The Rev. Dr Thomas Morrow

By Ernestine Wardlow Bessemer, AL
A Morrow Descendant

The lineage of Dr Morrow begins with his great- grand father Samuel Morrow who has been traced from Maryland to Pennsylvania. Here is where Thomas's father was born.  Robert Morrow (b 1734)  was the oldest child of six children. They migrated to Virginia then on to the Greenville District. S.C. Here he met his wife who had left Antrim County. Ireland. She lost her first husband in Ireland so she came to America with her parents, brothers, sisters and her children. Robert and Jane Paden Morton married and began a family. Jane was born in Ireland in 1740. They married abt.1774. Robert and Jane Had two sons Samuel (b. 1775) and Thomas (1785) both were born in Greenville District. Robert Morrow also served in Third South Carolina Regiment, during the Revolutionary War. His wife Jane and her sister were hailed as heroines of the Revolution War. She and her sister would ride out to the battle field and bring back the wounded, to their home and nurse them back to health.

Samuel Morrow was born Nov 8, 1775, the son of Robert and Jane Peden Morrow, he married Rosa Dorough born 1798, in Greenville district South Carolina, Rosa (b. 1770).They had 12 children one of them was the Rev. Dr. Thomas Morrow (b July31, 1806) in South Carolina. He moved with is parents and grandparents to the Mississippi Territory which is now the State of Alabama. They moved here in 1817. They where pioneer settlers of Alabama, so they are one of the First Families of Alabama. They settled around the Morgan County, Hartselle area. Robert Morrow died 1823 and Jane died 1830, they are buried in the Morrow County Cemetery, Hartselle Alabama. Samuel and Rosa are also buried there, he died 1845 and she died 1847... Thomas was well educated and attended Harvard Theological School, where he received his doctor of divinity. Thomas Morrow married his 3rd cousin Nancy Morrow (b. Sept.10, 1821) of David Morrow and Margaret Storey. David was a son of Samuel Morrow and Janet Nelson. Samuel was born near Baltimore Maryland March 1917 He served four or five tours with the Revolutionary War. He married Janet Nelson.Nov.13, 1781. Samuel died Feb.19, 142. Janet was born August 14, 1760 in County Down Ireland and came with her parents to America in 1772 She died April 14, 1849. Samuel and Janet moved with their children to Pickens county in1820.

As a minister Thomas was called to the Tuscaloosa Presbytery where he served the Mississippi Territory and Pickens County Churches here is where he met his bride Nancy and they were married. On September 29, 1938 he organized the Bethesda Presbyterian Church of Benevola with fifteen charter members. Thomas and Nancy had 4 children: (1) Alexander Baxter, (2) Martha Virginia, (3) Florida Jane and (4) Henry Scott Morrow b. march 8, 1847, in Pickens County Alabama. Dr Morrow saw a close kinship with education and religion. All of his children were well educated and well versed in religion. Dr Morrow also, was a minister for the First Presbyterian Church in Reform. All four of their children where baptized in the church at Reform. After he left Benevola he returned to Hartselle where he began a college called The Hartselle Male and Female College. Thomas died March 12, 1885. Nancy died December 28, 1872. Both are buried in the Morrow cemetery in Hartselle, Alabama.

Henry enlisted in the War Between the States when he was 15. He served Company D, 4th Reg’t (Russell’s) Alabama Calvary.
Henry Scott Morrow married Caroline Petronellie Rountree (b.July 22, 1842) of Carter’s Creek, Maury County, Tn. They married in Hartselle Alabama. They had 2 children Nancy (Nannie) Ann Morrow (Baja. 14, 1875) who married Burney Lafayette Russell (b.July 24, 1878) both are buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Al. Henry and Caroline’s 2nd child William Scott Morrow (b march 12, 1880) was also born in Hartselle Alabama. They moved to Pratt city when William and Nannie were young in 1895 Henry developed pneumonia and passed away, Caroline stayed with her children in Pratt City where she raised them to adulthood. William graduated from High School and attended college at the Presbyterian college Maryville in Maryville Tennessee.

During Rev. Dr Thomas Morrow’s tenure in Benevola, he pastured the Alfred E Going family not realizing that one day Emily August Going and Edward Rose’s daughter, Ernestine Rose, would grow up and come to Birmingham and meet William and fall in love and marry Nov, 17, 1904, and one day return to Benevola with there younger children and raise them to adulthood. Ernestine Morrow and James Morrow were able to relive a time in history that was their great great-parents.