Morral, Ohio
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When the promoters of the Columbus and Toledo Railroad Company, present day CSX, announced its route would include Salt Rock Township, Samuel Morral I and Jacob Neff, each of whom owned the land where the village now is, entered into the business of selling commercial and residental lots.

They transferred the neccessary acreage to Mr. Thomas E. Berry, a real estate agent and promoter, in trust, for the purpose of laying out and selling lots for them.

He prepared and filed a plat of the new village with the county recorder on September 1, 1875. It was given the name Morral for Samuel Morral I who owned that part of the of the village plat north of Neff Street. Jacob Neff, who owned the land south of Neff Street, was honored (or consoled) by having the principal street named for him.

Th railroad was completed on January 10, 1877. Soon a grain elevator, scales and stock loading pens were constructed. Abel Martin and Samuel Morral II built new homes, both still standing and occupied today, with the Martin home still ocupied by a direct descendent.

The Morral home is occupied by another direct descendent of Mr. Martin. R.O. Richards had a store and C.W. Brady a saloon.

MORRAL BROTHERS, inventors and manufacturers, at Morral, are proprietors of the only corn canning, machinery manufacturing plant in the State, there being only four such plants in the United States. The firm is made up of two brothers, Samuel E. and William W. Morral, who were reared on the farm, and when boys, with very limited means and very discouraging circumstances, began their present business. that of inventing and manufacturing. With most men, their early experience in the venture would have put them out of business. They had the painful misfortune to see much of their first machinery condemned and thrown back upon their hands. But what seemed most dispiriting to others only served to drive them to a calm and more Morral Brothers have a well-equipped plant, thoroughly modern, and employ a number of expert workman to turn out their different machines. Their output is known all over the country and the following specialties have won public approval: The "Morral" green corn cutting machine. the "Morral" corn cooker-filler, the "Morral" continuous can-wiping, machine, the "Morral" can-labeling machine and the "Morral" corn silk brushing machine. These have been installed in a large number of canning factories in the United States and Canada, a fact which has assisted greatly in adding to the commercial importance of the town of Morral.

The town of Morral, which was laid out in 1874 by himself and others, was on 1and that he owned and was named in his honor. He is remembered as a very successful auctioneer, his services being in demand all over this section to cry sales. He was prominent in all the county's early affairs

1Saniuel Morral, the grandfather of Samuel E. and William W. Morral, was a pioneer settler in Marion County. He was born in Virginia in 1800, and came with his father, Willian Morral, to Pickaway County, Ohio, when quite young. In 1818 his parents moved. bringing him with the rest of their family, to Salt Rock township, Marion County, where they settled.

William Morral, above mentioned, was captain under General Hull during the War of 1812. His son Samuel was a successful farmer and owned 430 acres of good land at the time of his death in 1880. (see below)



Samuel Morral the father of Samuel E. and William W. Morral, was born in Salt Rock township, July 31, 1829. He was married February 16, 1853. to Margaret Harmon, of Wyandot County, Ohio. This union was blessed with 11 children, as follows: Rosa, wife of William S. Lupton, of Bremen, Ohio; John, of LaRue, Ohio; Marion, of Columbus, Ohio; Jennie and Lizzie (twins), the latter deceased at the age of 20 years, the former the wife of L. J. Dennis; Iva, wife of Adam Hartman; Samuel E., a member of the firm of Morral Brothers; Milton J.; William W., a member of the firm of Morral Brothers; Myrtle, wife of Orlie P. Shoots; and Blanche, who died in infancy.

Samuel Morral, was a large land-owner and prominent man in his day. The town of Morral was laid out on the farm he owned, and his descendants still own a large amount of land in that vicinity. Samuel Morral, who was a native of Virginia, settled first in Pickaway County on coming to Ohio; be located in Marion County in the '20's. and died here in 1880, aged 80 years. He was widely known as an auctioneer. When he first settled in this section there were no physicians here, and an Indian doctor treated the sick with herbs. Mr. Morral had large dealings with the Indians. His children were sons two and daughters four, namely Sarah, Elizabeth, Rosanna and Matilda, and Samuel and William.

Samuel Morral lived in Marion County until 1864, when he with his family moved to Wyandot County, Ohio, where they lived on a farm until 1875, when they came back to Marion County, Samuel Morral purchasing a farm near Morral, Ohio, and building a residence in the town of Morral, which was one of the first residences erected in the town. Samuel Morral was a successful farmer, owned 205 acres of good land, and had much to do with the early affairs of the town of Morral. He with the Washburn brothers built the first grain elevator in the town, and having charge of the business a number of years was well known throughout this section. He took an active part in politics and served a number of years as township trustee and township treasurer. He and his wife took an active part in church work and were charter members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Morral. Samuel Morral died at Morral, October 7, 1897, aged 68 years; his widow died June 26, 1899, aged 64 years.

SAMUEL E. MORRAL, (PICTURE) the senior member of the firm of Morral Brothers, was born in Salt Rock township, Marion County, Ohio, September 8, 1863. He began his education in Wyandot County and finished it in Marion County. His first marriage took place on March 16, 1892, to Della Showers, who died August 22, 1897. The two children of this union were: Emmazetta, who died aged three years and Oscar G. On January 20, 1898, Mr. Morral was married (second) to Arah J. Showers, a sister of his first wife, both being daughters of Joshua and Elizabeth Showers. One son has been born to this marriage, Harold E.

In addition to his manufacturing interests, Samuel E. Morral owns his residence in Morral and 35 acres of land, which lie within the corporate limits of Morral, and is a stockholder the Morral Banking Company, and the Morral Canning Company, the latter of which he is manager. He and his wife are charter members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Morral. Mr. Morral is also a charter member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Morral.

The Morral family has been identified with the improvement and growth of Morral from its earliest days, and as a whole is one of the most substantial families of the county.


http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Marion/History1907/MHM.htm



William Morral, above mentioned, was captain under General Hull during the War of 1812.



Hull's Trail was a rough passageway through Ohio to the Canadian border, used by General William Hull's army during the War of 1812 on its way to attack the English at Detroit. Woodsmen cleared the trail to permit the Ohio Army Militia with its artillery and baggage to travel through the unbroken wilderness. The route through Hardin County has been marked by stone columns from the old county courthouse.