John Nathan Morgan was born to John Morgan and Cincinnati Slayton Green in Union City, Tennessee in 1864. He eventually settled in Bowie, Texas and became a Singer sewing machine salesman. A logical thing to do since his father had been a tailor for many years. Tradition has it that he and Alice Adelle Eidson were married by the same preacher who married Charles Lee Jones and Louella Maxwell. John would get into his "hack" (a small horse-drawn wagon) with two sewing machines which would fit in the back and take to the country-side around Texas to sell his sewing machines. This was before he was married. He would spend the night at different country homes so he could show people how to sew with these machines before he could sell it to them. On one of his trips, he had sold his sewing machines and was returning home. He was accosted by thieves demanding his money. Very casually he responded, "I'm just a poor sewing machine salesman who hasn't done very well." They believed his and walked away without searching him for the money which he had. 

 He and his wife left Bowie, Texas and came to Ardmore, Oklahoma, just prior to 1900, where he became manager of the Singer sewing machine office. He had quite a few salesmen he kept on the road. After selling sewing machines, he sold life insurance for "Woodsmen of the World." He went to a convention in 1905 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin paid for by the lodge in Ardmore. Another time he was sent to Union City, Tennessee. After one trip back to his birthplace (Union City), he saw a house that he liked and decided he would have one like it built when he returned to Ardmore. He contacted a carpenter, made a rough drawing of the house on a piece of paper, and the carpenter built it to his specifications. I grew up in that house in Ardmore. The address is 907 C Street. North West. The house is still standing to this day. Another time he was sent to Virginia where he was paid $12 a day for expenses. My mother and grandmother Alice went with him on business trips even though it wasn't fashionable at the time to take your family on business trips. My uncle Kirk Morgan had been enrolled in a private military academy for his schooling because he had been in so much trouble. 

 John was very religious and would convert people to Christ during his travels. John and his wife were Presbyterian. His brother converted him to the Christian Church. His father had been a Baptist and had built a church which had been named after him (according to tradition). John was a doting father (at least to my mother). He never got along with his son, Kirk Morgan, my uncle. He would always bring his wife and daughter nice gifts from his travels. One time he bought his wife a rhinestone hair comb, she made him return it because she thought it was too expensive. He was very strong as a family man and liked to take his family with him on his travels.

 He made good money, but he was an easy touch for people who wanted a loan. For example he would take a mortgage out on a man's mule and the man would tell him later the mule had died.

 John died at a fairly young age of 56. It is suspected he died of either diabetes or a kidney ailment.