kentucky. However, we know little about Margaret Down's background or the period of time between Richard's arrival from England and his coming to Kentucky. We know that Richard and Margaret had two children who were probably born in Maryland or Virginia before the family made its way west to Kentucky. The children were:

o Richard Morton Jr, the first son, was born on July 10, 1772 when his father Richard Sr. was 23 years old. We know nothing of Richard Jr's life except that he died in 1840 at the age of 68.

o Thomas Morton, the second son (who was my great-great-grandfather & Ross Morton's grandfather) was born two years later on February 10, 1774. He died in February, 1856 at the age of 72. Unfortunately, Ross Morton never knew his grandfather.

Richard Morton Sr's first wife, Margaret Downs Morton, died in the late 1770's. He subsequently remarried Mehetabel Luce (whom we also know little about) in about 1780. They had five more children; William (1782-____), Samuel (1783-___), Isaac (1785-1871), David (1789-____) and Mary Morton Calhoun (1798-____).

Most likely, Richard Morton Sr. was primarily a farmer but we also know that as a substantial land owner, he was a prominent local figure. For example, we know that in 1803, Richard Morton Sr. served as a Grand Juror at the first term of the Hartford Circuit Court for the counties of Ohio and Breckinridge, Kentucky. We also know that he was granted a license in about 1800 to operate a ferry across the Green River near his home at Ceralvo.

Thomas Morton

Thomas Morton, the second son of Richard Morton Sr., and his first wife Margaret Downs, was born on February 10, 1774 at Ceralvo, Kentucky, and died in February, 1856 at the age of 72.

In about 1798, Thomas Morton married Miss Garner Ashby (1775-1864) and they had eight children; Margaret, Sallie, Richard, Ann, Jessee, Elizabeth, Minerva, and Thomas Ross Morton (grandfather and namesake of my grandfather Ross Morton). Thomas and his wife Garner were charter members in 1814 of the Walton Creek Baptist Church, near Centertown, Kentucky.

By an interesting twist of fate, your author (Doug Ross) happens to be related to Thomas Morton through two separate genealogical lines that both connect at Thomas Morton. My mother's father is Ross Morton the great-grandson of Thomas Morton. And, Thomas Morton's eldest daughter Margaret married a man named Joseph Ross who it turns out was the great-grandfather of my grand-father Eck Ross. We also know that my grandfathers (Ross Morton and Eck Ross) were friends and probably hang out together.

Thomas Ross Morton

Thomas Ross Morton, the seventh of the eight children of Thomas Morton and Garner Ashby Morton, was born on April 30, 1811 and died on February 2, 1875 at the age of 64. In October, 1832, at the age of 21, Thomas Ross Morton married Nancy Bradley Rhoads (1814-1890). They were married for 43 years and had eleven children, the youngest of which was Samuel Morton (Ross Morton's father).

Thomas Ross Morton was a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln who was born in 1809 on a farm about 100 miles to the east of Ceralvo near Hodgensville, Kentucky. Lincoln's family later moved to Indiana, just north of Owensboro, about 60 miles from the Morton homestead. This time was also the era of a number of other famous frontiersmen and folk heroes from Kentucky including Daniel Boone, Kit Carson and Judge Roy Bean. It is not inconceivable that our ancestors knew some of all of these men.

Samuel Morton

Samuel Morton was born on the Morton farm in Ceralvo on April 25, 1848. In 1868, at the age of 20, Samuel Morton married Sue Smith (1848-1924). Sue Smith was the daughter of John Everett Vaught Smith (1812-1895) and his wife Elizabeth (1815-1883) who were probably from around Livermore, Kentucky. Samuel and Sue Morton eventually had five children, the third of which was my grandfather, Ross Morton.

o William E. Morton was born in 1873 and died in 1905 at the age of 32. William's first wife, Bertha Kimbley died childless at an early age. William subsequently married Price Garrett and they had one son, Samuel Kimbley Morton.

o Ida Morton Barnard was born in 1878 and died in ____ at the age of __. Ida married Thaddeus Ross Barnard. They had two daughters Mary and Ethel Barnard. They lived most of their lives in or around the Green River towns of Island and Livermore, Kentucky.

o Ross Morton was born in 1885 and died in 1977 at the age of 92.

o John T. Morton was born 1888 and died in 1957 at the age of 69. John married Lucy Withrow and they had three children William Morton, Andy (Morton) Missinne, and Thomas Ross Morton.

o Vig P. Morton was born in 1891 and died in 1962 at the age of 71. Vig married Beulah Addington and they had no children.

Ross Morton

Ross Morton was born on April 9th, 1885 on his father Sam Morton's farm in Ohio County Kentucky. Sam Morton's home place was about one and one-half miles north of the Green River in an area that was known then as "Smokey." Smokey was probably a small remnant of the original land-grant given to Ross Morton's great-great-grandfather Richard Morton 115 years and three generations earlier.

Ross Morton's Early Years At Smokey

From 1885 to 1893, the first eight years of Ross' life, the Morton family lived on their farm at Smokey where Ross was born.

To put the time in historical perspective, when Ross Morton was born Grover Cleveland was the 22nd President of the United States and there were only 38 states in the Union. During Ross' lifetime the western United States would be settled and 12 new states added to the union. It wasn't until 1886, for example that the American Indian legend Geronimo surrendered to General Nelson Miles.

Sam Morton, who was undoubtedly a "populist" democrat like most other men in rural Kentucky at the time, would not have been pleased when Benjamin Harrison was elected President in 1889. It's likely that Ross Morton's life-long affiliation with the Democrat political party had its roots in these early days and was influenced greatly by his father.

In 1891 at the age of 6, Ross began attending the Hickory Ridge School near Smokey. The kinds of current events he probably learned there could have included that the Statue of Liberty had just been erected in New York harbor in 1886. At about the same time in 1891, a man named James Naismith, from Ohio, was inventing a new game called basketball that would become an important part of the life of future Morton boys and almost a "religion" in their home state of Kentucky.

