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Morris Family Submitted by: wvhillgal@yahoo.com ============================================= Husband: William Morris ============================================= Born: 1 Jan 1722 at: Liverpool, England Died: 1 Dec 1792 at: Hughes Creek, Kanawha Co., W.VA. Buried: Hughes Creek, Kanawha County, West Virginia Married: 1 Jan 1746 Place: Orange Co., VA. =======================================================Wife: Elizabeth Stapp =======================================================Born: 1729 at: Orange Co., VA. Died: 1795 at: Kanawha Co., WV Father: Joshua Stapp (1650-1783) Mother: Martha Coffey (1690-1772) ===================================================== Children ==================================================== 1 M William "Major Billy" Morris Jr. Born: 1746 at: Culpepper Co. VA Died: 1802 at: Kanawha Co., W.VA. Buried: Virginia's Chapel, Cedar Grove, W.VA Spouse: Catherine Carroll (1751-1823) Marr. Date: 10 May 1768, Orange County, VA ------------------------------------------------------- 2 M Joshua Morris Born: 1752 at: Culpepper Co. VA Died: 1824 at: Teays Valley, WV Spouse: Francis Simms (Abt 1764-1849) Marr. Date: ------------------------------------------------------- 3 M Henry Morris Born: Abt 1747 at: Orange Co., VA. Died: 1824 at: Peter's Creek, Nicholas County, West)Virginia Spouse: Mary Byrd (1743-1820) Marr. Date: WFT Est 1778-1810, VA ------------------------------------------------------ 4 M Leonard Morris Sr Born: 1748 at: Orange Co., VA. Died: 1832 at: Kanawha Co., W.VA. Spouse: Margaret Lykens (1771-1841) Marr. Date: 1789, Greenbrier Co., VA. Spouse: Margaret Price (1750-1787) Marr. Date: 1770, Orange Co., VA. ------------------------------------------------------- 5 M Levi Morris Born: 1753 at: Culpepper Co. VA Died: 1834 at: Kanawha Co., W.VA. Spouse: Margaret Jarrett Marr. Date: 22 May 1788, Lewisburg, VA Spouse: Margaret Stark (1750- ) ------------------------------------------------------- 6 M Capt. John Morris Born: 1755 at: Culpepper Co. VA Died: 22 Sep 1818 at: Cabell Co., W.VA. Buried: at: Guyandotte, Cabell Co., WV Spouse: Margaret Droddy (Abt 1758-1818) Marr. Date: 1776, Greenbrier, WV ------------------------------------------------------ 7 F Elizabeth Morris Born: 1772 at: Greenbrier Co, (W) Virginia Died: WFT Est 1790-1861 at: Mason, WV Spouse: Thomas Cobb (WFT Est 1739-WFT Est 1803) Marr. Date: 1799 Spouse: Michael See (1750-1792) Marr. Greenbrier, WV Spouse: John Schull Sr ( - ) ------------------------------------------------------ 8 M Achilles "Carroll" Morris Born: 1760 at: Culpepper County, VA Died: 1821 at: Franklin Co., In. Spouse: Elizabeth Jarrett (Abt 1764-WFT Est 1807) Marr. Date: 7 Dec 1784, Greenbrier, WV ----------------------------------------------------- 9 F Frances Morris Born: Died: WFT Est 1812-1868 at: Kanawha Co, VA Buried: Pratt Cemetery at: Pratt, WV Spouse: John Jones (1755-1838) Marr. Date: 17 Nov 1775, Culpeper, VA ----------------------------------------------------- 10 M Benjamin Morris Born: 21 Oct 1770 at: Culpeper County, Virginia Died: 6 Jul 1829 at: Kanawha County, (West) Virginia Spouse: Nancy Jarrett (1769-1832) Marr. Date: 12 Nov 1788, Greenbrier County, WV ==================================================== Husband's Notes ===================================================== William Morris was born at Liverpool, England, January 1, 1722. When he was twelve years old he went aboard a ship. Historians have related the event in various ways. Some state that he was seeing a relative or acquaintance off. Others indicate it was mere curiosity. In any event, his understanding was that the ship would not be leaving until morning; however, he managed to stay aboard too long and the next thing he knew the ship was at sea on the way to America. The ship was supposed to return to England after its journey to Philadelphia and the captain told William that he could go back with him on this trip. Upon their arrival at Philadelphia, however, the Captain received orders to go to the West Indies. According to information passed down through the family, the captain wrote to William's parents and received permission to keep the boy. William grew up with this family and after having reached manhood went to Orange County, Virginia. William Morris married Elizabeth Stapp (Stepp/Stipp)January l, 1746 in Orange County, Va. Elizabeth was born in Orange County, Va. in 1729. Some of their children's births are given as Orange County and some are given as Culpepper County. It is not known whether the family moved or whether the division of counties caused their residence to be listed first in Orange County and later in Culpepper County. William and Elizabeth (Stapp) Morris and their family, which included seven children and the older sons wives and families