National Science Day: A Confederate General, A Millionaire & The Author Of The National Anthem

With a title like that, I bet you're aching to know who this blog entry is about! Do you know who Thomas Hunt Morgan is? Not many people do.. but you should! Thomas Hunt Morgan's discoveries in science later formed the basis of modern genetics. Because of much of his research and teachings, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Thomas Hunt Morgan comes from very notable roots, which we're going to focus on. He was born on 25 Sep 1866 in Lexington, Fayette County, Tennessee. He was the son of Charlton Hunt Morgan and his wife Ellen Key Howard.

Charlton Hunt Morgan was the son of Calvin Cogswell Morgan and his wife Henrietta Hunt. Other than Charlton, Calvin and Henrietta gave birth to a son named John Hunt Morgan, who would eventually become a General during the American Civil War. It appears that the Morgan family seemed to be on "hard times" for quite a while. Calvin Morgan lost his home in 1831, from failing to pay property taxes on his pharmacy. Calvin's father Luther Morgan, had experienced a downward fall in the economy for cotton which resulted in him mortgaging his estate.

Charlton Hunt Morgan's wife, Henrietta Hunt, seems to have come from money, though. Her father was John Wesley Hunt, a very well-known businessman and early leader in Lexington, Kentucky. He was actually one of the founders of Lexington. During his lifetime, he became a successful businessman in hemp manufacturing, banking and also in horsebreeding. He was also known for introducing the 'Messenger' strain in horses, during the winter months of 1839 and 1840. John Wesley Hunt was one of the first self-made millionaires, living west of the Allegheny Mountains.

As mentioned above, Thomas Hunt Morgan's mother was Ellen Key Howard. She herself was the daughter of Charles Howard and his wife Elizabeth Phoebe Key. Charles Howard was a native of Maryland and the son of John Eagar Howard. Not many know the name, but John Eager Howard was once Governor and also Senator of Maryland. He had also served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, achieving the rank of captain and eventually colonel. He earned himself a silver medal from Congress because of his leadership skills at the Battle of Cowpens.

Elizabeth Phoebe Key is the daughter of an extremely famous man, known in every household in America. He was Francis Scott Key, author of The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem on the the United States of America. A lesser-known fact about Francis Scott Key, was that he was an accomplished lawyer. The father of Francis was John Ross Key, another Officer in the Continental Army, during the Revolutionary War.

The White Kin Of Vanessa Williams

As we watched last week on Who Do You Think You Are?, we learned much about the family of Vanessa Williams. One in particular was her ancestor, David Carll. He was a veteran of the Civil War and served as a private in Company I, US Colored Troops 26th Infantry Regiment, for the Union in New York. Sherlock and I did some sleuthing and found David Carll and his family in the 1880 census. They were living in Oyster Bay, Queens County New York and David's occupation was listed as a Boatman. The interesting fact with this family is that David Carll, listed as a mulatto man, was married to Louisa, a white woman. Note that there is an Appleford family on the bottom of the page.

Imagine the hardships an inter-racial married couple would've
gone through, 80 years before the Civil Rights Movement.

In the next census, Sherlock and I found the David Carll family again in Oyster Bay. David Carll and his children are listed as mulatto and his wife Louisa, is listed as white. Note again, the two Appleford households living above them on the sheet. The first one is George W. Appleford, who could be a brother to Louisa. The second household is a Freelove Appleford, who could be the mother of Louisa.. and obviously George W. Appleford.




Now coming to the 1860 census, the David Carll family dries up; David and Louisa would've been too young to be married. We naturally became interested in who this white wife of David Carll was. We did note that they lived relatively close to the Appleford family in both the 1870 and 1880 census. In the 1860 census, we found the George Appleford family, with wife Freelove, living in Oyster Bay. They had living in their household a son named George W. Appleford and a daughter Louisa Appleford.




Is Louisa Appleford the white wife of the mulatto man David Carll?


We then located the same family in the 1850 census. We believe Louisa was incorrectly recorded as Sophia. Looking at the details of the 1850 census, we find that the father George Appleford was born in England! He was an immigrant! The same wife Freelove is listed, as well as the son George W. Appleford. Other children are listed as well: Thomas, Mary S., Joseph and Wellington.





Doing some more detective work, Sherlock and I found some very facts about the Appleford boys. It appears that four of Louisa Appleford's brothers (Thomas, George W., Joseph & Wellington) served in the Civil War, and also her future husband David Carll.




Only in New York, could you have an English immigrant bear four sons to serve for the Union in the Civil War. He then also had a daughter who married a mulatto man, who also served for the Union in the Civil War.

What's your secret?
-Watson


Sources:
(In order of use)
1. Historical Data Systems, comp.. U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
2. Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA form the following list of works.
3. National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online , acquired 2007.
4. National Archives and Records Administration. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
Original data: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T288, 544 rolls.
5. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
6. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
7. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
8. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S.