Charles Henry Morrill (July 14, 1843 – December 14, 1928) was an American businessman who played a role in the history of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Morrill County, Nebraska Morrill County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 4,555. Its county seat is Bridgeport. In the Nebraska license plate system, Morrill County is represented by the prefix 64 (it ...

, is named after him. He was born in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

, the only child of Ephraim and Mahala (Lampery) Morrill. His mother died when he was twelve, and he spent the remainder of his childhood living with his aunt Susan Gay and attending a nearby school, the New London Academy. In the summer of 1862 he enlisted at New London as a musician in Company I, 11th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment. Three weeks later he married Harriet Zinnia Currier before leaving with his unit. He was present at many important battles, including the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

and the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

and mustered out on June 4, 1865. He states in his autobiography that after the war, he "took Horace Greeley's advice" (

Go West, young man "Go West, young man" is a phrase, the origin of which is often credited to the American author and newspaper editor Horace Greeley, concerning America's expansion westward as related to the concept of Manifest destiny. No one has yet proven who ...

) and in 1866 went west in a covered wagon to establish a homestead near

Marion, Iowa Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020, an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. Due to poor weather and being an inexperienced farmer, his crops failed for several years in a row. He was so poor he was unable to afford coffee. However, the weather and his fortunes turned around, and by 1870 he was producing both decent crop and a valuable herd of cattle. In the spring of 1873, he moved his family of five and one hundred head of cattle to

Stromsburg, Nebraska Stromsburg is a city in Polk County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,028 as per the 2020 census. History Stromsburg was settled early in Nebraska history. A group of Swedish settlers from the town of Ockelbo arrived in the 18 ...

. There, he ran a farm and helped run a small store "with 6,000 Pawnee Indians less than 25 miles away."

Business and politics

When his sons were old enough to help with the farm, Morrill started spending less time farming. In 1880, Morrill became private secretary to Governor

Albinus Nance Albinus Roberts Nance (March 30, 1848 – December 7, 1911) was an Politics of the United States, American politician. He served as a soldier during the American Civil War, and as the List of governors of Nebraska, fourth governor of Nebraska. N ...

. After Nance completed his term as governor, they went into business together, forming the Bank of Stromsburg, Nebraska. He was afterwards President of the Lincoln (Nebraska) Land Company and also president of the South Platte Land Company, the Lancaster Land Company, and the Boston Investment Company. Morrill eventually began helping the

Burlington Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado ...

explore the midwest territories to report on conditions and determine the best routes for the railroads. He made a considerable amount of money buying land where the railroad line would eventually come, and selling it once the railroad line was built. He went on many exploration parties through largely Indian-controlled territory and acquired a large collection of American Indian artifacts through trading. One of his guides was Colonel W. F. Cody,

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

, who helped him explore the Yosemite Valley in Wyoming on behalf of the railroad. For many years afterward, Morrill was invited on a yearly hunting expedition that Cody organized for his friends. His exploration work helped Morrill to establish the location for what became

Scottsbluff, Nebraska Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. The population was 14,436 at the 2020 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th-most-populous city in N ...

. Shortly thereafter, he laid out a tract of land for a town at the western edge of the state and named it after himself, thereby creating the town of

Morrill, Nebraska Morrill is a village located in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States, in the western Panhandle of the state. Morrill is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 921 at the 2010 census. Hist ...

. In the year 1908, the Nebraska State Legislature divided Cheyenne County, and the part north of the division line was named

, in recognition of Charles Henry Morrill's contribution to the development of this part of the state.

Connection with University of Nebraska

Charles Henry Morrill became a member of the board of regents of

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1890, and was president of the board between 1893 and 1903. Between 1890 and 1903, enrollment at the university grew from 300 to 3000. While a regent, he was a strong benefactor, donating Morrill Hall. He also contributed funds for paleontological research under Dr. Erwin Hinckly Barbour, establishing the Morrill Geological Yearly Expeditions. The Expeditions populated the

University Museum A university museum is a repository of collections run by a university, typically founded to aid teaching and research within the institution of higher learning. The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford in England is an early example, or ...

with a wide array of dinosaur and mammoth bones, and their finds were published in the volumes of the Nebraska Geological Survey. A new type of early American Indian arrowhead was discovered by the Expeditions and named a Morrill Point. Mr. Morrill collected thousands of American Indian specimens in the course of his dealings with the local tribes, and these were donated to the University Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrill, Charles Henry 1843 births 1928 deaths People from Stromsburg, Nebraska People from Concord, New Hampshire Union army soldiers United States Army soldiers United States military musicians People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Colby–Sawyer College alumni