This will be my last rambling about the Morris clan of Amelia County, Virginia, as they are not directly related to my husband. However, I hope that the wills and lawsuit that I’ve uncovered as I chased this BSO (bright, shiny object) will help some Morris descendants somewhere.

Isaac Morris left a will dated 17 December 1749, which was entered into court records on 18 May 1750.

Isaac named his loving wife, Mary Morris, and his son, Moses Morris, as executors of his last will and testament. Perhaps luckily for his descendants, his children and grandchildren were a bit on the litigious side and a chancery court lawsuit further identifies some of his grandchildren.

First, here is his will, which Isaac signed with his mark:

Amelia County, Virginia WB 1:64
Source: FamilySearch

In the name of God amen I Issac Morris Senr being very weak of Body but in my Perfect Sence (sic) and Memory praised be God Almighty for the same and knowing the uncertainty of this Mortal life Therefore Make and Ordain this my Last Will and Testament Revoking all other Will by me formerly made and this Only to be my Last Will and Testament I therefore Give and Bequeath as followeth

Item, I give and Bequeath to my Daughter Elizabeth Harris one Negro Man Named Bridge which she Hath already in Possession and Cow and Calf to her and her Heirs and assigns for Ever

Item I give and Bequeath to my Son Moses Morris one negro Girl named (Tamer?) and three Hundred Acres of Land Lying in Amelia County at the place Called Jacks quarter taking it in a Regular Manner to Lines that it may Not be hurtful to the Other part of the Trace of Land to him and Heirs for Ever after the decease of my Loving Wife Mary Morris

Item I Give and Bequeath to my Daughter Leah Morris one negro Girl named Judy to her and her Heirs forever

Item I give and Bequeath to my Son silvanus Morris three Hundred Acres of Land Lying in Amelia County with the Plantation whereon I now Live to him and His Heirs and assigns for Ever

Item I give and Bequeath to my Son Zachariah Morris Three Hundred Acres of Land Lying Amelia County Joining my Son Moses Morris to him and his Hiers (sic) for Ever

Item I Give and Bequeath to my son Isaac Morris Three hundred acres of Land lying in Amelia County Joining my Son Zachariah Morris to him and his heirs for ever

Item I give and Bequeath to Thomas Whitworth when he hath paid for it the Land in Amelia County which he bought of me to him and his Heirs for ever. And as for the Residue or Remainder of my Estate be it in what nature or property (?) Except Land I leae under the Care of my Wife Mary Morris During her naturall life or Widow-hood But if she should marry at that day or the day of her Death then the above mentioned part of my Estate to (be) Equally Divided amongst Three of my Daughters Tabitha, Rhoda and Oney Morris and three of my Sons Silvanus Zachariah and Issac Morris —But if the Leagusies (sic) of the last six Children mentioned be found to be more then the (?) Leagusies Given in the Personall part then the (overplus?) to be Equally divided amongst all my Son and Daughters Except Elizabeth Harris. and lastly Constitute and ordain my Loving Wife Mary Morris Executrix and my Son Moses Morris Executor of this my last Will and Testament in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and fixed my Seal this seventeenth day of December One thousand seven hundred an forty nine.

Isaac (his X mark)Morris Seal

In the time At these (words?) (except Land)
Interlined before signed

Signed Sealed
In Presence of
Benjn Hendrick
Jacob Seay, Thomas Whitworth
Sarah (her X mark) Edwards

From this, we can see that Isaac Morris had the following children. Whether or nor wife Mary was the mother of them is unknown. Birth years are estimated, based on the fact that Moses had to be at least 21 to serve as an executor, so born no later than 1728 and he had unmarried sisters.:

1. Elizabeth, born c1725; married Mr. Harris, before 17 December 1749
2. Moses, born c1727
3. Leah, born c1729; unmarried in 1749 (or possibly married to a Morris cousin, which occurred in this family and time period)
4. Silvanus, born c1731
5. Zachariah, born c1733
6. Isaac, born c1735
7. Tabitha, born c1737; unmarried in 1749
8. Rhoda, born c1739; unmarried in 1749
9. Oney, born c1741; unmarried in 1749

Two statements in Isaac’s will led to years of litigation by siblings and siblings’ heirs against their mother, Mary, and brother, Moses. First, the estate couldn’t be fully distributed unless Mary remarried or died. She was alive at least as late as September 1767, but is mentioned as “late mother” on 21 July 1773 by Moses Morris.

