Dr. William I. I. Morrow's Diary

This is a portion of Dr. William I. I. Morrow’s diary. February 22 thru March 1, 1829. He was the attending physician for the Taylor party on the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears. This covers the dates he passed through the Steelville area.

Awoke in the morning 22nd Feby in good health. Visited Mr. Thompson, his symptoms still bad, after breakfast settled my bill and put off for Caledonia – 12 miles south, passed through a poor pine country for six mile – Bellview settlement a country of good land – Caledonia 22 miles NW of Farmington over took the Detachemt at Caledonia – Camped at Seburn’s 2 miles west of Caledonia – Slept at Seburn’s

23d Feby set out early and traveled 15 miles to Harmony at the Cotoway lead mines. Camped near Jesse Mruphy’s. Stayed at JM – Rain all night – Traveled over a poor gravelly country.

24th Feby Rain, Detachment made a late start. Camped on Huzzaah Creek a branch of the Merrimack river, at Brickys 10 or 12 miles from Murphy – passed through a hilly and poor country – rain all day- 125 milesfrom where we crossed the Mississippi river- lodged at Bricky’s –

25th Feby Cloudy & diizling rain- traveled to Prestly Abndersons on Dry Creek, Buried Lewis Perdo – rain all day- Stayed with PA-

26th Feby cloudy & cool. traveled to Davis near Steelville 10 miles – clear-

27th clear and cold, traveled 10 miles to Brinker near Massays Iron Works – snowed some during the day & very cold night- four Indians died, and were buried viz – 2 of Mills family old Byrd, and Mary Fields- Examined the forge & furnace at Massays- I think it the most convenient and splendid place of the kind I ever saw –

28th Feby traveled to Mr. Wishon 11 miles – W from home- his father in law Mr. Singelton an excentric old fellow – had an eggnog & stew – Mr. S – made his dog sing &c – Tryed hard to get to return home, Mr. Taylor would not consent – had the hippo badly – thought much about home – would have give all I had to have seen Lavinia and the children – Cold Day

March 1st The detachemt traveled 12 miles to Wilsons – the whole country over which we passed a complete desert- Saw some fine gangs of Deer – The Detachment camped on Beaver Creek – Came on with Majer Cox to Mr. Bates on Little Piney, Five miles from Wilsons – a poor broken country except on the river- Narrow rich bottoms, a sickly mean country – Little Piney a branch of teh Gasconade – a warm pleasent day – aparance of rain – commenced snowing about midngiht – a very sudden change in teh weather – quite clod at day light.

Historical Note: Dr. William Isaac Irvine Morrow was born November 27, 1802 in Monroe County, Tennessee. He was the son of Priscilla Doherty and David Morrow. He married Lavinia Lee Jarnagin (1808- 1886) on June 14, 1827. They had five children. He was educated in medicine at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. He was also involved in Tennessee politics and was part of the convention which wrote the state’s constitution in 1834. In 1836 he became a surgeon with the United States Army. In 1838-1839 Dr. Morrow was the attending physician on the forced migration, under Richard Taylor, of a party of Cherokee, Seneca, Osage, and Shawnee people from East Tennessee to “Indian territory,” now Oklahoma state. The Taylor party left the east on Nov. 6, 1838, and arrived at the Cherokee Nation, west, on March 25, 1839. It included 1000 people at its departure and arrived with 971. In 1851, Morrow was appointed Indian agent and moved to Indian territory. He moved to Missouri in 1856 and became involved in local politics in Newton County. He died March 4, 1875 in Neosho, Missouri.

More of the transcript is available here.
~https://files.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/C2051.pdf