Land Patent

Archiabld Morrison Land Patent*

Clark County, Missouri

1838 - Abt 1855

I traveled (September 2007) to Clark County Missouri to view land that Arcibald Morrison and family purchased from the U.S. Government Land Office in Palmyra, MO. Archibald moved his family to Clark County from Woodford County Kentucky around 1840. They purchased considerable acreage. Land purchased by Archibald on 8-30-1838 was 372.8 acres. He purchased an adjoining 159.07 acres with his uncle Robert C. Hays 4-1-1839.

It was a cloudy fall day when I visited Archibald's former farmland. In my short visit I found no buildings. It is in a very remote area with an abundance of wildlife. On one short hike into the woods I was met with a herd of deer grazing in an opening. The land is about a mile south of the Iowa border in the northwest corner of Clark County and is mixed rolling hills, plains, and wooded. The Fox River flows just north, and flows northwest to east - south east toward the Mississippi River, which is about 10 miles east of the land. The land looks similar to the land Archibald owned later upon moving to Saline County in early 1850s. (Archibald's land in Saline County was just west of the Missouri River at Glasgow.) I am sure Archibald's Clark County farm provided much mixed land for livestock, crops, and wood for homes, fences, and fuel.

On the right are present day pictures of some of his land.

*Patent Numbers

159.07 Acres #MO2260_.066 Archibald Morrison & Robert C Hays

372.8 Acres #MO2240_.245 Archibald Morrison

640 Acres #MO2240_.274 William C & Robert S. Morrison

40 Acres #MO2240_.278 David C. Morrison

The below picture is looking northwest over the Fox River bottom and toward Iowa.

The picture below is land purchased by William C Morrison and Robert S. Morrison. It was purchased on the same day as Archibald's and included 640 acres (8-30-1838). Willaim and Robert were uncles of Archibald. Much of this land is now part of the Charlie Heath Memorial Conservation Area.

A small 40 acre plot was purchased by David C Morrison on 8-30-1838. It is heavily wooded and also part of the Charlie Heath Memorial Conservation Area.