Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Morgan Morgan (November 1, 1688 — November 17, 1766) was an American pioneer. He was thought to have founded the first permanent settlement in present-day
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
at
Cool Spring Farm.
Biography
Early life
Little direct evidence of Morgan's early life and education has survived. His birth date seems to have been November 1st, 1688 because
Morgans Chapel at Bunker Hill, which he helped to found, recorded the following upon his death: "Colonel Morgan died November 17, 1766 aged 78 years November 1st." No British records have been found of where he was born or when or how he came to America, but according to American records he seems to have been born in
Glamorganshire
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
during the reign of
William III.
Emigration to America
Morgan Morgan emigrated to the America as a single man at the age of 24, probably during the last years of the reign of
Queen Anne. Arriving in
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
in about 1712 or 1713, he soon afterward got married, but no record of the date has been found. Morgan commenced business as a merchant at the place now known as
Christiana. Some Quaker records record that Morgan Morgan was educated at Cambridge University and went to Delaware as Crown Council. In 1713, Morgan married Catherine Garretson in what is now New Castle County, Delaware. Their first child, James, was born in the fall of 1715, and this is recorded in the church register. Morgan evidently arrived with some money and had a very respectable social standing, for the early records list him as a merchant and tailor, and in 1717 he was appointed as executor of the will of the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. At that time what we now know as Delaware was a part of Pennsylvania. Since the trade guilds were very strong in England, one wonders if he learned the tailoring trade in London, from his father, or if he bypassed the law in the new country and started a combined mercantile and tailoring business. As well as working there as a merchant, he was also a magistrate. He has been claimed to have been an ordained
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
man, and one who established a church in Westminster County in 1727, but there is no evidence to support this. Morgan is often incorrectly cited as having arrived at present-day West Virginia in 1727, although he was still living in
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
at that time, acting as the
coroner of
New Castle County
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...
. His first land transaction on record dates from November 20, 1723, when he bought for the price of 70
pounds. Almost the whole of this land was cultivable.
In 1924, a committee appointed by the
Governor of West Virginia
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
determined that the first crude shelter erected by William G. Morgan Great Grandson of Morgan Morgan was built on the
Morgan Acres property.
Claim of first settlement in West Virginia
Morgan Morgan arrived in what is now
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
in 1731. In January 1734, he, among others, was appointed to the 'Commission of the Peace', meaning that he was a
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
. He probably received a Patent for '
the Forks of the
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...
& Westwood of Sherrando River' on December 12, 1734.
The long-standing claim that he was the first permanent resident there is, however, doubtful. In fact, the area now known as
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,734 at the time of the 2010 census.
History 18 ...
, was probably settled by German-speaking immigrants as early as 1727.
Morgan died at
Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, now in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
, and was buried in the
Morgan Chapel Graveyard
Morgan Chapel and Graveyard – also known as Christ Episcopal Church-Bunker Hill – is a historic church in Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It is the oldest Episcopal church congregation in West Virginia.
In 1741 Morgan Morgan ...
.
Family
Morgan Morgan held military and civil positions in colonial Virginia which entitled his female descendants to membership in the
Colonial Dames of America.
Col. Morgan and his wife Catherine Garretson had the following issues:
# James Morgan - Died at the age of
# Ann Morgan (Considered one of the 'Lost Tribes' of the Morgan Family)
#
David Morgan (The Great Indian Fighter)
# Charles Morgan (Considered one of the 'Lost Tribes' of the Morgan Family)
# Henry Morgan (Considered one of the 'Lost Tribes' of the Morgan Family)
# Evan Morgan
#
Zackquill Morgan
Colonel Zackquill Morgan was the son of Welsh-born Colonel Morgan Morgan and Catherine Garretson, the first known white settlers in what would become the U.S. state of West Virginia. He was born in Orange ow BerkeleyCounty, est.h_...
_(Founder_of_Morgantown,_West_Virginia)
#_Morgan_Morgan_II
__Y-DNA_Haplogroup_
The_MORGAN_Surname_Y-DNA_Project
has_among_the_donor_test_subjects,_a_man_with_the_surname_Morgan_who_traced_his_paternal_line_to_Morgan_Morgan._His_haplogroup_is_Haplogroup_R-M269.html" ;"title="estVirginia">est.h ...
has among the donor test subjects, a man with the surname Morgan who traced his paternal line to Morgan Morgan. His haplogroup is Haplogroup_R-M269">R-M269.
A project donor who traced his paternal line to Lewis Morgan of Rhea County, Tennessee also has the haplogroup R-M269. The donor is a descendant of Mary Morgan, a widow who brought her children Lewis, John, George Washington, Willis, and likely a daughter named Mary Morgan from South Carolina to Rhea County Tennessee circa 1800. No primary source records stating or implying the identity of the patriarch of the family have been found. The maiden name of his wife Mary is also unproven. Autosomal DNA matches suggest that the Rhea County descendants could be among the "lost tribe" descendants of Charles Morgan or Henry Morgan.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Morgan
1688 births
1766 deaths
18th-century American Episcopal priests