Portrait of Lauriston Avery Morgan, undated. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs)
October 30, 1899 – Lauriston Avery Morgan died at his home in Mendocino, following a long illness. He was born in Connecticut in 1846, and came to California with his parents in 1852. The family lived in Sacramento and San Francisco before settling in Noyo in 1862. As a young adult, Morgan worked at the Noyo mill and later operated a cattle ranch in Bear Harbor, before moving to Mendocino around 1872.
He first established himself as a building contractor and painter, but in 1873, Morgan bought out the clothing and furniture store of William W. Moore. This business, located on the south side of Main Street, was the only store in Mendocino that had survived the fire of 1870.
In 1874, Morgan moved his mercantile business into a new store that he had constructed himself on the northeast corner of Main & Kasten Streets, where Gallery Bookshop is today. Later that year, he married Cathrin Denslow, daughter of Mendocino Lumber Company bookkeeper Charles Denslow, at the Mendocino Presbyterian Church. The couple had one son, Charles, born in 1876.
Morgan designed the second Odd Fellows Hall on the northeast corner of Ukiah and Kasten Streets. Over the years, he also served as the Mendocino Postmaster, Notary Public, Road Surveyor, Superintendent of Shipping for Mendocino Lumber Company, and Justice of the Peace for Big River Township. At the time of Morgan’s death, he was the secretary and cashier of the Mendocino Discount Bank.
Final weekend! Don’t miss the Jewelry For Doors Exhibit – Vintage Doorknobs From The Larry Sawyer & Harriet Bye Collection. Thursday through Sunday, 11 am to 3 pm.