Sophia Riley Gunn Moran
June 8, 1853 -
Oct 7, 1895

This tribute to Sophia Riley Gunn Moran was written by Mary V. Duval a few weeks after the death of Mrs. Moran.  Mary Duval was an educator and was working in Clarksville TN at the time she wrote this tribute for her friend Fannie Moran.  I believe she may be the same Mary Virginia Duval who wrote several articles and books regarding the south and the state of Mississippi.  We have other letters from her and she always signs as "Miss Duval" which leads me to believe that Fannie might have been her student at one time.  She is listed in the Nashville City Directory for 1895 as well as the Clarksville Tn Directory.  Her occupation is "teacher" at "The Academy".

A Tribute to the Studying Memory of Mrs. J.W. Moran, who died October 7, 1895.
Dedicated lovingly to her daughters, Fannie and Ida.
"Year after year with glad content
In and out of her house she went.
In and out.
Ever for others the skies were clear
Her dear heart carried such loving cheer
Banishing gloom and doubt."

There are some natures so pure and faultless, some lives so beautifully rounded in their perfect proportions that we thank God that he gave them to the world though all too soon he claimed them again as his own.

Such was the beautiful life of the wife of and mother whom Death has so recently torn away from the home of which she was the pride and joy.  In all the sweet and tender relationships of life, wife, mother,, sister, neighbor, friend and counselor, she was the ideal Christian woman, the "perfect woman nobly planned."

Beautiful in person and character, loving and tender in disposition, how is it possible to paint her life as it really was?  And yet it is engraved in letters of living light, not only on the hearts of those who knew and loved her here, but in the Lamb's Book of Life above.  Can there be any consolation left ofr those who, having had the light of her presence here so long, must now grope in darkness without it.  Yes'

"Although oft depressed and lonely,
All our fears are laid aside
If we but remember only
Such as these have lived and died."

Even for his, the greatest of all sorrows, the loss of a mother's love and counsel, there is a recompense.  God doth not willingly afflict any of His children, and for every wound they receive there is a balm provided.

The light of this beautiful life is not quenched, though it seems to have gone down in its noonday splendor.  It will shine on through all the years to come, a beacon-light to guide her loved ones home.  Earth, had she been shpared to them, might have been more attractive than Heaven, but Heaven now with Mother and the Saviour beckoning on will prove the happy meeting-place of a re-united family.

Mary V. Duval
Clarksville Tenn
Oct 25, 1895

A Tribute to the Memory of Mrs. Moran, Oct 1895

Sophia Riley Moran
1851-1895

Dedicated lovingly to her daughters, Fanny and Ida:   ( I find this a bit strange that the author left out her youngest daughter Marion)

"Year after year, with glad content In and out of her home she went, In and out.  Ever for others the skies were clear, Her dear heart carried such loving cheer, Banishing gloom and doubt."

There are some mothers so pure and faultless, some lives so beautifully rounded in their perfect proportions that we thank God that he gave them to the world, though all too soon he claimed them again as his won.  Such was the beautiful life of the wife and mother whom death has so recently torn away from the home of which she was the pride and joy. In all the sweet and tender relationships in life, wife, mother, sister, neighbor, friend and counselor, she was the ideal Christian woman, the "perfect woman nobly planned."  Beautiful in person and character, loving and tender in disposition, how is it possible to paint her life as it really was?  And yet it is engraved in letters of living lights not only on the hearts of those who knew and loved her here, but in the Lamb's Book of Life above.  Can there be any consolation left for those, who, having had the light of her presence here so long, must grope in darkness without it?  Yes!

"Although oft depressed and lonely All our fears are laid aside.  If we but remember only such as these have lived and died."

Even for this, the greatest of all sorrows, the loss of a mother's love and counsel, there is a recompense.  God doth not willingly afflict any of His children, and for every would they receive there is a balm provided.

The life of this beautiful life is not quenched, though it seems to have gone down in its noonday splendor.  It will shine on through all the years to come, a beacon light to guide her loved ones home.  Earth, had she been spared to them might have been more attractive than heaven, but heaven now, with mother and the Saviour beckoning on will prove the happy meeting place of a re-united family.

Mary D. Duval

Clarksville, Tenn., Oct., 25, 1895

Record of the Morehead Family, 1870, by Charles Robert Morehead

Search for Morehead Family Genealogy at Amazon!

This gem was found among the papers belonging to Virginia Shumate Moran.  The cover isn't much to look at but the information this book contains is priceless for those of us who are into family history.  The Moran's are connected to the Morehead family via Lyman T. Gunn (one of the first dentist's in Nashville and a very interesting person in his own right) and his first wife, Caroline M. Morehead.  Lyman and Caroline had four sons and one daughter.  It was their daughter, Sophia Riley Gunn, who married John Williamson Moran.  

This history of the Morehead Family was published 1884 in Nashville, TN, and written by Charles  Robert Morehead.  At the time of the writing many of the people I am researching were still alive as was the case with Dr. Lyman T. Gunn.  C.R. Morehead even indicates that  Dr. Gunn's first wife Caroline Morehead had passed away and that he believed Dr. Gunn was living in Nashville with his second wife and they had no children.  There is no mention as to Caroline's cause of death but I believe it was related to the birth of her son Charles M. Gunn.  He was born in 1855 and she died in 1855 and dying in childbirth or because of puerpural (childbed) fever was a common occurrence.

In my research I have found that Caroline Morehead's mother was Mary (sometimes called Polly) Ann Hewitt Hooe.  At least that's the name I've seen on several sites and in other family trees.  However, Mr. Morehead says her name was Polly Ann Hewitt Hove and since the author was her son, I tend to believe that the name is Hove, not Hooe..  Now I just have to prove it. 

I've only skimmed the book and hope to have it scanned into pdf files so that the original document does not deteriorate any more than it already has.  Till that time we don't handle it very often.

Record of the Morehead Family by Charles Robert Morehead,
Leavenworth City, Kansas, 1870.

Preface page from the Morehead Family History.

Happy 4th of July from the Moran Family

The Gunn Connection

Dr. Lyman Taft Gunn, a prominent Nashville Dentist, and Caroline M. Morehead were the parents of several children.  One of them was Sophia Riley Gunn who went on to marry John Williamson Moran.  Together they had five children and are responsible for building the lovely Victorian home in Dresden, TN for their family.  

When researching the family history I've noticed that a lot of people don't seem to know, or at least don't bother to mention, that he was staying at the home of his daughter Sophia at the time of his passing.  Dr. Lyman Taft Gunn's obituary can be found at The Nashville City Cemetery website.  The information was originally published in September 7, 1917 in Modern Methods, Article XI entitled "The City Cemetery" by Charles A. Marlin.


Dr. Lyman Taft Gunn - Born at Montague, Mass., April 1, 1810, died in Dresden, Tenn., December 1, 1890, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Sophia Gunn Moran.  He was a descendant of the Montague's of England, his mother being a Montague, and was also connected with the Taft family.  He spent the early years of his life with Mrs. Taft (grandmother of ex-President Taft) after the death of his mother.  Dr. Gunn was educated in Boston, Mass., and attended the Dental Department of the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated in dentistry.  He came to Nashville a few years before the war, and was one of the first dentists of Nashville, being associated with Dr. Morgan and practiced his profession over forty years, in this city.  His office was on what was then known as Spring street, and was one of the leading citizens of Nashville, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church.


For pictures and more detailed information about the Gunn Family and the Nashville City Cemetery check out my other blog post after we visited Nashville in July.