The following Court Record was furnished to be by Cindy Morton who is also a Morton descendant. This provides the only mention of Elijah Morton connected with Meshack Morton’s estate. It is documented fact that Jesse Carter was the Administrator of Meshack Morton’s estate and Gabriel Lea was Guardian to Morton children in other Caswell County Court documents. Some records are no longer available in the present day Caswell County, much to the dismay of many researchers. Elijah Morton also married a daughter of Gabriel Lea, Mary (Polly) Lea, which seems likely as they probably had a close relationship as youths, with her father being the Guardian of her future husband.

Hello Mark,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you regarding where I found the reference of Elijah being the son of Meshack.

I'm not sure if I mentioned to you that I have copies of ~200 pages of hand written notes from Edythe Rucker Whitley, a genealogist who wrote many books.  Her estate left ALL of her notes to the Williamson County, Tennessee Genealogical Society.   There are notes on 100's of families, and the whole lot takes up about 4 20' shelves, 3-4 shelves high. 

Since my line of MORTONs ended up in Williamson/Davidson County, TN, I've done a lot of my research there.  What you can find is folders with loose notes on family names.  I was very excited to find her notes on the MORTON line, so I had my husband (wonderful man), copy the entire file.  

In it, I found her notes from the original estate papers CR 20.504.1 Box M, "Meshack Morton Estate Papers".  Meshack Morton Estate Papers - CR 20.504.1 Box M  (Original Papers):

Know all men by these presents that we Gabriel Lea and Jesse Carter, all of the County of Caswell and State of North Carolina are held and firmly bound unto William Rainey, Archibald Samuel and Adam Saunders, Esquires and their fellow Justices of the County Court of Caswell in the sum of 500 pounds to be paid to the said Justices and their successors in office and assigns in trust for the benefit of the child hereafter named, committed to the tuition of said Gabriel Lea.... To which the payment is well and truly to be made.   We find ourselves, our Heirs ... and Admininstrators jointly and Serverally and firmly by these present sealed with our seals and dated this 2nd day of January A.Dom. 1797.

The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the above bounded Gabriel Lea ... is constituted and appointed Guardian for Polley Morton, Elijah Morton, Martin Morton, Hezekiah Morton and Nancy Morton, minor orphans.  If therefore, the said Gabriel Lea and Jesse Carter shall faithfully execute his said Guardianship by securing and improving the estate of the said Orphans, ... that shall come into his hands or possessions for the benefit of the said orphans until they shall attain the full age or be sooner thereto required and render up a plain and true account of his said guardianship on oath before the Justices of our said Court and deliver up pay unto or possess the said orphans with all such estate or estates as they ought to be possessed o for such other persons or persons as shall be lawfully authorized to receive the same and the profits arising there from then the above obligation shall be void otherwise to remain in full force and effect.

Gabriel Lea (seal)
J. Carter (seal)
signed sealed & Delivered
in presence of

A.E. Murphy Clerk

================================ 

This is the only connection that she has in her notes of Elijah, but I'm taking it as legit.  She also listed out the children as:

Anderson, Peyton, William, Asa, Jacob, (married Annie Fisher)Polly, Elijah
m. Polley Lea, Martin m. Mary Fuller, Hezekiah, and Nancy.


She also has a Meshack MORTON who marries Patsy Boulton (Boulden) on 1/4/1808 in Charlotte County, VA., but no further info is provided.

Hope this helps.

Cindy