Title: Morrison family
Dates: 1891-ca. 1942
Collection Number: 11358
Quantity: 2 feet
Abstract: Consists of legal records documenting the ownership of the Morrison family farmstead in Freshwater Township, Ramsey County, North Dakota, Norman Morrison's citizenship certificate, photographs of the farm, and buildings in Devils Lake.
Provenance: The Morrison Family Papers were donated to the SHSND by Marilyn Kurtz in April 2018.
Property Rights: The State Historical Society of North Dakota owns the property rights to this collection.
Copyrights: Copyrights to materials in this collection remain with the donor, publisher, author, or author's heirs. Researchers should consult the 1976 Copyright Act, Public Law 94-553, Title 17, U. S. Code and an archivist at this repository if clarification of copyright requirements is needed.
Access: This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
Citation: Researchers are requested to cite the collection title, collection number, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota in all footnote and bibliographic references.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Norman Morrison was born on a farm in Glengary County, Ontario, Canada, March 1, 1859. He was raised and educated in that county and resided there until 1886. In July of that year he went to Freshwater Township, Ramsey County, North Dakota, and there joined his brothers Duncan and Finley J. The three brothers farmed in partnership and operated the farm under the firm name of Morrison Brothers. Duncan Morrison died in October, 1890. The brothers erected good buildings and made valuable improvements and they owned and operated fourteen hundred acres of land. The land is fertile and well located and furnishes a good annual income.
Norman Morrison was married, in Glengarry County, Ontario, Canada, to Miss Jennie McLeod, a native of that county. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, of whom two sons died in infancy, and a daughter, Sarah B., is the only surviving child. Mrs. Morrison died in Freshwater township, Ramsey county, in January, 1895. Morrison was subsequently married in Ramsey county, North Dakota, to Mrs. Christena Maggie (McNaughton) McMaster, a native of Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are active members of the Presbyterian church, Webster Chapel, and Mr. Morrison is a trustee of that denomination. He served as chairman of the township board of supervisors and was a member of the school board, acting as treasurer of the same. He was elected in to the North Dakota Legislature for the twenty-first district in 1910 and re-elected in 1912, as a republican.
Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900. Transcribed by B.Z.
North Dakota Blue Book, 1913.
BOX / FOLDER INVENTORY
Box 1: Legal records regarding the Morrison farm land in Freshwater Township, Ramsey County (N.D.), Norman Morrison's naturalization certificate, homestead certificates and timber-act certificates, 1891-1932
Box 2: Photographs: 00001-00008, ca. 1930-1942
Box 3: Photographs: 00009-00013, 1915-ca. 1942
PHOTOGRAPHS INVENTORY
00001 Elks Home, Devils Lake (N.D.) postcard ca. 1920
00002 Aerial view of the Morrison farmstead, Ramsey County (N.D.) ca. 1942
00003 Portrait of a child, Devils Lake (N.D.) ca. 1900
00004 Portrait of a child, possibly Sarah Morrison, Devils Lake (N.D.) ca. 1900
00005 Memorial Building, Devils Lake (N.D.) ca. 1930
00006 Catholic Church, Devils Lake (N.D.) ca. 1930
00007 Odd Fellows Home, Devils Lake (N.D.) ca. 1930
00008 United States Post Office, Devils Lake (N.D.) ca. 1930
00009 Hand-colored aerial view of the Morrison farmstead, Freshwater Township, Ramsey County (N.D.) ca. 1942
00010 Portrait of a man in uniform, possibly Duncan Morrison ca. 1918
00011 Threshing scene, Morrison farm, Freshwater Township, Ramsey County (N.D.) ca. 1942
00012 Composite portrait of the North Dakota House of Representatives, including Norman Morrison 1915
00013 Group on porch of farmstead, Ramsey County (N.D.) ca. 1915
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