History will come to life at the A.K. Smiley Public Library, on Sunday, March 15, when local historian and retired military officer, Colonel John Morris, presents a program exploring his family’s role during the Civil War.
Beginning at 2 p.m., in the library’s Assembly Room, Morris will present, “An Underground Railroad Operator: Abraham Morris and His Family in the Civil War.” The presentation will focus on Morris’s great-great-grandparents, Abraham and Nancy Morris, who operated an Underground Railroad station in Wilkesville, Ohio, helping runaway slaves escape to freedom in the North, before and during the Civil War.
Morris shares that the program tells the story of his family’s experiences during the conflict and the risks they faced because of their abolitionist beliefs. “Before and during the Civil War, my great-great-grandfather and grandmother, Abraham and Nancy Morris, ran the Underground Railroad Station in Wilkesville, Ohio, helping runaway slaves escape to freedom in the North,” Morris said.
Part of the presentation will also recount a dramatic moment connected to the Morgan's Raid in July 1863, when Confederate General John Hunt Morgan led a cavalry raid into southern Ohio. Morris explained that the incident placed his great-great-grandfather in grave danger. “Grandpa Abraham was almost hanged for being an abolitionist, by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, during his cavalry raid into Southern Ohio, in July 1863 (Morgan's Raid),” Morris said.
The talk will also touch on the service of several members of the Morris family who joined the Union Army during the Civil War; a total of 18 members of his family tree served in the Union Army, including one Medal of Honor recipient.
About Colonel Morris:
Colonel Morris is a retired Air Force officer with more than 40 years of combined military and civilian service. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious leadership in a combat zone, while serving as Deputy Group Commander of the 447th Air Expeditionary Group, at Baghdad International Airport, during the Iraq War. His awards and decorations also include the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
He currently serves as Camp Commander for General George Stoneman Jr., Camp 18 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
The presentation is hosted by the Inland Empire Civil War Round Table and invites community members to hear firsthand how one family’s experiences intersected with a defining chapter in American history.