William Morris (Virginia politician)
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William Morris Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the Kanawha County district | |
| In office 1792–1801 | |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Lewis Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1746 Orange County, Colony of Virginia |
| Died | 1802 Kanawha County, Virginia |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Spouse | Catherine Carroll |
| Occupation | Spy, military officer |
| Profession | Politician |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Thirteen Colonies |
| Branch | Virginia Militia |
| Service years | 1774–1792 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Morris' Company of Rangers |
| Battles/wars | Lord Dunmore's War American Revolutionary War Northwest Indian Wars Whiskey Rebellion |
William Morris Jr. (1746 – 1802) was a military officer and politician in Kanawha County, Virginia. Prior to serving in the Virginia House of Delegates, he served in the Virginia Militia from 1774 - 1792 alongside Daniel Boone, Colonel Andrew Lewis, and George Clendenin.
Early Life
William who was born in Orange County, Colony of Virginia to William Morris Sr. and Elizabeth Stapp. Morris Sr. a pioneer originally from London and Stapp from a large tobacco planter family and descendent of William Powell on her mother's side. When William was only four years old in 1749, George Washington, then a surveyor for the recently incorporated Culpeper County, conducted land surveys on their land. In September 1773, Morris Sr. received a land grant in the Kanawha region of Augusta County, and moved the entire family in November 1773, becoming the first permanent white settlement in the region.
William’s brother Henry Morris married Mary Byrd, a former Shawnee captive from Fort Dinwiddie, had a long-standing relationship with Colonel Andrew Lewis. Lewis was a Captain overseeing Fort Dinwiddie (or Byrd’s Fort) alongside her father Constable John Byrd who was scalped in September 1756, just one year after Colonel George Washington visited the outpost. Mary’s brother, John Byrd Jr, also a former Shawnee captive, who later commissioned as a Captain in the Virginia Militia out of Greenbrier and serving under Colonel Lewis during the war.
Military Service
Upon learning about the attack against the Mingo and Shawnee chief Cornstalk, William and his brothers agreed to fight alongside Colonel Lewis in Lord Dunmore's War in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774.[1] William served under Major Robertson's Company, and was wounded during the battle after being struck by an arrow.[2]
Later, after the American Revolutionary War began William was commissioned as an officer in the Virginia Militia where he served in the Kanawha Valley, and Greenbrier County supporting General Andrew Lewis as a spy until 1792. In 1779, William was listed as holding the rank of Lieutenant. But eventually rose to the rank of Major by the end of the Indian Wars.
William led a company of spies whose primary mission was to track and report hostile Indian movements of the Mingo, Shawnee and Six Nations who aligned with the Royalists, to include Simon Girty's aligned tribes who frequently attacked in the Kanawha, Ohio, and Kentucky regions. William served alongside his brother Leonard Morris, and John Jones (his brother in law) between the years 1778 - 1783 who were also spies.[3][better source needed]
In March 1783, William commissioned John Young as a Lieutenant and assigned him as a spy. Lieutenant Young's principal role was to lead troops in surveilling, engaging, and reporting on Indian movements throughout the Greenbrier and Kanawha region. William's unit garrison was at Morris Fort (also known as Kelly's Post) from 1784 until 1786.[4][better source needed]
Morris was promoted to Major in 1786, serving in the Northwest Indian Wars and Whiskey Rebellion in the Ohio.
Later Life
In the October Session of 1794, William was appointed as a trustee of the newly incorporated town of Charleston (now the capital city of West Virginia) along with Ruben Slaughter, Andrew Donnally Sr, William Clendenin, John Morris, Leonard Morris, George Alderson, Abraham Baker, and John Young
William took over for Daniel Boone as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for Kanawha County who held the post in 1791. From 1792 until 1801, William served in the House of Delegates as a member of the Federalist Party.[5][6]
After finishing his final term in 1801, William breifly became Sheriff of Kanawha County until his death in 1802 - replacing his brother Leonard Morris, who served as Sheriff of Kanawha from 1798 - 1801.1798.[7]
References
- ^ Bruton, J. Makali. "Major William Morris Jr - In honor". The Historical Marker Database. 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Johnston, Ross B. (1977). West Virginians in the American Revolution. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co. p. 205. ISBN 0-8063-0762-5.
- ^ Harris, C. Leon. "Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statement & Rosters" (PDF). Revolutionary War Applications. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Young, John (May 16, 1833). Revolutionary War Pension of 1833 of John Young (PDF) (1 ed.). Charleston, West Virginia: Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters. p. 3. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Beeman, Richard (1972). The Old Dominion and the New Nation (PDF). University of Kentucky. p. 266. ISBN 978-0-8131-5117-5.
- ^ "Virginia House of Delegates". History Virginia House Members. Virginia House of Delegates Clerk's Office. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Laidley, W.S. (January 1904). West Virginia Historical Magazine Quarterly (4 ed.). Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian Society. p. 80. Retrieved 30 November 2021.