Saturday, December 31, 2011

Surname Saturday – MOREHEAD

Recorded as Morshead, Moorhead, Morehead, and possibly others, this is a name chiefly to be found in Ulster, Northern Ireland. It is a dialectal of the Scottish locational surname 'Muirhead', which derives from the word "muir", a variant of "moor", and "heid", the head or end (of the moor).

Surnameweb.org states “that the name is from one of the sons of Muireadoch of the Kings of Ireland known to have come over to Scotland in the 6th century and known to be a Clan very ancient.”  The Surname data base website adds that the first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Sir William Muirhead, which was dated circa 1399 - in the "Records of Lachope", Scotland, during the reign of King Robert III of Scotland, 1390 - 1406.

Our family records begin much later in Virginia with Burrel MOREHEAD.  Burrel MOREHEAD, son of Thomas MOREHEAD, was born abt. 1822 in Virginia.  He married Sarah FLINN (O’FLYNN) abt. 1845 in Virginia.  By 1850, their family relocated to Monmouth, Jackson, Iowa.  In 1870 they were living in Farmer's Creek, Jackson, Iowa.

Burrel and Sarah MOREHEAD had 12 children.  My husband’s family line is traced through Burrel and Sarah’s daughter, Sara Jane MOREHEAD.  Sara Jane married Samuel Davidson DAVIS.

One of our family heirlooms is a Seth Thomas wall clock (ca. 1870) that belonged to Sarah O’Flynn MOREHEAD.  A couple of note cards are tucked inside the clock and are inscribed with Sarah’s family history.

Sarah Morehead's Clock

Family Notes in Sarah Morehead's Clock
These family note cards state that Sarah O’FLYNN married and became Mrs. Sarah O’Flynn MOREHEAD and lived in Virginia.  She gave birth and raised 12 children in her first marriage.  She married again and became Mrs. Sarah ADAMS and raised his five children.
At the time of the 1880 census, Sarah was listed as married, but Burrel was no longer present. 

Research has shown that Sarah’s second marriage was to Abel ADAMS.  Abel was the son of Amasa and Polly ADAMS, who was born in 1821 in East Aurora, Erie, New York. This was a second marriage for both of them.  He was first married to Mary Louisa TEMPLE.  Abel and Mary ADAMS had eight children.

Sarah FLINN (O’FYLNN) MOREHEAD and Abel ADAMS were married on 5 March 1885 in Iowa.

©2011 – Frank’s Daughter All Rights Reserved

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