Ancient Society
In 1853 Mary's father died, leaving her a large inheritance. The Morgans bought a brownstone in a wealthy suburb of Rochester. In that year their son, Lemuel, was born, who "turned out to be mentally handicapped". Morgan's rising fame brought him public attention. Lemuel's condition (on no specific evidence) was universally attributed to the first-cousin marriage. The Morgans had to endure perpetual criticism, which they accepted as true, Lewis going to far as, in "Ancient Society", to take a stand against cousin marriage. The Morgan marriage remained a close and affectionate one.