John Morton

John Morton's birthplace of
New Kilpatrick in Scotland. ==>

John MORTON (P10) is my gggrandfather. He was born 29 Apr 1816 in Lawmuir, New Kilpatrick, Dumbartonshire, Scotland. He is the son of Samuel MORTON & Catherine MERTON. Of his parents, John says, "They were unmarried and my mother died a few months after I was born, and my father went away and left me, whither it was before I was born or after I know not. One thing I no, I never saw either of them, but hope I will hereafter."^(JMMO)

This is a view of the River Clyde near John Morton's birthplace of New Kilpatrick in Scotland.
The building is an abandoned French prison.
A grandaughter writes, "Grandpa MORTON's mother was a school teacher in Scotland. She was in love with a wealthy man, but his folks wouldn't consent to their marriage. They loved each other very much, and their son was born out of wedlock. Samuel MORTON, the father, went away and Catherine MERTON, the mother, died of a broken heart. Everything proved too much for her."^(MSKI)

John was raised by John & Jean (MC ILQUHAM) MILLER, good friends of his mother's family. Clearly, John did not harbor a grudge about being an orphan. When he was a few years old, his aunt (Samuel MORTON's sister) came to take him to live with her. She was well off financially & wanted to provide him with a good education. Little John had other ideas. He had grown to love his step family; he did not want to leave. John kicked and squirmed until the man sent to fetch John had to let go. ^(RMMO) John grew up in Old Kilpatrick. According to scotnursing.net, the village is "a quiet place but hides a lot of historical importance". The Antonine Wall , built in the 1400s, ends here. The wall ditch and other artifacts from the Roman occupation are still clearly visible. Today, the Erskine Bridge crosses the River Clyde at Old Kilpatrick. Beyond there the Clyde widens into an inlet called the Firth of Clyde.

Old Kilpatrick is reputed to be the birthplace of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. This was, incidentally, back in the days of the Roman occupation. It is said St. Patrick was so pious that the Devil leashed out an attack of witches upon him. It was from the banks of the River Clyde at Old Kilpatrick that St. Patrick departed for his mission to the Emerald Isle. His leaving so insensed the Devil that he threw a great chunk of rock at the saint as he left. There still exists today a well (now filled in) at this site. The well is said to have been used by St. Patrick.

Much of Scotland was not very fertile. The proportion of good valley land was very small. But, Scotland did have mineral resources which they began tapping in the middle ages. Coal mining along the Tay and Firth began at an early time. According to http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/projects/coal/Hazards/HazardsCoal.htm, "Industrial work during the nineteenth century was often hazardous. Nowhere was this situation more true than in coal mining." John Morton was a coal miner. About himself, John says he had a "wicked currear" until the year 1840.^(JMMO) (In later years, others remembered John as a man of integrity.)

John married Margaret CUNNINGHAM on 31 Dec 1840 in Dalziel Parish, Lanarkshire, Town of Motherwell. They were married by a Mr. Class, minister. ^{(CTRC, TIB EH9170,Bk G,Pg 331).} Life was not always pleasant for the young couple. Three of their first four children died when very young. John & Margaret were the parents of Allan (1841, died 1842); another Allan (1842); Elizabeth (1844, died 1846); Margaret (1846, died 1847); Mary (1849) & John (1851). John credits his foster parents, the MILLERS, with having introduced him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. John was baptized on 27 Apr 1850 by James HENDERSON of the Knightswood Branch in Old Kilpatrick Parish. He was baptized in the River Clyde & confirmed by Robert CUNNINGHAM. (This might be Margaret's brother.) Margaret also converted but not until 1851. By 1854 John was asked to "preside over the same (Holytown) branch in the absence of President Burt."

Many of John's acquaintances disapproved of his new religion. Apparently, the ridicule got pretty bad because John finally took the matter up with the foreman of the mines. That night when he came out of the mine, he brought his tools with him. He was prompted by the Spirit of God to tell the miners in a very convincing manner that if they wanted to save their tools they had better take them outside of the mine. "For", he said, "when I take my tools home tonight, this mine will commence to close in and by morning your tools will be buried." The men did not take the warning seriously; but the next day it was as John had foretold. The mine entrance had entirely closed in and buried all of the tools the men had left, as they scoffed, the day before. After that it was said the men spoke respectfully of John MORTON, some even called him a prophet.

The Morton family came to America aboard the Tuscarora in 1857. This is the sailing vessel, Tuscarora.
John & Margaret felt it was important to raise their children in a closer association with others of their new religion. The family came to America in 1857 aboard the Tuscarora, arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 3 Jul 1857. John (again) sought work in the coal mines of Maryland for a year and then Pennsylvania. His son, Allen, also worked in these mines. The men worked to raise money for the continuation of their trip to Utah. http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/projects/coal/Hazards/HazardsCoal.htm reports that "By the 1860s some anthracite coals mines in northeastern Pennsylvania had reached as much as 1,500 feet into the earth. ... There were no professional mining engineers at this time ... so the operators turned to skilled miners from Wales, England and Scotland, men who had developed expertise through experience." John Morton was such a man.

J. Morton grave

John MORTON was laid to rest in the cemetery in Midway, Utah. His daughter Mary (my great grandmother) is also buried there.
They went by train to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1863. From there they took a steamboat up the Missouri River to Florence where they met an ox team train taking Mormons to Utah. They arrived in Sep 1863. They stayed for a time in Utah, then Franklin, Idaho, and then back to Utah, settling in Midway. When they arrived in the Provo Valley, Robert CUNNINGHAM, Margaret's brother, was there to greet them & help get them settled. Their home was located near the spot where Conrad GERTSCH's barn was later constructed. John MORTON died on 24 Feb 1879 in Midway, Utah, and is buried in Midway.

John Morton (1816)

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