Thomas Rees Morgan
31 Mar 1834–6 Sep 1897
My great-great grandfather was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales, and grew up in a poor family who had the pony cart concession at one of the local coal mines. He lost his left leg at age 10 while working with loaded coal carts at the mine. After surviving this injury, he was sent to school with prominent Welsh teachers, studied mechanics and became a machinist. Seeking a better life for his family, he emigrated in 1865 and began working in various positions in western Pennsylvania. He eventually began his own business manufacturing steam hammers, then moved to Ohio where he and his sons and partners began the Morgan Engineering Company in Alliance and Lake Erie-Morgan Steel Co. The company went on to invent and implement overhead traveling cranes to automate the ship building process. TR Morgan became a personal friend of Andrew Carnegie, and a friend and financial supporter of President McKinley. Morgan ran for Congress in 1892, but lost to the Democratic candidate. President McKinley appointed Morgan as Minister to Wales on the day of Morgan’s death.

I used my kit Eventide (Studio New Designer Challenge 3) plus a few extras.