George, son of John Jacky and Amelia Morris

George Washington Morris, called Wattie; sometimes seen as Watty, was born in Sep 1817, most likely in the Uwharrie area of Montgomery County, North Carolina. He is my third great-uncle. I think it is obvious that he carries the name of the first president of the United States of America, George Washington. George’s father, my third great grandfather, John Jacky Morris, ironically, has the same name as President George Washington’s step son, John, called Jacky.

It is obvious that whoever my fourth great grandparents are admired President George Washington. I do not really consider this a clue to locating my fourth great grandparents, many sons were given the names of the founders of the United States in those early days after the Revolutionary War. However, I do wonder if my fourth great grandfather may have fought in the Revolutionary War and if so, which Morris is he? Those documents I have collected to date on the men with the surname Morris who fought in the Revolutionary War may yield their mysteries to me as I journey through the research of my Morris line.

The first Census I can confirm for George is 1830. He is listed in the home of his father, John Morriss Senior, living east of the Pee Dee and Yadkin River, as a male 15 thru 19 or a male 10 thru 14. Either way, there is a male missing from this family or the Census taker listed an additional male that did not exist. Neighbors to John Morris Sr in 1830 were the Williams’, Graham’s, McAuley’s, and McRae’s.

In 1840, George and his older brother William have flown the roost and are found sharing a residence between neighbors Henry Bell and William Hamilton, who lived on the waters of Barnes Creek in the Uwharrie area. William’s wife was Mary Polly Morgan, her father, William Morgan died in the War of 1812. Two of my third great aunts, Julia Marks and Cyrona Marks, sisters, would go on to marry brothers, Joseph and Lee Thomas Hamilton, sons of William and Mary Morgan Hamilton.

Family tradition says that George married Elizabeth Williams around 1845 and around 1849, a daughter, whom was named Elizabeth, was born to this couple. The 1850 Census being enumerated on the 20th day of Sep 1850, George and Elizabeth are found with 7 month old daughter, Elizabeth, making her birth month Feb. I am not sure where the family made their home as the township is not stated on the 1850 Census.

By 1860, George and Elizabeth were living in Beans and had added to their family, John Thomas, born in 1852, Millie Francis, 1856 and George Washington Jr in 1857.

By 1870 George and Elizabeth had moved to Ophir where this Census year shows another daughter, Julia Ann, had been born about 1867, bringing the total number of children for George and Elizabeth to five.

The 1880 Census shows this is a family that sticks close together. Living in Rocky Springs, George and wife Elizabeth still have one child, Millie Francis, living at home. Next door, in dwelling 76, lives daughter Elizabeth, with husband, William Williams and their children, John, Christine, James, Lillie and Claudy. And in dwelling 77, lives daughter Julia with her husband, Gaston Dennis.

John Thomas had married Louisa Williams, she being the daughter of Joseph and Nancy Williams, in 1873. George Washington Jr married Margaret Keziah ‘Kizzie’ Morton in 1878, she being the daughter of James and Catharine Morton.

Sometime between the 1880 Census and 1895, Elizabeth, wife of George, would die. I have not as yet been able to confirm where she is buried. George would go on to marry Louisa Smith, daughter of Reuben and Julia Smith, in 1895, about a year after daughter, Millie Francis, marries Edward Brewer in 1894.

In 1900, George and Louisa, his second wife, are found still in Ophir and living next door to George’s namesake, George Washington Morris Jr and his wife Margaret and their children.

George died intestate, leaving his widow, Louisa, to file a Petition for Dower, 1/3 of the 169 acres lying on the east side of Barnes Creek. His children, and heirs at law, wrapping up the final business that George had and burying their father. I am currently still searching on where George is buried.

Willis Morgan, son of Charles and Delilah Morgan

All genealogy research begins with a question. The question that ultimately resulted in the creation of Uwharrie Roots was, “Who’s Your Daddy, William Buck Marks?” Typically, this is the question most asked by genealogist. We want to get one more generation back, and the only way to do that is to find the parents of the previous generation. Genealogy research is a human puzzle. Connecting people together on paper who were connected in real life. It is fascinating and rewarding when the puzzle pieces come together and the life that an ancestor lived becomes real to you. You begin to know them for who they were, and not for who you want or expect them to be.

It is when those puzzle pieces do not fit together, when that one edge just doesn’t seem to close the gap, or in the case of genealogy research, does not answer the question logically and reasonably, that I begin to get this nagging feeling that just will not go away. When research leaves me with more questions than answers, it is then that I dig in my heels and begin a quest to find the proof that is required to answer the question.

