By Don Steen ~ Staff Writer • [email protected]
ROCKPORT – The Spencer County Historical Society gathered Thursday evening at the Rockport Church of the Nazarene for their annual Historian of the Year Banquet. Church members and volunteers provided a full meal for a full room. This year, the Commemorative Award went to David H. Morgan (who lived from 1852 to 1939), while the Historian of the Year Award was presented to Nancy Kaiser of the Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum.
These awards are presented every year, with the exception of 2020 when pandemic restrictions forced the event to be canceled. Several past honorees were in the crowd, including Barbara Hevron, Tom Brauns, Jimmy Haaff and Steve Haaff.
Society President Steve Sisley thanked everyone for coming, and the church for once again hosting the banquet. He gave a brief overview of some of the society’s recent activities, such as installing new signage and cleaning up at 37 local cemeteries. The society has also been scanning several new local documents to add to their collection. These materials are available at the Spencer County Public Library for those interested in researching county history. A special presentation on the history of railroads, particularly the old Rockport traction line, will be held at 3 p.m. February 20 in the Cornerstone Church.
Sisley then spoke for this year’s Commemorative Historian, his family, and his contribution to the county’s historical record. Born October 11, 1852 in Rockport, David Hart Morgan is a bit older than some of the other winners of this posthumous award.
“We reached back several years on this one,” Sisley joked.
Morgan’s ancestors included members of the Lamb family as well, tracing his ancestry back to the very earliest days of European settlement in the state. His grandfather, Solomon Lamb, became the first Clerk/Recorder of Perry County in 1814 and was also assigned as the county’s first sheriff. His other grandfather, John Morgan, was oddly enough the first Clerk/Recorder Spencer County upon its formation in 1818.
John Morgan’s father served in the Revolutionary War and he himself was a member of the militia during the War of 1812. John would later act as Rockport’s first Postmaster. After his death, his two-story double log home at Fourth and Main streets would later serve as an impromptu Courthouse after the county Courthouse burned in 1833.
The future seemed bright for David’s parents as well, with his father, James, attending Indiana College at Bloomington in 1834. However, James and his wife, Helen, died young. This tragedy left David and his siblings to grow up in separate communities.
David became a school teacher and married Clara Berry Wright at the age of 23 on June 7, 1876. Clara’s family had pioneer bona fides to rival David’s own. Her grandfather, Isaac B. Wright was one of Rockport’s first merchants. Her grandmother was the daughter of Captain William Berry, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Evidently, this depth of history and its importance was not lost on him.
“David Morgan was well educated, had a deep curiosity, and possessed an unquenchable thirst for history,” said Sisley. “He questioned and interviewed storekeepers and early pioneers, and fortunately for all of us David recorded a lot of his work on paper. Morgan investigated the first teachers and schools in Spencer County.”
David’s writings include “A History of Early Schools From Settlement of the State to the Civil War” and “View of Rockport from the River in 1856”. In that latter work, he details the homes and businesses of 1856 Rockport while walking from north to south. That article concluded with this observation: “I have drunk water in many states, but never tasted anything that equals the water that flows from the bluff on the south side of this beautiful glen just south of Rockport.”
David also offers intimate details of the homes and families one would have encountered around that time, including Jacob Mackey, a known friend of the homeless, and Civil War hero James C. Veatch and his home in a grove of timber. Indeed, David’s writings constitute much of the available first-hand accounts of the life of Veatch, which proved invaluable to the Southwest Indiana Historical Society.
David’s eye for historical importance also led him to catalog the very first farmers among Indiana’s pioneer families, or their descendants. This has provided future generations with the names of those responsible for bringing the first head of certain breeds of livestock to the area, as well as planted the first orchards, laid down the first farms, etc.
The Morgans left Rockport in 1885 for Western Kansas, where the family thrived. David rose in high in the educational system of the state, receiving a position at the Teachers’ College in Pittsburg, Kansas as well as being elected to the State Legislature.
David Hart Morgan passed away December 29, 1939 at the age of 87. He was buried beside his wife in Shiloh Cemetery on Eureka Road. His historical records can be found in the Genealogy Room at the Rockport Library.
Historian of the Year
This year’s Historian of the Year, Nancy Kaiser, was introduced by John Hargis. He pointed out that Kaiser began her tenure at the Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum as a volunteer in 2005.
“Since becoming the director, attendance at the village has greatly increased,” said Hargis. “People come from throughout the United States and some from foreign countries. She has greatly improved the village and preserved the cabins. It’s a big job.”
Featured Image: Historian of the Year recipient Nancy Kaiser speaks to attendees at the Historical Society banquet
Nancy Kaiser poses with her award. Kaiser was named the recipient of the 2023 Spencer County Historian of the Year
Darrell Stephens and Patty Cieslack pose for a photo-op at the Historical Society banquet
Bon Appetite: Dinner was served by the plenty during the banquet
Historical Society Steve Sisley speaks at the banquet
