Judge Robert Morrison
had quite a checkered career. He was born in County Antrim, Ireland, November 29, 1782. His father died while he was an infant, and he was reared by his mother. She was a Presbyterian and her instructions and prayers followed him all his life. But she did not only instruct and pray for him. She was a firm believer in King Solomon's theories as to the rod and she carried them into practice. One day he ran out of school without permission and started home. The teacher pursued him and Robert threw a stone and lamed him. When he reached home, his mother learned of his escapade, and promised him a whipping the next morning. He lay awake all night thinking about it, but he received it and remembered it all his life. His education was very meagre, and when a mere boy he was put out to learn the trade of a linen weaver. Before he was nineteen years of age, he was engaged in manufacturing and selling linen cloth. Being of a very adventuresome disposition, he joined the United Irishmen, and as result of it was he was compelled to flee from Ireland to save his life. Lord Fitzgerald smuggled him out of Ireland. He came to this country accompanied by his mother and an uncle. He landed at New York in 1801 in the nineteenth year of his age. He went to South Carolina with his uncle and mother to visit two paternal uncles. South Carolina did not impress young Morrison, and he went to Kentucky in 1802, and located near Flemingsburg. While here, he connected himself with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, and in 1803 married Miss Mary Mitchell, sister of Judge Mitchell, of Preble County, and the day after his marriage, he and his bride set out for Ohio. They settled on Cherry Fork. He purchased a tract of land all in forest. Sometime after his purchase, adverse claims being made, he went to Lexington, Kentucky, and consulted the great Henry Clay as to his title. Clay advised him that his title was good, but that he had better buy off the claim than to litigate. Mr. Clay's fee was five dollars for the advice. Young Morrison dug the first grave in the Cherry Fork burying ground, and was one of those who organized the Cherry Fork A. R. Church in 1805. The congregation then consisted of twelve or fifteen families. He was naturalized at the April term of 1810 of the Adams Court of Common Pleas. In 1813, he lost his wife. She left six children, one only seven days old. He was almost immediately called into the war, and went with an expedition to Fort Wayne. In this, he was Captain Morrison, commanding a company of dragoons. In the general call in 1814, he served as captain of a company of infantry, and was part of the time acting colonel of the regiment. During the campaign he formed a great friendship for Gen. William Henry Harrison, and the latter offered him a captain's commission in the regular army, but he declined. On June 28, 1814, he married Miss Phoebe McGowan, who survived him. In 1816, he was made a ruling elder in the church at North Liberty. In December, 1817, he was elected to the legislature. He was re-elected in 1818, 1819 and 1820. While serving in the legislature, he was elected a brigadier general of the militia. In the legislature, he defeated a bill to abolish capital punishment. After serving four terms in the legislature, he declined renomination. On February 21, 1821, he had his friend, Thomas Kirker, elected an associate judge of Adams County. Gov. Kirker did not like the place and resigned in October, 1821. The governor appointed Robert Morrison in his place. On the fourth of February, 1822, he was elected to the full term of seven years, re-elected in 1829 and served until 1836. In 1838, he was re-elected and served until the new constitution took effect on Sep tember 1, 1851. One who knew him best has written the following comments on his character:
In his large family, his word was law, His children all understood that. It was seldom he had to use Solomon's remedy among his children. The idea of neglecting or refusing to obey any command of his, never, at any time, entered one of his children's minds. He had the respect of all who knew him, and as to those who did not know him, he had a natural dignity which commanded their respect. Most of the associate judges were content to be nobodies, but it was not so with him. He was a force wherever he was. He was endowed with a wonderful amount of common sense, possessed great tact, was overflowing with kindly humor and was kind and courteous to all. As an officer of the church, he kept down all difficulties. Had he lived in the time of the judges in Israel, he would have been one of them. In his early days, he was a Jefferson Democrat, but he was anti-slavery, and that took him away from that party, and placed him in opposition to it.
After retiring from the duties of associate judge in 1851, he resided quietly on his farm till he was called hence on the tenth day of February, 1863.
The following are the names of his children, with the dates of their births:
Alexander, born 1804, married Elizabeth Ewing.
Sarah, born October 25, 1805, married John S. Patton.
Mitchell, born October 9, 1807, married Jane Wright, second time a Ewing.
Nancy, born October 21, 1809, married W. D. Ewing.
James, born September 21, 1811, married Rebecca Ewing, second wife's name unknown.
Mary, January 21, 1816, married William Eckman.
John, August 8, 1817, married Julia Ann Pittinger.
Robert, August 12, 1819, married Elizabeth Patton. He and his wife are both living.
Marion, June 8, 1821, married Elizabeth T. Brown. He is living at Mission Ridge, Neb.
Elizabeth, August 3, 1823, married William McMillen.
William, July 20, 1828, married Emiline Allison.
Harvey, March 12, 1831, died in childhood.
Matilda, April 4, 1833, married first Mr. Glass, and second, Mr. Pittinger.
Robert, July 12, 1813, died an infant
From "History of Adams County, Ohio from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time" - by Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers - West Union, Ohio - Published by E. B. Stivers - 1900