Arthur William Morrison, William's son and 25th child, having been born in a polygamist family, sheds some light on his father's early years as told to him by William's first wife, Mary Margaret Fahrquar Cruickshank whom Arthur called Grandma. (The quotation marks in two different places are Arthur's quotes.)
"William, born to a well-to-do Scottish family, was given every opportunity for education and development that could make of him an influential, prominent and successful man. His parents were religious and it was their wish that he would become a minister. They sent him to a school that could prepare him for that purpose. He was well trained in learning the scriptures and knew them very well. In his honesty of soul and purpose of life he saw that the truths contained in the scriptures did not coincide nor agree in many instances with the practices and teachings of the church and they were not teaching plain and simple truths as they are contained in the Bible. He declined to follow the church which taught doctrines not in harmony with the Bible in teaching such man-made doctrines. He thought he would like to go to sea and become a sailor.
His parents were opposed to this so a compromise developed wherein William decided to become a shipwright. In due time he completed his apprenticeship and became a full-fledged Shipwright (ship builder) where he must have excelled in his workmanship as he was soon advanced to a directing position.
On December 22, 1843, William married Mary Margaret Fahrquar Cruickshank at the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland."
In the spring of 1844, William received a governmental appointment in Her Majesties Dockyard, Shermess, Kent, England, making it necessary for them to move from Scotland. On October 31, 1844, Margaret gave birth to a son whom they named, Anthony Bruce Morrison. He was the light and sunshine of their happy home. Through an illness that afflicted both William and Margaret, they applied for and received a transfer to Woolwich, Kent, England. They spent a few happy years there.
In the summer of 1848, Margaret and their son, Anthony, took a trip to the home of her childhood, Aberdeen, Scotland, to visit family and friends. About 6 weeks later on September 25th, she gave birth to a second son, who was named, Andrew Cruickshank Morrison. A month later their son, Anthony, died from scarlet fever and was buried on the 31st of October in Aberdeen, Scotland.
"While the family was away on a visit with Margaret's family in Scotland, William chanced to meet missionaries from America bringing a gospel message testifying of a new religion founded on revelations from God to the Prophet Joseph Smith and taught glorious truths. William's knowledge of the scriptures became very useful to him for he saw a complete harmony between the scriptures and the new revelations the missionaries taught. It was so plain to him that he readily acknowledged it as what he had been looking for. He accepted their message and embraced the truth. He happily wrote to Margaret of his complete joy and gratitude for this great message of truth and the new light that had come to him. Margaret's reply to this startling message was agreeable and brought to her joy in his satisfaction of it, and expressed her to be baptized. She waited until midwinter when the Elders were holding a baptismal service in the River Thames. It was frozen over with solid ice and had to be cut through for that purpose. At this time, Margaret was suffering from an intense sick headache to which she had been inflicted at times for several years.
Suffering as she was on this cold winter night, William entered the home and admonished her to be baptized with this company in this icy water. She said, "Why, William, what do you mean to ask me to go out in this terribly cold weather and be baptized in that ice cold water, and being sick as I am it might mean my death." He answered with great fervor and earnestness, "Margaret, if you will go and be baptized at this time and with this company, I promise you in the name of the Lord that you will never be troubled with this sickness and affliction again for as long as you live." Then she answered, "All right, William, if that is the way you feel about it, I will be baptized. It was reported that no signs of the sickness were manifested thereafter."
Two years later, while visiting her family in Scotland, their second son, Andrew, died of whooping cough on July 24, 1850. On September 16, 1850, Sarah Allen Morrison was born. This all happened when she was visiting her parents in Aberdeen. Returning to their home in England, it was their desire to start planning to gather with the Saints in Zion. Another daughter, Mary Isabella Cruickshank Morrison was born on January 16, 1853, in Woolwich, Kent, England.
William held many positions in the Church, including President of both the Bromley and the Welling Branches in England. He was serving in the Welling Branch when he and his family set sail for America on April 4, 1854, with 220 other Saints on the American clipper ship, "Germanicus". They arrived in New Orleans, and then journeyed up the Mississippi River to St. Louis where they lived for two years preparing for their trip across the plains.
In a cholera outbreak in St. Louis, they lost their third and fourth children, Mary on July 23, 1854, and Sarah on July 28, 1854. In St. Louis their fifth child, Mary Margaret Morrison was born on January 3, 1855, and died on November 8, 1855. Despite these tragic losses, William and Margaret always maintained a positive outlook and a determination to gather with the Saints in Zion.
On the 26th of June, 1856, they began their journey across the plains in a group with 60 wagons led by Captain Canute Petersen, a wise and efficient leader. With the experiences of the cattle stampeding 5 times and a herd of buffalo passing through their camp they finally arrived safely in Salt Lake City on December 23, 1856, in good health and happy to meet dear friends that they had known in England.
They purchased a home in Salt Lake City and William found work supervising a saw-mill that was under construction in Centerville, Davis County (Utah). On December 9, 1856, Margaret once again gave birth to a son they named William George Cruickshank Morrison and they felt the blessings of the Lord in giving them another child. They received their endowments and sealing in The Endowment House in Salt Lake City on March 13, 1857, obtaining the goal they had desired in coming to Zion.
On March 7, 1858, William married a second wife, Lucy Etherington with President Brigham Young officiating. It was a great trial for Margaret, but her faith was strong and she was willing to sacrifice her feelings for righteousness sake. William and Margaret were happy to have the privilege of practicing the law of plural marriage, it being a religious principle to which both were converted. During the same month, William was called to serve with the Utah Militia, and sent out to intercept the U.S. troops under General Sidney Johnston who were on their way to put down the "Mormon Rebellion" of 1857-1858.