When my male cousin agreed to Y-DNA test for our Morgan line, I was super excited and very thankful for his help in answering my question, “Who’s Your Daddy, Joseph Morgan?” His part was easy, swab your cheek and sign the consent form. I mailed the package back to Family Tree DNA. A few weeks later, we got the results. I doubt he has looked at it since then.

My cousin originally tested at 37 Markers and he had three matches. All with the surname Morgan. I noticed one of those matches had tested to 67 Markers, and decided to upgrade my cousin’s 37 Marker test to a 67 Marker test. The match remained solid. I immediately contacted all three matches, but have only heard back from two of them. One of the matches and I have worked together quite extensively, sending one another details of the research we have done. His research was solid back to his ancestor Willis Morgan (1811-1862) from Montgomery County, North Carolina. My ancestor, Joseph Morgan (1786-1815) is also from Montgomery County, so I was elated that I could finally attach my Joseph to a Morgan line in the same county.

I still do not know exactly where Joseph fits in the puzzle, but, I at least now know what puzzle (family) he belongs to. There was also the burden of proof on who Willis’ father was. Research currently available was at best, a best guess. I am working off the theory that my Joseph was most likely the Uncle of Willis Morgan, a brother to Willis’ father, Charles Morgan. There is a Genetic Distance of 1 between my cousin and the Willis Morgan descendant.

Since Joseph did not live long enough to create the paper trail that most who live long lives accumulate, research on him was at a dead end. He made one Census in 1810 and had a pay voucher for his service in the War of 1812. He had a wife and three young children at the time of his death. The only way to determine what family Joseph belonged to was to research all those who lived around him and all those whom his children associated with; surely his children would remain close to their Morgan Aunts, Uncles and cousins as the years went by.

I studied research done by others in an attempt to gain any useful knowledge about the Morgan families from Montgomery County. I built a research tree based on the information that I found. I began using Autosomal DNA results to connect family members to my research tree. I have an extensive Autosomal DNA tree based on these results, but only going forward from Joseph. I was finding that everything going backward from Joseph was mostly best guesses that people had made over the years, rather than on methodical research of the remaining records in the county of Montgomery.

On my Blog is posted most of the research for the Morgan’s that I have completed to date. It is far from exhaustive. I began my research by making a list of men, with the surname Morgan, found on the 1790, 1800 and 1810 Census records for Montgomery County, North Carolina. I next began researching each man to discover who he was, who he married, who his children were, who they married, did he have a will, did he own land, pay taxes, sign as a witness to a deed, have a land grant, a marriage record, a grave stone, who were his neighbors, did he ever go to court, have a run-in with the law, make the newspapers, serve in a war, have a pension file, or live long enough to buy anything from Daniel Freeman’s General Store…all of these questions needed answers for each man with the surname Morgan.

Recently, I came across Henry Morgan who, for one so young, had quite the fascinating story that went all the way to the Supreme Court of North Carolina and resulted in a 228 page paper trail that not only tells Henry’s tale, but also connects many people from Montgomery County together in the years 1838-1843, even providing directions to their homes.

Important Note:
If you have not read my post Crump v. Morgan, now would be a good time, then come back and finish this post. Otherwise, the remainder of this post will make no sense.

On the 6th, 7th, and 8th days of Dec 1841 at the house of Littleton Harris in the county of Montgomery, depositions of Dr. Francis Kron, Rebecca Talbert, Lucy Talbert, Rachel Talbert, Thomas Russell, John Pence, Henry Pence, William Talbert, Lockey Simmons, George Coggin, Eve Forrest, Sarah Lock, Hannah Palmer, Polly Lilly, William Crook, and William Palmer were taken by Littleton Harris and John Martin.

Dr. Francis Kron gave his statement that he had been a practicing physician in Montgomery County since 1830 and previous to that he had been acquainted to Col. and Mrs. Crump for several years and that he was Col. Crump’s family physician. Dr. Kron stated that he had been aware of the on-set of symptoms of derangement in Mrs. Crump even before Col. Crump’s death. He confirmed that he had been treating Mrs. Crump for insanity at the time of Col. Crump's death. He believed her to be a confirmed lunatic.

