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Continued: Thord Thomas Morton, nicknamed "Pie", was the oldest child of FrankRobert and Rebecca Stanley Morton.
Thord Morton married Pinkie Davis 29 Sep 1897. The marriage wasperformed by Bailey Wilkerson, Pastor, Baptist Church in Samos,Mississippi County, MO. The license was returned to the CircuitClerk, Recorder of Deeds on 5 Oct 1897. It is unknown for certainwhether there were children from this marriage. There was no divorcegranted for Thord in Charleston, MS Co., MO between 5 Apr 1897 and Jul1902. Pinkie Davis Morton may have been the mother of the childsired by Thord prior to his marriage to Susie Lee Williams on 7 Nov1899 in Grand Chain, Pulaski Co., IL. The child, a son named Orence,was born 2 Mar 1898 and died 3 Nov 1899. His places of birth anddeath are unknown as there are no official records on his birth, deathor burial. The source of the information on Orence was taken from theMorton Family Reunion Program, 1981, Muskegon Heights, MI.
Thord and Susie Lee Moton were listed as residents of the Town ofGrand Chain, Pulaski County, IL with un-named baby daughter (VelvaMae), age 2/12th's in the Federal Census recorded on 14 Jun 1900.Thord was employed as a porter, age 24; Susie Lee was listed as ahousewife, age 19. This was the first available census in which SusieLee appeared, as she was born 31 Jul 1880, just after the 1880 FederalCensus was taken. The 1890 Federal Census burned almost entirely sothere is no record of Susie Lee with her parents, the exception beingthat a State Census exists, which was taken between the Federal Censiin Pulaski County, IL. To date, I have not found that one exists.Thord and Susie Lee spelled the family name, 'MOTON'.
On 25 Mar 1901, Thord and Susie Lee became the parents of a daughterborn in Cairo, Alexander County, IL who lived four days. She died on29 Mar 1901 in Cairo. There are no official records on her birth,death or burial. The source of the information on this unnameddaughter was taken from the Morton Family Reunion Program, 1981,Muskegon Heights, MI.
On 22 Sep 1902, Edgar H. Moton, unmarried, brother of Thord, loanedThord and Susie Lee $200.00 to purchase Lot #9 in Lot #14 in Thrupp'sSubdivision of Lot #7 in the South-west quarter of Section 14 inTownship 17 South of the base line and in Range 1 West of the 3rd P.M. The loan was to be re-paid in the manner of 20 notes, each for thesum of $10.00, the first due and payable on the 1st day of Oct 1902and on the 1st day of each succeeding month until all of said noteswere paid with interest from date at the rate of 7% per annum. Thordand Susie Lee built a four room house on this lot in Future City, asuburb of Cairo, IL. This lot is still in Thord's name as of 2000 andhas been in the family for 98 years now. Frencella assumed payment ofthe taxes after Velva Mae died in 1974 and in Jan 2000, began transferof the property to Pat Alston Aldridge with suggestions that the lotbe cleaned up, some trees be planted and a park bench be placed inmemory of Thord and Susie Lee.
In a conversation with Frances Alston and Frencella Bonner, Feb 1999,Frances recalled that Edgar's widow, Della, had re-married at sometime after Edgar died 15 Dec 1915 in Cairo. Della's new husbands'name was Scot Thompson and this man built the porches on Thord andSusie Lee's house in Future City. This information was helpful, as Ihad been trying to find out what happened to Aunt Della after 1939.Della was alive and still living in Cairo on 1 Nov 1961 based upon aletter written to Velva Mae by Della. Della was thanking Velva Maefor a recent visit to her home in Cairo and signed her name DellaThompson.
There is another deed dated 17 Jun 1902, the purpose of which isunclear as half is missing.
A Real Estate Mortgage on Lot #9, in Lot #14, in Thrupp's Subdivisionof Lot 7, in the South-West quarter of Section 14, Township 17 Southand in Range 1 West of the 3rd P.M. appears to be a loan from Edgar H.Moton to Thord and Susie Lee for $125.00 with interest at the rate of7% per annum. The loan is marked "Paid in Full", signed by E.H.Moton, 5 Jun 1912. The Thord Morton's had re-located to Helena, ARwhere Princess Ella was born on 1 Jan 1911 and were living inBlytheville, AR at the time this deed was signed on 5 June 1912. Theseoriginal deeds are in the Family Books.
In the 1910 Federal Census taken in Helena, Phillips Co., AR on 22June, Thord and Susie Lee were listed as Thomas H. Martin, FamilyNumber 71 on Pontoo Street. Thord, age 33, listed his and hisfather's places of birth as Missouri and his mother's place of birthas Mississippi (MO). He was employed as a laborer at a saw mill.Susie Lee, age 26, listed her and her parent's places of birth asIllinois (father, TN; mother, IL). She was employed working in aprivate family.
Their children were listed as Michian (Velva Mae), age 10 (2 Apr1900); Frank, age 7 (17 Sep 1902); Theadoe (Theodore), age 6 (2 May1904); Telmage (Dewitt Talmadge), age 4 (12 Dec 1905); and Dollie(Tallie), age 1 (28 Aug 1908). There was a Richard Smith and wifeWillie listed as boarders and a James Hawkins listed as a brother toone of the Smiths.
I have been unable to locate Thord and Susie Lee in the 1920 censusunder a variety of name spellings, soundex codes and states althoughfamily sources and time lines indicate their residency to be inBlytheville, AR during this census.
According to Frencella, Blytheville, AR was segregated by races andThord and Susie lived in the Blue Quarters of Blytheville, AR duringthe 1920's. Blacks also lived in the Red Quarters and Sawdust Bottomsthere. Thord worked as a supervisor at the Chicago Mill and LumberCompany and Susie ran a boarding house for some of the mill workers.They had a two-story home at the time. The Morton's had pigs andhorses and the town had a grocery store.
When the lumber mill work phased out, Thord and Susie Lee moved fromBlytheville, AR around 1930 and settled in Bragg City, MO where Thordfarmed. It is unknown at this time when the Morton's moved from BraggCity, MO to Cairo, IL but they were residents of Cairo, IL during thelate 1930's as Frances and Frencella both attended and graduated fromSumner High School in Cairo.
On 25 March 1945, Frances wrote from Route 1, Box 22, Cairo, IL thatThord was having a hard time with the wrong kind of food as Susie Leewas not following his diet, which called for soft foods. Pert, Fred,Opal, and Robert had recently visited Frances and family from St.Louis and Frances was pregnant with Thaddas Lee at the time who wasborn on 7 April 1945. Frances was in labor and unable to attendThord's funeral services. Fred had married Ella Mae in 1941 butFrances had not met Fred's wife, Ella Mae nor Glenda, Fred and Ella'sdaughter. Frances wrote that she did not have anything good to servefor a meal at the time of their visit.
In a letter to Velva Mae dated 29 Jul 1945, Frances wrote that Verna(Coon) was not doing well. Calvin had cut off one of Susie'sallotment checks (the $20.00 one) and made it out to Princess and Leeso they could recoup their money used to bury Thord. Susie was stillreceiving her $50.00 monthly check and Frances "was glad to see Calvinhave that spunk in him".
On 26 Oct 1945, Frances was still living in Cairo and wrote that shehad received a letter from Coon who was getting worse. Princess wasto get Coon into the hospital and was paying for her care. Coon wason a diet of raw eggs and milk prescribed by the clinic and herhusband Enix was not paying Coon's medical bills. Calvin had visitedVelva in St. Louis either while on furlough or upon his release fromthe Army.
Frances expressed concern about Susie Lee receiving an allotment fromCalvin's military pay which she was placing with bonds and otherimportant papers in a safety deposit box at the bank with brotherFrank listed as administrator instead of Velva or one of herdaughters.
According to family sources (Frances and Juanita), the Thord Moton'sreceived compensation from land holdings with oil or gas on it inMuskogee, Muskogee County, OK during the late 1920's through the early1940's. No one in the family knows for certain the source of thiscompensation. Frances inquired of Booker but he could no longerremember in 1997. Frances recalled that Thord and Susie were tryingto sell the land but could not remember the circumstances or dates.
During my research on our family, I located a document dated in 1906certifying a Rebecca Morton (dead) as being 1/4 Cherokee Indian, whichmay have entitled Rebecca or her firstborn, which was Thord, to landcompensation or a pension related to settlements to descendants of theFive Civilized Tribes. The tribes were Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw,Seminole, and Chickasaw. Great-grandmother Sarah Barnet Manley, SusieLee's mother, was described as a Seminole by great-aunt Lila Clark.Juanita Henry Jones has also mentioned the fact that part of thefamily settled in the state of Oklahoma and that Susie Lee received apension annually related to a possible Oklahoma source. Additionalresearch is required on this subject.
Thord Thomas Moton died at 2:45 AM of Essential Hypertension. He wasattended by Frazier D. Alexander, MD, 1209 Washington Ave., Cairo, ILfrom 30 Mar 1945 to 3 Apr 1945. Thord's usual occupation was VeneerContractor, Lumber Industry. The informant of his death was son,Tallie Ford Morton who lived at 372 Tecumseh St., Toledo, LucasCounty, OH. Edward W. Ruffin of Cairo, IL was the Funeral Director.I have been unable to locate Thord's grave site due to overgrowth inthe cemetery. I was told there was no headstone placed for Thord.
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