Morford Family    

MORFORD FAMILY—Joseph Morford, deceased, was born in New Jersey in 1774, and there grew to manhood. In the last decade of the eighteenth century, he came into the Shenango Valley and settled on a tract of land in what is now West Salem Township, Mercer Co., Penn. He built his log cabin where his grandson, Dr. Ralph D. Morford, now lives. He was twice married, his first wife being Miss Morford, a cousin, who died without issue. In 1804 he was again married, to Elizabeth Fell, born September 25, 1785, and daughter of Nathan and Ann Fell, pioneers of Pymatuning Township. With her he began improving his farm while the Indians were yet their neighbors and deer and other wild game roamed at will through the now beautiful Shenango Valley. They were the parents of ten children, seven of whom grew to maturity: George, the eldest, was married to Sarah Brown, of Vernon Township. Trumbull Co., Ohio, and subsequently removed to Illinois, where he lived to rear a family; Martha, born in 1809, was married to Robert Woods, of Pymatuning Township, and moved to Illinois, where she died in 1876; Rachel, married Elisha Fox, of Pymatuning Township, and removed to Illinois, where she resides, a widow without issue; Benjamin, married Rebecca Stem, of Pymatuning Township, and removed to Illinois, and there died after rearing a family; Nathan, further notice of whom is given in this sketch; Joseph, married Hannah Dunbar, of Trumbull County, Ohio, where he died in early manhood, after being very successful in the practice of medicine; Rebecca, married Andrew Burnett, who at the time of marriage was a dealer in coal in Hubbard, Ohio, and afterward removed to Greenville, where they died, leaving one son, James, who resides in that town. All of the children are dead except Mrs. Rachel Fox, of Youngstown, Ill. Joseph Morford was a very successful farmer, and accumulated a large estate. Politically he was first a Democrat and then a Republican, and filled offices of trust several years. He was a quiet, unobtrusive man, upright and straightforward, of strict integrity in all his dealings, and one whose opinions and judgment were held in high esteem by all who knew him. He died March 4, 1861, his widow surviving him until July 27, 1808, being in their eighty-seventh and eighty-third years, respectively. All of their children were born on the old homestead, and seven of them became heads of families.

Nathan Morford was born on the homestead May 14, 1817, and grew up and spent his whole life on the home farm, which he purchased of his father. He was married January 10, 1841, to Miss Mary Ann Smith, a native of Cumberland County, Penn., who had been teaching school in the neighborhood a few years prior to her marriage. She is a daughter of John and Sarah Smith, natives of Cumberland County, Penn., and reared a family of three children: Nathan A., of Phoenix, Arizona; Ellen, wife of W. H. Ruhlman, of North Lima, Ohio, and Dr. Ralph D., a practicing physician, living on the old homestead. Politically Mr. Morford was a Republican, and represented this county in the Legislature in 1872-74. He was a man of enterprise and public spirit, and always took a deep interest in the public affairs of his native county. He was a Universalist in religious belief, and highly esteemed by those who knew him best. He died February 8, 1881. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity. His widow and youngest son reside on the old homestead where the husband and father passed his whole life.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888, pages 1193-1194.  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com

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