Buckner Stith Morris, 2nd Mayor of Chicago

Buckner Stith Morris (August 19, 1800 – December 16, 1879) served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1838–1839) for the Whig Party.

Morris married Evelina Barker in Kentucky in 1832 and the couple moved to Chicago in 1834 where Morris established a law practice with J. Young Scammon and created the Chicago Lyceum, the city's first literary society. By 1835, however, Morris had left Scammon and was practicing law with Edward Casey. He was elected mayor of Chicago in 1838 and went on to serve terms as a city alderman. He ran for the office of Illinois Secretary of State in 1852 under the Whig ticket and served as a Lake County Circuit Court Judge from 1853-1855.

Following Evelina's death in 1847, he married Eliza Stephenson in 1850. Eliza died in 1855.

The former mayor was outspoken in his opposition the American Civil War and was suspected to sympathise with the "Copperheads". In 1864, he was arrested for aiding in a Confederate attempt to free prisoners of war from Camp Douglas. He was held for 9 months, but was then exonerated by a military court.[1] Being unable, while so detained, to attend to his business affairs, he lost most of his assets through foreclosures. Incensed over the treatment of their ancestor, his heirs refused to permit the donation of his historical material, diaries, etc., to the Chicago Historical Society, despite urging to that end.

The first use recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary of the phrase, to hell in a hand basket, is in The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details, by I. Windslow Ayer, in alleging that, at a meeting of the Order of the Sons of Liberty, Judge Morris of the Circuit Court of Illinois said: "Thousands of our best men were prisoners in Camp Douglas, and if once at liberty would ‘send abolitionists to hell in a hand basket.'"[2][3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckner_Stith_Morris

Illinois Census, 1810-90 about Buckner S. Morris Name: Buckner S. Morris State: IL County: Cook County Township: Chicago City 6th Wardst Year: 1840 Database: IL 1840 State Census Index

1850 United States Federal Census about B S Morris Name: B S Morris Age: 50 Birth Year: abt 1800 Birthplace: Kentucky Home in 1850: Chicago Ward 1, Cook, Illinois Gender: Male Family Number: 166 Household Members: Name Age B S Morris 50 Eliza Morris 35 M C B Morris 13 J N Barker 26 W A Baldwin 40 George A Lally 43 William Gray 22 Gustin Butterfield 28

Kentucky, Marriage Records, 1852-1914 about Mary B Parrish Name: Mary B Parrish Age: 36 Est. Birth Year: abt 1818 Birth Location: Woodford Residence: Woodford Spouse Name: Buckner S Morris Spouse Age: 60 Est. Spouse Birth Year: abt 1794 Spouse Birth Location: Bracken Marriage Date: 21 Nov 1854 Marriage Location: Woodford County of Record: Woodford

1860 United States Federal Census about B S Morris Name: B S Morris Age in 1860: 60 Birth Year: abt 1800 Birthplace: Kentucky Home in 1860: Chicago Ward 1, Cook, Illinois Gender: Male Post Office: Chicago Value of real estate: View image Household Members: Name Age B S Morris 60 Mary Morris 41 Annie Paine 35 Robt Dora 19 Martha Sawyer 23 Mary Francis 40 Sister Mary Baptist 35 Sister mary vencent Sister mary pazzo 24 Sister Mary Angela 23

1870 United States Federal Census about Buckner S Morris Name: Buckner S Morris Age in 1870: 69 Birth Year: abt 1801 Birthplace: Kentucky Home in 1870: Chicago Ward 10, Cook, Illinois Race: White Gender: Male Post Office: Chicago Value of real estate: View image Household Members: Name Age Buckner S Morris 69 Mary B Morris 50 Malvin How 31 Lititia How 13 Juliet How 9 Frederick How 5 Frederick Morris 27 William Holm 34 Catharine Oconnell 36 Anna Flynn 17

Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, 1878-1922 about Buckner Stith Morris Name: Buckner Stith Morris Birth Date: abt 1800 Birth Place: Augusta, Kentucky Death Date: 16 Dec 1879 Death Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois Death Age: 79 Occupation: Lawyer Gender: Male FHL Film Number: 1031424

Buckner Stith Morris Birth: Aug. 19, 1800 Augusta Bracken County Kentucky, USA Death: Dec. 16, 1879 Chicago Cook County Illinois, USA

Chicago Mayor. He was elected as a Whig to serve as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois, serving from 1838 to 1839. During the Civil War he opposed prosecuting the war against the South, and was arrested in 1864 for attempting to free Confederate prisoners who were being held at Chicago's Camp Douglas.

Family links:

Children:

 Malvin C Morris How (1837 - 1892)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum Chicago Cook County Illinois, USA Plot: Section O

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Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Jul 11, 2000 Find A Grave Memorial# 10737

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckner_Stith_Morris

Buckner Stith Morris (August 19, 1800 – December 16, 1879) served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1838–1839) for the Whig Party.

Morris married Evelina Barker in Kentucky in 1832 and the couple moved to Chicago in 1834 where Morris established a law practice with J. Young Scammon and created the Chicago Lyceum, the city's first literary society. By 1835, however, Morris had left Scammon and was practicing law with Edward Casey. He was elected mayor of Chicago in 1838 and went on to serve terms as a city alderman. He ran for the office of Illinois Secretary of State in 1852 under the Whig ticket and served as a Lake County Circuit Court Judge from 1853-1855.

Following Evelina's death in 1847, he married Eliza Stephenson in 1850. Eliza died in 1855.

The former mayor was outspoken in his opposition the American Civil War and was suspected to sympathize with the "Copperheads." In 1864, he was arrested for aiding in a Confederate attempt to free prisoners of war from Camp Douglas. He was held for 9 months, but was then exonerated by a military court. Being unable, while so detained, to attend to his business affairs, he lost most of his assets through foreclosures. Incensed over the treatment of their ancestor, his heirs refused to permit the donation of his historical material, diaries, etc., to the Chicago Historical Society, despite urging to that end.

The first use recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary of the phrase, to hell in a hand basket, is in The Great North-Western Conspiracy in All Its Startling Details, by I. Windslow Ayer, in alleging that, at a meeting of the Order of the Sons of Liberty, Judge Morris of the Circuit Court of Illinois said: "Thousands of our best men were prisoners in Camp Douglas, and if once at liberty would ‘send abolitionists to hell in a hand basket.'"

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Rode to Chicago on horseback around 1838. He went there to set up a law office. He became a successful lawyer, judge and even became a millionaire. He campaigned for Henry Clay. He once owned the Chicago Tribune. He owned a lot of property in Chicago, including what is now the corner of State and Randolph Streets. It was his apple orchard then. Note: (I wonder if this is where he got the apples that he and his wife used to carry notes to the Southern prisoners at Camp Douglas, outside of Chicago). They got into trouble about that and were accused of being spies. But they were both Southerners. His wife was the sister of the Governor of Kentucky, Luke Blackburn. Buckner S. Morris lost all his property in the great Chicago Fire. His wife spent his fortune for the Confederate cause. Uncle Buck and his wife were brought to Cincinnati for trial of treason to the Union. He was not convicted. He was absolved of blame. But I think she was convicted. Uncle "Buck" died a pauper. The Nuns at Old St. Mary's Church in Cincinnati were good to him while he was in jail. He converted to a Catholic. I do not know where his is buried. (Maro Morris Day family history).