Louis Gleason MORROW (1909- 1969)
- Lex Knowlton
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Father: Preston Perry Morrow
Mother: Viola Louise Thompson
Spouse: Geraldine Arden
Children:
Dale Preston Morrow
Living daughter
Siblings:
Charlotte Elizabeth Morrow (1911)
Joseph Thompson Morrow (1913)
Viola Antoinette Hodges (1922) half-sibling
Relationship to me: Paternal Great-Grandfather
Personal Details
DOB: 21 Dec 1909 in Mobile, Alabama.
Religion: Episcopalian
Marriage/s: 16 September 1940 at St. John's in Pascagoula, Mississippi to Geraldine Arden.
Death: 17 December 1969 in Mobile, Alabama.
Burial: 20 December 1969 in Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, AL
Occupations: Merchant Seaman, Radio Mechanic
Timeline
21 Dec 1909:
Born in Mobile, Alabama.
Note: No birth record found yet; the date comes from later records. State-enforced birth registration began in AL in 1908, and compliance in 1909 was still uneven. Possibly his birth was never officially registered.
1910 - 1 year old:
Census return records Louis living at 754 New Jersey Street, Mobile with his mother, Viola Morrow (recorded on census as Mrs Preston Morrow). His father is not listed with them, and it is unclear where he was at this time.[1]
17 Nov 1917 - 7 years old:
His father, Preston Perry Morrow, succumbs to a long illness at the home of his mother in Georgetown, Texas. His body is brought back to Mobile for burial.
1920 - 11 years old
Census return records Louis living at 658 Bayou St, Mobile with his mother, siblings and maternal grandparents and their children.[2]
1930 - 21 years old:
Census return records him living with his mother and siblings at 802 New Jersey Street, Mobile. His occupation is sailor. He probably started his long career with the United States Merchant Marine around this time (see table below of all known voyages he took with USMM).[3]
16th Sep 1940 - 30 years old
Marries Geraldine Arden in Pascagoula, MS. [4]
1940 - 31 years old
Census living with mother and half-sister at 802 New Jersey St, Mobile. Listed as a Radio Mechanic working from home.
Note: his name is spelled Lewis on this census. [5]
16th October 1940 - 31
Registers for WW2 Draft. Says his employer is "Joe Mitchell." [6]
Following physical descriptors:
Complexion
Ruddy
Race
White
Height
5 10
Weight
145
Eye Color
Blue
Hair Color
Blonde
11th Apr 1942 - 32 years old
Birth of son, Dale Preston Morrow
Oct 1942 - 33 years old
Birth of daughter (still living)
1944 - 35 years old
Residing at 802 New Jersey Street, Mobile. Occupation: United States Merchant Marine. [7]
1950 - 41 years old
Census. Living with wife and children at 802 New Jersey Street, Mobile and working as a fireman (shovelling coal onboard a ship)[8]
1951 - 42 years old
Residence: 802 New Jersey Street, Mobile. Occupation: Seaman. [9]
May 1953 - 43 years old
Divorced from Geraldine Arden. [10]
17 December 1969 - 59 years old
Died in Mobile, AL [11]
Note: death index lists a spouse - Claudia Morrow. Have not looked too deeply into this, but in my research I haven't come across a marriage record.
20 Dec 1969
Buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile. [12]
Table of all known USMM Voyages:
Link to Google Map marking all the voyages:
I have a fully sourced Ancestry profile for Louis Gleason Morrow with his voyages all linked and sourced. You can view it here.
Research Notes:
My research has hit a bit of a dead end. I have contacted a couple of local researchers near St. Louis to try and get someone to go and make copies of Louis' USMM files for me at the St. Louis Archives.
I also need to do newspaper archive research into the ships and voyages he took to see if anything comes up of interest there.
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Sources:
"United States, Census, 1910", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MK7G-R9V : Thu Oct 16 04:50:24 UTC 2025), Entry for Mrs Preston Morrow and Louis G Morrow, 1910.
"United States, Census, 1920", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXD7-MWY : Sun Jan 12 18:01:47 UTC 2025), Entry for John Thompson and Charlotte Thompson, 1920.
"United States, Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3V8N-1MM : Wed Jul 29 16:40:10 UTC 2026), Entry for Antoinette Hodges and Louis Morrow, 1930.
"Mississippi, County Marriages, 1818-1979", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8BZ4-WMPZ : Fri Mar 08 10:24:16 UTC 2024), Entry for Louis G Morrow and Geraldine Arden, 16 Sep 1940.
"United States, Census, 1940", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1PK-GWG : Fri Mar 08 12:52:06 UTC 2024), Entry for Viola Hodges and Ann Hodges, 1940.
"Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9T6-1RXN : Wed Apr 02 21:24:15 UTC 2025), Entry for Louis Gleason Morrow and Louis G Morrow, 16 Oct 1940.U.S.,
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. Ancestry $.
"United States, Census, 1950", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6F7J-V7TQ : Mon Mar 17 17:06:53 UTC 2025), Entry for Louis Gleason Morrow and Geraldine Morrow, April 1, 1950.
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. Ancestry $.
Alabama, U.S., Divorce Index, 1950-1959. Ancestry $.
"Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNQS-N4R : Mon Jan 27 18:28:51 UTC 2025), Entry for Louis Gleason Morrow and Preston Morrow, 1969.
"Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGC-ZDHM : Thu Jul 16 09:15:50 UTC 2026), Entry for Louis Gleason Morrow.
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