What caused the lawsuit to be filed was one sentence in Isaac’s will: But if the Leagusies (sic) of the last six Children mentioned be found to be more then the (?) Leagusies Given in the Personall part then the (overplus?) to be Equally divided amongst all my Son and Daughters Except Elizabeth Harris

Because Mary survived husband Isaac by at least 17 years, property values had changed a lot, both real and personal, and the heirs were fighting to have their shares made equal by current standards of the day. Sadly, most of the legal fight was over the value of enslaved people.

However, buried in the case file are pages which gave a few more details about Isaac’s children.

Here is the revised list of heirs of Isaac Morris, based on further details in Amelia County, Virginia Chancery Court files 1785-015 and 1791:018:

1. Elizabeth, born c1725; married Mr. Harris, before 17 December 1749
2. Moses, born c1727; died c1802, when he wrote his will.
3. Leah, born c1729; married Joseph Pollard, before 22 February 1770
4. Silvanus, born c1731; perhaps the one who was sued by wife Sarah for cruelty between 1783 and 1792.(See Chancery Court file 1792-027) as Tabitha Morris was one of the witnesses called to court.
5. Zachariah, born c1733; died c1807, when he wrote his will
6. Isaac, born c1735
7. Tabitha, born c1737; unmarried, but alive in 1785
8. Rhoda, born c1739; married John Beadle, before 22 February 1770. John Beadle died after 26 November 1788.
9. Oney, born c1741; married Augustine (also called Abraham in the court papers) Beadle, before 22 February 1770

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of days ago, I shared the will of Moses Morris. Here it is again, with further details about his children and grandchildren:

Will of Moses Morris
Amelia County, Virginia WB 6:299-300
Source: FamilySearch

In the name of God I Moses Morris of Amelia County being in good health and sound mind and memory as at other times and knowing the frailty of this mortal life and that it is appointed for all mankind once to die, Therefore I make this my last will and testament giving and bequeathing in the manner and form as followeth:

Item. I give to my son Zachariah Morris one bed and furniture which he has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate to him and his heirs forever.
Item. I – to my son Moses Morris one bed and furniture which he has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate during his life and at his death I give it to his children to them and their heirs forever.
Item. I leave to my son Isaac Morris one feather bed and furniture and one twelfth part of my estate to him and the heirs of his body but if he should die without heirs full heir of his body his legacy to return to the surviving legatees.
Item I give to my son (Walter?) Morris six shillings to be paid to him by my executors.
Item. I leave to my son William Morris one feather bed furniture and one twelfth part of my estate to him and the heirs of his body, but if he should die without lawful heir of his body his legacy to return to the surviving legatees.
Item. I give to my three grand children Rhoda Franklin Molly Claybrook and Sally Claybrook one twelfth part of my estate to be equally divided between them but if either of the children should die without an heir their parts to return to their surviving sisters.
Item. I give to my three grand children William Wingo, Sally Wingoe and Molly Wingoe one twelfth part of my estate to be equally divided between them, but if either of three children should die without heirs their parts to return to the surviving brother or sister.
Item. I give to my six Grandchildren Asenath Morris, Dubucy Morris, Nancy Morris, Jenny Morris, Luellen Morriss and Catril Morris one bed and furniture which their mother Betsy Morriss has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate for their support to be equally divided between them, but if either of the six children should die without an heir their parts to return to the surviving sisters and brothers.
Item. I leave to my grand daughter Susannah Burton one trunk, one feather bed and furniture which her father Samuel Burton has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate, all which I leave in the care and hands of my executors till she shall become of age or married, but if she should die without lawful heir of her body the legacy to return to the surviving legatees
Item. I give to my daughter Mary H. Whitworth one feather bed and furniture which she has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate to her and her heirs of her body forever.
Item. I give to my daughter Judith Mays one bed and furniture which she has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate to her and the heirs of her body forever.
Item, I give to my daughter Jenny Hendrick one bed and furniture which she has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate to her and her heirs of her body forever.
Item. I give to my daughter Oney Burton one bed and furniture which she has in possession and one twelfth part of my estate to her and the heirs of her body forever.

