Untitled - citizen hylbom blog

many of the name, are the posterity of Maj.
Nathaniel Morton and descendants of the
eminent George Morton.
(I) George Morton, born about 1585, at
Austerfield, Yorkshire, England, came to New
England in the ship "Ann" in 1623. He had
married in Leyden, in 1612, Juliana Carpenter,
daughter of Alexander Carpenter, of Wrentham,
England. He is said to have served the Pilgrims
in important relations before coming
to this country, and published in England in
1621 the first history of the Colony, which was
entitled "A Relation or Journal of the Beginning
and Proceedings of the English Plantation
settled at Plymouth in New England." It is
SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS 549
commonly known as "Mourt's Relation." He
died in 1624. The children of George and
Juliana (Carpenter) Morton were: Nathaniel,
who married (first) Lydia Cooper and (second)
Mrs. Hannah Ichabod, born in 1726.
(V) Maj.
Pemplar; Patience, who
married John Faunce; John; Sarah, who married
George Bonum; and Ephraim. Of these,
Nathaniel was secretary of Plymouth Colony
from 1647 to 1685, and author of that very
valuable work known as the "Old Colony
Memorial," compiled from the observations and
writings of himself and Gov. William Bradford,
second governor of Plymouth Colony. As
early as 1668 Nathaniel Morton was elected a
selectman of Plymouth and held that office
Nathaniel Morton (2), of Free-
Nathaniel, and on Dec. 8, 1776, there were
among the officers and private soldiers of the
twenty-one years. He was chosen to represent
the town of Pljinouth in the Colonial Court
as early as 1659 and served in that capacity
in 1653; Nathaniel; Eleazer, born in 1659;
Thomas, born in 1667; and Patience.
(III) Eleazer Morton, son of Ephraim, married
in 1693 Rebecca Dawes, daughter of Ambrose,
and their children were : Eleazer, born
in 1693; Ann, born in 1694 (married Robert
Finney); Nathaniel, born in 1695; and Rebecca,
born in 1703.
(IV) Nathaniel Morton, born in 1695, was
lost at sea before 1730. He married in 1720
Rebecca Ellis, widow of Mordecai Ellis, and
daughter of Thomas Clark, and their children
were: Elizabeth, born in 1720; Nathaniel,
born in 1723; Eleazer, born in 1724; and
town, born Feb. 1, 1722-23, married in 1749
Martha Tupper, of Sandwich, daughter of
Eldad Tupper and granddaughter of Thomas
Tupper, and their children were : Nathaniel,
born in 1753; Martha; Elizabeth, and Job.
Nathaniel Morton, the father, was a soldier in
the Revolutionary war, being at first second
lieutenant in Capt. Levi Rounseville's company
of minute men, subsequently commander of a
company, and then promoted to major. There
were many members of the Morton family named
local militia of East Freetown who responded
to what was known as the "Rhode Island alarm"
no less than four Nathaniel Mortons : the company
commander (later major) ; his son
Nathaniel (then called Nathaniel, Jr., but in
subsequent life widely known as Hon. Nathaniel
Morton), who was one of the four sergeants
of the company; Nathaniel Morton, Sr., and
Nathaniel Morton, 4th.
(VI) Job Morton, son of Maj. Nathaniel
Morton, was born at East Freetown June 14,
1770, and received fine educational advantages.
After attending the common schools he took a
collegiate course, and was graduated at Brown
University in 1797. He studied medicine, but
never practiced. Like his forefathers he took
a prominent part in the affairs of the town.
On April 1, 1805, he was elected a selectman
of Freetown, and served twenty-four years as
twenty-seven years. After the Old Colony was
united with that of Massachusetts Bay he was
elected to represent the town of Plymouth in
the Provincial Court at Boston.
(II) Lieut. Ephraim Morton, born in 1623
on the ship "Ann," married (first) Nov. 18,
1644, Ann Cooper, who died Sept. 1, 1691. He
married (second) in 1692 Mary, widow of
William Harlow, and daughter of Robert
Shelly, of Scituate. Mr. Morton became a freeman
in 1648, and in that year was constable
of Plymouth. He was chosen a representative
to the General Court at Plymouth in 1657, and
was a member of that body for twenty-eight
years. He was chosen the first representative
to the Massachusetts General Court under the
charter of 1691-92. He was for nearly twentyfive
years at the head of the board of selectmen
of Plymouth. He was chosen a magistrate of
the Colony in 1683, and at the time of his
death he was a justice of the court of Common
Pleas. He also served in other important relations.
He died Sept. 7, 1693. His children
were: George, born in 1645; Ephraim, born
in 1648 ; Rebecca, bom in 1651 ; Josiah, born
such on the same date he was chosen assessor
;
of Freetown, in which office he served twentyeight
years. On May 14, 1814, he was chosen
representative of FreetoNvn in the General
Court, and served acceptably for eleven years.
On Feb. 9, 1811, he was commissioned a justice
of the peace for the county of Bristol. In 1812
he was appointed clerk of the county courts,
but it is not known that he accepted this position;
if he did, he held it only a short time.