William Roy Morton (1899-1961), Architect
William Roy Morton was born in Wisconsin in 1899 to Aranthus and Lena Morton. His father was listed as a painter and paperhanger in Ellsworth, Pierce County, Wisconsin in 1900. His mother was identified as of Russian birth in 1900 but as Finnish in 1910, when the family lived in Oelwein, Fayette County, Iowa. [1][2] William married Daisy Gladys Miner in Omaha in September 1917, during the period in which he was enlisted in the U.S. Army as a member of the First Balloon Squadron, based at Fort Omaha[3][4][5][a] They had a son, Burdette, in 1918. William worked as a printer and Daisy as a typesetter in Douglas, Otoe County, Nebraska in 1920.[6]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1923-1936.
Educational & Professional Associations
1925: draftsman, Miller & Craig, Architects
1928-1930: draftsman, Meginnis & Schaumberg, Lincoln, Nebraska.[]
1931: architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.[]
1932-1933: architect, Sweeney & Company (homebuilders), Lincoln, Nebraska.
1934-1936: architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.[]
1940-1961: draftsman, Los Angeles, California.[]
Buildings & Projects
House, Lincoln, Nebraska.[][] (LC13:xxx-xxx)
1913-1914 (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Jesse B. Miller joined Fiske's practice as a draftsman in the spring of 1907, then became the junior partner in Fiske & Miller in March, 1913. The firm was dissolved "by mutual consent" in 1914 and Miller commenced an independent architectural practice in Lincoln. See Fiske & Miller, Architects for the projects of their partnership in 1913 and 1914.[1][10][14][b]
1914-1924
Following his association with F. C. Fiske, Miller commenced an independent architectural practice in Lincoln for a decade.
Seventh Day Baptist Church (1914), 312 South A Street, North Loup, Nebraska.[58]
House (1924), 2734 Rathbone Road, Lincoln, Nebraska.[51][77]
1924-1935
Miller entered into a partnership with Fritz Craig in 1924 as Miller & Craig, Architects, designing numerous residences and more fraternity and sorority houses near the University of Nebraska campus than any other firm. Their partnership continued until 1935. See Miller & Craig, Architects for the projects of their partnership.
1935-1961
Building (1935), , Lincoln, Nebraska.[8]
Undated
house (n.d.), xxx Sheridan, Lincoln, Nebraska.[8][i]
Notes
a. Daisy was 17 and William 18 when they married, although a listing of marriage licenses in the World Herald newspaper gave their ages as 18 and 21, respectively.[3]
b. According to the "Application for Headstone or Marker" for Morton's grave, he enlisted April 19, 1917 and was honorably discharged November 6, 1917, serving as a private in the "1st Balloon Sqdrn, ASSC."[4]
References
1. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line], s.v. "William R. Morton." Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
2. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line], s.v. "William R. Morton." Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
3. "Marriage Licenses," Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) (September 8, 1917), 8.
4. "Honor Roll" (new enlistments), Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) (April 10, 1917), 1; Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 [database on-line], s.v. "William R. Morton." Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
5. "Fort Omaha Balloon School: Its Role in World War I," Nebraska History (Spring 1988), 69:1, 2-10; accessed March 9, 2019, on-line at https://history.nebraska.gov/sites/history.nebraska.gov/files/doc/publications/NH1988BalloonSchool.pdf
6. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line], s.v. "Daisy Morton." Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
xx. City of Lincoln Building Permit 8040, issued July 15, 1919, estimated cost: $25,000.
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer and D. Murphy, “William Roy Morton (1899-1961), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, March 9, 2019. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, April 19, 2024.
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