In his absence, everyone was called to evacuate Salt Lake City and move south. Margaret with their son, William and her husband's second wife, Lucy, left for their journey with only their clothes and bedding and traveled to Fort Ephraim feeling that was where the Lord wanted her to go. When William was released he found his family had gone south with those who had evacuated Salt Lake City. In searching for them, he was asking questions as he traveled southward. He finally found them at Fort Ephraim. It was then that he learned that his wife, Lucy, had deserted the family.
On March 11, 1859, Margaret gave birth to a daughter naming her Williamina Henrietta Morrison. It was during the springtime that they decided to organize a new settlement, so Mt. Pleasant, Utah (formerly Fort Hambleton at that time) was organized. As William was one of the first settlers, he was appointed clerk, postmaster, assessor and collector of the settlement. With the consent of Margaret, on July 11, 1859, William took another wife, Charoline Christine Iverson, who had been in the employment of the family of William Morrison for about ten months. There were many trials during this period, but through patience and perseverance they were able to endure all things. On August 21, 1861, William married Anna Marie Hansen, this being the 4th and last wife. After that, the family moved into their new home known as "Bon Accord Cottage", Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete County (Utah). Here, on February 15, 1863, Margaret gave birth to another daughter, naming her Clementina Marion Morrison.
In the spring of 1865, William was called to lead a company of 30 families to make a new settlement in Sevier County (Utah), which became known as Richfield. He was the first Probate Judge of Sevier County and held that office for five years, as well as postmaster until the government officials deemed it improper for a man, being a polygamist, to hold public office any longer. Margaret remained in Mt. Pleasant when William moved to Richfield with the rest of his family. Because of an Indian uprising in Richfield in 1867, Richfield was abandoned and the family returned to Mt. Pleasant for the next 4 years.
After Richfield was re-established, Caroline and Anna Marie each had their own houses. William became the first postmaster and Christine's home became a civic center and was known as the "office".
William held many civic and church positions and was dedicated in all that he did. He was a surveyor, a school teacher, a postmaster, a telegraph operator, a stake clerk, a President of the High Priests, a Patriarch, a representative for two terms in the Utah Legislature in a manner which commanded the confidence and blessing of his brethren and fellow citizens. He performed ordinance work in the St. George and Manti Temples.
In order to evade the U.S. officials harassing the families who were practicing plural marriage, William purchased a ranch in Clear Creek Canyon in Sevier County in 1883. His son Arthur William was two years old when William and Anna Marie moved to the ranch. He recalls having a lonely childhood and youth as they lived out on the ranch. He said that both of his parents had excellent minds and were good people. Their first concern was to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness and purity and to teach their children to do likewise and that to achieve true and lasting happiness there was no other way.
Early memories of things he learned from his father, William, was how to handle horses both in teams and on horseback. He was about three years old when his father needed help hauling wood to his family in Richfield. Finding no other help, he put Arthur on the load of wood and gave him the reins of the team of horses. William rode in a buggy ahead of him with another team.
William taught him to rise early by getting him up occasionally at 4 a.m. Then, after a little breakfast and to assure him he was up early and not to forget it, he would let him go back to bed and rest. That was an impressive lesson for him. Another important lesson he learned was when his father would take him to gather wood on fast day (which was the first Thursday of the month), they would fast until noon and eat their lunch while the horses at their noon feed. This helped Arthur learn how to live the gospel in daily life.
William was a financier and rancher until his death at the ranch on August 26, 1889. His wife, Anna Marie and their children George, Henrietta, Arthur and Isabella were there at that time.
Even though he suffered with a chronic stomach ailment in his later years, he had a clear mind, a strong testimony, and a great appreciation for life up to the day of his death. At his funeral, all spoke of his many virtues and of his unfeigned fidelity to the cause of truth and of his giving up everything for the gospel's sake. He was honored and respected by all who knew him.
He had twenty seven children
William and Margaret had eight children: Anthony Bruce (31 Oct 1844-31 Oct 1848), Andrew Cruickshank (25 Sep 1848-24 Aug 1850), Sarah Allen (16 Sep 1850-28 Jul 1854), Mary Isabella (16 Jan 1853-23 Jul 1854), Mary Margaret (3 Jan 1855-8 Nov 1855), William George (9 Dec 1856-31 Dec 1945), Williamina H. (13 Mar 1859-3 Mar 1935), Clementina M. (15 Feb 1863-6 May 1892).
William and Caroline had nine children: James Bruce (1860-1941), Amanda Puella (1864-1889), Alexander (1866-1936), Annie Christina (1869-1903), George Charles (1871-1939), Walter William (1874-), William (1876-1878), Lafayette (1880-1952), Lula (1883-1960).
William and Anna Marie had ten children: Martha Maria (1863-1944), Hannah Elizabeth (1864-1865), Charles Henry (1866-1949), Robert Bruce (1868-1954), Mary Ann (1871-1959), Mary Margaret (1874-1877), Henrietta Angelina (1876-1949), Cornelia Gemina (1878-1879), Arthur William (1881-1938), Isabella (1883-1943).
Researched and compiled by Anne Morrison Kropf, Great-great granddaughter of William Morrison
Sources:
Pioneer of the Month - Mt. Pleasant, Utah - Morrison, William and Mary Margaret Cruickshank
William Morrison Family Legacy written by Lula Morrison Barr
Caroline Christine Iverson Morrison written by her son Walter William Morrison
Arthur William Morrison - My Philosophy of Life - January 3, 1937, Nephi, Utah
July 29, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment