John Luther MORRIS

Other Events and Attributes:

• Biography: Wiki: John Luther Morris (1869-1906)

Notes:

addiction; It is believed that John died at the early age of 37 due to exc essive consumption of alcohol - possibly an addiction. He was released from the Medicine Hat General Hospital Dec 21, 1906. The hospital records as obtained by me at the Medicine Hat Museum and Archives indicate that he was admited suffering from dipsomania.

John married Lillie Eva CANTELON in Jun 1891 in Clinton, ON. Lillie (daughter of David CANTELON and Alice Matilda SPARLING) was born in 1869 in Clinton, ON, CAN; died on 14 Jun 1942 in Calgary, AB, CAN; was buried on 16 Jun 1942 in Medicine Hat, AB, CAN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

After emigrating from the Alton, Ontario, Canada area, her father's homesteaded near Mellon, Wisconsin, until once again emigrating. This time it was back to Canada in about 1895 to the Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada area. He started a homestead again, this time just north of the town.\f4

(Research):According to Ashland Records of Birth 1820-1907 Fern was born on the date indicated and was recorded in Ashland, Wisconsin

Fern married Robert MOWATMedicine Hat, AB. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

After emigrating from the Alton, Ontario, Canada area, her father's homesteaded near Mellon, Wisconsin, until once again emigrating. This time it was back to Canada in about 1895 or 1896 to the Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada area. He started a homestead again, this time just north of the town. Since most of the records show that John arrived in the Medicine Hat area before Ethel was born in Wisconsin, it is presumed that Ethel's mother Lillie Eva and her older siblings Fern and Earl emigrated later to Medicine Hat.

Ethel married William Dirk ELIAS on 11 Nov 1922 in Medicine Hat, AB. William (son of Robert Emil ELIAS and Jeanne BURGER) was born on 4 Nov 1896 in Amsterdam, Holland; died on 29 Oct 1977 in Vancouver, B.C.. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Edward was born while the family was living on a homestead just north of Medicine Hat. The family was still living on the homestead when he started school in 1905. His father passed away in late 1906. The last of that generation of Morris's (Eva) was born after her father died. Edward's mother (Lillie) remarried in 1908 to Thomas Louden and presumably this new spouse lived on the homestead with the family until 1913, when the new house on Riverside in Medicine Hat was ready for occupancy. In the meanwhile a son was born to Thomas and Lillie in 1908 (Ralph).

Edward took all his schooling in Medicine Hat and completed grade 11 at Alexandra High School. Unfortunately a dispute took place between Edward and his mother about going to university. The family was prepared to send all of the children to university for further education and apparently had sufficient money to do so. Lillie wanted Edward to be a professional such as a teacher, doctor or lawyer. Edward wanted to be a veterinarian ( a horse doctor, in his words). Lillie would not accept that a veterinarian was a professional occupation and would not pay for Edward's education in that regard. He quit high school as a result.

At about that time Edward "took off", probably in anger, for California. It may have been as late as sometime in 1919 to see his elder brother Earl. Earl had returned from WWI in early 1919 to Medicine Hat and almost immediately headed for California, never to return. It is quite likely, therefore, that Edward went to California to see his brother in 1919, where he looked for and found work for some time.

However, Edward came back to Medicine Hat and started working for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1921. Over the next few years, between stints of working for the CPR, he made the odd trip back to California. It is presumed that it is during those visits to his brother Earl that the prisoner of war stories were elicited from Earl that this author (Earl E. Morris) has put into the biography of Earl D., as Earl was very reluctant to tell of those experiences during WWI.

Eventually, Edward settled down into more or less permanent employment with the CPR, given the difficulties of most men to be continuously employed during the years of the Great Depression in the 1930's. He stared out as a wiper, working in the roundhouse in Medicine Hat, wiping down steam locomotives and firing them up. Eventually he became part of a running crew as a firement and finally a locomotive engineer (hoghead). As his seniority increased he was able to take runs on both freight and passenger to and from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and did so until his retirement in 1964.

In 1932, Edward married Lydia Hehter, but it wasn't until 1940 that the one and only child was born (me, Earl E.). In the early years of that marriage they lived in a tiny house that was located just up 4th Avenue S.E., from the intersection of 4th Avenue and 4th Street. Sometime before 1940 they had moved into a slightly larger house located at 338 4th Street S.E. It was not really large enough to accommodate the new addition, so in about 1943 or 1944 they moved to a house located at the very east end of 11th Street S.E. This was a barn-like structure, which may have been a converted barn, in fact, as it was very close to a house that remains there today. The barn-like house no longer exists, but is known to have been occupied by the Roan family subsequent to the Morris departure from it, which was about 1945. The next house occupied by Edward, Lydia and Earl was at 527 Eighth Street S.E., where Edward and Lydia remained until the early 1960's when Edward and Lydia moved into an apartment in their retirement.

In retirement, Edward took up fishing. He purchased a small aluminum boat and some fishing gear and he and Lydia spent quite a bit of time at various lakes around Medicine Hat. This activity probably helped extend Edward's life, as his keeping active provided rewarding times up until his passing in 1975.

Edward married Lydia HEHTER on 5 May 1932 in Medicine Hat, AB. Lydia was born on 23 Feb 1909 in Norton, AB, CAN; died on 12 Aug 1994 in Calgary, AB, CAN; was buried on 17 Aug 1994 in Calgary, AB, CAN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married Elsie Winnifred HOOPER on 22 Aug 1930 in Medicine Hat, AB. Elsie was born in Kidderminster, England; died on 13 Dec 1976 in Medicine Hat, AB; was buried on 16 Dec 1976 in Medicine Hat, AB. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Eva married George Henry DAVISONMedicine Hat, AB. George was born in 1907 in Scarborough, England; died on 20 Oct 1986 in Medicine Hat, AB. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Earl married Wendy Carol MILLETTE on 9 Dec 1965 in Banff, AB, and was divorced. Wendy (daughter of Victor MILLETTE and Evelyn WILSON) was born on 11 Sep 1947 in Sudbury, ON, CAN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Earl married Judith Anne HIETT on 11 Feb 1978 in Calgary, AB. Judith was born on 5 Feb 1943 in Weston, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Jocelyn. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Trent MOODY. Trent was born on 29 Aug 1965 in Calgary, AB. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Donna SLEEMAN. Donna was born on 4 Mar 1969 in Sault Se. Marie, ON, CAN ?. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Peter PROULX. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]