Rebecca Talbert undoubtedly provides the most information of any of the witness’s testimonies. She states that she was a frequent visitor of Mrs. Crump while she was married to Col. Crump. She confirms that Letitia had five children and names them, James, Henrietta, Laura Ann, John and Thomas. Rebecca states that because of the way Letitia acted toward her sister’s child, attempting to dump the child from its cradle and refusing to go into the room of her dying husband, that because of her behavior, she was afraid of Letitia. Rebecca confirms that Letitia remained at the Crump mansion house for about a year after the death of her husband and that Polly Russell lived there with her. Rebecca further confirms that Charles Morgan is the father of Henry, the defendant, and that Charles lived in the Crump mansion one to two years before Henry and Letitia married in Oct 1839. Further confirmation is given that Henry had been in Georgia almost all of the year 1839 and did not return until cool weather, that Henry was living with his father, Charles, at the time of his marriage, and continues to live with him in 1841, at the time of her testimony. Rebecca provides information on the area surrounding the Crump mansion, that there were many rooms in the mansion, that the windows were open, that there was a smoke house, that one had to walk across the yard and through the big gates and it was half mile to the Narrows of the Yadkin River. Rebecca states that her reason for being at the Crump dower house was to use the loom to weave her cloth. And she confirms that Letitia had a daughter since her marriage to Henry.

Rebecca lastly confirms the family members of Charles Morgan being Charles and his wife, Delilah, and their children, Henry, Harriett, Nancy, Spencer, Anderson, Sandy, Ally, Joseph, Willis, John, and Janie.

Lucy Talbert is just as insightful as Rebecca. She tells us that she lived at the house of Charles Morgan about a year before and after the marriage of Henry and Letitia. Lucy informs us that it was about half a mile from Mr. Palmer’s house, where Letitia was staying, to Charles Morgan’s house, the Crump dower mansion. Lucy describes the South East room, telling us that there were windows in the room on the south side of the house and the room was opposite the room where Col. Crump died. She tells us that the old dwelling house on the property had been converted into the kitchens after the mansion house was built and that a Mr. and Mrs. Tucker had come to visit, confirming that the Tucker’s were in the area in 1839. Lucy wonderfully tells us that she and the others started out on foot in the afternoon to go six miles through the mountain, down the Yadkin River, to Willis Morgan’s house, the brother of Henry, who had married the widow Delamothe. She says that they had to cross a branch and a creek called Dutch John and the River Uwharrie at its mouth and after going another half a mile they came upon Willis and Bethany who were out riding their horses and they all turned back and went to Charles Morgan’s house, arriving in the evening near sunset.

Rachel Talbert lets us know that she lived at Charles Morgan’s house 7 months before and 4 weeks after the marriage of Henry and Letitia. She tells us that she and Lucy Talbert are sisters and cousins to Henry Morgan, and that the doors in the Crump mansion had locks on them.

On the 11th day of August 1842, at the dwelling house of Willis Morgan, in the county of Montgomery, Littleton Harris and Nelson Harris, proceeded to take the dispositions of Susannah Henderson, Rachel Talbert, Davis Russell, Charles Morgan, Delilah Morgan, Bethany Morgan, Joseph Morgan, and William Hearn in order to understand the chain of events that had taken place leading up to the marriage of Henry Morgan and Letitia Lindsay Crump.

Now, Willis Morgan lived on the dower property of his wife, Bethany Bailey Delamothe, left to her by her first husband, Henry Delamothe, who had died in 1838. Henry’s will named the dower property for Bethany as located at the mouth of the Uwharrie River on the Pee Dee River unto Island Creek on the same River extending as far as Benjamin Bell’s line on the Uwharrie River to the widow Bell’s line near Island Creek Bridge.

Susannah Henderson, my 4th great grandmother, who was first married to Joseph Morgan; second to Joel Henderson, says she was acquainted with Letitia Crump and had visited with Letitia while she lived with Littleton Harris. Conversations were odd and trivial at times and at other time sensible and intelligent. Letitia was engaged in knitting and sewing while at Susannah's house. Letitia expressed a dissatisfaction to living with Littleton Harris and wanted to live at the home she had shared with her husband, Col Crump. Susannah said she had been at Henry Morgan's house since he married, and Letitia spoke and acted in the same manner as before they were married. Susannah lived a half a mile from Littleton Harris.

Charles Morgan, next witness, stated that he was present in Oct 1839 when his son Henry Morgan married to the widow Crump by William Crook Esq. Charles, in a lengthy statement, told of outlandish actions taken by his son Henry to marry Letitia and further told of a dysfunctional relationship between Henry and Letitia. Charles further confirms that Nancy and Harriet Morgan are his daughters. He also confirms that Letitia has had one child since her marriage to Henry. Delilah Morgan, in her statement confirms twice that Henry is her son.

Bethany Morgan, called Thana, states that she and her husband (Willis) were called to Charles Morgan's house the night before the wedding. That she spoke with Letitia and advised her not to marry Henry, that he was too young for her and poor and could not take care of her in the same manner Col. Crump had. Bethany further states that she had seen a letter from Daniel Harris who had offered to marry her, but Letitia told Bethany that she would not have Daniel Harris as he had whipped his first wife and she was afraid him.

