We currently have seven sets of matches.
Alexander is generally considered the forefather (Old Sam's grandfather.) Alexander is the son of David Morrow who wrote his will in 1692 in Norfolk, VA. This is the "Norfolk, VA Morrows" line that nearly all southern Morrows assume they are descended from. The DNA results show most people are wrong!
There are nine matching participants in this line. There are descendants of Robert Morrow m. Jane Peden, Thomas Morrow m. Janet McCarter, David m. Margaret Kelso, Maj. Samuel m. Janet Nelson, Lt. John m. Mary Kelso, Joseph m. Jane Wylie, and Adam m. Isobel. Except for Adam, these men are all the same generation. Researchers have in varying configurations shown them as brothers or cousins - the sons of Old Samuel and his cousin David m. Agnes White.
Documentary evidence shows that Maj. Sam and Lt. John are brothers (pension applications reference each other) and that Maj. Sam is the "nephew" of Old Sam (from a deed). Based on that, we had a theory that Sam and John were sons of David and Agnes (along with David 1762-1843) and that Robert and Thomas were the sons of Old Sam.
HOWEVER, DNA testing has shown a variation between the men at one particular marker that splits them up: Thomas and David descendants have one value, the other three have a different value. This discovery sparked another round of research, and the discovery of a document showing David and Mary Morrow of Spartenburg listed with sons Robert, Samuel and John in a visitation listing in 1774. This is "David of Spartenburg," a man not listed in Ray's book, but easily the right age and location to be the brother of Old Samuel. (Ray did list a David as a brother of Old Samuel - David Morrow m. Elizabeth Catlett. We have replaced that David with David of Spartenburg.) As a result of DNA testing and further research, we hypothesize the following relationships:
| Alexander Morrow m. Grace Smith | ||||||||
| David Morrow m. Hannah Hopkins | Daniel Morrow m. Diana | |||||||
| David of Spartenburg, SC | David Morrow m. Agnes White | |||||||
| Robert Morrow m. Jane Peden | Major Sam Morrow m. Janet Nelson | Lt. John Morrow m. Mary Kelso | David b 1762 m Margaret Kelso d 1843 | Thomas Morrow m. Janet McCarter | Joseph m. Jane Wylie | |||
| David Morrow m. Nancy Dorrough | Thomas m. Hannah Richardson | William Nelson Morrow b. 1788 | David m. Martha Steele | Joseph m Sarah Waugh | John m. Margaret Boyd | John Morrow m. Mary Sutton | John A. m. Lucinda Gill | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Participant A | Participant W | Participant D | Partipant T | Partipant B | Participant C | Participant P | Participant BC | |
For a more graphic presentation of the relationships and mutations, click here.
We do not know just where Adam fits, but the DNA indicates he may be more distantly related.
Additional participants could help confirm relationships, particularly those from other children of David Morrow and Agnes White, Robert, Adam, George, James and Thomas, about whom nothing is known.Or siblings of Daniel and David: Jeremiah, Alexander, Caleb, John and Thomas.
- William Morrow 1750-1828, m. Mary, died Warren Co, TN.
- William Morrow 1768-1834, m. Rachel Stover & Sarah Jay, died in Randolph Co, MO.
- James Morrow 1743-1826 , some say married Elizabeth Baxter, died 1826 in Rutherford Co, NC. James' son James was born 1773 and married Elizabeth Suttle.
- William Morrow ~1770-1815, m. Mary Underdown, of Person Co, NC
- John M. Morrow ~1770-1846, d. Ripley Co, MO, father alleged to be John.
For more information on these men and how they may be connected, see information about the Flat River Morrows here.
More partipants from the Williams lines are requested, including descendants of:
- John Morrow living in Barren Co, KY in 1810 (thought to be son of William 1750-1828; may be the John in Coffee Co, TN in 1850)
- Morrows of Macon Co, MO, including John m. Mary Haddix, Jesse m. Henrietta Williams, William Jay m. Charlotte Walker, Thomas Jefferson m. Minerva Summers, and James W. m. Levina Maddocks (moved to Texas then Oklahoma)
The rest of "Group II" is fairly distantly related to the Flat River Group, but may share ancestral origins.
