Thomas E. Morrow was born on June 5, 1839, in Ohio to Thomas Morrow and Mary Ann Patterson. His father was a carpenter who owned $4,500 of real estate and $500 of personal property in 1860. The family lived in Washington, Ohio, before moving to Shelby County, Ohio. By 1860, Morrow was working as a carpenter. He enlisted in the Union army on April 18, 1861, and mustered in as a private in Company F of the three-month 11^th Ohio Infantry. He mustered out on June 20, 1861. The 11^th Ohio, however, immediately re-organized as a three-year regiment, and Morrow re-enlisted as a sergeant. The regiment took part in the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, and the Battle of Chickamauga. Morrow was reduced to the ranks on February 14, 1863, and he mustered out on June 20, 1864.

Morrow returned to Shelby County after the war, and he married Elizabeth Pritchard on July 3, 1866. They had at least four children: Charles, born around 1867; Frank, born around 1869; Hazel, born around 1875; and Mabel, born around 1883. Morrow worked as a farmer and carpenter after the war, and he owned $770 of personal property in 1870. The family moved to Center, Indiana, sometime between 1880 and 1900. Morrow applied for a federal pension on December 19, 1891, and he died on January 7, 1907.