Joseph Morgan, the son of Joseph and Susannah Smart Morgan, and the ancestor that my male cousin, who Y-DNA tested, descends through, told that he went to Georgia with Henry in 1839 and that they returned to Montgomery County in Aug 1839, that while in Georgia and on the way home from Georgia he heard Henry say he was going to marry Mrs. Crump, but that he had never heard Mrs. Crump say anything about Henry.

There are multiple other testimonies from the people who lived in Lawrenceville, Montgomery County between 1838 and 1843. Their stories bringing to life this one dramatic situation between Henry Morgan and Letitia Lindsay Crump that surely was the talk of the town for many years, but has now assisted me in pushing Willis Morgan back one more generation. I now have a glimpse of what the Crump mansion might have looked like and directions from the Crump mansion to Willis Morgan’s home. I now know who the father of Willis Morgan is, who his siblings are, and even a few of his cousins. I have been able to, using DNA results and this paper trail, create a working theory that Willis’ father Charles and my 4th great grandfather, Joseph, are most likely brothers. The connections are being made and I now move on to the next research project of finding out more about Charles Morgan and see if I can connect him with any other Morgan men who lived in Lawrenceville and were born about the same time. The puzzle pieces are coming together, and soon, I hope to find the answer to my question, who’s your daddy, Joseph Morgan?

William, son of John Jacky and Amelia Morris

William Morris, oldest child of John ‘Jacky’ and Amelia Morris (her maiden name is unknown), was, according to his grave stone, born in 1813. There is some speculation on whether William was born in North Carolina or Virginia. According to the death certificates of his children, John and Nancy, he was born in Montgomery County, North Carolina. The person who reported the death of William Frank Morris did not know who his parents were, nor where they were born. George Washington Morris lived to be 102 years old, but the person who reported his death gave his father as John T, however, that would George’s older brother and not his father. By the time George died in 1969, it was no longer required to report the parent’s place of birth.

The first Census that can be confirmed for William Morris is 1830. At age 17, he is living with his parents, John and Amelia, in Montgomery County, North Carolina, East of Pee Dee and Yadkin River. Based on the listed neighbors who had land grants between 1825 and 1835, the area where William lived looks to be just north of current day Mount Gilead, perhaps along Clark’s Creek and Rocky Creek area. This fits nicely with my family stories that John Jacky, the father of William Morris, lived near Dusty Level. I imagine, like a lot of families back then, my Morris family probably moved around the area of Uwharrie in search of work.

In 1840, William, now age 27, is living East of the River. He looks to be sharing a residence with another male about the same age as himself. It is possible that the other male is his brother, George, since he is missing from John Jacky’s household in 1840 and I am not able to find him on any other Census. The brothers live between Henry Bell and William Hamilton, who lived on the waters of Barnes Creek in 1840.

By 1850, William’s brother, George, has married and moved on with his own family. William, still a bachelor, in his mid-thirties, is living with his sister, Susan and her husband, Samuel Morgan. In 1847, William signed as bondsman for Susan and Samuel’s marriage.

In 1858, William met and married Margaret Ann Lewis, called Martha. The bond, taken out in Montgomery County, North Carolina, and dated 4 Mar 1858, bondsman, William’s soon to be brother-in-law, Pinkney Shaw, who, a short time later, would marry William’s sister, Eliza. I find it interesting that both William and Pinkney can sign their names, rather than signing with the usual X mark that I sometimes see. The Morris family were poor farmers and miners and I wonder where William might have learned to write his name.

I am not able to locate William Morris on the 1860 Census. In 1870, William and wife, Margaret, are located in Uwharrie. Their family consists of sons, John (11), William (5), George (3) and daughter, Nancy (8).

1880 shows William as a widower, Margaret having died between the 1870 and 1880 Census years. Nancy (19), William (14) and George (12) are still living at home. William claims on this Census that he was born in Virginia and that both his parents, John and Amelia, were also born in Virginia. William also claims he is 60 years of age, but not so, he was born about 1813, thus making his age 67.

