John Calvin Morton - Ancestors?

Started by Erica Howton on Sunday, February 14, 2021
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2/14/2021 at 6:56 PM

Private User Writes:

“ help. When my family was alive they always told my sister and I that we are related to John Morton, the signer. My parents left me this ancestry information: A Book titled: John Morton in Contemporary Records by Ruth L. Springer. There is a genealogy graph in it that starts with Morton Mortonson, Senior's name and goes as far as John Morton, the signer's 9 children's names. As well my mother was offered an opportunity to order a book called: The Morton Family Heritage Book, but she didn't buy it. Though I have a note offering it to her. I have a copy of a pamphlet titled: Governor Printz Park: Morton Homestead...Two Historic Remains' of Swedish Settlement Before Pennsylvania's Founding. Someone in the family wrote a 5 page short bio of John Morton, the signer and a bit about his life.”

John Morton, signer of the "Declaration of Independence" - how is he connected?

2/14/2021 at 7:56 PM

I see in a MH tree

Name William Henry Morton
Birth 1831
Pennsylvania
Family members
Parents
Davis W Morton
1801 - 1868
Matilda Morton
1801 - ?
Wife
Rachel Morton (born Wilson)
Son
John Calvin Morton
1852 - 1935

2/14/2021 at 10:12 PM

Made a lot of progress, we’re back to John Morton

I’m thinking this does not lead to John the signer (1724 - 1777)

http://colonialhall.com/morton/mortonAnne.php

The surviving children of John Morton were as follows: Aaron, the eldest, married Frances, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Paschall Annitt. They lived in Delaware County for several years and afterward emigrated to Ohio. Sketchley, the second child, became a major in the Pennsylvania line of the Continental Army; he married Rebecca, daughter of John and Mary Neidermar Taylor and died in 1795. Dr. John became a surgeon in the Continental Army and died while a prisoner of war on the British prison ship Falmouth in New York harbor. The late John S. Morton of Springfield had in his possession a letter written by Dr. Morton to his father while he was a prisoner, in which he said they were "almost starved and could eat brickbats if they could get them." He died unmarried. Concerning Sarah and Lydia, nothing definite can be learned. Elizabeth died of consumption, unmarried. Mary married Charles Justis of Kingessing, and Ann, the youngest, married, in 1784, Captain John Davis of Chester County, who had fought through the Revolutionary War as an officer of the Pennsylvania line.

2/14/2021 at 10:28 PM

Very interesting read on Anne Morton. So many of the signers' families struggled during and even after the war. I read an article on William Floyd and it described similar circumstances.

2/14/2021 at 10:32 PM

So the Morton line continued with the signers sons Aaron and Sketchley. They both had sons called John, but neither seems to fit as the John Morton born in 1779 and buried 1854 in Philadelphia.

Aaron’s family went to Ohio and Sketchleys stayed around Chester PA.

See https://books.google.com/books?id=5Kg-AAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA145&dq...

Chester (and Its Vicinity,) Delaware County, in Pennsylvania: With ... By John Hill Martin. Page 141 - 145.

Private User
2/15/2021 at 1:27 AM

I have John Morton, the signer as being born: 1725 and died in 1777. I show the signer's father is: John Morton 1683-1724. He was married to: Mary who died 1778. I have the signer's grandfather as: Morton Mortonson, Jr. 1643-1718. I have his father as: Morton Mortonson Sr. died in 1706. I have the spelling of the singer's wife as Ann Justis Morton. This all comes from the book I have called John Morton in Contemporary Records. It goes on to say Morton Mortonson Sr built the earliest portion of the Morton Homestead and lived there till his death 1706. He had been born "in Finland, in Sweden". He immigrated around 1654 and was seen along the Delaware River, Pennsylvania. I don't have his birth year.

I hope all this helps put more of the pieces together.

Elizabeth Morton

2/15/2021 at 1:59 AM

Yes, that all matches Geni. Did the signer have brothers? I know he was born posthumously.

Private User
2/15/2021 at 3:27 PM

You seem to have a different date for the signer than I do. You have 1779-1854. Are these the dates you have for John Morton, the signer? My dates for him are: 1725-1777. Couldn't this make a big difference?

Private User
2/15/2021 at 3:35 PM

I'm going to check the manuscript to see if he had brothers. It appears so according to this incomplete family tree but it's hard to tell from it. I'll let you know a little later today. Thanks so much for your help!

2/15/2021 at 5:15 PM

We have the signer as

John Morton
Gender: Male
Birth: March 10, 1724
Ridley Township, Calcon Hook, Chester, Pennsylvania
Death: April 01, 1777 (53)
Ridley, Delaware, Pennsylvania (Tuberculosis)
Place of Burial: St. Paul's Burying Ground, Chester, Delaware, PA, United States
Son of John Morton, Sr. and Maria (Archer) Sketchley
Husband of Anne (Justis) Morton
No siblings

3 sons, 5 daughters

Father of Aaron Morton; Dr. John Morton; . Sketchley Morton; Mary (Morton) Justis; Sarah (Morton) Currie; Elizabeth Morton; Lydia (Morton) Bibb and Ann Justis (Morton) Davis

2/15/2021 at 5:20 PM

John Morton Looks to be your ancestor, he is not the signer or related to him. We have a burial record in the family lot.

