William (R.) Morris

Every paper/document shows his name to be "William Morris", sometimes just "Wm. Morris".
The only known mentions of a middle initial, "R", are found on his tombstone, and in the Marriage Registry
of Bourbon Co., KY, Jan. 8,1843.

Compiled by M. Keith Morris, Jr., April 16, 1998
May 5, 1998
July 1, 1998

BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM MORRIS:

William was a Union veteran of the Civil War. He was honorably discharged by reason of disability on
29 September 1862, having been wounded by a bullet shot to the head at the battle of Independence,
Missouri. He fell into the hands of the Rebel forces and would have died of his wounds if he had not received
the best of care. According to stories he told, he was lying wounded two days after the battle when he heard,
as if in a dream, someone ask "are there any Masons here?" After making the person aware that he was a
member of that order, he was removed to a doctor's house and cared for. Shortly after he was able to tell the
Doctor that he was a member of the Keithsburg, Illinois Robert Burns Lodge. The lodge was written to and
sent Ephram Hammack to the doctor's home and brought him back home. He never fully recovered from the
wound, the bullet having never been extracted. Prior to the beginning of the Civil War, William was involved in
forming and training a local militia unit. As such he was appointed a Captain in the militia. After his Civil War
service he continued to use the title of Captain because of his militia service. He had enrolled as a Private in
Company D, 7th Regiment of Missouri Cavalry Volunteers on 27 September 1861. At the time of his discharge
he was shown to be 40 years of age, 6' 4" tall, dark complexion, dark eyes, dark hair who weighed 200 pounds
when in good health, and by occupation was a farmer when enrolled in the service. After marriage to his wife, Eve,
they moved to Illinois, settling near Little York.  They lived in the area for the rest of their lives, moving into the
town of Little York in the Spring of 1885. The farm he established is still farmed by members of his family.
William and Eve had nine children, seven of whom were still alive in 1888. Limited information is known on five
of the seven (Mary, Mattie, Ralph, M.P. and D.R.). No information is known on the two children who died before 1888.
Captain Morris was a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows societies at Keithsburg, Illinois. He helped establish
the Belmont Methodist Church and the school. Williams parents were Virginians. He received a common school
education and moved to Illinois, locating in Henderson county, in 1846.

(Prepared by Chester V. Swanson)

The following is copied from "The History of Mercer and Henderson Counties [Illinois], 1882, pp. 283-284:

Seventh Missouri Cavalry:

In the summer of 1861William Bishop, of Missouri, began recruiting in this state what was known as the Blackhawk Cavalry, an
independent regiment, which he rendezvoused at Warsaw. About the first of August a certain Crumpton from that place arrived in
Oquawka and persuaded T.W. Kinsloe, merchant, to enlist a company, and remained a short time to assist him. Kinsloe at once
addressed himself to this object, and being further aided by James Vance, John A. Pence and WILLIAM MORRIS, in little more
than a month had sixty-nine men, including a dozen or more from Keithsburg, whom he took down to Warsaw. There compay E
was organized and officered, Kinsloe being chosen captain,... Col. Bishop assembled nine fractional companies, and, after
drilling them a few weeks without arms, crossed the command over to Alexandria, Missouri, where it remained about the same
length of time and then went to Macon. On February 20, 1862, this battalion and Capt. Louis' company of cavalry were consolidated
and named the Seventh Missouri Cavalry. ....
In the spring the regiment moved to Boonesville, and was separated into detachments, six companies going to Lexington, two to
Pleasant Hill, and four to Independence. On the 11th of August companies B and D at Independence, together with a few Missouri
state militia, commanded by Lieut. Col. Buell, of the 7th, had a sharp engagement, lasting six hours, against 800 rebels, under
Quantrell and Hughes. A part of the federals got away, and the surrender of the rest was agreed upon with the stipulation that the
wounded on both sides should be permitted to remain at Independence till able to be removed. The prisoners were paroled.
Company D had seven killed and about a dozen wounded.
...The regiment having been depleted by the muster-out of a large number of its members, in February, 1865, it was consolidated
with the 1st Missouri Cavalry, the designation of the latter being preserved; and thus the name and organization of the 7th Missouri
Cavalry disappeared.

(William's "Certificate of Disability for Discharge" shows that he was a private in Co. D, and his job was that of a Farrier.
His title of Captain stems from his efforts to organize the original Blackhawk Cavalry, as shown above. This title appears
on his headstone as well as in obituaries.)

