Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 528
FRANCIS H. MORGAN

Francis H. MORGAN, STATION AGENT OF THE North-Western Railway at Dunlap, has been a resident of the place, and held such position since January 3, 1873, and was in the employ of the company five years prior to that, being agent at Denison. At Dunlap he succeeded Smith CHILD, who was agent from the time the road was built, in 1866, up to 1873. Mr. MORGAN is also American Express agent.

Our subject hails from the Empire State, and was born July 5, 1845, on Long Island, New York. He is the son of James H. and Caroline (CAMP) MORGAN, who died while our subject was yet a small boy. When twelve years of age he came to Iowa with a sister, and located in Howard County, at a time when all was new and wild, and there was not a grist mill within forty miles of them, and the few settlers came from far and near to get corn and wheat ground in a large coffee-mill they had. The family saw the rough side of pioneer life, and when they came to the State they crossed the Mississippi River on the ice, making part of their trip from there on by the stage, and the balance by ox teams. After living five years in Howard county they removed to Madison, Wisconsin, where our subject went into a printing office, but when seventeen years of age commenced learning telegraphy, but before his year's engagement was up, and on May 23, 1864, he enlisted in the "hundred-day service," becoming a member of Company D, Fortieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged September 20, 1864, after which he returned to take up telegraphy at Edgerton, Wisconsin, on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul line, for which he was operator for five months at that point and was transferred to Mazomanie, Wisconsin, where he remained a year, and the went to Beloit, Wisconsin, for the Chicago & North Western line, where he was both clerk and operator for three years and four months, after which he was express agent one year at Madison, and in 1868 came to Denison, Iowa, as above related.

He was married at Mazomanie September 23, 1869, to Mary E. COWDERY, born July 18, 1849, and the daughter of Henry A., and Ruth (WHITCHER) COWDERY. Politically our subject is a stanch Republican.

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