Sam Morton Buys "The River Farm"

On January 1, 1893, Sam Morton sold the old home place at Smokey and bought a 178 acre farm of fertile bottom lands on the banks of Green River about two miles west of the town of Ceralvo where his ancestors had first settled. From then on they called it "The River Farm."

In later years, Sam Morton bought three adjoining tracts of land on the west side of the original 178 acre tract, eventually expanding the farm to a total of about 306 acres. My grandfather, Ross Morton, was later famous for remembering details about property purchases and sales. In his notes about his life he recalled the following details of land purchases his father had made when he was just a boy.

o Sam Morton first bought 62 1/2 acres from Marion Kimberly in the area that eventually became the Kimberly Coal Mines. This sight eventually also showed promise of having oil and gas deposits. Ross sold options for oil and gas exploration on this land several times in later years. Incredibly, Ross also lived long enough and retained ownership of "The River Farm" long enough to actually sell the timber on this property twice in his own lifetime.

o Next, Sam bought a second 62 1/2 acre tract which had been known as the R.H (Jesse) Everly Farm.

o And finally, Sam bought a 3 acre tract on Green River from J.R. Hunter in a place known well to every hunter and fisherman in the area, as the Rock House.

Growing Up On "The River Farm"

From 1893 to 1905, Ross grew to manhood living on and helping his father and three brothers work "The River Farm."

In addition to farming during those twelve years, Ross recounted the adventure of three times cutting timber on the farm, rafting it and floating it down Green River to its mouth on the Ohio where his father sold the timber to raise needed cash. Although Western Kentucky was probably a fairly isolated place in those days, on these adventures and in other ways some national and international events of the times undoubtedly made it even to Ceralvo. For example, this was the period of the Spanish American war, Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, Orville Wright's first airplane flight and the assassination of President William McKinley.

This period of Kentucky's history between about 1890 and the early 1900's when Ross was growing up, was one of turmoil centered on the tobacco industry. Farmers in western Kentucky (like Sam Morton) who had relied on Tobacco as a main cash crop were revolting against the big tobacco company's abusive pricing and purchasing practices. The turmoil culminated in what was called The Black Patch Wars of 1906-1909 in which night-riding bands of "terrorists" controlled the production of tobacco and brought the big companies to terms with the growers, persecuting any growers who did not agree with them. We do not know if Sam Morton either participated as a night-rider or experienced their wrath?

Ross' Elementary Education

When the Morton's moved to "The River Farm" in 1893, Ross began attending Bunker Hill School on Hunter's shoal. The Bunker Hill School was about 1 1/2 miles west and mid-way between the Morton farm and the river town of Smallhouse. From the age of eight, Ross Morton walked those one and one-half miles [one way] to school each day. I can also imagine that he sometimes also went on to Smallhouse in the afternoon to do some fishing.

Hartford College

In the winters of 1903-1904 and 1904-1905, when Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States, Ross Morton, then 18 and 19 years old, was still living at home on "The River Farm" with his parents. However, with the winter lull in farming and Sam Morton's apparent good fortune to be able to finance Ross' further education, Ross was able to attend what was then known as Hartford College (the rough equivalent of today's high-school), in Hartford, Kentucky.

The town of Hartford was only about twenty miles east and slightly north of "The River Farm" but it required Ross to take a room at a boarding house in Hartford for the winter in order to attend school. This was Ross' first time to be away from his home for any extended period and I recall myself that Ross spoke of this time very fondly. It was there at Hartford College that Ross learned the reading, writing, math and logic skills which would set him apart from other men of the era and formed the basis for the rest of his life's work.

The Ceralvo Store

From spring until late fall in those years of 1903 to 1905, Ross continued to help on his fathers farm until he went back to school in Hartford. In addition, Ross' brother William E. Morton owned a general store in Ceralvo and Ross worked part-time for his brother at the store in those same years.

The year 1905 must have been a difficult one for Ross because in that year his older brother William, who had owned the store in Ceralvo, died unexpectedly and must have left Ross with some weighty decisions. It was about this same time that Ross must have decided that it was time for him to go out on his own.

July 4th, 1905 - Livermore, Kentucky

Ida Morton, Ross' sister, (who was a very pretty girl and who according to Ross had been courted by a number of young men) married a prominent merchant from the nearby Green River town of Livermore named Thaddeus Ross Barnard.

Armed with his newly acquired Hartford College education, his experience working part-time in his Brother William's Ceralvo store, and his natural gift for numbers, Ross Morton decided to go to work for his sister's new husband. It seems that Thad Barnard owned the general store in Livermore, Kentucky and, thanks probably to his sister; Ross Morton would have his first real job and his first chance to strike out on his own.

On the 4th of July 1905, at the age of twenty, Ross left his boyhood home at "The River Farm" and moved to Livermore to begin his new independent life.

The Courting of Bessie Atherton

The years from 1905 to 1907 must have been a good time for Ross Morton. He was a tall, dark and handsome, educated, eligible young bachelor with a good job, money in his pocket and hardly a care in the world.

Ross Morton had a beautiful bay horse which he use to ride out on Sunday's to visit the available young ladies in the area around Livermore, Island and Centertown, Kentucky. According to my grandmother Bessie (and also to my other grandmother Mary Casebier Ross), sometimes Ross Morton and my other grandfather, Eck Ross, would ride together on Sunday's and visit my prospective grandmothers (among others).

They were both handsome young men, very eligible bachelors and eventually married the two best looking young ladies in the area (my grandmothers).

1907 - Ross Morton marries Bessie Atherton

Bessie Atherton[1] was the petite and very feminine daughter of James & Lydia Jane Atherton from Livermore, Kentucky. Bessie was the fifth of eight children born to the Athertons. Her father, James Atherton, was a worker in a chair factory.

Bessie was born on December 1, 1883, at Livermore, Kentucky. Bessie was a little older than most brides (at 24) and two years senior to the highly sought after Mr. Ross Morton when she agreed to marry him in April of 1907. Ross and Bessie were married in Livermore, Kentucky in April, 1907. He was 22 years old, had a good job, and now a fine lady.

