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View Tree for Laura Belle StithLaura Belle Stith (b. May 1880, d. 1941)

Laura Belle Stith (daughter of Charles David Stith and Emma Brown) was born May 1880 in Menard County, Illinois91, and died 1941 in Peoria, Illinois91. She married Charles Chandler Morgan on January 12, 1896 in Atterberry, Illinois91, son of William Rief Morgan and Sarah Thomas.

 Includes NotesNotes for Laura Belle Stith:
[martin oleary.FTW]
Laura was born out of wedlock. Her mother Emma Brown had become pregnant
by Charles Stith from Atterberry, Illinois. Since Charles St ith refused
to marry her, Laura's mother was single when she was born. The s tory
goes that the mother died while Laura was an infant. After the funeral,
the two families (Browns and Stiths) met in the cemetery and the Browns
tol d Charles Stith he would have to raise the child. When he refused any
respon si bility, the infant Laura was left setting on her mother's grave
by the Brow n family. Since Charles Stith denied any responsibility, his
father, Elzy Cr e e l Stith and his wife America took the child to raise
with their own large f am ily.
When Laura was 15, she married Charles Chandler Morgan. Although Cha r l
e
s
was 32 years of age, he was fairly well established as a farmer in Ca s s
Cou nty.
Unfortunately, Laura was not happy with this older man and a fter b eari ng
three children by him, she ran away with a man named Victor Mor ris who
w as Charles Morgan's hired man. Laura took Helen who was four years old
at th e t ime. She left the two sons, Oral (5) and Harry (18 months) with
th eir fat her . It soon became clear that she and Morris could hardly
care
for t hemselv es, let alone care for a child. Helen told later that she
hear d the ma n tryin g t o force Laura to drop her off a bridge to her
death
some where in Texas. S he of course was quite terrified of the man. Her
mother, k nowin g t hat she ha d t o protect the child from this desperate
individual, a rrange d fo r a man who m s he learned was traveling to
Illinois
by train to take He len with him to he r f ather in Cass County, Illinois.
The story regar ding Lau ra l eaving with Vict or Morris and marrying his
brother Nelson Morri s is uncl ear. We believe that Vi ctor Morris was the
one who wanted to get ri d of Helen . H owever, we know that she married
and spent the rest of her lif e with Nels on Mo rris who was th e br other
of
Victor. Nelson and Laura Mor ris had two childre n so that Helen, Oral and
Harry had a half-sister named Le ora Morris and a hal f-brother named
Vic tor Morris. Leora was thought to hav e cancer an d she thre w herself
in
front o f a fast moving train (the Rocket ) in Peoria sometime in the mid
1930' s. Hel en and Leora were very close as half-sister s and the onl y
girls born t o Laura . As far as is known, all of Laura's fiv e children
co ntinued to visit and rem ained close to the other S tith family m embers
of thei r generation unt il their deaths.

More About Laura Belle Stith and Charles Chandler Morgan:
Marriage: January 12, 1896, Atterberry, Illinois.91

 Includes NotesMarriage Notes for Laura Belle Stith and Charles Chandler Morgan:
Custom Field:<_FA#> 1902@S1870@Date of Import: Dec 25, 2000
_MENDDivorce
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