Morgan was born in Claysville,[REF] an African American community outside of Paris, Kentucky,[REF] to Sydney Morgan, a son and former slave of Confederate Colonel John H. Morgan (of Morgan's Raiders fame),[REF] and Elizabeth Reed, also a former slave[REF] who was half Native American[REF] and daughter of Rev. Garrett Reed [REF].
Possessing only a sixth-grade education, Morgan moved at the age of 16 to Cincinnati, Ohio,[REF] in search of employment.