William Welsh Lewis (“Will”) Morton (1871-1931), fourth from the left, posed for this photograph circa 1915 at the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway (CH&D Ry.) yards in Hamilton, Ohio, with three other members of Fort Hamilton Chapter No. 329 of the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of America (B.R.C. of A.). The B.R.C. of A.), a trade union and fraternal benefit society, was founded on Sept. 9, 1890, at Topeka, Kansas, and organized as a craft union serving a particular craft – Railway Carmen -- who maintained and repaired railway rolling stock (freight, passenger, and maintenance-of-way cars). This union ably served the interests of its members until it, with several other railway craft brotherhoods, merged in 1986-87 to create the present Transportation Communications International Union.

Will Morton is the grandfather of James William Morton, Lois Jean Morton Ernst: Judith Ann Morton Brueneman, and Kenneth David Morton. Will is also the brother of David Hinsey Morton (1878-1914), grandfather of Bruce Morton Garver and Ann Clifton Garver Bell.

Whenever this JPEG photo is distributed in digital form, please give credit to Lois Jean Morton Ernst and Bruce & Karen Garver and “the Garver-Morton-Lotz-Bippus-McCloskey Family Digital Photograph Collection” at Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. This image was photo provided by Lois Jean Morton Ernst.

William Welsh Lewis (“Will”) Morton (1871-1931, fourth from the left) posed for this photograph circa 1915 at the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway (CH&D Ry.) yards in Hamilton, Ohio, with other members of the Fort Hamilton Chapter No. 329 of the Brotherhood Railway Carmen of America (B.R.C. of A.). This trade union and fraternal benefit society, was founded on Sept. 9, 1890, at Topeka, Kansas, and organized as a craft union serving railway car men who maintained and repaired railway rolling stock (freight and passenger cars). This union ably served the interests of its members and continued to do so after it, along with several other railway craft brotherhoods, merged in 1986 to create today's Transportation Communications International Union.

Whenever this JPEG photo is distributed in digital form, please give credit to Lois Jean Morton Ernst, Bruce & Karen Garver, and “the Garver-Morton-Lotz-Bippus-McCloskey Family Digital Photograph Collection” at Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. This photograph was provided by Lois Jean Morton Ernst.

Crew members of three "Industrial crews" posed for this photograph alongside their two Class “D” 0-6-0 switch engines and another “switcher" during the early 1920s at the large Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O RR) yards at Winton Place, an industrial suburb within Cincinnati, Ohio, where the B&O RR served the Proctor & Gamble Co. and other manufacturers.

Locomotive No. 194 in the right foreground and Locomotive No. 309 on the left appear to be “D” class 0-6-0 switchers built for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway (CH&D Ry.) before 1914. The other switch engine appears to have been built for the B&O RR. Few photos of CH&D Ry steam locomotives have survived, especially those of small switch engines whose activity did not attract as many photographers as did that of the more powerful and glamorous locomotives hauling express passenger trains or heavy freight trains.

This photograph belonged to William Welsh Lewis Morton (1871-1931) who may have made it himself or perhaps received it from a fellow B&O RR employee. None of the members of these three industrial switching crews have yet been identified. Their job was to operate their switch engine in order to shunt (or switch) freight cars to and from the sidings (side tracks) that served Hamilton's many industrial plants and warehouses.

Will Morton worked as a car man and brakeman at the Hamilton yards of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway (CH&D Ry.) from circa the early 1890s until he was transferred during 1915 or 1916 to the large CH&D Ry. yards in Winton Place within Cincinnati, Ohio.

The B&O RR acquired control of the CH&D Ry. in 1917 and fully incorporated it into the B&O RR System.The principal mainlines of the CH&D Ry. ran from Cincinnati through Hamilton, Dayton and Toledo to Detroit and from Hamilton through Oxford to Indianapolis and Decatur, Illinois.

Whenever this JPEG photo is distributed in digital or published form, please give credit to Lois Jean Morton Ernst and Bruce & Karen Garver and “the Garver-Morton-Lotz-Bippus-McCloskey Family Digital Photograph Collection” at Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. This photograph was provided by Lois Jean Morton Ernst.