Robert was called son of Rev. David Morrow and Elizabeth Catlett by Worth Ray in Tennessee Cousins. Rev. David is thought to be a brother of "Old Samuel." However, the DNA between this group and the Old Sam group is extremely far apart, ruling out a relationship within the last several thousand years. Moreover, as shown above, there was another David in Spartenburg who appears to be Samuel's brother. It is possible that Rev. David is Robert's father, but no family tradition supports the idea, so he has been deleted from these lines.
Also of note on this line, a descendant from William Morrow m. Barbara Zantzinger (line of Gov. Edwin Porch Morrow) joined the project. Ray listed this man as Thomas, another son of Rev. David. The DNA does not match even remotely. (See Group V)
Participants from the following lines would be interesting to see:
- Col. John Morrow m. Mary Rutherford (unlikely, but frequently listed, progenitor of line of Morrow cousins who married daughters of Sam Houston)
- Capt. Charles and Jeremiah, about who nothing further is known.
These lines may match either Robert's line, the Old Sam line above, the Morrow/Zantzinger line (most likely) or none of the above.
Another participant (Q) descended from Morrows in Greene Co, IL joined the project, but does not match this group. See Group IV/Second North Carolina Match below.
- Ephraim Morrow, b. 1822 Georgia, was previously connected to several grandsons of Old Samuel (see above). However, the markers are not even close. In 1850, he is living near James, age 76, born South Carolina.
- Thomas Morrow lived in Pendleton Co, SC in the 1790s and 1800s. His son Thomas settled in Giles Co, TN. Thomas, Sr. and his brothers moved from PA to SC, and one of them might be closely related to Ephraim's father, above.
- Allen Morrow b. about 1800 probably in Kentucky. Married Nancy Biggs, born about 1805 in Georgia. They settled in Missouri before 1830 and were in New Madrid Co, MO in 1840.
- NEW William Morrow of Wayne Co, TN, d. abt 1845, m. Lydia Watts(?). Said in a Wayne County biography to have been born in NC, son of William Morrow and Mary "Polly" Dunlap of Ireland.
Busted Matches
Descendants of these lines matched 12/12 with the lines above, and, before we understood more about DNA testing, we thought we had a relationship on our hands. However, when the tests were expanded to 25 markers, they showed too many mutations for the lines to be even remotely related.
- James Isaac born in 1850 in Texas and in Hunt Co, TX in 1880.
- Robert Morrow m. Ann Hurley in 1782 in Caswell Co, NC, part of the "Rattlesnake Creek Morrows. Robert and Ann raised their family in the early 19th century in Georgia. Robert's parents were William Morrow and Mary (often said to be Mary Church), another line connected to the Norfolk, VA family. One of these lines includes Morris Judge Morrow, who changed his name to George Washington Morgan.
- William Morrow ca1731 - 1807, died Orange Co. NC, m ca 1751 Jane Parks in Ulster
- James Morrow ca1740 � aft. 1800, probably in Orange Co., m2. ca 1772 Ann Mebane in Orange Co.
- Thomas Morrow ca1745-1830, died KY, m. Rebecca Small
- David Morrow ca1740, immigrated from Ireland to SC aboard the Lord Dunluce in 1772.
- George Washington Morrow ca 1823, in 1870 Cherokee Co, NC
- John Morrow 1798-1860, died Greene Co, IL, m. Elizabeth. [More distantly related]
William and James are, by tradition, brothers. Those two lines and the Thomas and George lines match 35/37, which is roughly 90% chance of relationship in the last 12 generations. The David line results match 25/25, and the 37 marker test is pending. Those lines match 32/37 with John line, which indicates maybe only 39% chance of relationship in 12 generations.
William and James are part of the Crossroads/Oaks Morrows.
These North Carolina men also 23/25 with a participant descended from George Morrow of Belfast, Ireland, born about 1850. A 23/25 match corresponds to about a 50% chance of a relationship in the last 8 generations, 70% in 16 generations, and 90% in 24.
- Thomas A. Morrow b. 1834 SC, d. 1897 Coffee Co, AL. Married Bethany Womble.
- John T. Morrow b. 1834 SC, living in Coffee Co, AL in 1900, m. Jane.
As the information above suggests, John and Thomas were contemporaries living in the same area and thus may have been closely related. But they have not been found in 1850, so their relationship is unknown.
A chart of the Y markers on on these lines is also available.
For more information go to FamilyTreeDNA.
To sign up: Use this form. Our group administrator will then send you a link allowing you to join the project.
Questions? Email Bill Morrow or Amelia Morrow Gerlicher (group administrators).
