Morgan Family Pioneer Heritage

Family Connections

These two photos were discovered in a Morgan/Radford family collection. They likely include family members and reflect the proud tradition of relatives, friends, and neighbors coming together to tackle major harvest tasks—such as hauling hay or transporting logs to the farm.

The prosperity we enjoy in America today was built on the foundation of strong people and hard work. The early generations of our Morgan family in America were pioneers, homesteaders, and farmers. Horses—their primary source of power—played a vital role in their daily lives. Money was scarce, and their main form of currency was their own labor. Their struggles were largely physical, as they fought to maintain stability in a harsh and uncertain world. They faced—and overcame—what often seemed like insurmountable hardships.

Today, our challenges are more mental than physical. We strive to stay grounded in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world. May we draw strength from God and from the legacy of our Morgan ancestors as we face our own trials. And may their lives and values serve as a beacon to guide us through a world that often feels more relativistic, self-centered, and morally adrift.

This Morgan Family website is dedicated to Thomas Morgan, his wives Ann Watkins and Nancy Jane Radford, and the early Morgan families in America resulting from these two marriages.

This Morgan Family Crest honors our Morgan and Radford heritage in America. It is not an Old English crest, but a modern American one—drawing inspiration from its English roots while commemorating the founding of our Morgan family in the United States.

Thomas Morgan is recognized as the patriarch of the Morgan/Radford family in America, with his wives, Ann Watkins and Nancy Jane Radford, serving as the family’s matriarchs. Thomas and Ann endured great hardship and sacrifice to give our family a fresh start and new life in this country.

Together, Thomas, Ann, and Nancy Jane helped pioneer the American West, facing extremely harsh and dangerous conditions to establish our family's presence on the land. Their children—whose names appear at the bottom of the crest—were also pioneers, persevering through similar trials to secure a future for generations to come. We owe an immense debt of gratitude to these first two generations of our family in America. This family crest is dedicated to them. With strength of hand and mind, they left their homeland behind and braved the wilderness to create a new beginning for us all.

Thomas Morgan and Ann Ollen Watkins Morgan were married in England in 1843. They joined the Mormon Church there and, on February 27, 1855, boarded the ship Siddons to emigrate to America. After crossing the plains with the Milo Andrus wagon train, they settled in Utah, where Thomas became friends with John Whitlock Radford. In 1871, Thomas married Radford’s daughter, Nancy Jane Radford Ryset, and went on to raise families with both wives.

Two of Thomas Morgan’s daughters later married two of John Whitlock Radford’s sons, forming a lasting bond between the Morgan and Radford families. In 1881, several family members moved from Utah to Neeleyville, Idaho, near present-day American Falls. All but one of those families eventually returned to Utah or relocated elsewhere. In 1888, the Morgans and Radfords set out again, this time to a new frontier in Star Valley, Wyoming. By 1891, they began settling in the Shelton area near Ririe, Idaho, along the Snake River where it flows out of the mountains.

About this Website:

This Morgan Family website is dedicated to Thomas Morgan. It will focus on Thomas Morgan, his wives and children, and on William Morgan, son of Thomas Morgan and Ann Watkins. The goal is to present a definitive, well researched and documented life history of Thomas Morgan. And to fill it out with pictures and life sketches for all the children of Thomas Morgan and Ann Watkins, all the children of Thomas Morgan and Nancy Jane Radford, and all the children of William Morgan and Lovina Ross Morgan. Others who were closely associated with Thomas Morgan will be included, such as his wives with whom he did not have children, Frank Ryset who was Nancy Jane Radford's son by her first marriage and literally became part of Thomas's family, John Whitlock Radford whose children married into the Morgan family, and others who played a part in the life of Thomas Morgan and his families. It will gradually expand as pictures and life sketches of these families are located.
Each generation built upon the last. By the fourth generation, many were attending college and taking advantage of the growing opportunities in America. This is the legacy of strong, principled people—and it’s something we are proud to be a part of.
The story of Thomas Morgan and John Whitlock Radford is one of true pioneering spirit: difficult decisions, perilous sea voyages, grueling wagon train journeys, and heartbreaking personal losses. Their efforts laid the foundation for the life we enjoy today.
Thomas Morgan’s family was among the first of our pioneers in America. Let us honor their courage and the world they built for us.
This Morgan Family Pioneer Heritage website is a collaborative project made possible by many extended family members—researchers, writers, historians, and contributors of photos and stories—working together to preserve and share our rich family history.