| The Family Expands - 1810-1859 |
| Because there was so little information available about the early years before 1800, it was relatively easy to identify the "gaps" - after 1800, the volume of information about the Morton family and its' branches in SW Scotland became greater, and the sifting process became longer and more complicated. On the linked Morton Family History site shown on the index page, there is a wealth of information which was gathered and discarded as irrelevant to our particular family line - that has been included so that others might be able to tie up loose ends that are frustrating them. Below are brief details of the "Thomas Morton" line - these are expanded on the main Family Tree site. THOMAS - the elder brother for whom we have no information except that he was on the 1841 & 1851 census for East Kilbride Parish as living at Laigh Cleughearn Farm. JAMES - This was a complex man who left the farm to become an entrepreneur - he set up and managed the New Zealand & Australia Land Company, the Canterbury & Otago Association and was associated the the Directors of the City of Glasgow Bank which collapsed in 1868. It is interesting to note that he still retained an interest in farming, as all the businesses with which he was associated were involved in the leasing and purchase of farm land! He remained a bachelor, a staunch Presbyterian, and died in Glasgow in 1888. JOHN - John married JANE VALLANCE MORTON (b 15 April 1832 at Meadowbank, Avondale Parish), his first cousin, on 15 June 1850. He was listed in the 1851 census as "Farmer" at Laigh Cleughearn Farm - by this time his father 'disappeared' from the records. He had seven children before 1860. JANE VALLANCE (b 10 April 1851) MARGARET WILSON (b 1 November 1852) JESSIE VALLANCE (b 11 March 1854) ELIZABETH (Eliza) (b 18 October 1855) LUCRETIA (b 2 February 1857 - died at 5 hrs old) CHRISTINA (b 22 November 1857) LILLIAS (b 9 July 1859 - died same day) John and Jane had their first three daughters christened at the East Kilbride Parish Church on 21 August 1855. The christening records of the other girls have not yet been found. The family left Scotland in 1859, emigrating to NZ, with John's elder brother Thomas. ELISABETH - no further information so far MARGARET - no further information LILLIAS WILSON - no further information CHRISTINA - no further information |