My great-grandmother, Eleanor (Morrow) Unger was born in Pennsylvania. In 1840, there was a Thomas Morrow on the census in Rockland, Venango County, PA.[1] In 1850, the names of the family that appeared on the U.S. census of Rockland, PA, were consistent with the family names after their move to Minnesota sometime before 1857.[2] On my great-grandmother’s death certificate, her place of birth was only listed as PA and her father was Morrow. (Mother unknown).[3] Her obituary said that she was born in Butler County; however, the family was already in Rockland, Venango County, by 1840. She was born in 1848. (The tick marks on the 1840 census representing the children were consistent with the ages of the children on the 1850 census ten years later.)[4]
Thomas Morrow died in 1863 but his will was not proved until 1914.[5] Someone had sold the farm but it never went through probate; hence, the lag time between his death and the probate record. The names listed on the record were consistent with the names on the other records.
My three sisters and I have done DNA tests at Ancestry and my older sister also did a test on 23andMe. We have a number of matches who have Morrow ancestors in their family trees. Some of them actually have sources! The trees that have Pennsylvania Morrows seem to have ancestors who lived in the 1750s in the area near Fannett, Franklin County, PA. There were also a number of matches with Morrows in Butler County. Quite a few of the matches have the surnames Buchanan, McCandless and Douglass in their trees.[6] Could Thomas’ mother’s maiden name be one of those surnames?
The settlers in Franklin County, PA, were principally Scotch/Irish. In the last update from Ancestry, Scottish showed up on our ethnicity summary along with Irish. I have contacted one of my matches who is in the 4th cousin range. On her father’s side, she is Spanish/Hispanic, so that seems to hint that our common ancestor is on her mother’s side. She also matches some of my cousins on my father's side.
Noah & Eleanor (Morrow) Unger family[7]
I would really like to find the names of Thomas Morrow’s parents! Any suggestions? Perhaps by writing about this brick wall, I will be inspired to keep running at it!
[1] 1840 U.S. census, Venango County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Rockland, p. 111, sheet 4, Thomas Morrow household; database with digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 497.
[2] 1850 U.S. census, Venango County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Rockland, p. 72, dwelling 221, family 222, Thomas Morrow household; database with digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 July 2020); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 832. Also, 1857 Minnesota Territorial Census, Olmsted County, Minnesota, Town 107, Range 13, dwelling 1034, family 1034, line 32, Thomas Morrow household; database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2020).
[3] Minnesota Death Certificate, Eleanor Unger, 25 March 1922; Dodge County Courthouse, Mantorville, Minnesota.
[4] Mantorville Express, “Elenor Morrow Unger”, 31 March 31, 1922; Dodge County Historical Society, Mantorville, Minnesota. Also, 1840 U.S. census, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Thomas Morrow household. Also, Mantorville Express, “Elenor Morrow Unger”, 31 March 31, 1922
[5] Minnesota, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1925, Thomas Morrow, case number 3277, probate case file 3263-3282, Olmsted, Minnesota, 3 Jun 1914; database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2020).
[6] Ancestry DNA (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 October 2020.)
[7] Photograph, “Noah, Eleanor (Morrow) Unger and family”, abt. 1883, Mantorville, MN; privately held by Joan (S.) G., [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Riverside, California.
