Hon. Jefferson Morrison Hon. Jefferson Morrison, deceased was one of the early pioneers of Kent county, Mich., its first probate judge, and one of the most enterprising and progressive business men that ever had a home in the state of Michigan. He was born in Milton, Saratoga county, N. Y.,. July 15, 1805, a son of James and Martha (Green) Morrison, the former a native of Rhode Island, but was drowned in the Hudson river, N. Y., when his son, Jefferson, was but three years old. When twelve years of age, young Morrison was apprenticed by his mother to learn the trade of tanner and currier, but at add times he succeeded is attaining a rudimentary edu-cation in a district school, and at the age of twenty years, by close economy, he had saved sufficient money to pay for one year’s tuition at the academy in Castleton, Vt. He then worked at his trade in Galway, Saratogo county, N. Y. Until 1831, when he went to Utica, in the same state, worked a few months, and then came to Michigan, and entered the employ of Judge Ingersoll, a leather manufacturer of Detroit, and while there passed successfully through the cholera epidemic of 1832, and remained there three years in all. In 1834 he was appointed inspector of leather for Wayne county, in the then territory of Michigan, by Gov. S. T. Mason, and also was commissioned a justice of the peace and a notary public for Kalamazoo county, which then included what is now the county of Kent. In 1834, Col. McReynolds, who had great confidence in the judgment of Mr. Morrison secured his service in entering some land in and about Grand Rapids. Mr. Morrison entered several large tracts of forest land in the vicinity of the then trading post on the colonel’s account, likewise 400 acres of plaster beds for himself, and also purchased some real estate in Grand Rapids. In 1835, Mr. Morrison, in company with Rix Robinson, started on an investigating tour from Grand Rapids to Chicago, Ills., starting down Grand river in a canoe. The first night they stopped at a deserted trading post and next day arrived at Grand Haven, on Lake Michigan, where they secured two Indian ponies and an Indian as a guide to the mouth of the Kalamazoo. It being then after dark, they employed another Indian and two squaws to guide them along the shore of the lake to St. Joseph, where they embarked on a small schooner for Chicago. After finishing this trip returned to Detroit, Mich., on a pony he had purchased, but in the meantime disposed of one lot in Chicago at $300 profit. Among the Indians throughout the country he was known, in their language, as Poc-to-go-nine, and enjoyed their entire confidence. In May, 1835, Mr. Morrison settled permanently in Grand Rapids, purchased a lot at the foot of Monroe street, near Campau square, built a store and engaged in general merchandising, hanging out the first sign ever seen in the village, and this sign is still retained as a souvenir by his widow. The store was the fifth building erected in Grand Rapids, and Mr. Morrison conducted a very successful business here for many years. In 1836, he brought his wife from Detroit by stage, but met with some difficulties on the way. On reaching Millville, the Thornapple river was found to be greatly swollen and not to be crossed in the usual way. But Mr. Morrison met with several Indians with whom he was acquainted, and from them borrowed two canoes. In one of them he placed his wife, two trunks and two squaws, but started ahead in the other canoe to look after some land he had previously purchased at Cascade: While crossing over a rapid, however, the canoe containing Mrs. Morrison and the trunks was filled with water and one of the trunks carried down the river, but the squaws managed to get the canoe ashore and landed Mrs. Morrison in safely. The same day they all reached Robinson’s trading post, remained all night, and the next day reached their destination without further mishap. In the same year (1836) Mr. Morrison entered land and laid out the village of Saranac, Ionia county, owning considerable land in that vicinity, and Morrison lake, named after him, is now a beautiful placed used as a resort, and he also entered land in Cascade, Kent county. Mr. Morrison continued in general merchandising in Grand Rapids until 1853, when he sold out, but still retained a stock of goods which he took to Croton, on the Muskegon River, which village he had founded and laid out on a tract of 1,300 acres he had purchased in the pine woods some years previously. While there he took the census of Newaygo county for 1860, and the same year returned to Grand Rapids and engaged in the grocery trade, which he continued until 1874, when he retired from active business. During all his business life his credit never failed, and his name, signed to a "shinplaster," held higher rank in the commercial circles than the bank-notes of the best banking institutions and other monetary concerns of the state—the issuance of "shinplasters" being an exigency caused by the disastrous financial panic of 1836-37, the worst the nation had ever experienced. In 1836 he was elected, on the democratic ticket, as probate judge of Kent county, and was the first incumbent of that office. He also out an addition to the city of Grand Rapids, called Morrison addition. He was the first senior warden of the Episcopal church of Grand Rapids, and in the faith of this he passed away May 30, 1895, leaving an untarnished name, that will live forever in the memory of the residents of Grand Rapids. Hon. Jefferson Morrison was twice married. First, in 1836, to Miss Caroline A. Gill, a daughter of Abram Gill, of Detrooit. To this marriage were born five children, of whom two still survive, viz: Sarah, wedded to Calvin Porter, of Kent county, and Walter B., an eminent physician, of Muskegon. Three deceased children were named Lewis C., George and Byron, who find their last resting place in the same cemetery in which their mother lies in eternal rest. The second marriage of Hon. Jefferson Morrison was February 6, 1850, when he chose for his bride Mrs. Wealthy M. Davis, daughter of Daniel and Eunice (Hutchinson) Woolley, and this union was blessed with six children, and of these there are three still living, viz: Ellen, of Grand Rapids; Mrs. Lucy M. Webber, of Cadillac, Mich., and James, of Buffalo, N. Y. The three deceased were named Frederick J., Mary and John. Mrs. Wealthy M. Morrison is a lady of many estimable personal characteristics, has been prominent in social and charitable work in the city, and was one of the organizers of the U. B. A. hospital home, and has been a trustee for many years, holding the office of treasurer and also president for five years; also taught Sabbath-school for nearly forty-six years in the Park Congregational church, which she joined in 1849, and still attends. She has passed her seventy-seventh year, is still active, and retains her mental faculties to a marked degree, taking active part in all charitable and benevolent work, and literary as well. The family have an extensive library, and their home is located at No. 101 Fountain street, where they have lived for over forty years. Mr. Morrison was genial, whole-souled man, and a universal favorite with old and young. Jefferson avenue was named for the subject, and Wealthy avenue was named for his wife.