Morgan 8 & 9: Garrard Morgan III and Eliza Ann Hamilton Morgan, Part 1

Garrard Morgan III
b. 16 May 1806 Near Carlisle, Nicholas, Kentucky
m. 1 Jan 1833 Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana
d. 10 Apr 1889 Mattoon, Coles, Illinois
Wife: Eliza Ann Hamilton
Father: Garrard Morgan II; Mother: Sarah Sanderson

Eliza Ann Hamilton Morgan
b. 5 Jul 1815 Nicholas County, Kentucky
d. 18 Apr 1901 Middletown, Henry, Indiana
b. 19 Apr 1901 Greensburg, Decatur, Indiana
Husband: Garrard Morgan III
Father: James Hamilton; Mother: Margaret Hamilton


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(A) Carlisle, Kentucky, to (B) Greensburg, Indiana, to (C) Mattoon, Illinois, where Garrard died, to (D) Middletown, Indiana, where Eliza died.

Garrard Morgan III was the son of Garrard Morgan II and Sarah Sanderson. He was probably born at the Morgan farm on Licking Creek (now Licking River) near Carlisle, Nicholas County, Kentucky, on May 16, 1806. He had three older brothers, two younger sisters and a younger brother.

As a child, he lived in one of the areas famous for being the origin and hotbed of the Second Great Awakening, so religious activity would have been a significant part of his earliest memories.

When Garrard was almost eight years old, his father died and was buried in the Old Concord Church cemetery (Presbyterian).

After his father's death, his mother did not remarry and proceeded to raise her seven children, as family tradition relates, with the aid of her extended family in the area.

In 1823, when Garrard III was seventeen years old, the Sarah Morgan family moved to Indiana to join Sarah's two sisters and their families. Only Garrard's oldest brother John remained behind in Kentucky, where he had already made his start in life. Two of his siblings also later returned to live in Kentucky.

The Morgan family settled in brand-new Decatur County. It was formed on New Year's Eve, 1821, and named after recently deceased Commodore Stephen Decatur, military hero for his part in a number of conflicts, including the War of 1812.

Greensburg was the county seat, and the Morgans lived nearby, and a number of their children were born in the area.

On New Year's Day 1833, at the ripe old age of 26, Garrard married seventeen-year-old Eliza Ann Hamilton. Even less is known about her family than about the Morgan family, but they were also evidently from Nicholas County, Kentucky. I see a research note in the genealogy stating, "[E]nclosed is marriage bond of Garrard Morgan and Eliza Ann Hamilton - date Dec. 31, 1832. It is entered in Marriage Bk. A Jan. 1, 1833." It is not clear from the notes whether the marriage record was from Indiana or Kentucky. The same note also gives additional information about Eliza as follows: "I note Eliza A. Hamilton, b. July 2, 1815 to James Hamilton and Margaret (Peggy) Turner on a list..." (What list?) (A.H. Burden to J.L. Tanner, March 9, 1991.)

To be continued...

Picture of Garrard and Eliza Morgan from Richardson's Life and Ministry of John Morgan. Picture of the Decatur County Courthouse from www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/482531524/. Yes, there is a tree growing from the clock tower.