More questions than answers about this Fortean, who seems to have been forgotten like so many other Forteans—but the forgetting, and dwindling away of his works, is especially frustrating because he was somewhat prominent.
Jay Johnson Morrow Scandrett was born 16 October 1895 in Pittsburgh, PA to Richard (an attorney) and Agnes. He had an older brother, also named Richard, and sister, named Rebekah. Both his mother and father’s family had come from the Mid-Atlantic States. The Morrows were well off, in 1900 employing three servants. Whether the family hit hard times, or—more likely—the kids’ growing up meant the need for fewer hands, by 1910, the servants were all gone, but there was a lodger. Richard was the first to leave the family home, some time after 1910, establishing himself as a lawyer. Other members of the extended family included Senator Dwight Morrow.
Jay attended Amherst College, in Massachusetts, where he played basketball, edited the yearbook, acted, and was the class prophet—apparently there was something of a fad among turn-of-the-twentieth-century colleges to have one student predict the futures of the others. He graduated in 1917, and as of 1 June was employed by the US Army and in officer training. on 1 May 1918 he became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry Corps. That same year, he became engaged to—or, in the Quaker formalities of her religion, announced their marriage of intention—to Marion Willis Satherwaite. He was dismissed from service 30 March 1919, and apparently went back to live with his family—his widowed mother and Rebekah, both now in Tenafly, NJ, where Rebekah was a teacher. He went to Columbia Law School, graduating in 1924. His studies were interrupted by a trip he and his mother took to the Canal Zone—a relative, John Jay Morrow, was Governor of the zone between 1924 and 1927—and capped by another voyage, this one in 1926, which had him in Cuba, at least. He joined the faculty at Georgetown University. In 1928, Marian graduated from Columbia’s Library Science program. They married 3 June 1929.
Jay Johnson Morrow Scandrett was born 16 October 1895 in Pittsburgh, PA to Richard (an attorney) and Agnes. He had an older brother, also named Richard, and sister, named Rebekah. Both his mother and father’s family had come from the Mid-Atlantic States. The Morrows were well off, in 1900 employing three servants. Whether the family hit hard times, or—more likely—the kids’ growing up meant the need for fewer hands, by 1910, the servants were all gone, but there was a lodger. Richard was the first to leave the family home, some time after 1910, establishing himself as a lawyer. Other members of the extended family included Senator Dwight Morrow.
Jay attended Amherst College, in Massachusetts, where he played basketball, edited the yearbook, acted, and was the class prophet—apparently there was something of a fad among turn-of-the-twentieth-century colleges to have one student predict the futures of the others. He graduated in 1917, and as of 1 June was employed by the US Army and in officer training. on 1 May 1918 he became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry Corps. That same year, he became engaged to—or, in the Quaker formalities of her religion, announced their marriage of intention—to Marion Willis Satherwaite. He was dismissed from service 30 March 1919, and apparently went back to live with his family—his widowed mother and Rebekah, both now in Tenafly, NJ, where Rebekah was a teacher. He went to Columbia Law School, graduating in 1924. His studies were interrupted by a trip he and his mother took to the Canal Zone—a relative, John Jay Morrow, was Governor of the zone between 1924 and 1927—and capped by another voyage, this one in 1926, which had him in Cuba, at least. He joined the faculty at Georgetown University. In 1928, Marian graduated from Columbia’s Library Science program. They married 3 June 1929.