In the death of this highly esteemed brother in the ministry the church has lost a man who filled a place of large usefulness and was universally esteemed for his work's sake. For several years he has resided at Thornton Home, near this city, and during this entire period he has exhibited marked patience and resignation in the midst of severe affliction and evident decline. Knowing the end was near at hand he "set his house in order" and trustfully waited the days of his appointed time. The end came peacefully, and every utterance was one of hope and confidence in the Redeemer.

Brother Morrow was born February 16, 1830, in Cole county, Missouri. At the age of seventeen he made a profession of faith and united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. When a little past nineteen years of age he became associated with McGee Presbytery as a candidate for the ministry. He was licensed in the spring of 1850, and three years later was ordained to the full work of the ministry. During this three years he did very active work in "circuit preaching" throughout Monroe, Macon, Randolph and Howard counties, having much of the time as many as thirty appointments per month. Shortly after his ordination he was married to Miss Elizabeth Twyman. For twelve years he continued to labor in that part of Missouri , removing in 1865 to West Tennessee. He there preached at Trenton, Humboldt and Union City, this work covering a period of six years. During this time he engaged much in revival work. One of the fruits of his labor during this six years was the organization of the congregation at Humboldt and the erection of their first house of worship. He assisted actively in building the first church at Union City and assisted in like manner on behalf of the congregation at Dyer. Much of his time during this period was spent in meetings held by him and Dr. Reuben Burrow, at which there were hundreds of conversions.

In the fall of 1870 Brother Morrow was called to Westport, Mo., where he labored four years. During this time he also assisted in organizing congregations and building churches at Corinth and Antioch, in the state of Kansas. The cost of these houses of worship aggregated $6,000. For four years he was located at Moberly, Mo., but he was not able to preach with his accustomed regularity on account of throat trouble. Seeking health he moved to Colorado, where he lived four years. During that period, under direction of Rocky Mountain Presbytery, he raised funds and superintended the building of the first house of worship at Pueblo. In 1882 Lexington Presbytery availed itself of his superior financial ability by putting him in charge of the movement that resulted in the establishment of our first church in Kansas City. During a residence of fourteen years in that city he did much miscellaneous church work, raising funds for church houses at Belton. Butler, Holden and Rich Hill. He also raised $1,400 in behalf of Southern Illinois College. He did much valuable service in behalf of the First Church at Louisville, Ky. By far the most important feature of his life work was his connection with the movement to establish a college in Missouri, and he was largely concerned in the local work at Marshall, which resulted in establishing Missouri Valley College at that place. Besides being instrumental in securing from others many thousands of dollars for this enterprise, he gave $1,000 for this purpose out of his own funds. During the year previous he had given almost this amount of mission work in Kansas and Arkansas. In 1887 he went to reside at Callao, Mo., where he lost his wife three years later. Soon afterward, by arrangement with the Board of Ministerial Relief, he came to reside at Thornton Home. Here he was cared for most tenderly, having the constant helpful ministry not only of the matron of that institution, but of others who were making it their home. We cannot conceive of any faithful servant of God being better cared for in his declining years, and he was made to feel that this attention was not bestowed upon him as a matter of charity, but that he was simply receiving that which he had richly earned by his life of consecrated toil in behalf of the church. During his residence here we all became very much attached to him, and he will ever be lovingly remembered by every one who came in contact with him during these years of patient waiting till the Master called.
           Evansville, Ind.                           W. J. Darby.
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, January 19, 1905, page 85]

[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, May, 1905, page 128a]

Morrow, J. W., editor. The Pseudo Church Doctrines of Anti-Pedo-Baptists Defined and Refuted In a Series of Lectures on the Organization, Identity and Perpetuity and God's Visible Church Also Showing Its Scriptural Membership and the Mode of Baptism. By Rev. J. R. Collinsworth. Introduction by Rev. J. W. Morrow. Kansas City, Mo.: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Company, 1892.