Copied by M. Keith Morris, Jr., April 16, 1998

The Question of William's exact Date of Birth:

We know that Capt. William Morris was born on Oct. 20, but it can be argued that the year of birth was either 1820 or 1821.

Known evidence to support his date of birth Oct. 20, 1820

Chet Swanson recorded William Morris's date of birth as Oct. 20, 1820, probably relying on "The History of Henderson County", 1882,
a book that is known to contain some errors.

The 1870 census, recorded June 3, 1870, shows that William was 49. This means that he was born in 1820.

William's Death Certificate says that he lived to be 64 years (not 63 as on his head stone), 9 months and 7 days.
This would have him born in 1820.

A pension application, dated May, 1869 shows his age as 48. This would have him born in 1820.

Known evidence to support his date of birth Oct. 20, 1821

It is verified, according to the discharge papers, that "He was honorably discharged by reason of disability on 29 September 1862".  
Chet further stated that "At the time of his discharge he was shown to be 40 years of age". (Both facts stated above)
In fact, on 9-29-1862, Capt. Morris was about one month shy of his 41st birthday. If the discharge papers are correct, then the Captain
was born on Oct. 20, 1821.

William's head stone shows that he died on July 27, 1885 at 63 Y, 9 M, 7 D.  
Arithmetic shows his actual birthdate to be Oct. 20, 1821.

The 1850 census, recorded Nov. 28, 1850, shows that William was 29. This means that he was born in 1821.

The 1880 census, recorded June 5, 1880, shows that William was 58. This means that he was born in 1821.

The Morris family Bible shows William to have been born in 1821.

Conclusion

The Commonwealth of Kentucky did not start recording births until 1852.  So at this moment, it is nearly impossible to
determine the exact year of William's birth.  If I had to choose, I would pick 1821due to the greater amount of evidence
as well as the types of evidence.

Revised by M. Keith Morris, Jr., July 23, 2010.

An obituary for William Morton Morris gave a lot of information regarding his father, Capt. Wm. Morris, as follows:

"...a son of William and Eve Carpenter Morris, natives of Lexington, Ky. His [Wm. M. Morris] grandfathers were John Morris and Daniel Carpenter, both native born Kentuckians. His parents came to Oquawka, Ill., in 1844 and moved onto a rented farm in Warren County,
where they lived till 1854. In 1853 Mr. Morris bought a farm in Section 12, Bald Bluff Township, on which he built a log house which is still standing and made other improvements as fast as he could. He was of an adventurous turn, and in 1850 went on horseback with a party
to California, returning by way of the Isthmus of Panama in 1853, with the Lopez expedition. He and others were made prisoners by the Spaniards and held a month at Havana. Then they were shipped to New Orleans and given their freedom The municipal authorities of
New Orleans sent them to Oquawka by way of the Mississippi River, and Mr. Morris found his way home again.
In the spring of 1861 Mr. Morris enlisted in the Seventh Missouri Cavalry, after having tried to join an Illinois regiment, and participated in operations against Quantrell and other Confederate guerrillas. At Independence, Mo., he received a gunshot wound in the head and was
thought to be dead and laid out for burial. A Confederate surgeon asked if any of the dead men had been Masons and Mr. Morris was
pointed out to him. The physician removed him to his residence, resuscitated him and, at the expiration of five weeks, sent him to a
hospital at St. Louis, where he was a year in recovering his health. He reached home in 1863, having been discharged from the service
by reason of disability.

The OBITUARY for Capt. Morris:
Capt. William Morris, of Bald Bluff, Henderson county, died Monday, July 27, 1885, in the afternoon, at his home in Little York, Warren
county.  Mr. Morris was an old settler in Bald Bluff. We have known him as a resident there since 1852 and have always esteemed him
as one of Nature's noblemen. He was a Kentuckian by birth, a tall, well made man, considerably over six feet, and when in health weighed
200 pounds. His age was about 60 years. He was a splendid man in all respects, kind and generous to a fault, and died as he had lived, respected by all
who knew him. ...
...He was a member of Robert Burns Lodge, No. 113, A. F. and A. M., at Keithsburg, Illinois. ...He was a member of the Masonic and
Odd Fellow societies at Keithsburg, and there are many who would have attended the funeral had they known of it in time.  Capt. Morris
leaves a wife and several children, all in good circumstances. The children are grown and we believe all married, except for one son.

Copied and compiled by M. Keith Morris, Jr., April 18, 1998