And lastly I constitute and appoint my Brother Zachariah Morriss and Claibourne G. Whitworth executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have set my hand and fix to my seal this twelfth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and two.

Witnesses: Allen Jeters, Thomas Booth, Rudophil Jeter, Isaac Morris

There is a lot to be learned about Moses Morris from his will. First, I am continuing with my (for now) belief that Catherine Waters, daughter of James Waters who died in 1753, was the wife of Moses Morris. There is no evidence so far found to suggest that she wasn’t while, at the same time, there are clues she was.

First, there weren’t many Morrises born c1720s who Catherine might have married. She is called Catherine Morris in her father’s 1753 will, so she was alive and married at that time.

This Moses Morris was born in the 1720s and of the right age to be the husband of Catherine, whose birth was likely in the later 1720s. In addition, Moses appears to be the eldest son of Isaac Morris, who left a will probated in Amelia County on 18 May 1750. The children seem to be listed in birth order and his brothers might have been too young to marry Catherine.

Second, Moses Morris had a grandchild named Rhoda Franklin and, as marriage records show, he also had a daughter named Rhoda. Remember, Rhoda isn’t the most popular of girls’ names in this era and the ones I’ve found have all been related.

Here is my tentative construction of the family of Moses Morris and his presumed wife, Catherine Waters. Birth order is uncertain, but I am assuming his sons were named in birth order and that Moses’s children married in the 18-24 year old range:

1. Zachariah, born c1755; died after 1804, when he was sued by siblings over his handling of his father’s estate.
2. Mary H., born c1758; married Claiborne Gouge Whitworth. He was born c1755 and died before June 1805. He was co-executor of Moses’s will along with Mary’s brother, Zachariah. A lawsuit later brought by Moses’s heirs identified Claiborne as the husband of Mary Morris.
2. Moses, born 1761
3. Isaac, born c1763; died before 1815; based on a Chancery Court lawsuit by heirs of his siblings, he had no heirs.
4. Walter, born c1765; married Elizabeth Morris, 16 November 1788, Amelia County, Virginia
5. William, born c1767
6. Jenny, born c1768; married Barnard Hendrick, 21 December 1786, Amelia County, Virginia
7. Oney, born c1770; married William Burton, 16 November 1788, Amelia County, Virginia
8. Judith, born c1771; married Garner/Gardiner Mays, 5 February 1789, Amelia County, Virginia
9. Son, born c1773; died before 12 June 1802; married Betsey, who survived him and is mentioned in his father’s will, c1790. (Could this be John Morris, who married Elizabeth Hudson, 5 July 1791, Amelia County, VA?) Children were Asenath, Dubucy, Nancy, Jenny, Lewellyn and (Catril?) Morris, named in Moses’s will.
10. Rhoda, born c1776, died before the 1804 estate distribution when Jesse Franklin signed for the share, probably Amelia County, Virginia; married (1) Mr. Claybrook (2) Jesse Franklin, 1 May 1802, Amelia County, Virginia. Children were Molly Claybrook, Sally Claybrook and Rhoda Franklin, named in Moses’s will.
11. Daughter, born c1778; died before 12 June 1802, probably Amelia County, Virginia; married (1) Mr. Wingo. Her children included William, Sally and (V.M.?) Mr. Wingo apparently died before 1804, as William Burton was their next friend in court.
12. Susan, born c1782; predeceased her father; married Samuel Burton, cDecember 1800, Amelia County, Virginia. Her daughter, Susannah Burton is in Moses’s will.

Little seems to be online, genealogically speaking, about this family, so I will devote one more post to identifying them.