Ross and Bessie Morton 1907

Ross and Bessie lived in Livermore for the first three years of their marriage while Ross continued to work at the Barnard store. During this time their first two children were born:

o On December 31, 1907 their first son Eugene R. Morton was born. Eugene lived most of his life in or around Ohio county Kentucky and died in ____ at the age of __.

o Two years later in 1909, their second son Douglas Reid Morton (whom I was named after) was born. Douglas was electrocuted in a tragic construction accident in 1936 at the age of 27.

At about this same time two men were starting a new industry that would later pay a big part in Ross Morton's life. In 1908, first William Durant founded General Motors and later Henry Ford produced his first Model T Ford Automobile. Ross Morton loved his automobiles.

1910 - Ross Struck By Illness

In January, 1910 at the age of 25, Ross Morton came down with a severe case of what was probably pneumonia. He was so sick that at one point the doctors didn't expect him to live. Sadly, antibiotics like Penicillin, which could easily have cured him, were not discovered until about 1928 and then not commercialized until WWII in the 1940's.

Somehow, with Bessie's loving care, Ross Morton survived. However, he was unable to continue working at the Barnard store in Livermore and his wife Bessie had to move their young family back to Sam Morton's farm on Green River. They lived on the farm for one very difficult year while Ross gradually recovered from his illness.

1911 - Central City, Kentucky

After recovering from his illness, Ross got a job as an agent for The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Central City, Kentucky.

Central City was and still is the biggest town in the area south of Owensboro. Ross moved his wife and family to Central City and they lived there for about two years while he worked for Metropolitan Life. Relatively speaking, it must have been quite an adjustment for "country" people like the Mortons to have their first taste of "city" life, although Central City at the time probably had a population of less than one thousand people.

Ross once told me that his job as an Insurance Agent was the type known as a "debit-man" where he made a weekly circuit, called his debit, collecting nickel and dime premiums from policy holders, many of whom could barely keep bread on the table for their families. They probably didn't really need the insurance that Ross was selling, except perhaps to cover funeral expenses. But Ross clearly needed the income to keep bread on the table for his family. The tiny commission he made on his insurance "debit" must have been extremely hard to live on, but somehow the Morton's got by as they always would.

While living in Central City, Ross and Bessie had their third son, James Walton Morton. Walt was born on November 30, 1912.

1913 - Death of Ross' Father Sam Morton

On June 20, 1913, Ross' father Sam Morton died unexpectedly at the age of 65 of what was probably a heart attack. In September of that same year, at the age of 28, Ross moved his family of five (Ross, Bessie, Eugene, Douglas and Walt) back to the Morton family farm to help his mother with the farm and he thought to continue in his fathers footsteps.

For three years from 1913 to 1916, Ross apparently struggled to work the three hundred acre family farm. During this time back on the farm, Ross and Bessie's first daughter Virginia was born in 1915. Virginia tragically contracted the childhood disease of diphtheria. (Diphtheria could easily have been prevented by immunization but no such immunization was commonly available in those days.) Virginia died in 1922 at the age of seven. This was the first of two tragic deaths of their eight children that Ross and Bessie would have to endure. Douglas later died in a construction accident.

1916 - Ross Takes Bookkeeping Job for the Coal Companies

Ross Morton was a bright and relatively well educated man of the time and probably not really cut out to be a farmer. Consequently, in November of 1916, at the age of 31, Ross quit farming forever and took his first job as a bookkeeper for what was then The Kimberly Coal Company.

There followed a succession of bookkeeping and administrative jobs with various coal companies in and around the Green River area as these companies strip-mined the vast expanse of coal in the western Kentucky area. In those days, the mines left a legacy of barren and wasted land behind them that future generations are only now beginning to restore to a semblance of their former natural beauty. The mines moved from one vein to another and the people who worked the mines followed. Ross was no exception:

o In 1916, Ross' first job was at the mines in nearby Equality, Kentucky.

o In 1917, Ross moved to the Kimberly mines (nearby the Morton family farm and the land that his father had purchased from Marian Kimberly in the late 1890's).

While working at the Kimberly mines and living at the old Morton family farm, two more of what would eventually be eight Morton children were born.

o Roger Morton was born on February 7, 1918.

o Samuel Morton was born on November 20, 1919.

World War I

The United States entered WWI in 1917. At the age of 32, Ross was too old and had too many dependents to be called to military service. Thankfully Eugene, at the age of 10, was too young to serve. However, World War I nevertheless did have its effect on the Morton family.

In early 1922, out of work in the post World War I depression, at the age of 37 and with six children ranging in age from Eugene at 15 to Sam at 3, Ross and Bessie first moved to what my family ultimately came to think of as the Morton family "home" in Centertown, Kentucky. It was here that Virginia died in 1922 at the age of seven. It was an era of contradictions. On the one hand, it was the "roaring twenties" with all its enthusiasm, introduction of Prohibition in 1920, bootleggers, and great liberation, women's suffrage and the Constitutional amendment giving women the vote. On the other hand it was a tragic time. With senseless death like that of Virginia on the one hand and on the other hand during this period between 1918 and 1920 there was a global influenza "pandemic" which is estimated to have killed almost 22 million people worldwide.

In the fall of 1922, Ross found work, again as a bookkeeper, with The Phoenix Coal Company and was forced to move to Nonnel, Kentucky (near Central City) where they lived until the spring of 1924. It was here at Nonnel, Kentucky in March of 1924 that a second daughter, Nancy Sue Morton (my mother) was born to Ross and Bessie, just two years after the death of Virginia.

In June of 1924, now with seven children and Nancy just a baby, Ross moved back to Centertown, Kentucky and took a job as a bookkeeper and a day rail man for The Morrison Coal Company.

1926-Migration of Kentucky Men to Detroit

In the late 1920's times began to get tough for the coal mines of western Kentucky and consequently for the entire local economy. By 1926, the Hawley-McIssac Coal Company, which had bought out The Morrison Coal Company and which Ross Morton then worked for at the time, went bankrupt and closed their mines.

