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John Lawsha Morton, biography
Compiled by Dona Morton Adams, Betty Morton Baird,Mary Klock Silverthorn and Betty Allison Moore in 1977, from Eva Morton Woods' notes from "The Tribe of John" in 1943, and gathered from Bibles in the homes of Silas Lute Morton of Fresno, California and Joshua Morton of Grants Pass, Oregon in 1922.
John Lawsha Morton, proprietor of Morton's Roller Mills at Casville, Missouri, is a native of Grant County, Indiana. He is a son of John and Mary "Polly" Harader Morton, III. The father is of English, Scotch and Irish descent, was born in Preston County, Virginia in 1811, died in 1892, and is a millwright by trade. His father, William (1770-1864) was a brother of the grandfather of Indiana's War Governor, Oliver P. Morton1. His mother, Mary "Polly" Harader, was the daughter of John Harader and Mary Cupp2. They were the parents of thirteen children. John. L. is the ninth child.
John L. received a limited education in Missouri, not having attended school more than three months in his life. At an early age of thirteen years, he was placed in charge of his father's mill. He remained with his father until he was nineteen years of age, when he went to Saline County, Missouri, and took charge of Blosser & Bro.'s mill, on the Missouri River, for a term of two years. In September, 1874, he caught his right pants leg in a belt shaft and the pants would [sic] around his leg and broke it just below the knee joint; his leg was amputated. An artificial "cork" leg was purchased for $400, but it was not satisfactory, so ingenious John L. made a leg after his own pattern which he used. He swam, climbed and walked with ease.
He then came to Barry County and erected the Pioneer Mill at a cost of $10,000. In 1879, he sold out, and went to Cowley County, Kansas, and erected two mills at a cost of $5,000 and $7,000. In 1882, he returned to Barry County and was engaged in erecting his present mill (Cassville Roller Mill) in 103 days, at a cost of $15,000. The mill has ten sets of rollers, and has a capacity of eighty barrels per day. Mr. Morton has three choice brands of flours, viz.; "Morton's Patent," "Morton's Favorite," and "Morton's Fancy." He possessed much energy, is a skillful mechanic, has an unblemished character, and his mill is one of the best in the county.
In 1872, he was united in marriage with Miss Martha Jane Skinner, who was born in Illinois in 1853. To them have been born twelve children; a daughter Effie Estelle, who died at the age of eleven months; a son, John Allen; daughters: Rose Dell, Mattie Lee, Mary May, Bessie Bell, Eva Edith, Nettie Joyce3 and Nellie Gladys4, who were twins; and a son, Lute Charles.
John L. made his bride a complete set of walnut furniture with his own tools and turning lathe. He has earned his trade, which he has pursued for over forty years - as a miller after a long line of miller[s] - back in Scotland. He lived to be 77 years of age, and had built or help[ed] build and repair 77 mills in his lifetime.
When John L. was one year old, the Mortons immigrated farther west to Jefferson County, Iowa, traveling by ox team in a wagon train of family emigrants, of the Haraders, Johnsons, and Feese families.
Copied from "Goodspeed's 1888 History of Barry County"5 from Betty Morton Baird.
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Corrections:
1. This is a false connection. William Morton and Oliver P. Morton are not related. Oliver P Morton's surname is a derivative of Throckmorton, which is not the case with our ancestors. They were always Mortons.
2. This is incorrect. Mary "Polly" Harader's mother was Mary Fike.
3. & 4. The middle names were accidentally swapped in typing up this information. They are correctly written as Nettie Gladys and Nellie Joyce on the cover page.
5. This refers to Barry County section of Goodspeed's Newton, Lawrence, Barry and McDonald Counties history, Goodspeed Publishing. It was originally published in 1888, was reprinted in 1995.
I made slight edits to the above text for consistency, such as typing out "County" when "Co." was sometimes use. Lisa Allison Albert
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