The WVGenWeb Project

Family Group Sheet
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Husband: William Morris
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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)
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Children
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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
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2  M  Joshua Morris
   Born: 1752                    at: Culpepper Co. VA
   Died: 1824                    at: Teays Valley, WV
   Spouse: Francis Simms (Abt 1764-1849)
   Marr. Date: 
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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
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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.
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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-          )
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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
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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 (          -          )
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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
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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
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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 
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Husband's Notes 
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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.