Biography - Michael Morrison
Michael MORRISON, dealer in wines, liquors and tobacco, Litchfield, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, on November 2, 1850, and came to the United States in 1851, with his parents, who settled in New York State, at Dundee, moving thence in a short time to Illinois, where they settled on Rock River, near Elgin, where our subject lived until he was five or six years old. The family then moved to Beaver Dam, Wis., where they lived two years on a farm. Next they lived in La Crescent, Minn., for about one year, and then moved to Freeborn County, same State; that county was then but sparsely settled, and they remained about two years, when the mother died, and, in consequence of that sad event, the family broke up, and our subject first found employment as water carrier on the railroad, going to school at Rochester, Minn., during the winters, until 1864-65, when he took a commercial course with Hurd & Belknap, following them from Rochester to Winona, Minn., and completing his course in the spring of 1866; he found employment as clerk in a furniture store at Rochester, Minn., for one summer, and the following winter he pursued his studies in a private school there. In June, 1867, he was employed by O'Rourke & Woods, in their grocery and liquor store, continuing until December, when he removed to Austin, Minn., where he clerked in a dry goods house until the fall of 1868, when he returned to the old firm, which had changed from the grocery to the dry goods business, and stayed with them until February, 1869, when he went to Dodge Center and worked in W. A. Higgins' general store until July, same year, and then returned to Rochester and worked in the saloon business for John CHUTE, having charge of a branch house at Eyota, Minn., one year. On September 8, 1870, he began work for Charles BALLWEG, at Rochester, Minn., from which place they removed to New Ulm, Minn., in 1872, and remained until May, 1873, when they came to Litchfield, Ill., subject remaining with him here until September, 1881, except six months (from March to September, 1878), when he acted as Deputy County Treasurer in Hillsboro, and another period of three months (in the winter of 1877-78), during which time he was on a Western tour. In September, 1881, he leased a building on the corner of State and Ryder streets, where he opened a retail liquor and tobacco store, which employs three persons.
Extracted 19 Nov 2016 by Norma Hass from 1882 History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 2 Biographical Department, pages 158-159.
