This professionally-made photograph of 1888 or 1889 depicts the twenty-one pupils in grades one through eight at the Collinsville Public School in central eastern Milford Township of Butler County, Ohio, about four miles east northeast of Darrtown.

David Hinsey (“Dave”) Morton (July 1, 1878 - February 11, 1914) is the second pupil from the left in the first row of seven standing pupils. Behind these seven students stand eight older students and the schoolmaster, recognizable by his mustache and goatee. Up front, three young girls sit on chairs; and in front of them, one girl and two small boys are seated on the ground.

The suggestion that this group photograph may have been made during 1888 or 1889 is based upon Bruce Morton Garver’s estimate that David Hinsey Morton, as depicted in this photograph, appears to be ten to eleven years of age.

David would wed Emma Lotz on June 27,1901, in Hamilton, seat of Butler County, Ohio. With her, David raised their two daughters, Edith Elizabeth Morton (Bippus, January 12, 1905, in Hamilton, Ohio, to March 1988 at Cincinnati, Ohio) and Ruth Ernestine Morton (Garver, August 23, 1907, at Denver, Colorado, to February 11, 2004, in Kettering, Ohio.

David’s sisters, Cornelia (“Nellie”) Morton (Cross, 1867-1887) and Mary Ann Morton (Denius, 1869-1892), and brother, William Welsh Lewis (“Will”) Morton (1871-1931) had earlier attended the Collinsville Public School.

On the back of this photograph appear the following words applied by means of a rubber-stamp: "Return in 20 days to THOMAS BRANEN, View Photographer: ALSO ENLARGING PICTURES, COLLEGE CORNER, OHIO." In Oxford Township at the northwest corner of Butler County, Ohio, College Corner straddles the Ohio-Indiana state line.

Bruce Morton Garver is the maternal grandson of David Hinsey Morton. Bruce would be much obliged to anyone who is able to identify the teacher and any of the twenty still-unidentified pupils.

Whenever this photograph is distributed in digital form, please give credit to Bruce & Karen Garver and to “the Garver-Morton-Lotz-Bippus-McCloskey Family Digital Photograph Collection” at Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. Bruce Morton Garver wrote this caption and invites suggestions for its improvement (send suggestions to Bruce at: brucemgarver@icloud.com).

“Milford Township is situated in the northern tier of Townships [in Butler County, Ohio]. It is bounded on the east by Wayne Township, on the south by Hanover [township], on the west by Oxford [township], on the north by Preble County.

One of the earliest and most prominent early settlers of this Township was Robert Lytle. He named the Township Milford in honor of his nativity, - Milford Township, Mifflin County, Penn. Mr. Lytle was a remarkable man, and was one of the first Associate Judges of the County. Several fine turnpike roads pass through this Township, and also the Hamilton and Eaton Railroad. The principal villages of this Township are Darrtown, Somerville, and Collinsville.

The original proprietor of Darrtown was Conrad Darr. It is an old town, and it plat was acknowledged the 4th of April, 1814. The original proprietor of Somerville was Jacob F. Rowe. Its plat was received for record October 7, 1831. All of these village are small, but in a flourishing condition, contain good school and churches, and carry on quite a little trade with the surrounding country. The population of Collinsville is one hundred and forty; of Darrtown, two hundred and fifty-eight; of Somerville, three hundred and eighty-nine; of the whole Township, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, according to the census of 1870.”

"On this circa 1880 plat map of Milford Township in Butler County, Ohio, the property of Ebenezer Morton, Jr. (January 12 1812, to January 17, 1881) is clearly depicted on the western portion of Section 32. This property, and perhaps another, originally belonged to Ebenezer Morton, Sr. (Dec. 25, 1776, in Delaware to May 20, 1861 in Butler County, Ohio) and Rebecca Hinsey Morton (1981-1850).

The 1870 U. S. Federal Census reports that George Reynolds Morton (1846-1920) and Elizabeth (Morton) Morton (1847-1933) resided next to or with George's uncle, Ebenezer, at which time he was the eldest of the surviving two sons of Darrtown, Ohio, pioneers Ebenezer Morton, Sr. (1776-1861) and Rebecca Hinsey Morton (Circa 1781 to 1850).

Apparently George fReynolds Morton farmed part of Ebenezer’s property as a tenant. Therefore, 1880 would be the most plausible estimate of the last publication date of this particular plat map. The 1880 Federal U.S. Census reports that George and Elizabeth Morton at that time resided in the same place where they had resided in 1870 but without mentioning uncle Ebenezer Morton who had died on January 17, 1881.

At some point, George and Elizabeth Morton moved to a rental house on McGlynn Street in Hamilton, seat of Butler County, Ohio, and then during 1919 moved to the home of their son, William Welsh Lewis Morton, and his wife, Anna Schultheiss Morton, on Walnut Street at Elmwood Place in Hamilton County, Ohio, where George died in 1920 and Elizabeth in 1933.

Most Butler County, Ohio, plat maps should be available on-line or through the Butler County Achives in Hamilton."

At Darrtown Pioneer Cemetery in Darrtown, Butler County, Ohio, the headstone of Nancy E. Morton is incised: "NANCY E. Daughter of Wilm & Elzina MORTON, Born May 9, 1853, Died May 16, 1854. But Jesus said, 'Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'” Nancy was the third-born of the six children of William Wack Morton (1809-1859) and Elzina Allread Morton (1828-1910). Infant mortality remained high throughout the 19th century. In all times and places, a child’s death has always been the occasion for mourning by parents, family, and friends. Photograph of Sept. 15, 2020, courtesy of James Brueneman. Caption by Bruce Morton Garver.