Alice Etta Morgan

     Alice Etta Morgan was born, 10 December 1905, in Wellsville, Columbiana, Ohio, USA. Her date and place of birth as shown on her marriage record was 24 December 1906 at Wellsville, Ohio.^1,2,3

My Uncle Bill (340) and Aunt Etta (341), James Jefferson and Adda Hunter's grand-children lived with them a while in when they were very young. They were born in 1903 and 1905.

Maribel Morgan, Frieda M. Morgan, Wilmer Morgan and Etta Morgan were listed as children in the household of Lou Morgan on the 1910 United States Census, at 1329 Main Street, in Wellsville, Columbiana, Ohio, USA.⁴

Photo taken about 1910, Alpheus, far right, Freida Morgan (the older girl), Etta Morgan, lodgers at Lou Eaton's boarding house and Tippy, the dog.

Wilmer (Bill) Morgan (340) said that once when he was little, he was playing a mandolin; Momma (Lou Hunter Morgan(84)) told him to quit, because he was bothering his sister Etta (341), but he didn't quit, so Momma jerked it from him and broke it into "a million pieces".

Maribel Morgan, Frieda M. Morgan, Maurice Wilmer Morgan, Alice Etta Morgan and Alpha Mae Eaton were listed as children in the household of Lou Eaton on the 1920 United States Census, at Harper Street, in Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. She was also listed as having attended school.⁵

In 1921, Etta lived with her oldest sisters, while her mother was in Morgantown. She was attending Washington Irving High School. Across the alley from the apartment where they all lived, was the Moose Club. Etta would go to parties at the Moose Club, which the family called the "Bucket of Blood", because of the wildness of the place.

Etta had typhoid fever, about 1922. She shared a bed with her sister, Frieda, when Frieda had TB. Etta said that all four of her uncles had TB.

In 1921, Lou and her daughter, Alpha, moved to Morgantown, West Virginia. They remained there only 2 or 3 months. The other children stayed in Clarksburg. Lou worked as a cook, at a boarding-house owned by one of the coal mining companies. This was at a time of labor unrest. The miners were on strike there. The Miners Union was headed by the firebrand, John L. Lewis. The union had threatened to blow up the house. This was because the mine was providing the house to the strike-breakers.

During this time of separation the other three daughters, Maribel, Frieda and Etta, lived in an apartment on Main Street, near Parson-Souders Department Store, in Clarksburg. Maribel was working at Clarksburg Wholesale Company, Frieda was in training to become a Registered Nurse and Etta was still attending Washington Irving High School.

After Lucy came back from Morgantown, about 1922, all the girls lived with her, on Chapel Street, behind the Methodist Church. Across the street lived the family of the future Senator Claude Pepper of Florida. Etta had typhoid fever while here. They moved to the house next door. Then to School Street, for 4-5 years. Freida died there, after being bed-ridden for two years, in 1924.

They next moved to 614 West Pike Street, still in Clarksburg, where Lucy rented out rooms. During this time Alpha worked at the Clarksburg Dairy, where she worked a total of nine years. Both Etta and Alpha later married routemen who also worked at the dairy.

Alice Morgan married Michael Clifton O'Grady 2 July 1928, in Harrison County, West Virginia, USA. She was 22 years old, single, born in Wellsville and residing at 614 East Pike Street, Clarksburg. Her parents were confirmed to be as recorded herein.^6,2,7

Alice O'Grady and her husband, Michael O'Grady, were listed on the 1930 United States Census, at 120 South Chesnut Street, in Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. They were listed as the head of household and wife. The couple rented their home for $20 per month. It was apparently an apartment house, as several families were listed at the same address.. She was listed as a seamstress at a department store.⁶

Multi family photo taken at Grafton Dam, West Virginia, USA, about 1940.

Alice E. O'Grady and her husband, Mike O'Grady, were listed on the 1940 United States Census, at 736 1/2 Camden Place, in Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA. They were listed as the head of household and wife. The family rented their home and were in the same house in 1935.. Alice was 32 years old and born in Ohio.³

Etta and her two children came to Phoenix after the death of her husband, Michael. They lived with us a short time. They later lived on 27th Avenue near Van Buren in Phoenix, until after Mike and Marilou were out of high school. I can remember going over to visit when I was about 8-10 years old. I would ride the bus, having to transfer once or twice.

Etta married several times later, but I never knew them. I do not remember Michael O'Grady, either, but that was because we lived so far apart and I was so young. I do remember driving cross country to go to Mike's funeral. And the steep hill in front of their house in Clarksburg and a few other glimpses of the house.

Her other husbands were Bill King and Walter Bentley.

Alice O'Grady recorded the death of her husband, Michael Clifford O'Grady, who died 4 September 1945 at Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, USA; at 2:30 PM of coronary disease.^8,9

The attached sidewalk photo taken of my mother, left, her sisters, Etta, center, and Maribel, taken about 1949, in Phoenix.

Alice Etta Morgan died 23 July 1991 in Oregon City, Oregon, USA.¹