Five members of the "Industrial crew" posed for this photograph alongside their Class “D” 0-6-0 switch engine at 6:40 A.M. on Dec. 3, 1924, at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O RR) yards in Hamilton, Ohio. This photograph belonged to William Welsh Lewis Morton (1871-1931) who may have made it himself or received it from a fellow B&O RR employee. These still unidentified members of the industrial crew operated their switch engine to shunt (or switch) freight cars to or from the sidings (side tracks) that served Hamilton's many industrial plants and warehouses. William Welsh Lewis “Will" Morton (1871-1931) worked as a car man and brakeman at the Hamilton yards of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway (CH&D Ry.) from circa the early 1890s until he was transferred In 1915 or 1916 to the CH&D Ry. yards at Winton Place within Cincinnati, Ohio. The B&O RR acquired control of the CH&D Ry. in 1917 and fully incorporated it into the B&O RR System. The principal mainlines of the CH&D Ry ran from Cincinnati through Hamilton and Dayton to Toledo and Detroit and from Hamilton through Oxford to Indianapolis and Decatur, Illinois.

Whenever this JPEG photo is distributed in digital or published form, please give credit to Lois Jean Morton Ernst and Bruce & Karen Garver and “the Garver-Morton-Lotz-Bippus-McCloskey Family Digital Photograph Collection” at Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. This photograph was provided by Lois Jean Morton Ernst.

James Willis Morton (Oct. 19, 1844, to May 14, 1918), stands alongside his RFD No. 5 rig and horse, probably in 1897, the year in which the U.S. Postal Service established Rural Free Delivery.

James Willis Morton always took pride in having been the first RFD carrier appointed in Ohio’s Butler County. At that time, he resided at Collinsville on the east-central part of Milford Township in Butler County. On his RFD route, James Willis Morton typically traveled 64 miles daily from Monday through Saturday to deliver the U.S. Mail to upwards of 67 rural households.

On the back of this photograph, published as a photo postcard, are the following comments written in pencil, presumably by James Willis Morton himself: "This is the nicest little thing to ride in the cold days with Clark Heater. This is my rig on business today, fine sun shining brightly”. (Note that the Clark Heater was a small and popular "foot warmer" used in carriages and early automobiles).

James Willis Morton received his RFD appointment in part because he was a stalwart Republican, an active G.A.R. member, and a U.S. Army veteran who had been severely wounded on June 27, 1864, during General William Tecumseh Sherman’s massive frontal assault on General Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. From June 1862 until June 8, 1865, James Willis Morton served in Company “C" of the 93rd Ohio Infantry Regiment within the U.S. Army of the Cumberland in many battles including Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw Mountain, the siege and capture of Atlanta, and the battles of Franklin and Nashville.

Circa 1875, James Willis Morton wed Martha Markle (1837-1924), daughter of John L Markle (1801–1886) and Elizabeth (Mann) Markle (1811–1844). Willis and Martha raised two children, Mildred Morton (1875-1924) and William Thomas Morton (1877-1900), neither of whom ever wed. James Willis Morton is the eldest of the two sons of William Wack Morton (1809-1859) and Eliza (Walden) Morton (1823–1847). James Willis Morton's brother is George Reynolds Morton (1846-1920), who on Sept. 28, 1865, wed his fourth cousin, Elizabeth (Liz) Morton (1847-1933), the tenth and youngest child of Benjamin Morton (1805-1858) and Mary Jane Clifton Morton (1805-1898).

James Willis Morton died on May 14, 1918, from severe injuries sustained when a Pennsylvania Railroad train struck his RFD buggy at a rural grade crossing near Collinsville where Willis is now interred alongside Martha (Markle) Morton who died on June 9, 1924.

James Willis Morton is a maternal great-great-uncle of Bruce Morton Garver who wrote this caption, Whenever this JPEG photo is distributed in digital form, please give credit to Bruce & Karen Garver and “the Garver-Morton-Lotz-Bippus-McCloskey Family Digital Photograph Collection” at Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio.