Milo Morgan

MORGAN, ROBERTSON, REAVIS, BUSKIRK, TISH, GRAHAM, CHAMPLIN, JACOBS, ANDREWS, REAVIS, HILLMAN

Posted By: Janice Young (email)
Date: 7/15/2003 at 22:03:38

OBITUARY

Milo Morgan Was A Genuine Pioneer

Organized First Sunday School At Deep River

Was Ninety-Eight at Time of Death. Came to Poweshiek at Age of Twenty-One.

Funeral services for Milo Morgan, Grinnell's oldest resident, who passed away Sunday afternoon at 3:45 o'clock, were conducted from the home of his daughter, Mrs. E. H. Reavis at 309 Broad Street, Tuesday afternoon at 3 o'clock by Rev. Mrs. Norton. Mrs. Norton's daughters sang "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "Happy Day" and "In The Sweet Bye And Bye". Bearers were Will Alley, J. J. Corrough, George Sampson, George Hayes, Ben Foster and George Murray. He was laid to rest beside his deceased wife in Hazelwood.

Milo Morgan, son of John and Nellie Willcockson Morgan, was born Jan. 1st, 1831 near Springfield, Illinois, where he spent his childhood and early manhood.

When he was about 21 years of age he moved from Illinois to the eastern part of Poweshiek County, Iowa, and his home has been in this county the rest of his long, useful life.

He knew the griefs and enjoyments of the pioneer, and many very interesting stories of the early days always remained in his memory. His home was always open to strangers, who ever they might be.

He lived his religion: he did not preach it. He welcomed the widows and orphans to his home when they were left fatherless.

When a young man, though not a church member, he, with and other young man called the young people together and organized the first Sunday School in Deap River. At the end of the quarter, he told them he thought they had better turn the Sunday School over to the Christian people, which they did and elected Christians for the next officers.

In December of 1850, he located 160 acres of land, part in Iowa County and part in Poweshiek County. He went back to Iowa City and entered it and broke some prairie on it then went back to Illinois. In 1852 he came back with his brother-in-law, John Hillman, and built a small cabin. They left the cabin and their possessions and went east during the summer, returning in Nov. Mr. Hillman bringing his family. Mr. Morgan lived with them.

Late in the fall of 1852 he entered 80 acres in section 36 in Poweshiek County. Part of the land was timber. At that time he was young and strong. In the winters of 1852 and '53 he split rails east of Brooklyn for Thomas Given and for his pay took corn to feed his oxen.

July 31st 1856, he was married to Susannah G. Robertson. Their little, new house of two rooms was not completed but the carpenters were working on it. When they arrived, there were no floors laid, but they soon laid enough to set up the stove so they could get dinner. By night, they had the floor finsihed so they could move the rest of their furniture in.

This was the beginning of the happy, carefree life they spent and where the four oldest children were born. Then came the call for volunteers and he, with so many brave boys, left his happy home, all that was near and dear to him, and joined the 28th Iowa Volunteers. He was not in the war long before he was taken sick. for a long time he was in the hospital. Then they sent him home, not the strong, hearty man he was when he went away but so frail and weak that he fell before he could reach his door. For many years he was in poor health, little dreaming he would ever reach his 98th birthday.

He was not in the army long but long enough to make lifelong friends of many of his comrades who presented him with a gold headed cane at his golden wedding anniversary.

About the year 1869, he sold his home in Lincoln Township and bought a farm north of what is now Jacob in Washington Township, where Ross Haler now lives, and moved, with his family there.

There was a small house on the farm with only one room. It takes a pioneer to plan how to arrange 4 beds for a family of 10 in a single room and have any room left for a table, stove cupboard and chairs, but it was easily arranged when they put one bedstead on top of the other in one corner, and a trundle bed under a bed in the other corner, leaving the other end of the room for the stove, cupboard and table and chairs.

This is a pen picture of their home until they built a new part of 5 rooms, making a very comfortable home (picture omited). At this time there were many children in the neighborhood who had no place to go to school. Mr. Morgan found a way. Seeing the great need of education of the little ones, and always interested in their welfare, he gave a lot to build a school house and gave the lumber to build it.

The neighbors helped in putting it up. This served as a school house until the County furnished another one near it. He also gave the land for it. There were 14 pupils in the first school house which was known as the Morgan School.

In the year 1873 he traded for the farm or part of it, where Reuel Tish now lives, where he resided until the fall of 1893 when he sold the farm to the late S. A. Tish and moved to Grinnell, Iowa, where he spent the remainer of his long life. In 1906 they celebrated their Golden Wedding which was one of the happy events of his life. His sister, Mrs. Malvira Hillman and her sister. Mrs. Horace Robertson were present at this anniversary. They were also present at the wedding fifty years before.

Feb. 20th, 1911, his faithful, loving wife departed this life. For several years after, he lived in his old home with his son, John, but it was a sad, lonely life for both, so in 1917 they moved to 334 East Street with his daughter, Mrs S. A. Tish, and lived there until Dec., 1927, when he moved back to his old home with his daughter, Mrs. E. H. Reavis at 309 Broad Street. His last sickness of about 10 days resulted in his death, Jan. 20th, 1929.

There remain to mourn his loss, his seven children, Mrs. Eleanor Champlin, Oskaloosa, Iowa: Mr. Horace Morgan, Nevada, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Buskirk, Greenwood, Nebraska; Mrs. Bell Buskirk, Louisville, Nebraska; Mr. Charles Morgan, Swan, Iowa; Mrs. Minnie Reavis, and Mrs, Margaret Tish, Grinnell, Iowa; twenty seven grandchildren, seventy three great grandchildren, three great great grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Margaret Atherton, Deep River, Iowa and Mrs. Mrs. Angeline Forney, Lyons, Kansas; one brother-in-law, Mr. Ham Atherton, Weatherford, Texas, besides a host of friends.

The children feel grateful to the many friends who assisted him in his last illness and for the beautiful flowers.

Our Father has gone to a better land
Where sorrow and pain are no more.
Where sickness and death never mar the sweet rest
Of the loved on the Heavenly shore.

His place is now empty, It cannot be filled
We will miss him at morn, noon and night
But we will often think of the kind words he said
Altho he is lost to our sight.

He has cared for us long, he has loved us so well,
His advice to us always the best;
But let us remember our loss is his gain
And think of him now with the blest.

Our hearts will be sad when we think he is gone.
No more his kind face will we see.
But Jesus can comfort our sad, lonely hearts
If we His desciples will be.

No suffering there in that Heavenly Home
All peace, love and joy will be given
Then let us so live that when death calls us home
We may meet with the loved ones in Heaven.

Those who came from out of town to attend the funeral were; Mrs. Belle Buskirk and Mona of Louisville, Neb., Mrs. Mary Buskirk of Greenwood, Neb., Mr. and Mrs. Charles Morgan and Doris, Wayne and Florence of Swan, Iowa, Mrs. Lillie Ware of Ft. Des Moines. Mrs. Eva Coffin, St. Charles, Horace Morgan, Nevada, Mrs. Eleanor Champlin and Miss Iola Jacobs, Mrs. Mary Andrews, Edith Ray and Lawrence, Oskaloosa, Mrs. Gertrude Graham, Gibson, O. A. Morgan, Montezuma, Mrs. Ruth Morgan, Sutton and husband of Hiram of Iowa City, Mrs. Allie Morgan Schroeder and husband of Swan, Miss Hazel Tish of Des Moines and Mrs. Lizzie Westcott.

Milo Morgan Photos
 

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