So in 1926, at the age of 41, with the mines closing and no work to be found in Kentucky and a family of nine to feed, Ross Morton, like thousands of other Kentucky men at the time decided to go to Detroit to get work at the booming new Automobile factories pumping out the cars for the flappers and the "Gadsby's" of the roaring twenties. Ross worked in the Automobile factories in Detroit for a little over one year and didn't like it at all. Some stayed on and made new lives there, but Ross Morton longed to be back in Kentucky.

1927 - Return to Kentucky

In May 1927, a man Ross Morton respectfully referred to as Mr. Stirling Lanier (and who obviously influenced Ross' life) was appointed as Receiver for the bankrupt Hawley-McIssac Coal Company and decided to reopen that company's mines near Centertown, Kentucky. Ross jumped at the chance to come back home to Centertown and to go to work for Mr. Lanier as a bookkeeper. He took the job at the newly re-opened mine even though he knew the company was still in bankruptcy and it might be temporary work. It didn't matter, it was going home.

The Centertown mine managed to stay open for only about two years before finally having to close again, this time for good in 1929 not coincidentally at near the beginning of the great depression. Ross stayed on with Mr. Lanier into 1929 looking after the liquidation of the mine for him and taking care of the sale of the mining equipment for "junk" as he described it. Although he probably didn't know it at the time, the coal mines of western Kentucky as a source of employment for Ross Morton had come to an end forever.

Ross Morton, later in his life would love to sit and watch baseball on television. In earlier years I can imagine that he listened to the games on radio and especially in 1927 which was the year that Babe Ruth hit his record 60 home runs.

1929 - 1940 The Great Depression

The Morton's and their six children lived in Centertown throughout much of the great depression and times were hard. Most of what they ate they raised themselves in the fields beside their home. And, the famed hunting and fishing prowess of the Morton men was not only a sport but literally a necessity of life.

During this time Democrat Franklin Roosevelt became President of the United States and through his rebuilding initiatives, Kentucky, like many other economically devastated States, began building the state highway system to improve the industrial infrastructure and to provide employment.

Ross Morton, at age 45 and a life-long loyal Democrat was able to get some work from the Kentucky State Highway Department during this difficult period. His job, when he had one was as a concrete and materials inspector covering Breckenridge, Nelson and Ohio counties. His salary was modest, but in those days he was lucky to have a job at all. It may not have been all luck, however. It seems that Ross Morton was a friend and staunch political supporter of one, Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Kentucky politician extraordinary. Happy was born in Corydon, Kentucky (about 60 miles north of Centertown) in 1898. He was an "old-style" (probably dishonest) democrat and served as Governor of Kentucky twice (1935-1939, 1955-1959). In-between he was US Senator (1939-1945) and Baseball Commissioner (1945-1951). He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

During the depression, Ross and Bessie's eighth and last child was born. William E. "Billy" Morton was born in 1930 in Centertown and was named after Ross' late brother William. The youngest and most "flamboyant" of the Morton boys, Billy would later be the darling of all the Morton cousins and the one we always could count on for the excitement of his shiny new Chevy's and Buicks to ride in.

1941 - Eddyville, Kentucky

In 1941, times were still tough in Western Kentucky, and Ross, now 56 years old and with two children still at home, was out of a job again. Three of his sons (Walton, Roger and Sam) would soon go into the service in World War II, all miraculously would return home unharmed.

Ross, needing work, decided to take a job in Eddyville, Kentucky as a Guard and later as a clerk at the state penitentiary there. (This move was particularly hard on Nancy, my mother, who at the age of 17 had lived most of her life in Centertown and had to adapt to a new life in Eddyville in her last years of high school.)

1944 - Back to Centertown

In 1944, Ross moved the family back "home" permanently to Centertown and took a job again with the Kentucky State Highway Department. This time supervising the building of the road Rt #2 to Point Pleasant.

1946 - The Farmer's Bank

In 1946, at the age of 61, Ross got the job of Assistant Cashier with the Farmers Bank of Centertown, Kentucky. Two years later he was elected as Cashier of the Bank and he continued to work there for eleven more years until he retired in 1959 at the age of 74.

During his thirteen years at The Farmer's Bank, Ross Morton became a kind of legend in the Centertown community. Practically any kind of financial transaction in the whole community depended upon his advice and council. He wrote (without any formal legal training) many of the deeds and bills of sale for land transactions in the whole Ohio county area. Ross knew the history and dimensions of practically every square foot of property for miles around and could recite them from memory.

Many of us can recall riding around the Ohio County country-side with Ross Morton in later years, looking for a good hunting spot or a fishing hole, and being given a guided tour of every piece of land we passed with the details of who owned what, when and who they bought it from or sold it to, and for what. But we never tired of hearing the stories.

Morton Family ~1948 i

Who can forget the reassuringly punctual daily work routine of Ross Morton, Cashier of Centertown's Framers Bank. Up every day at nearly dawn fixing his biscuits and eggs and gravy and sausage (never heard of cholesterol and didn't care). The grey pants, suspenders, white shirt, and straw hat to keep the sun off as he marched down the dusty quarter-mile road to the Bank each day to open exactly on time.

1958 - Bessie Morton

In June of 1958, just a few years after the safe return of her youngest son Billy from the terrible Korean War, Ross' wife of 51 years, Bessie Morton passed away at the age of 74. For Ross, for his sons and daughters, and for me his oldest grandson, it was a terrible loss. Bessie was a remarkable lady who touched us all.

For Ross Morton, I can only imagine the loss of his lifetime partner and the millions of memories of good times and bad. There was a personal moment for me when I realized how profoundly Ross loved Bessie. It was near dark on the day of Bessie's funeral. Everyone was tired and all the visitors had gone. Granddad decided to sit down in his big chair in the front room to rest a bit. I walked into the room and saw him sitting in the dark crying. I sat down on the are of his chair, he put his big arm around me and we cried together for a while. It was the one and only time I ever saw him cry or show such deep emotion. I think it was the sadness perhaps of things left undone. I believe they had been looking forward to a tranquil retirement and perhaps living a bit easier for Bessie after a long and difficult life.