John Morris (1859-1940), oldest child of William and Margaret Lewis Morris, married Caroline Hall on 1 Jan 1881. Caroline is the daughter of Richard and Leah Hall. He is not listed on the 1880 Census with his father and siblings, nor can I find him listed elsewhere. John and Caroline had the following children:

Charlie A 1883-1975 m. Annie Margaret Cranford
Minnie D 1886-1964 m. William Reid Harris
Alice A 1889-1976 m. John Thompson
Stella M 1891-1977 m. Jesse Mullinix
Myrtle Lou 1892-1989 m. Thomas Hardister
Henry B 1896-1965 m. Eunice Correll
Sherill B 1897-1915 died young
Lanta G 1899-1998 m. Robert Biles
Walter T 1904-1983 m. Catherine Ballard

Nancy Morris (1862-1932) married John Hall (1862-1897), son of Richard and Leah Hall, and brother of Caroline Hall, wife of Nancy’s brother, John Morris, thus making all children born to each of these marriages double first cousins. The children of Nancy and John are:

Ara 1883-1963 m. Alfred Doby
Ella 1885-1962 m. Jacob Dennis
Beaulah 1887-1971 m. Albert Lucas
Everrett 1889-1966 m. Mamie Sells
Letha 1891-1892 died young
Emsly 1893-1986 m. Ila Clodfelter
Lindo 1895-1998 m. Georgia Ragsdale

William Frank (1865-1935) married Loula Cook (1879- ) who was called Lou. They had the following children:

Reese 1893-1912 died from an accidental shooting
Ration 1895-1921 unmarried
Pearl 1897-1918 m. George Holt
Ronnie 1899-1918 m. Eula McDowell
Etta 1901- unable to confirm information at this time
Decie 1905- unable to confirm information at this time

To my knowledge, George Washington was the last child born to William and Margaret Lewis Morris. George, thus far, has provided more clues on my Morris ancestors than anyone I’ve yet to come across and probably deserves a blog post all his own. George was born in 7 Aug 1867 and died the same year I was born, 28 Dec 1969.

In a Newspaper clipping printed in The Daily Times-News (Burlington, North Carolina) 08 Aug 1967, Tue Page 6, a story was recorded at a 100th birthday party held for George; he entertained with stories of his Morris ancestors, telling how they came from England, settled in Virginia, and then moved down into Montgomery County, North Carolina in 1805.

George married first, Letha Cotton (1872-1908), daughter of James Granberry and Abigale Cotton. George and Letha had the following children:

Shelton 1895-1984 m. Eutha Horton
Grace 1897-1982 m. Laurie Martin
Fred 1899-1969 m. Mattie Long
Abbie 1901-1902 died young
Jasper 1904-1962 never married
Max 1906-1997 m. Louvina Brann

George married second, Hattie Harris (1889-1981), daughter of George and Martha Ferrell Harris. George and Hattie had the following children:

Charles 1910-1958 m. Thelma Lucas
Ethel 1913-2002 m. Fletcher Apple
Luena 1914- unable to confirm information at this time
Ester 1917-2010 m. David Martin
Sherman 1921-1992 never married

William Morris died 24 Jan 1892 at the age of 79 years. He is buried in the Morris Cemetery, Montgomery County, North Carolina. I have not found where his wife, Margaret, is buried.

John Jacky Morris

John Jacky Morris is my third great grandfather. According to Census records he was born in Virginia around 1788. Through family knowledge, I learned he was called Jacky. I have also learned, through various readings, that Jacky is a nickname for John. Even President George Washington’s step-son, John, was called Jacky. Some family members believe that my third great grandfather was called Jacky in order to differentiate him and the other John Morris’ that lived in Montgomery County at that time.

In the Montgomery County Heritage Book Vol. 1, article 688, I found a Thomas Morris who came to Montgomery County around 1790 from Virginia. This family settled on Little River. His children were: William, Haton (called Hate), Zebedee, Elias, Reuben, Tryon, John, Millie, Beckie, and Pollie. A similar article is found in the Montgomery County Heritage Book Vol. 2, article 342. Thomas Morris is not listed on the 1790 Census.

In the Montgomery County Heritage Book Vol. 2, article 337 and Book 3, article 823, I learned of John ‘Bushyhead’ Morris, born about 1805, not much seems to be known of his first wife, Lucy. At least nine children were born to the first marriage, Mary, Matilda, Elizabeth, Green, John, William, Nancy, Noah, James. His second marriage was to Louisa Adeline McLendon, twenty years younger than he. They had six children, Wesley, Presley, Daniel, Fannie, Martha, and Hansel. John ‘Bushyhead’ may be the son of Thomas Morris noted above.

In the Montgomery County Heritage Book Vol. 2, article 339, is found John Jacky Morris, my third great grandfather. The article quotes Dr. Francis J Kron’s medical journal, “My first call was this morning at John Morris’ where I found poor kind people, but no money.” John Jacky, according to Census records, was a miner and worked the gold mines in the Uwharrie area. This family lived near Dusty level on Cedar Creek. John’s wife is Amelia (also seen as Milly) and they had 11 children, William, George, Eliza, John, Granderson, Thomas, Berry, Susan, Tempy, Diza, Caroline.

