Charles Henry Morrill (July 14, 1843 – December 14, 1928) was a prominent American businessman who played an important role in the history of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Morrill County, Nebraska Morrill County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 5,042. Its county seat is Bridgeport. In the Nebraska license plate system, Morrill County is represented by the prefix 64 (it h ...

is named after him. He was born in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

, the only child of Ephraim and Mahala (Lampery) Morrill. His mother died when he was twelve, and he spent the remainder of his childhood living with his aunt Susan Gay and attending a nearby school, the New London Academy. In the summer of 1862 he enlisted at

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa * New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town * ...

as a musician in Company I,

11th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment The 11th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was a Union army infantry regiment that participated in the American Civil War. It was raised in the New England state of New Hampshire, serving from October 4, 1862, to June 4, 1865. History On Septembe ...

. Three weeks later he married Harriet Zinnia Currier before leaving with his unit. He was present at many important battles, including the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

and the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

and mustered out on June 4, 1865. He states in his autobiography that after the war, he "took Horace Greeley's advice" (

Go West, young man Go west, young man may refer to: * "Go West, young man", a quote often attributed to American author Horace Greeley concerning America's expansion westward Film and television * ''Go West, Young Man'' (1918 film), an American comedy western film ...

) and in 1866 went west in a covered wagon to establish a homestead near

Marion, Iowa Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020, an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. Due to poor weather and being an inexperienced farmer, his crops failed for several years in a row. He was so poor he was unable to afford coffee. However, the weather and his fortunes turned around, and by 1870 he was producing both decent crop and a valuable herd of cattle. In the spring of 1873, he moved his family of five and one hundred head of cattle to

Stromsburg, Nebraska Stromsburg is a city in Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,028 as per the 2020 census. History Stromsburg was settled early in Nebraska history. A group of Swedish settlers from the town of Ockelbo arrived in the 1860 ...

. There, he ran a farm and helped run a small store "with 6,000 Pawnee Indians less than 25 miles away."

Business and politics

When his sons were old enough to help with the farm, Morrill started spending less time farming. In 1880, Morrill became private secretary to Governor

Albinus Nance Albinus Roberts Nance (March 30, 1848 – December 7, 1911) was an American politician. He served as a soldier during the American Civil War, and as the fourth governor of Nebraska. Nance was born in La Fayette, Illinois on March 30, 1848. He w ...

. After Nance completed his term as governor, they went into business together, forming the Bank of Stromsburg, Nebraska. He was afterwards President of the Lincoln (Nebraska) Land Company and also president of the South Platte Land Company, the Lancaster Land Company, and the Boston Investment Company. Morrill eventually began helping the

Burlington Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

explore the midwest territories to report on conditions and determine the best routes for the railroads. He made a considerable amount of money buying land where the railroad line would eventually come, and selling it once the railroad line was built. He went on many exploration parties through largely Indian-controlled territory and acquired a large collection of American Indian artifacts through trading. One of his guides was Colonel W. F. Cody,

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...

, who helped him explore the Yosemite Valley in Wyoming on behalf of the railroad. For many years afterward, Morrill was invited on a yearly hunting expedition that Cody organized for his friends. His exploration work helped Morrill to establish the location for what became

Scottsbluff, Nebraska Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, in the western part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 14,436 at the 2020 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandl ...

. Shortly thereafter, he laid out a tract of land for a town at the western edge of the state and named it after himself, thereby creating the town of

Morrill, Nebraska Morrill is a village located in Scotts Bluff County, in the western Panhandle, in the northwestern portion of the United States state of Nebraska. Morrill is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9 ...

. In the year 1908, the Nebraska State Legislature divided Cheyenne County, and the part north of the division line was named

, in recognition of Charles Henry Morrill's contribution to the development of this part of the state.

Connection with University of Nebraska

Charles Henry Morrill became a member of the board of regents of

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in 1890, and was president of the board between 1893 and 1903. Between 1890 and 1903, enrollment at the university grew from 300 to 3000. While a regent, he was a strong benefactor, donating Morrill Hall. He also contributed funds for paleontological research under Dr.

Erwin Hinckly Barbour Erwin Hinckley Barbour (April 5, 1856 – May 10, 1947) was an American geologist and paleontologist. He was born near Oxford, Ohio, and was educated at Miami University and at Yale, where he graduated in 1882. He was assistant paleontologist to ...

, establishing the Morrill Geological Yearly Expeditions. The Expeditions populated the

University Museum A university museum is a repository of collections run by a university, typically founded to aid teaching and research within the institution of higher learning. The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford in England is an early example, o ...

with a wide array of dinosaur and mammoth bones, and their finds were published in the volumes of the Nebraska Geological Survey. A new type of early American Indian arrowhead was discovered by the Expeditions and named a Morrill Point. Mr. Morrill collected thousands of American Indian specimens in the course of his dealings with the local tribes, and these were donated to the University Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrill, Charles Henry 1843 births 1928 deaths People from Stromsburg, Nebraska People from Concord, New Hampshire Union Army soldiers United States Army soldiers United States military musicians People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Colby–Sawyer College alumni