John Morton
Gender: Male
Birth: 1778
Death: before May 28, 1854
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
Place of Burial: St. James Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
Immediate Family:
Husband of Sarah Morton
Father of Davis W. Morton

https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000172571815281

Private User
2/15/2021 at 7:45 PM

Erica....John Morton, the signer did not have brothers from his father John Morton for his father knew he was going to die close to when his son, the signer was going to be born and the manuscript says: "John Morton's father, knowing that he was about to die, made his will on February 6,1724/25, with provision for his wife and their unborn child.

Please check the dates you have for the birth & death of John Morton, the signer, against mine. They are different. i hope that matters and makes me his descendant. Please let me know.

Thank you!

Private User
2/15/2021 at 7:49 PM

I thought John Morton, the signer's father was John Morton 1683-1724/25?

Private User
2/15/2021 at 7:52 PM

John Morton, the signer's father is John Morton 1683-1724/25. He is the son of Morton Mortonson junior who is the son of Morton Mortonson Senior, the immigrant of the family.

Private User
2/15/2021 at 8:07 PM

I'm sorry I'm persistent! I could be wrong. I just want to consider all options. I know you know way more than I do!

2/15/2021 at 8:12 PM

Elizabeth, we don’t have different data on the signer. The difficulty is your ancestor is a different John Morton. So you look at your tree top, thinking he’s an un-merged version of the signer, and go - wait, wrong dates! No - different person. :)

In the next post I’ll write out how it looks to me so far on your Morton line from Philadelphia.

I don’t know much, just following the records.

2/15/2021 at 8:16 PM

This a copy - paste from the ancestor report (under actions) on your profile. Your Cornelius line should go way back - I haven’t confirmed back yet. And Carman! Original settlers of Long Island.

3. Lindley Calhoun Morton b. December 19, 1893, Riverside, Riverside County, CA, United States; d. May 10, 1969, Pasadena, Los Angeles County, CA, United States
4. John Calvin Morton b. March 1854, Spring Gardens, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States; d. December 14, 1935, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States
5. William Henry Morton b. 1831, Pennsylvania, United States
6. Davis W. Morton b. 1802, Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States; d. August 30, 1868, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
7. John Morton b. 1778; d. before May 28, 1854, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States

I haven’t found John b 1778’s father, but he was Lutheran. And that does suggest New Sweden Colony, like the signer.

Private User
2/15/2021 at 9:52 PM

Thank you so much for spelling it out for me!

I'm sorry to ask you another question while you're working on my father's ancestors. But let me throw it out there. The rest of my family tree: my father's mother; my mother's mother and her father's full line are all on FamilySearch.org. Is there a way to merge all of that onto my tree on Geni?

2/15/2021 at 10:18 PM

Sure (I’m stuck on Morton anyway). Likely much of it is on Geni in the earlier generations. So it’s a matter of entering until overlap, as with the Morton’s. There’s brand new profile creation from attached documents - including FamilySearch.

2/15/2021 at 10:23 PM

For example, “resolve” the sources here:

Sarah Elizabeth Ringo

Private User
2/15/2021 at 10:35 PM

Ok I will....oh I just found out you and I are related. That's exciting! I'm happy to meet a very what looks like distant relative! You made me laugh about your stuck on Morton! You've done just a fabulous job! Now I see, if I'm seeing correctly which I may not be, that we need to find out who John Morton's 1778-1854 parents are and go backwards from there. Oh I see you made that reference in your last note to me. Finally I see where you are with all this. I'm a slow learner.

I'm so grateful to you for your amazing help!

Private User
2/15/2021 at 10:48 PM

Let me know what you mean resolve the source here with Sarah Elizabeth Ringo? Do you think her info is incorrect?

I actually got the above information from a paper written by my mother in 1942 called: Ringo Family Genealogy 1643-1891 when she was at Vassar. It was a paper written for a course in American Cultural History.

The Cresap family information came from a book my mother has that I have now called: The History of The Cresaps.

My mother was always talking about her grandparents were Ringos and Cresaps. So I dealt with that about 2 weeks ago. But I will double check my info.

2/15/2021 at 10:48 PM

You have deep Colonial American roots, we’ll end up related through several lines. Only so many people to marry. :)

2/15/2021 at 10:51 PM

Sorry - I meant that you can quickly create missing family from “resolve” on the source tab. It’s brand new and I’m busy playing with it because it’s pretty awesome, it’s true document driven genealogy.

See https://www.geni.com/blog/

2/15/2021 at 10:53 PM

(Already merged your Ringos back to 1619)

Private User
2/15/2021 at 11:33 PM

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. You're quite a gift to me!!!

Private User
2/16/2021 at 11:24 AM

Hi Erica.....I'm excited I just looked up John Morton, the signer's profile and I am related this way. It says:

John Morton, signer of the "Declaration of Independence" is your 6th great aunt's great niece's husband's second cousin twice removed.

John Morton, signer of the "Declaration of Independence" is your 17th cousin 11 times removed.

2/16/2021 at 11:30 AM

And when you have more of your tree connected it may get different. Geni is Trippy that way.

Private User
2/16/2021 at 1:13 PM

How do I do the connecting? You've been doing it all for me, thankfully!

Showing 1-30 of 38 posts

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