There looks to be but one Morris listed, at least only one John Morris that can be confirmed based on the legibility of the document, on the 1790 Census for Montgomery County, North Carolina, a John Morris who is not married and has no children. He is over the age of 16 years. Since the 1790 Census was alphabetized, I am not able to determine who John’s neighbors are, so I am not able to use other records that would help me understand in what area of the county John lived. I do know this is not my John Jacky because in 1790, he would have been only a toddler. Page 412 of the Census record is so faded that it is not readable. I can determine there are Morris’ listed on the faded page, but again, the page is so faded that it cannot be used as genealogical proof – at least for my standards. The other Census pages had no listing for a Morris.

It was pointed out to me by a fellow researcher to check the Census records on Family Search as they may have a better copy than what Ancestry has of the Census record. Below is a copy of the same page as above, but from Family Search.

There obviously was more than one Morris family in Montgomery County in 1790 as records other than the Census prove this. On the above pages from Ancestry and Family Search, I can make out the Morris in several entries, but the document just has not withstood the test of time and is too faded to use as genealogical proof. After playing around with the contrast of the Family Search document, I was able to distort the image enough to see some of the Morris names.

Thomas Morris shows up on the 1800 Census for Montgomery County, North Carolina along with several more Morris males. Elias, Haton Senior, Jourdan, Ruben, John Junior, Mary and Ann. Elias and Ruben are probably the sons of Thomas Morris.

By 1810, Montgomery County had broken up into several Townships or Districts; Brown, Capt. Cage, Capt. Chappell, Capt. Green, Capt. Harris, Capt. Williams, Capt. Wooley, Captain Gregory, Captain James Kendel, Captain Kirks, Hattom, Henderson, a Township Not Stated, Palmer and Wagster.

Thomas Morris is found in Capt. Harris’ District, R. Morris and J. Morris are found living next door to one another in Capt. Williams District, and Elias Morris is living in Hattom. Haton, Jourden, Mary and Ann have disappeared from the Census record, as have the family members that were listed living with them.

The 1820 Census for Montgomery was destroyed or lost, so I am not able to check that Census for the Morris families.

By 1830, Montgomery County had divided their Census data by which side of the Pee Dee River its citizens lived on rather than townships or districts. The east side of the Pee Dee River would become Stanly County in 1841 and those that lived west of the Pee Dee River would remain in Montgomery County.

John Sr., Reuben, Tryon, Thomas, John Jr., Richard, and Elias all live east of the Pee Dee and Yadkin River.

In a district not named lives a Will Morris and one Etheldred Morris. John Morris lives on the west side of Pee Dee River.

1840 is the last year that citizens on the west side of Pee Dee River will be included in the Montgomery County Census as the county will be divided in 1841 to form Stanly County. On the east side of Pee Dee River lives Elias, John Jr, and Tryon. On the west side of the Pee Dee River live Wyati, William, John, Brady, Edward, Reuben, William, and John Morris Sr.

The year 1850 and forward is where we can find the most about our ancestors. It was this year where every family member is named and a year of birth and place of birth given. You can imagine that most genealogist do not have much trouble finding ancestors from 1850 forward, although there are those ancestors that no amount of searching seems to find!

In 1850, my third great grandfather, John, age 70, is found in Montgomery County, North Carolina living with his wife, Amelia (60), and daughters, Tempy (19), Disa (18) and Caroline (15). John claims he was born in Virginia, his age making his year of birth about 1780. Amelia also claims she was born in Virginia, 1790. Neither John nor Amelia can read. The girls are listed as being born in North Carolina. Since the oldest child listed here is 19, I have a clue that John and Amelia left Virginia, arriving in North Carolina, prior to 1831, when Tempy was born. John is working as a miner to support his family.

According to a family member, she was able to retrieve the names of John’s children from a family Bible years ago. All but two of the children were listed in the family Bible. Based on that record, I know John and Amelia had the following children:

William b. 1813 in (according to Census records) North Carolina, which means that John and Amelia were in North Carolina prior to 1813 when William was born. He married Margaret Lewis and they had children, John (called Stutt), Nancy, William, George. William died in 1892.

Eliza b. 1818 in North Carolina and married Pinkney Shaw. They had a son, John Frank. Eliza died in 1890.

John Jr b. 1819 in North Carolina. He married Martha Farrell and they had a daughter, Elizabeth. John died in 1850.

Grandison b. 1823 in North Carolina. He married first Malsey Williams, their children: Parsons, Martha, Elizabeth, Ananias, Grandison Jr. Grandison married second, Eliza Williams, they had no children. He died in 1902.

