HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
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the Illinois Central Railroad in 1851. Died, at St. Louis, Mo., August 14, 1888.
MORRISON, William, pioneer merchant, came from Philadelphia, Pa., to Kaskaskia, Ill., in 1790, as representative of the mercantile house of Bryant & Morrison, of Philadelphia, and finally established an extensive trade throughout the Mississippi Valley, supplying merchants at St. Louis, St. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau and New Madrid. He is also said to have sent an agent with a stock of goods across the plains, with a view to opening up trade with the Mexicans at Santa Fe, about 1804, but was defrauded by the agent, who appropriated the goods to his own benefit without accounting to his employer. He became the principal merchant in the Territory, doing a thriving business in early days, when Kaskaskia was the principal supply point for merchants throughout the valley. He is described as a public-spirited, enterprising man, to whom was due the chief part of the credit for securing construction of a bridge across the Kaskaskia River at the town of that name. He died at Kaskaskia in 1837, and was buried in the cemetery there.-Robert (Morrison), a brother of the preceding, came to Kaskaskia in 1793, was appointed Clerk of the Common Pleas Court in 1801, retaining the position for many years, besides holding other local offices. He was the father of Col. James L. D. Morrison, politician and soldier of the Mexican War, whose sketch is given elsewhere.-Joseph (Morrison), the oldest son of William Morrison, went to Ohio, residing there several years, but finally returned to Prairie du Rocher, where he died in 1845. -James, another son, went to Wisconsin; William located at Belleville, dying there in 1843; while Lewis* another son, settled at Covington, Washington. County, Ill., where he practiced medicine up to 1851; then engaged in mercantile business at Chester, dying there in 1856.
MORRISON, William Rails, ex-Congressman, Inter-State Commerce Commissioner, was born, Sept. 14, 1825, in Monroe County, Ill., and educated at McKendree College; served as a private in the Mexican War, at its close studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1855; in 1852 was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Monroe County, but resigned before the close of his term, accepting the office of Representative in the State Legislature, to which he was elected in 1854; was
