One of the men who has attained a position of prominence in the thriving little city where he was born is Andrew Doolittle Morgan. He was born on December 6, 1859, in Ilion, New York, his parents being Amos Anson and Mary Jeannette (Hitchcock) Morgan. Amos A. Morgan was born on September 29, 1823, in Ilion, and died there on January 31, 1891. He was engaged in the flour, feed and coal business. He was the son of Seldon and Lucina (Palmer) Morgan. Seldon Morgan was born at Preston, Connecticut, in December, 1793, and died in Ilion. He was a farmer and merchant and owned a large part of the land which Ilion now occupies. He was a captain in the War of 1812. His wife died in Ilion. The parents of Seldon Morgan were Amos Anson and Sarah (Welch) Morgan. Amos A. was born on November 9, 1750, at Preston, Connecticut, and died in Ilion. He followed farming as an occupation and was the first settler at German Flats, now Ilion. His wife was born at Colchester, New York, and died at Ilion. Mary J. (Hitchcock) Morgan, mother of A. D. Morgan, was born in Schuyler Lake, New York, on February 7, 1833, and died in Ilion, on February 27, 1913. She was the daughter of Albert and Hannah (Barrus) Hitchcock. Albert Hitchcock died at Mohawk, New York, in 1883. At one time he was a hotel proprietor at Monticello, now Richfield, New York. His wife was from Vermont and died in Mohawk, New York. Mary Jeannette (Hitchcock) Morgan was a direct descendant of John Guile, the immigrant, who married in 1645 and settled at Dedham, Massachusetts.
Andrew Doolittle Morgan attended the high school of Ilion and Williston Seminary, then the Albany Law School, graduating from the Law School in 1880, with the degree of LL. B., and practiced law in Ilion. In 1885 he was appointed postmaster in Ilion and served four years. In 1891, after the death of his father, he took over the coal, flour and feed business of his father and conducted it until 1921, when he sold it.
On September 22, 1885, at Ilion, Mr. Morgan was united in marriage to Miss Anna R. Chattaway, who was born on July 11, 1867, the daughter of James and Frances (Holroyd) Chattaway. James Chattaway was born in Birmingham, England, on September 9, 1818, and died on July 3, 1888, in Charles City county, Virginia. He was the first man to perfect the percussion cap in America and came to Ilion to manufacture primers for E. Remington & Sons. He was a democrat in politics and ran twice for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. His wife was born in Halifax, England, on July 15, 1836, and died in New York city on November 11, 1883.
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan have one son: Miles Morgan, who was born at Ilion on March 6, 1891, and received his name from Miles Morgan, an ancestor, of Springfield, Massachusetts, to whom a monument was erected to commemorate him as a pioneer of Springfield. Miles Morgan, son of the subject of this sketch, graduated from Yale University in the class of 1911, and is now superintendent of Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation of New York, located at Oroya, Peru. He was married on June 27, 1916, at Salt Lake City, Utah, to Florence L. Webb, who was born on April 4, 1892, at Pima, Arizona, the daughter of Leslie and Florence (Boyle) Webb. Mrs. Miles Morgan's grandparents, as young people, started from New York state in company with the Mormons and crossed the plains going west. Her grandfather was from Virginia and her grandmother from Missouri, and after their marriage they settled at Payson, Utah. Mrs. Morgan graduated from Leland Stanford University, at Palo Alto, California, in 1915, with the degree of A. B. They have three children: Marian Jane Morgan was born on October 27, 1917; Margaret Ann Morgan was born on January 10, 1919; and Nancy Elizabeth Morgan was born on October 8, 1923.
Andrew D. Morgan was State Hospital commissioner under Governor Glynn for six years and president of the village of Ilion for two years. He is a member of the Democratic State committee and was chairman of the democratic committee of Herkimer county for three years. He attends the Episcopal church. The sterling integrity and honor of the character of Mr. Morgan have naturally gained for him the confidence of his many friends.