Catharine was one of three sisters who came to what became Union Twp., Mifflin County in 1788 with their parents Frederick and Rosanna Baum and was four years old at that time. The fourth sister, Elizabeth, was born in Mifflin Co. in 1789. Frederick had purchased a farm of 260 acres that was part of an original grant of land warranted to William Brown in 1765. William Brown was one of the first settlers in the Kishacoquillas Valley. Prior to 1789, when Mifflin Co. was established, this area was part of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

In 1790, Catharine's father Frederick died before the 1790 Census was taken and the family is shown on the Census as Widow Baum and four females. In the spring of 1791 the personal estate of Frederick Baum was sold at public vendu and shortly after that Rosanna married a man named Robert Scott who also lived in Union Township. Robert Scott is recorded in the 1800, 1810 and 1820 Census as living in Union Twp. Robert Scott made out his Will on April 2, 1823 and died sometime between then and May 7, 1823 when the Will was filed with the Mifflin County Court. Rosanna Scott is recorded in the 1830 and 1840 Census, still living in Union Twp. It is assumed Rosanna died between 1840 and 1850, however, to date no record has been found.

In the publication "Families and Records before 1800," Raymond Bell notes that the wife of William Brown was a Mary Scott. He goes on to mention that Mary Scott had several brothers living in Mifflin Co. and one of them was a Robert Scott living in Union Twp. in 1798.

On September 9, 1800, Catharine, being of the age to entitle her to nominate her own guardian, petitioned the Orphans Court of the County of Mifflin to have her step-father Robert Scott appointed to that position. The document recording this matter has her signature on it. In the context of time and the perspective thereof, John Adams was President of the United States and Thomas Jefferson was Vice President when this document was prepared. Three years later, in 1803, Catharine married William Morrison.

Two of Catharine's sisters married men from Union Township. Christiana married Hugh Alexander and Elizabeth married Davis Gibboney. The Alexander and Gibboney families were both early settlers in Mifflin County. Her third sister, Magdalena married Henry Leinbach who was from Berks County, where Catharine was born. Alexander Gibboney lived just down the road from where the Morrison farm was located, a few miles to the northeast of Belleville, PA. He established both a farming operation and a woolen mill. The woolen mill was located on the west side of the Kishacoquillas Creek that runs through the area and during the Civil War manufactured thousands of blankets for the Union Army. Davis Gibboney was one of his sons and moved to Huntingdon Co. after marrying Elizabeth.