Bert William Morrison [A3869]
b.1896 23 Mar - Stillwell, Ok
d.1967 13 Jan - Peggs, Ok
----- Parents -----
George Henry Morrison [A3867]
Eve Ellen Hatfield [A3866]
----- Siblings -----
Luther Levi Morrison [A3868]
Bert William Morrison [A3869]
James Norvell Morrison [A3875]
Teddy Otto Morrison [A3885]
Icey Suprena Morrison [A3886]
Retta Ethel Morrison [A3887]
Nerva Jane Morrison [A3889]
Elzie Arthur Morrison [A3890]
Flossie Viola Morrison [A3891]
----- Marriages -----
m01. 1920 17 Jul - Hulbert, Ok + Ethel Naomi Taylor (2 Children)
----- Children -----
Preston Reece Morrison [A3871]
Verrell Voyd Morrison [A3873]
The George Henry Morrison Family Bible in the possession of Naomi Rita
Morrison Jones lists the name of Bert William Morrison as "William Berty
Morrison" in his mothers handwriting. However, his WWI enlistment and
discharge records, as well as his delayed birth certificate and death
certificate show the name as Bert William Morrison. Bert Morrison was a
tall man, 6' 3", very slim, and had a purplish birthmark which covered
most of his body. He very seldom wore any type of shirt or pants which
were not long enough to cover his arms and legs. Even when swimming, he
would not remove his clothing. He was left handed which was not
tolerated at the school he attended as a child. The belief at that time
was that everyone could be trained to use the right hand if training was
started at an early age. Therefore, his teachers would hit his hand with
a stick everytime he used the left hand. Consequently, he did use his
right hand to write, but his hand writing was not very legible. He used
his left hand for most other activities. His parents and other family
members did not have a good relationship with him for most of his life,
possibly because he was different in appearance. This discord among his
family and himself was the cause for him leaving home at the age of 13. A
gentle childless couple, George W. and Maud Taylor of Hulbert, Oklahoma,
took him into their home and treated him as thier own child. He lived
there until he made a home for himself with Ethel Naomi Taylor in 1920.
Our family always considered the Taylors as our great-grandparents,
visited them and loved them dearly. Bert built a small log home on his
land in Salina, Okla., for his parents, George H. and Eve Ellen
(Hatfield), and they lived there until the death of George Henry Morrison
in 1932. In 1939 or 1940, Bert, Ethel and Bert's mother, Eve, moved to
Peggs, Oklahoma. Eve Ellen died of cancer of the colon in 1949 and
Bert's wife, Ethel, took care of her for several bedridden years.
Bert William Morrison was very sensitive and would cry very easily. I
can remember our family visiting my grand-parents and when we would
leave, I could see him from the back window of our car, squatting on the
ground and crying so hard the I could see his shoulders shaking. He also
was very talented with woodworking and metal forging. Bert made gigs for
spearing fish, and would carve personalized walking sticks for members of
the community from branches of trees found on his farm.
Bert farmed 80 acres in Peggs, Okla, with two work horses, Jim and
George. He would walk behind the horses with the plow and my brother,
Reece Morrison and I would take turns taking cool spring water to him in
an old mason jar. At harvest time, all the neighbors would gather at the
farm house; the women would cook or bring food, the men would help with
the harvesting, and the children would play games such as tag,
hide-n-seek, annie over, or softball.
Bert William Morrison died on Nov. 13, 1967, at his home in Peggs, Okla.,
of a heart attack. He had his first heart attack in 1956. He also had
arthritis of the spine which caused spurs to develop along the spinal
cord. During his last few years of life, he was in a tremendous amount
of pain and could be seen walking many miles along the creek bottoms to
try to ease the pain.