Family of Thomas Morton 1860 – 2000
The Morton name has identified descendants of early families from the 13th century in the southern Scottish country of Dumfriesshire. The records mention Hugh de Mortun, prior of May 1204-11 and William de Mortun, rector of the church of Dunbenauch, 1269. Unlike the earlier English requirement, the official registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages only commenced in 1855, leaving early parish records as a principal source material of genealogical research. The relatively high cost of pursuing such records has limited the scope for the authors of this work to trace connections with Mortons of pre-registration times.
The Mortons subject of this book are all related to Thomas (sometimes referred to as Thomas the First) who was born in 1820 at Ayr, in the county of Ayrshire, the home and birthplace of Robbie Burns, Scotland’s beloved poet. Thomas was a coal-miner at Dalmellington (70km SE of Ayr) where he and his wife Mary (nee Aikenhead) raised a large family. They all migrated to Australia on the sailing ship Schah Jehan. Their voyage was by way of Cape of Good Hope (The Suez Canal did not open until 1869) was apparently uneventful taking only 45 days, arriving at port Adelaide on 2nd December 1860. The ship’s passenger list gives Thomas’ occupation as ‘farm labourer’ and this may well have been the case as the family first settled for 2 years at Mt Barker. Copper mining at Moonta began in 1863 where Thomas resumed his earlier occupation and where he and Mary lived for the remainder of their lives.
Thomas and Mary therefore appear in the family trees as founders of the Australian Mortons identified with this history.
Lorraine Morton, an experienced genealogist and her husband Peter are to be congratulated for their persistence, patience and enterprise in preparing the Morton Family History. So also are the many family members who have supported and contributed with personal information and stories. Their objective has been to inform, edify and entertain present and future descendants about their Morton heritage
Alan Thomas Morton, Wantirna Vic. July 2000
