Morford, William

MORFORD

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 11/17/2008 at 13:33:38

William Morford

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.263, Wright Twp.)
William Morford, farmer, P. O. Griswold, Cass Co., Iowa, was born in Ohio County, Ind., March 22,1837. He is the son of Thomas and Sarah (Stoops) Morford, both natives of Greene County, Penn. His father was a farmer, born August 13, 1805. He moved to Indiana in 1835, and to this State in 1838, locating in Muscatine County. There he died December 12, 1868, on the same place that he first settled upon. The mother of our subject was born June 29, 1810, and is still living on the old homestead in Muscatine County. Our subject received a common-school education, and afterward attended the Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Linn County, this State, for one year and a half. At the age of twenty-one, he began life for himself as a farmer. February 23, 1860, he was married, in Muscatine County, this State, to Susan E. Rider, born in Virginia, February 3, 1839. She is the daughter of William C. and Sarah (Callahan) Rider. Her father was born April 7, 1797. He was a farmer, and at present resides in St. Joseph, Mo., Her mother was a native of Virginia, and was born about 1802, and died in McHenry County, Ill., at the age of forty-eight years. After his marriage, our subject followed farming for four years, when he moved to Iowa City and was there engaged in the insurance business for a like period. For the next six years he was engaged in farming in Muscatine County, this State, and Knox County, Ill. In 1873, he came to this county, locating on his present farm, which now consists of 120 acres of land, situated in Section 15, Township 75, Range 38. His farming has been principally in grain. He has filled several town offices. He has five children living - William H., born December 21, 1860; Edward E., born May 10, 1862; Frank S., born March 5, 1864; Clara B., born November 19, 1867; and Mary C, born January 15, 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Morford are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the A., F. and A. M., I. O. O. F. and A. H. T. A.