morgant  
 
 

Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",  published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.


     THOMAS M. MORGAN who resides about twelve miles south from Lind is well-known in various portions of this western country as a preacher of the gospel.  At the present time, he is dividing his time between that occupation and farming, having a well improved estate where he lives.  He was born in Missouri in 1839.  His parents moved thence to Kansas when he was seven years old and there our subject received his education from personal research and under the private instruction of various ministers of the gospel.  He remained in Kansas until thirty years of age, having taken up preaching during the sixties.  He followed that calling diligently until 1874, when he came west and located in Coos county, Oregon.  There he also preached and later was traveling salesman for a medicine company.  He was in the Looking glass valley for a year then spent a year in Lane county and a year and one half in Polk county and in 1882 located in Whitman county, between Palouse and Colfax.  Two years later, he journeyed to Dayton, and there organized the Christian church in which he was pastor for three years.  It was 1887, when he located on his present place, his being the first family in this entire section.  It was necessary for him to draw water for five miles when he first came here but he has improved his estate until it is now a very comfortable rural abode, supplied with all conveniences and all the machinery needed on a good wheat farm.
     In 1861, Mr. Morgan married Miss Rachel Barnes, of Indiana.  She had come to Missouri with her parents when young and there was married.  To this union eleven children have been born, named as follows; Ida R., deceased; Mary, who taught three years in the Ritzville schools when first coming here; Andrew, living in Adams county, near Lind; Albert, near Lind; William W., in California; Salmon, twelve miles south of Lind; Lester, in California; Vesta, deceased; Vernon, twelve miles south of Lind; Lloyd, studying for the ministry, and Charles, in California.
     Politically, Mr. Morgan is a Prohibitionist and always takes an active part in this realm and has been candidate for various offices among which was county treasurer in 1902.  Mr. Morgan has so manifested his faith in his walk that the entire family are, with him, members of the Christian church.  He has traveled considerable in the gospel work, having been in Latah and Shoshone counties, Idaho, also recently in California.
 
 

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