Catalogue description Andrew Morrison Collection

This collection consists mainly of a series of letters from Andrew Morrison to his fiance Eloise Annie Morgan, later wife, dating from 1895 to 1928. The majority of these letters have been transcribed, and these are attached to the catalogue entries. Andrew Morrison (1864-1918) studied engineering at Edinburgh University, and worked on the Forth Bridge as a student. He met Eloise Morgan in or before 1895; her father was an ironmaster. By 1895 Morrison was working for the Bengal and North Western Railway as a Divisional Officer responsible for overseeing the construction of the line. The letters record their courtship, though only Andrew Morrison’s letters have survived. They married in 1899 in London, which event is recorded in detail in a letter possibly by Andrew Morrison’s niece, and both moved to Balrampur in India. Eloise returned to the UK to have their 2 children, and there are further letters written during their separation. At some point, Morrison saved a village from flooding and was presented with skinning knives and a garland. By 1904, Andrew Morrison’s health was breaking down and he spent time in a sanitorium in Darjeeling. In 1906, correspondence shows he wishes to leave his post with the Bengal and North Western Railway, perhaps to return to the UK. He died in 1918 aged 54, and Eloise died in 1949 aged 85. The last 2 letters are from Malcolm and Ella Morrison writing to their mother in 1928.

British Empire and Commonwealth Collection

https://becc.bristol.gov.uk/records/1994/018

Andrew Morrison

Transferred from British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in 2012