For me, Grandma Morton's death was the first time I had ever experienced the loss of someone I had truly loved. Only the year before Ross & Bessie had come to visit my family when celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. You remember strange things at such a time. I will never forget the sight of Ross Morton, at over six foot-three, towering over the tiny Bessie as they stepped from the doorway of a brand new Boeing 707 jet airplane. It was 1957, I was eleven years old and it was the first time I had ever seen a big commercial jet in person. Ross and Bessie were the first people I had ever known who had actually ridden on one. It was really very exciting and I had a million questions. Little did I know that a little over a year later grandma Morton would have passed away.

1959 - Retirement

Ross Morton continued to work at the Framer's Bank in Centertown for about a year after Bessie died. He continued to live in the now virtually empty house in Centertown that I think of as "home." In May, 1959 Ross retired from the Bank and spent the next year or so traveling around the country visiting his 6 living children and 13 grandchildren.

1960 - Miss Altha

In October of 1960, at the age of 75, Ross re-married his boyhood friend, the widowed Altha Addington Mitchell. He had gone to school with Altha at the Bunker Hill School in the 1890's. They continued to live in the old home place in Centertown until 1961, when they finally decided to move into Altha's more civilized house in Central City, Kentucky. Altha's house had in-door plumbing and running water which the old Morton house in Centertown still didn't have even by 1960. (It could have, but in truth, none of us really wanted it to, and probably neither did Granddad. It just wouldn't have been the same place that we all remember and love.)

The move to Central City was, of course, a wise and sensible thing to do. However, I remember being devastated at the loss of what I considered to be my mother's "home" in Centertown and the place of endless fascinating adventures of my youth.

I remember the coal grate fire places we stoked every night for heat, the room in the back with no heat where Ross and Bessie slept in that wonderful old feather-bed, the outhouse that seemed like a mile down the path in back of the house, all the little sheds and former chicken coops that made such great forts for cowboys and Indian games, the bath house with the great iron stove where you heated your water for the Saturday night bath, the hole in the bath house door that made for great peaking when the little girls were taking a bath, the well on the back end of the porch where we were sometimes allowed to draw a bucket up with the pulley (always a little afraid of falling in), the swing on the back porch from which Ross Morton would gently swing and tell his stories, the Ben Franklin pot-bellied stove in the dining room, the v-shaped wooden cupboard in the corner of the dining room where Bessie kept the cookies for us kids, the old crank-type telephone on the wall in the dining room that connected you with the operator in Centertown and with whomever else happened to be listening in. It was a wonderful place.

I was really sad when Grandfather Morton eventually sold the old place in Centertown. But that's life, and it was time to move on.

Ross Morton's Last Move

Eventually Miss Altha, as we all came to call her, also died and Ross Morton made his final move to Calvert City, Kentucky where he could be near his son's Walton, Roger, and Sam. Something about the way Ross and Bessie had raised their children brought them together as a kind of family again in Calvert City, Kentucky. When they retired they all ended up there together and lived happily that way for many years. It must have been a kind of yearning to be like they had been in the old days when times were tough but they were together as a family. Ross Morton liked that and he liked being with them to the end.

Ross Morton died in 1977 at the age of 92 having lived a full, happy and productive life. He had been a witness and an active participant in a period of incredible change and progress and he had moved gracefully from the horse and buggy era to the modern world.

In his own hand-written biography in 1972, (on which much of this is based) Ross summarized his life as follows:

"In conclusion, I have been blessed with two wonderful women as wives and the love and loyalty of all my children."

What more can be said.

Figure 1 -Ross Morton Autobiography Page1

Figure 2 - Ross Morton Autobiography Page 2

Figure 3 - Ross Morton Autobiography Page 3

Descendants of Richard Morton, Sr.

1 Richard Morton, Sr. 1749 - 1828

+Margaret Downs 1750 - Unknown

2 Richard Morton, Jr. 1772 - 1840

2 Thomas Morton 1774 - 1856

+Garner Ashby 1775 - 1864

.3 Margaret Morton 1796 -

+Joseph Ross II 1791 - 1841

4 Thomas Morton Ross 1813 - 1837

+Anna Barabara Rhoads

5 Joseph Ross 1838 -

+Jennie E. Drake

6 Clarence Benjamin Ross 1882 - 1911

+Mabel B. Easterday 1887 - 1969

7 Joseph Lewis Ross 1911 - 1980

8 Wendel Ross 1947 -

7 Will Ross Unknown -

5 Will Ross 1836 -

+Mary Hocker

6 William Judson Ross 1865 - 1931

+Altha Jane Curtis 1870 - 1947

7 Eck Ross 1896 - 1945

+Mary E. Casebier 1901 - 1979

8 [2] Wallace C. Ross 1924 - 1997

+Dorothy *2nd Wife of [2] Wallace C. Ross:

+[1] Nancy Sue Morton 1924 -

9 [3] Douglas Layton Ross 1946 -

+[4] Joy Elizabeth Hollingsworth 1946 -

10 [5] Stephen Douglas Ross 1971 -

+[6] Amy Louise Madsen 1971 -

11 [7] Zachary Layton Ross 1997 -

11 [8] Noah Aleksander Ross 1999 -

10 [9] Patrick Allen Ross 1973 -

10 [10] Jason Thomas Ross 1975 -

9 [11] Dwight M. Ross 1948 -

9 [12] Mary Beth Ross 1953 - 1996

+[13] Richard K. Leong Unknown -

10 [14] Brian K. Leong 1973 -

10 [15] Daniel K. Leong 1975 -

+*2nd Husband of [12] Mary Beth Ross: [16] Steve Melrose Unknown

9 [17] Lydia Sue Ross 1957 -

+[18] James G. Menzies 1957 -

10 [19] Kellie Sue Menzies 1991 -

8 Kendal Ross Unknown -

+Anna Rae Rowe Unknown -

9 Joy Lynn Ross Unknown -

9 Jay Vaughn Ross Unknown -

8 Junita Ross Unknown -

+Reid Renier Unknown -

9 Lorna Renier Unknown -

9 Susan Renier Unknown -

9 Jeffrey Renier Unknown -

9 Michael Ried Reneer Renier 1952 - 1952

7 Rufus Ross 1885 -

+Pearl Rowe 1885 -

8 Marvin Ross 1905 -

+Ruth Bratcher

8 William Ross 1908 -

+Helen Rowe

8 Virginia Bell Ross 1911 -

+Elbert Brown

8 Loren Samuel Ross 1914 -

+Fairy Shelton

8 Ruth Ross 1917 -

+James Phelps

7 Bera Ross 1888 -

+Cornelius LaRue Ashby

7 Audie Belle Ross 1898 -

+John Williams

*+Hub Bratcher , 2nd Husband of Audie Belle Ross:

6 Mack Ross Unknown -

6 Alvin Ross Unknown -

6 Wing Ross Unknown -

6 Della Ross

3 Sallie Morton 1798 - Unknown

+William Hatcher Unknown - Unknown

3 Richard L Morton 1801 - Unknown

+Fannie Stroud Unknown - Unknown

3 Elizabeth Morton 1808 - Unknown

+Henry Rhoads Unknown - Unknown

3 Thomas Ross Morton 1811 - 1875

+Nancy Elizabeth Bradley Rhoads 1814 - 1890

4 William Christopher Morton 1840 - Unknown

+Sallie Dix Unknown - Unknown

5 William Dix Morton 1860 -

6 Dudley Walker Morton 1907 - 1943

+Harriet ?

7 Douglas N. Morton

7 Edwina R. Morton

4 Richard David Morton 1844 - Unknown

4 Elizabeth Garner Morton 1835 - Unknown

+David Luckett Unknown - Unknown

4 Mary Ann Morton 1838 - Unknown

+Pressley Smith Unknown - Unknown

5 Judy Smith Unknown - Unknown

+Southerd Unknown - Unknown

5 Thomas Aaron Smith Unknown - Unknown

+Mary ? Unknown - Unknown

6 ? Smith

6 ?? Smith

5 Moses Smith Unknown - Unknown

+Nora Slaten Unknown - Unknown

6 Laura Smith

+? Ferguson

5 Pressley Smith, Jr. Unknown - Unknown

+Nancy Cowgell Unknown - Unknown

6 Normal Smith

6 ? Smith

6 ? Smith

5 Bessie Smith Unknown - Unknown

+Layton Williams Unknown - Unknown

6 ? Williams

5 Samuel Smith Unknown - Unknown

+Mildred Smith Unknown - Unknown

4 Ross Morton 1842 - 1865

4 Lewis Cass Morton 1846 - Unknown

+Mary Alice Rowe Unknown - Unknown

5 Ernie Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Mamie O'Flynn Unknown - Unknown

6 Maybeth Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Gilbert Westerfield Unknown - Unknown

7 David Chesterfield Unknown -

5 Emma Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Luther Smith Unknown - Unknown

4 Vig Berry Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Ella Ward Unknown - Unknown

5 Eva Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Hubert Vance Unknown - Unknown

5 Ethel Morton Unknown -

5 Vig Morton, Jr. Unknown - Unknown

+Jean Crow Unknown - Unknown

6 Jean Crow Morton Unknown -

4 Ida Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Vig Paxton Unknown - Unknown

5 Tom Paxton Unknown - Unknown

5 Clara Paxton Unknown - Unknown

+? Turner Unknown - Unknown

6 Mary Turner Unknown -

6 Clara Turner Unknown -

4 Thomas Minerva Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Laura Rowe Unknown - Unknown

4 Nancy Morton Unknown - Unknown

+John B. Ferguson Unknown - Unknown

5 Morton Fergerson Unknown -

5 Carl Fergerson Unknown -

4 Sam Morton 1848 - 1913

+Sue Smith 1848 - 1924

5 William Morton 1873 - 1905

+Bertha Kimbley *2nd Wife of William Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Price Garrett Unknown - Unknown

6 Samuel Kimbley Morton 1893 - Unknown

+Ola Herrell Unknown - Unknown

7 Samuel Kimbley Morton, Jr. Unknown -

5 Ida Morton 1878 - Unknown

+Thaddeus Ross Barnard Unknown - Unknown

6 Mary Barnard Unknown - Unknown

+Will J. Cooke Unknown - Unknown

7 Mary Barnard Cooke Unknown -

6 Ethel Morton Barnard Unknown -

5 Ross Morton 1885 - 1977

+Bessie Atherton 1883 - 1958

6 Eugene R. Morton 1907 - 1988

+Clairce Sparks 1915 - 1984

6 Douglas Reid Morton 1909 - 1936

6 James Walton Morton 1912 -

+Alice Kathryn ? 1920 -

7 Beverly Morton 1949 -

6 Virginia Morton 1915 - 1922

6 Roger B. Morton 1918 - Unknown

+Midge Patterson 1919 - 2002

7 Darlene Morton 1940 -

+Cletus Collins

7 Roger Dale Morton 1948 -

8 Bjorn Morton 1976 -

8 Ross Morton 1978 -

7 Gary Morton 1950 -

6 Samuel T. Morton 1919 - 1994

+Sally M. Brown 1919 - 1994

7 Marilyn Gene Morton 1947 -

+Thomas Lockett Unknown -

8 Jimmy Lockett 1967 -

8 Chris Lockett 1971 -

6 [1] Nancy Sue Morton 1924 -

+[2] Wallace C. Ross 1924 - 1997

7 [3] Douglas Layton Ross 1946 -

+[4] Joy Elizabeth Hollingsworth 1946 -

8 [5] Stephen Douglas Ross 1971 -

+[6] Amy Louise Madsen 1971 -

9 [7] Zachary Layton Ross 1997 -

9 [8] Noah Aleksander Ross 1999 -

8 [9] Patrick Allen Ross 1973 -

8 [10] Jason Thomas Ross 1975 -

7 [11] Dwight M. Ross 1948 -

7 [12] Mary Beth Ross 1953 - 1996

+[13] Richard K. Leong Unknown -

8 [14] Brian K. Leong 1973 -

8 [15] Daniel K. Leong 1975 -

+[16] Steve Melrose Unknown -*2nd Husband of [12] Mary Beth Ross:

7 [17] Lydia Sue Ross 1957 -

+[18] James G. Menzies 1957 -

8 [19] Kellie Sue Menzies 1991 -

6 William E. Morton 1932 -

+Wilda ? Unknown -

7 Dudley Morton 1958 -

+Kim ? Unknown -

7 Susan Morton Unknown -

+Kenneth Smith Unknown -

8 Mindy Smith 1980 -

+Mary ? Unknown -*2nd Wife of William E. Morton:

7 Mary Elizabeth Morton Unknown -

7 Diana Beth Morton Unknown -

7 Samantha Morton 1972 -

5 John T. Morton 1888 - 1957

+Lucy Withrow Unknown - Unknown

6 William Morton Unknown -

6 Ruby Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Andy Missinne Unknown - Unknown

7 Andy Missinne, Jr. Unknown -

7 Dickie Missinne Unknown -

7 Nancy Missinne Unknown -

6 Thomas Ross Morton Unknown -

5 Vig P. Morton 1891 - 1962

+Beulah Addington Unknown - Unknown

3 Jesse Morton 1815 - Unknown

+Paxon Unknown - Unknown

3 Minerva Morton 1818 - Unknown

+William Warden Unknown - Unknown

3 Cynthia Morton 1819 -

3 Ann Morton Unknown - Unknown

+Garrett Barnard Unknown - Unknown

+Mehetabel Luce Unknown - Unknown *2nd Wife of Richard Morton, Sr.:

2 William Morton 1782 - Unknown

2 Samuel Morton 1783 -

2 Isaac Morton 1785 -

2 David Morton 1789 -

2 Mary Morton 1798 -

BORN: c1598-1599, England (possibly Harwich, Essex, England)
DIED: 12 September 1687, Duxbury, Massachusetts
MARRIED: Priscilla Mullins, c1623, Plymouth, daughter of William and Alice (---) Mullins

CHILDREN:

Ancestral Summary:

Extensive research has been done into the ancestry of John Alden, but nothing has conclusively been found. There are two major theories that have been presented over the years:

Charles Edward Banks, in his book The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers, 1929, puts forward a theory that John is the son of George Alden and Jane (---) and grandson of Richard and Avys Alden of Southampton, England. Since Bradford says John Alden was hired in Southampton, this would be a logical place to start looking for Aldens. No other supporting evidence has been found, and it has been noted by many researchers that the names George, Richard, and Avys do not occur anywhere in John Alden's family. Naming children after parents and grandparents was an extremely common practice in the seventeenth century, and the absence of such a name is nearly enough evidence to disprove this theory.

The currently popular theory is that John Alden came from Harwich, Essex, England. There was a sea-faring Alden family living there, who were related by marriage to Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower. It has been suggested John Alden may be the son of John Alden and Elizabeth Daye, but this is not fully proven either.

Two commemorative broadsides (elegy poems) survive from John Alden's 1687 death. The first broadside is by an unknown author, and the second broadside was written by John Cotton.

Biographical Summary:

William Bradford wrote, in his history Of Plymouth Plantation: "John Alden was hired for a cooper [barrel maker] at Southampton where the ship [Mayflower] victualed, and being a hopeful young man was much desired but left to his own liking to go or stay when he came here; but he stayed and married here." and later wrote "John Alden married Priscilla, Mr. Mullin's daughter, and had issue by her as is before related."

John Alden was an assistant for the Plymouth colony for many years, and was deputy governor for two years. His marriage to Priscilla Mullins was the subject of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, "The Courtship of Myles Standish", which although a classic has little factual basis. John and Priscilla were among the founders of the town of Duxbury.

In 1634, John Alden was on the Kennebec River assisting in the forceful removal of John Hocking who was illegally fishing and trading on land that had been granted to the Pilgrims. Hockings refused to leave, and when the party arrived at his ship by canoe to board and remove him, he shot and killed Moses Talbot. In return, Hockings was shot and killed. The Massachusetts Bay Colony took matters into its own hands, and arrested John Alden (even though he was not the one who fired the shot). Myles Standish was sent by Governor Bradford to obtain Alden's release, which he successfully did.

In his later years, John Alden was on many juries, including even a witch trial--though in Plymouth's case, the jury found the accuser guilty of libel and the alleged witch was allowed to go free. Plymouth Colony only had two witch trials during its history, and in both cases the accuser was found guilty and punished.

John and Priscilla Alden probably have the largest number of descendants of any Mayflower passenger, but with stiff competition from Richard Warren and John Howland. They are ancestors to Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Vice President Dan Quayle.

John Alden's House built in 1653 still stands, and tours are given by the Alden Kindred of America. For more information, click on the picture of the house and you will go to the Alden Kindred web page.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION:

Zachariah Alden and Henry Alden have both been incorrectly identified as sons of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins in various publications. For information on the genealogy of Henry Alden, see Mayflower Descendant 43:21-29, 133-138; 44:27-30, 181-184.

Sources:

Alicia Crane Williams, ""John Alden: Theories on English Ancestry", Mayflower Descendant 39:111-122; 40:133-136

Alicia Crane Williams, Families of Pilgrims: John Alden and William Mullins (Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1986).

Robert C. Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, 1:21-26 (Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1995).

William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, ed. Samuel Morison (New York: Random House, 1952).

Eugene Aubrey Stratton, Plymouth Colony: Its History and Its People, 1620-1691 (Ancestor Publishers: Salt Lake City, 1986).

Harry Hollingsworth, "John Alden--Beer Brewer of Windsor?", The American Genealogist 53(1977):235-240.

Mayflower Web Pages. Caleb Johnson 1998

Descendants of John Alden

This is the genealogy that traces the ancestors of my Grandmother Bessie Atherton back to John Alden and Pricilla Mullens who came to America in 1621 on the Mayflower.

