The Morgan Connection
The family folklore says the Pease family is related to the Morgan horse. Of course that doesn't mean literally related to a horse, it means related to the family that created the horse. Researching this folklore starts with seeing whether or not Morgan shows up anywhere in my lineage. That is followed by looking at the history of the Morgan horse and then making the connection between my lineage and the Morgan horse.
The first step of the inquiry regarding whether there is a Morgan in my lineage. It turns out there actually is. There is a Mary Morgan that was born in 1808 and died in 1897. She is my third great grandmother on the Pease side of the family. She married Reverend James Smith and their son, James Smith Jr., was the father of my great grandmother Alice Pease. Alice Pease was the mother of my grandfather Alfred Morgan Pease.
Next step whether Mary Morgan was related to the Morgan horse. The Morgan horse was created by Justin Morgan in 1789. He acquired Figure and it became the founding sire of the Morgan breed. Justin Morgan is my first cousin seven times removed. The seven times removed means generations he was seven generations back. His relationship to me and my cousins would be a first cousin if he was living today. So yes there is a connection between my family and the Morgan horse.
The Morgan horse is famous throughout the world. It is known for its build and deposition. It was the first American horse breed. Some of its fame comes from “Justin Morgan Had a Horse” written by Marguerite Henry published in 1945. A Disney film was created from the story in 1972.
Even more interesting to me than the Morgan horse is the family connection to J. P. Morgan, the banker. Mary Morgan, my 3rd great grandmother was JP Morgan's aunt. JP Morgan is a first cousin three times removed. I share a grandfather with him. Joseph Morgan Jr. was JP Morgan's grandfather and was my 4th great grandfather. This is interesting to me because the JP Morgan connection was never mentioned when I was growing up. I don't ever recall anyone ever saying anything about it. That could be partly because the family history was provided largely by my grandmother, not my grandfather. My grandmother and my grandfather divorced in 1940’s and it was not amicable. It was unlikely that she would have said anything about his family that would have sounded notable. As for my grandfather, I do not recall him saying anything other than swearing at his Mother-in-law.
The Morgan family is very interesting. They were a prominent New England family with lots of business and philanthropy interests. That is much more than JP and Justin. Joseph Morgan, 4th great grandfather, founded Aetna Fire Insurance Company in Hartford, CT. This is different from today’s Aetna Insurance Company which is headquartered in the insurance capital of the world, Hartford, CT. Joseph’s success as an insurance provider was a kick starter to the industry we have today. This is just one example of how a Morgan contributed to the society we have today.
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