Thomas b. 1825 in North Carolina and married Mary Williams. Children of this marriage: William, Elias, Lunda, James (my maternal 2nd great grandfather), Elizabeth, Martha, Mary, Sarah, John Coon (my paternal great grandfather). Thomas died in 1891.

Berry b. 1827 in North Carolina, he married Sarah Williams. They had the following children: Liza, Mary, Jesse, Rebecca, Granderson, Isarris, and Ward.

George b. 1827 in North Carolina, married first, Elizabeth Williams. Their children are Elizabeth, John, Francis, Milla, George Jr, and Julia. In 1895, George married second, Louisa Smith. They had no children.

Susan b. 1827 in North Carolina. She married Samuel Morgan and together they had Albert, John, James, Joseph, William, Lenora, Kenneth, and Samuel. Susan died in 1907. Read more about Susan and Samuel at https://uwharrieroots.blogspot.com/2019/05/susan-morris-wife-of-samuel-morgan.html

Temperance (Tempy) b. 1830 in North Carolina, she married Jacob Sanders and they had Emsley, Jacob, Ann, and Sarah. Tempy died in 1911.

Diza b. 1832 North Carolina. She married Thomas Lucas at the age of 65. To my knowledge, Diza never had children. She died in 1920.

Caroline b. 1834 in North Carolina married James Kearns and ha children, William, John, Martilla, Lecta, Burl, Mandy, Isaac, and James. She died in 1906.

The last Census John and Amelia are on was enumerated 27 Jul 1860. They lived in Beans, Montgomery County, North Carolina. Eliza, their daughter, who had married Pinkney Shaw a year or two earlier, is found at the home of her parents. Pinkney, Eliza and their son, John, were enumerated on 6 Aug 1860. Joseph Morgan, the son of daughter, Susan, married Samuel Morgan, is also visiting. Perhaps Eliza and Joseph went together as his parents were neighbors to Pinkney and Eliza.

Over the next few months I will explore, in more detail, each of the children of John and Amelia Morris, with the exception of Susan as I have already written about her. My hope is to glean as many clues as I can about John and Amelia and attempt to learn where in Virginia John came from. At the very least, I hope to learn as much as I can about John and Amelia.

Susan Morris, the faithful wife of Samuel Morgan

Mysteries abound in my family tree, and Susan Morris and Samuel Morgan are no exception! These two have a special meaning though, as Susan is the daughter of John ‘Jacky’ Morris, my third great grandfather, making her my third great Aunt. The mystery is, I have no idea who her father, John ‘Jacky’ or her husband, Samuel Morgan are. Both are brick walls!

According to Census information, John Morris was born about 1788 in Virginia. He worked as a miner in the gold mines that popped up all over Montgomery County in the early to mid-1800s. His grave marker says he died 7 Dec 1874. He is married to Amelia, born about 1790 and died Mar 1874. Her maiden name is unknown. Amelia lists her birthplace as Virginia on the 1850 Census, but North Carolina in the 1860 Census. I am not able to find John and Amelia on the 1870 Census. John and Amelia had several children and I will talk about them in later Blogs.

Both John and Amelia are buried at the Morris Cemetery off River Road in Uwharrie Township. According to Find-A-Grave, the inscription on Amelia's gravestone was legible in mid-1990, when a cemetery Census was done, but has since eroded away. The inscription on John’s stone is barely legible.

Two male Morris cousins and my paternal Uncle have Y-DNA tested. Our Morris line Y-DNA matches to a John Morris (1750 VA – 1840 NC) and Phebe Tudor from Granville County, North Carolina. We also Y-DNA match to a descendant of Groves Morris, grandson of John Morris and Phebe Tudor. Our last match is to a man who claims descent from Samuel Morris (1710 VA – 1790 VA) and his wife Mary Lewis Oliver. This couple settled and had their children in Hanover, Virginia, then moved to Lynchburg, Virginia in the 1760's. Samuel's first born son was named John, and he settled in Campbell County, Virginia. Samuel was famous for his reading rooms, called the Morris Reading Rooms, and his role in the Great Awakening. Thus far, I have not been able to make a connection to the lines my Morris kin Y-DNA match to.

Samuel Morgan, because his parents and siblings are unknown to me, is a brick wall. I have plenty of brick walls in my family tree, so this is nothing new. William ‘Buck’ Marks, another third great grandfather, was also a brick wall and was the reason I decided to DNA test. I DNA matched to several Marks lines in Chatham County, North Carolina, all of them leading back to a William Marks and Margaret Salter. I built a research tree and started finding the documentation to connect all my matches together and ultimately ended up at the Chatham County Register of Deeds and found the paper trail that led to Buck Marks’ parents. My Morris line is not so cut and dry. The matches are either very distant or all over the place. My paternal Uncle atDNA matches to Morris lines in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and even Canada! I can find nothing in common with any of the lines except the shared DNA.