1 John Alden 1599 - 1687

.... +Pricilla Mullens 1600 -

........ 2 Elizabeth Alden 1625 - 1717

.............. +William Pabodie

........ 2 John Alden Jr. 1626 - 1700/01

.............. +Elizabeth Phillips Everill

........ 2 Joseph Alden 1627 - 1695/96

.............. +Mary Simmons 1628 -

................... 3 Issac Alden 1670 - 1727

......................... +Mahitabel Allen 1663/64 - 1727

............................. 4 Ebenezer Alden 1692/93 - 1776

................................... +Anna Keith 1696 -

........................................ 5 Abigail Alden 1721 - 1762

.............................................. +Ebenezer Byram 1718 -

.................................................. 6 Anna Byram 1750 - 1826

........................................................ +Peter Condit 1770 -

............................................................. 7 Edward Condit

.................................................. *2nd Husband of Anna Byram:

........................................................ +Daniel Tichenor 1742 - 1804

............................................................. 7 Jared Tichenor 1779 - 1867

................................................................... +Martha Bennett 1780 - 1853

........................................................................ 8 Manley Berry Tichenor 1820 - 1908

.............................................................................. +Altha M. Whhitaker 1828 - 1898

.................................................................................. 9 Lydia Jane Tichenor 1850 - 1934

........................................................................................ +James Monroe Atherton 1845 - 1903

............................................................................................. 10 Ottwell Atherton 1872 -

............................................................................................. 10 James Reid Atherton 1877 -

............................................................................................. 10 Maude Atherton 1877 -

............................................................................................. 10 Paul Atherton 1878 -

............................................................................................. 10 Nancy Lee Atherton 1880 -

............................................................................................. 10 Lydia Atherton 1882 -

............................................................................................. 10 Bessie Atherton 1883 - 1958

................................................................................................... +Ross Morton 1885 - 1977

....................................................................................................... 11 Eugene R. Morton 1907 - 1988

............................................................................................................. +Clairce Sparks 1915 - 1984

....................................................................................................... 11 Douglas Reid Morton 1909 - 1936

....................................................................................................... 11 James Walton Morton 1912 -

............................................................................................................. +Alice Kathryn ? 1920 -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Beverly Morton 1949 -

....................................................................................................... 11 Virginia Morton 1915 - 1922

....................................................................................................... 11 Roger B. Morton 1918 - Unknown

............................................................................................................. +Midge Patterson 1919 - 2002

.................................................................................................................. 12 Darlene Morton 1940 -

........................................................................................................................ +Cletus Collins

.................................................................................................................. 12 Roger Dale Morton 1948 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Bjorn Morton 1976 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Ross Morton 1978 -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Gary Morton 1950 -

....................................................................................................... 11 Samuel T. Morton 1919 - 1994

............................................................................................................. +Sally M. Brown 1919 - 1994

.................................................................................................................. 12 Marilyn Gene Morton 1947 -

........................................................................................................................ +Thomas Lockett Unknown -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Jimmy Lockett 1967 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Chris Lockett 1971 -

....................................................................................................... 11 Nancy Sue Morton 1924 -

............................................................................................................. +Wallace C. Ross 1924 - 1997

.................................................................................................................. 12 Douglas Layton Ross 1946 -

........................................................................................................................ +Joy Elizabeth Hollingsworth 1946 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Stephen Douglas Ross 1971 -

................................................................................................................................... +Amy Louise Madsen 1971 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Patrick Allen Ross 1973 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Jason Thomas Ross 1975 -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Dwight M. Ross 1948 -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Mary Beth Ross 1953 - 1996

........................................................................................................................ +Richard K. Leong Unknown -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Brian K. Leong 1973 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Daniel K. Leong 1975 -

.................................................................................................................. *2nd Husband of Mary Beth Ross:

........................................................................................................................ +Steve Melrose Unknown -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Lydia Sue Ross 1957 -

........................................................................................................................ +James G. Menzies 1957 -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Kellie Sue Menzies 1991 -

....................................................................................................... 11 William E. Morton 1932 -

............................................................................................................. +Wilda ? Unknown -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Dudley Morton 1958 -

........................................................................................................................ +Kim ? Unknown -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Susan Morton Unknown -

........................................................................................................................ +Kenneth Smith Unknown -

............................................................................................................................. 13 Mindy Smith 1980 -

....................................................................................................... *2nd Wife of William E. Morton:

............................................................................................................. +Mary ? Unknown -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Mary Elizabeth Morton Unknown -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Diana Beth Morton Unknown -

.................................................................................................................. 12 Samantha Morton 1972 -

............................................................................................. 10 Marinda Atherton 1887 -

............................................................................................. 10 Ella Atherton 1890 -

............................................................................................. 10 Walter Brengle Atherton 1893 -

.................................................................................. 9 Delia Ann Tichenor 1846 -

.................................................................................. 9 Marenda W. Tichenor 1848 -

.................................................................................. 9 Martha Lee Tichenor

.................................................................................. 9 Sallie Mary Tichenor

.................................................................................. 9 Squire Coleman Tichenor

.................................................................................. 9 America V. Tichenor

.................................................................................. 9 William Jared Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Thomas Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Anna Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Warren Cash Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Alney Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Sanford Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Sally Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Jared Tichenor

........................................................................ 8 Milton Tichenor

........ 2 Sarah Alden 1627 - 1688

.............. +Alexander Standish

........ 2 Jonathan Alden 1632 - 1695/96

.............. +Abigail Hallett

........ 2 Ruth Alden Unknown - 1674

.............. +John Bass

........ 2 Rebecca Alden 1649 - 1688

.............. +Thomas Delano

........ 2 Mary Alden Unknown -

........ 2 Pricilla Alden Unknown -

........ 2 David Alden 1646 - 1719

.............. +Mary Southworth

[1] Bessie Atherton has a fascinating family tree of her own which I am attempting to summarize in another paper which I haven't finished yet. She is a direct descendant of the historically famous early American settlers, John Alden and Pricilla Mullens from Plymouth, Mass who came to America on the Mayflower in 1621.