The Trimble Banner
Trimble County native, Dr. Henry Clay Morrison, was born March 10, 1857 and died March 24, 1942.
His father,  James Morrison married a widow, Emily Durham English of Danville, and they moved to Westport with her
daughter, also named Emily. They moved to Trimble County and lived in a “fine old brick house just outside corporate
Bedford on Tilton Turnpike,” he wrote in his autobiography. Through research this is believed to be Cutshaw Lane, the
house located on the Morgan property, later owned by C.M. Cutshaw.
His mother attended the quarterly meeting at Hickory Grove Methodist Church when he was two weeks old and after a
touching Sunday sermon, she came home and told Mrs. Morgan she had given her son to the Lord to follow in His
footsteps and to witness for Him. She died when Henry Clay was two and his step-sister was four years of age. Their father
took them back to Barren County to reside with his father, William and his sister, Aunt Lizzie. He did not see his father
again until he was four years of age. His father died when Henry Clay was five years old.
His grandparents were very devout and he continued to grow in his faith and at 21 years of age he was ordained and began
many years of ministry.
Later he was asked to be president of Asbury College in Wilmore, as it was in the red and headed for closure. He accepted
the challenge and got it back into financial stability. Serving two terms as president, he founded the Asbury Theological
Seminary.
Trimble County Historical Society partnering with Hickory Grove United Methodist Church will honor Morrison by
placing a granite marker in the flower garden at the church on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. April 23. All are invited to attend.
Dave Taylor, editor of The Trimble Banner, will speak on Dr. Morrison at the Trimble County Historical Society meeting
Saturday, April 15 at 1 p.m., at Morgan Community Center. The late Rev. Henry Taylor, Dave’s father and a beloved
minister in this area, was acquainted with Dr. Morrison and Dave grew up with many stories of him