next appear in Greenbrier County, Va. (now WV). From there they went to the Great Kanawha Valley in either late 1773 or 1774. The exact date is not known and there is no way of establishing it definitely. When William Morris and family arrived at "Camp Union", Lewisburg and began to look around for a place to settle, the frontier was seething with the war spirit as the harrassed Virginians were about to take the "warpath" against the Ohio Indians, who were scalping and burning along the frontier. Governor George Murrary, Earl of Dunmore was farsighted enough to foresee the coming war with England and inclined toward crushing the bold and independent pioneers before the struggle began. Therefore Governor Murrary did what he could to divert them from their plans of fighting the Indians. To bring a family of men, women and children into a wilderness and to maintain them there was no small undertaking. They had to live a year to two without crops (using what they had been able to bring with them and what they were able to gather from the wilds). They brought along spinning wheels, iron pots and kettles, bedding, bullet moulds, powder and lead, axes, etc. A few head of cattle were driven with the pack horses. They came by the way of Kenney's Knob, Rich Creek and down Hughes Creek, to avoid the possible ambush from lurking Indians. On the broad flat land below the creek where the stream empties into the Kanawha River they stopped and began the erection of a stockade near the burned ruins of Kelly's cabin. The stockade consisted of a fence built of strong upright logs, sharpened on the ends to points and pinned together with wooden pegs. On each corner was an overhanging blockhouse, within the stockade were cabins. The woods were cleared away and farming began. Imagine this small settlement in the upper part of the valley with no market. They had to depend upon themselves for everything. There was no transportation, stores or mills. They had to manufacture their own fabric or wear buckskin. It was a long way east to go for powder and nothing was to be had to the west. There were not many settlers until 1788 when the Clendenins came and made their settlement at the mouth of the Elk River. When the county was organized in 1789 it was said there were only 13 voters, but there were 118 residents in the county in 1792. William Morris made his settlement at the mouth of Kelly's Creek, on the spot where Walter Kelly had attempted to make his home. When the children of Walter Kelly became of age William Morris gave each of them a horse, saddle and bridle, although they apparently had no title to the land. William seemed to have felt that since Kelly had cleared a small patch of land and tried to raise a crop and make some improvements (most of the buildings had been burned by Indians, probably at the time Kelly was killed) Kelly's children should have some compensation. When the Indian War broke out and the army o General Andrew Lewis, one thousand strong, came marching by Kelly's creek they found the home of William Morris and family and the Morris folks alive and prosperous. The army encamped near the stockade and William, Jr., John and Leonard joined the army. William Morris, Jr. was the only one of the Morris family wounded in the battle of Point Pleasant. Of all the famous characters that stand out from the pages of history William Morris Sr. means more to the people of Kanawha Valley than any other. Coming as a forerunner of the mighty tide of immigration that'followed the subjection of the savage Indian. He and his family was the first to clear the measureless forest and build the permanent home. The home of William Morris at Kelly's Creek was a fort or outpost during the period of the Revolutionary War and is referred to as Fort Morris or Kelly's Post in the Great Kanawha Valley. Here once congregated the bravest spirits of the time; Tice, Van Bibber, Boone, Hammond, Pryor, Chris, John and Lewis Arbuckle, and Simon Kenton. Mad Anne Bailey was a frequent visitor on her way to the Greenbriar settlement. As the years passed and the rear guard of the pioneers arrived William Morris began the operation of a "boat yard" on the river bank near where Kelly's Creek Colliery tipple now stands. (The tipple was still there in 1972). A sort of flat boat was constructed and sold to those bound for the West by river. The Morris Fort and Boat Yards was the chief settlement for a number of years. There was talk of placing the court house here, but Clendennin managed to secure the location for his new settlement at the mouth of Elk River (now Charleston). William Morris' will was admitted to probate in 1793. It was the first will recorded in the new county of Kanawha and can be found in Book A Page #30 at the courthbuse in Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia. |