Obit.-Capt Ebenezer Morgan founder of Morganville, KS
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In reply to:
Lawson conected families of Newburgh-Mt Pleasant-Dundee-USA
Richard 5/09/06
CAPTIAN EBENEZER MORGAN
"Died Monday, August 11, 1890, at his residence in Groton, Conn., of Brights disease. The deceased was born at Groton, Conn., in 1817. His parents both died while he was a small boy. At thier death, he was placed in the care of relatives, his parents having left him in very limited circumstances. At the age of 12 years he went aboard of a whaleing vessel where he served as a sailor for several years finally working his way up until he became captain of a whaleing ship and commander of a squardran, which position he held several years, during which time he amassed a large sum of money. About that time he began investing largely in realestate, owning property in New York, Boston, Chicago and other large cities, besides large tracks of land in several states including Kansas. It is said also that he was the sole owner of a railroad in Tennessee. He came to this county about 1869, and was the founder of Morganville, building several business houses and purchasing several farms adjoining the town site. Four business blocks in this city yet belonged to his estate, besides several thousands of acres of our richest farming lands, and a large block of stock in the Farmers and Merchants bank, making his estate the largest property holder in the county. He also had very extensive interest in the south, in the western mountains in Alaska and elsewhere his possessions being estamated at not less than $2,000,000, at the time of his death.In 1869, he organized the Alaska Fur and Seal Fishery Co. of which he was principal owner and his son the western manger. From the government lease of the Seal islands, which the company obtained, a large revenue was obtained, the lease only expiring last year.
"Captain Morgan was a man of admirable Christian character, most zealous in all works for the benefit of mankind. He was an earnest and enthusiatic Baptist, having been ordained as a minister of that denomination. He spent much of his time going about doing good, using his extensive means almost lavishingly in the furtherance of the good work in which he was so much interested. Perhaps no man in the nation is responsible for the establishment of so many Baptist institutions of worship, education and for the missionary purposes. Our own Clay Center society has him largely to thank for the valuable property held by it. In all his experience, employing at times hundreds of men, he never allowed an employee to work on Sunday.
"He spent a good portion of his time during the early settelement of Clay county at Clay Center and Morganville, the last named place taking his name from him. He was familiarly aquainted with nearly all our old settelers, by whom he was held in highest esteem and by whom his death is most sincerely mourned. He leaves a wife and two sons and a daughter. One of the former T.F. Morgan is a frequent visitor in Clay Center."
Note by R. Lawson: I believe this obit. was from one of the Clay Center newspapers [Dispatch or Times].My grtgrandfather's obit was in the Aug. 14, 1890 edition of The Times, Clay Center, Kansas under the heading of James Lawson, although obit. begins with John Lawson born...
His name was John Lawson, and he died at his residence, near Morganville, in Bloom Twp, Clay Co., KS, on Aug. 11, 1890, the same day as Capt. Morgan.