Family lore tells me that Samuel Morgan was a son of Spencer and that he left Montgomery County with his family in the mid-1840s, but returned as he had fallen in love with Susan Morris and wanted to marry her. His parents objected to the marriage. Regardless of the reason, Samuel and Susan did marry, on 2 Aug 1847. William Morris, Susan’s brother, signed as bondsman.

I have often wondered if Samuel Morgan could be a child of Hardy Morgan or David Morgan, who both left for Pontotoc, Mississippi in the mid-1840s? Or possibly, as noted above, Spencer Morgan, one of the other Morgan’s who left Montgomery County during this time and migrated to Kentucky? In Montgomery County court documents, in the case of Nelson Harris v Joshua Bean et al, a report taken by the Clerk of Court showed that Spencer Morgan left the county in the fall of 1845.

According to the 1850 Census, Samuel was born about 1828 in North Carolina. Susan was born about 1827, also in North Carolina. Samuel is working as a miner in the gold mines. Close by, lives Susan’s parents, John and Amelia Morris, my third great grandparents. Samuel and Susan are the parents of two children, Albert W, age 2 and John S, 2 months. William Morris, who is the brother of Susan, is living with them. He is also listed as a miner.

Samuel and Susan’s first child, Albert Washington Morgan, was born about 1848/9, according to the 1850 and 1860 Census, although his gravestone claims his date of birth is 15 Sep 1847, a month after his parents were married. He married Elizabeth Byrd on 21 Sep 1871.

John S. Morgan, perhaps named for his maternal grandfather, was born in 1850. I am having some difficulty proving John is who I think he is. I have, in my family tree, a Nancy Dennis, born about 1851, daughter of Littleton Dennis and Sarah Talbert, who married a John Morgan. The dates fit perfectly, but I have not been able to prove the John Morgan Nancy Dennis married, is the son of Samuel and Susan Morris Morgan. More research is required on my part to find the paper trail that either proves or disproves this connection.

James Franklin Morgan, third child of Samuel and Susan Morris Morgan was born on 25 Dec 1852. He married Frances Elizabeth Tedder on Dec. 26, 1872 in Montgomery County and they had 11 children. James died 31 Jul 1914.

Joseph Thomas Morgan came along in Aug 1853. He married Fanetta “Nettie” Crouch on 2 Dec 1873.

William Jacob Morgan was born 23 Jul 1854. He married first, Mary Frances Ridenhour, and second, Louella Swearingen. I found it interesting that on William’s death certificate, his father is listed as Charles S. Morgan. I wonder if Charles is really Samuel’s first name or if someone just reported it wrong.

Lenora Morgan, a girl finally born to Samuel and Susan, was born in 1858. I am still trying to find information on her.

Kenneth Morgan, he would later be known as Kinney, was born in 1859. He married Sallie McDonald.

Samuel Berry Morgan, the last child born to Samuel and Susan, 16 Oct 1862. He married Lorena Lisk on 26 Sep 1888.

By 1860, Samuel is listed as a farmer, age 31, with a personal estate of $50.00. Neither he, nor Susan can read. Several more children have been added to their family over the past ten years. Albert (11) and John (10), both seen on the 1850 Census. Joseph (8), James (7), Jacob (5), Lenora (2), Kenneth (1) were all born between the Census years.

On 1 Mar 1862, in Montgomery County, Samuel enlisted as a Private in the Civil War and served on the side of the Confederacy. Samuel served in the 4th Company of Montgomery volunteers which was organized in Troy on 1 Mar 1862 under Captain John Gaines. Samuel died of sickness on or about 15 Jan 1863 in camp.

On 18 Jun 1885, Susan Morris Morgan, her oldest son, A. W. Morgan, serving as witness, applied for a pension as the widow of Samuel F. Morgan.

Susan Morris Morgan died on 3 Feb 1907 at the home of her son, A. W. Morgan, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. She was buried at the First Baptist Church, originally located on Spring Street but moved to Branchview Drive in 1985 and the Spring Street building was sold to the courthouse. The Old Courthouse Theater looks to be located on the site today. The article does not say if there was a cemetery or, if so, what happened to any graves. A. W. Morgan was very much involved in the church and was on the pulpit committee in 1907 when the committee saw the Rev. R. H. Herring (noted in below articles) leave and saw the incoming of the new Pastor, Rev. S. N. Watson, who was most likely the pastor of the church when Susan died.

Susan remained a widow, remaining faithful to Samuel, who defied his family and returned from the west, if the stories be true, to marry her.