Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Stephens Morris

I know the following about Stephens Morris.

Name is uncertain - seen as Stephen, Stephens, and Stevens, but most commonly as Stephens.
Born somewhere in SC about 1814 (census records)
Married Martha Lewis on 1 Feb 1839 in Crawford County, GA (Crawford county marriages)
Was living in Wilcox County, AL by 1841 (Daughter's confederate pension application)
Voted in Allentown, Wilcox Co, in 1847.
Back in Crawford County by 1860 (census) and still there in 1870.
Possibly the Stephens Morris that appeared in the 1880 Russell County, AL census.
According to censuses, had the following children:
  • James Washington, b. abt 1840 in GA, d. 1862 in Civil War
  • Mary Ann, b. 1841, d. 1911, m. Washington Horne
  • Feraby, b. 1848 d. ?
  • Nimrod, b. 1850, d. ?
  • Barton Solomon b. 1852, d. 1925. md Mollie Mathews
  • Jasper M. b. 1856, d. 1944, md Mary McGraw in Dallas County, AL
  • (possibly) James b. 1867. He appears in the census, but I think this was actually James Horne, his daughter's son, living next door. There would almost certainly have been children between Mary Ann and Feraby, but they may have died young.

Now for more tenuous connections and areas where research is needed. The Stephens Morris in the 1880 census is the right age - and had the correct birthplace - to be mine. He is a widower, accounting for Martha not being there (or any other census). My grandmother didn't know much about him, but she believed that the Morrises lived on the GA/AL border, which would fit the description for Russell County.

In 1880 he is living with Amanda Sessions, listed as his niece. In 1850, Amanda Sessions is in the Wilcox County, AL census, in the hh (probably daughter) of John B. Sessions and his wife Lydia Bowman. Stephens, although provably in Wilcox County in 1850, does not appear in that census. However, land records show that John B. Sessions and W.G.W. Sessions, purchased land next to Daniel James Morris, in the same year. All of them were born in SC.

In 1823, Sarah Morris in Wilcox Co, gave permission for Sarah Sessions to marry Green Vickers. Need to check what the guardianship rules were there for the time, but would expect a woman guardian to be the mother, that otherwise a man would have been named. Sarah would have been born after 1802 (she was underage) and probably before 1810, to be of reasonable marriage age in 1823. In the 1840 census, W.G.W. Sessions (with a 70-80 year old woman) was in Wilcox. Two hh down was Mrs. S. Vickers, 30-40, and next to her was D. J. Morris.

Various posts claim that John B. Sessions (b 1804 in SC) middle name was Barton. W. G. W. Sessions (possibly John's brother, b 1808 in SC), reportedly gave one of his sons Barton as a middle name. And of course Stephens' third son was named Barton, a sufficiently unusual name to note. Don't know why Stephens' first son was James, but his second known son, Nimrod, was named after Martha's father Nimrod Lewis.

Right now, I am speculating that Sarah Morris, maiden name unknown), was married twice, first to an unknown Sessions and then to a Morris. Both marriages would have occurred in SC or at least they were living there by the time John B. was born. I think that John (1804), Sarah (1806?), W.G.W. (1808), Daniel (1811), and Stephens (1814) may have been her children. This would account for Sarah Sessions Vickers mother being a Morris and for John Sessions' daughter to be Stephens Morris' niece.

Need to get to Wilcox county to see if I can confirm or deny this info.

1 comment:

  1. Hello Ms. Garner ... the Daniel James Morris mentioned in the above commentary is my GG-Grandfather. Wanted to thank you for your separate posting of the Deed of Gift wherein Daniel James Morris conveyed livestock to John Sidney Sessions and William James Henry Sessions as if provided valuable insight into his family connections. Secondly, the above posts provided Stephen Morris, doubtless his brother. Daniel James Morris, STephen Morris and the three Sessions siblings, as well as the Rev. John J. Sessions of both Wilcox and Monroe Counties, AL, a first cousin, being the son of John Sessions, brother of Walter Sessions of Williamsburg, SC. I find Walter Sessions first in 1790 Pitt County, NC. Then in 1800 he is enumerated in Williamsburg, Marion District, SC. Of course, you've already found Ann (MNU) SessionsS there enumerated in 1810, residing near other Session relations. Some of my Watts/Morris researchers are of the opinion that the parentage of Daniel James Morris is George Morris m. Catherine White. This does not work for me for several reasons. The aforementioned Deed of Gift to the two young Sessions boys forever closed that door. Am going to do some digging into the Craven County records, as well as the Marion District. All of the above, together with the Wilcox County US Land Patent records reflect the kinship. with the exception of Stephen Morris, marriage records for the others are found in Wilcox county, AL. Warmly, DeLores Watts Collier dw_collier@yahoo.com

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