Robert Morris

GEDCOM Note

by Keith Riggle

"I will try to answer some of your requests but there is some that I can't give much information on but will do the best I can. First I will give you a record of our ages. I was born on March the 26 1816 in Morris township Greene County 8 miles West of Waynesburg. I was bound to Robert Millikin before I was four years old in till [sic] I was 21 and served my time out. Was maried [sic] to Emaline Mills February 28 1839 and lived on David Millikin place two years and then you was born in a lodge [%E2%80%A6] March the 10 1840 at 6 oclock in the P.M. In 41 bilt [sic] the lodg [sic] house you that you was born in moved in it in March with[out?] a door or chiny [sic] and it snowed about 4 inches deep that nite and it was a job to keep you in the house as it was rite cold. Isabell was born in that house Sept 22 1841 at 4 oclock. [%E2%80%A6] we lived in that house untill [sic] Nov 43 then move to a lodg house in site of Applegates and staid [sic] there untill the Spring of 47 then to a farm on the run above Braddock Church. There your mother became so feeble that she moved to your grandfathers and your mother died July 1st 1847 at half past one oclock in the A.M. James H. was born January 25 1844 at 5 oclock P.M. Your mother was born Sept 19 1821. Your Grandfather Mills was born on the farm in Washington County where the town of Millsborough stands. Your Grandmother Mills name was Ulery her fathers name was Stephen and ended his life by cutting his throat with a razor the cause not nowing [sic?]. They lived about 4 miles from Millsborough." Letter from Robert Morris to David Morris, 21 Jan 1886

Obituary from Waynesburg Republican: "Robert Morris, died at his home in this place, at nine o'clock on Friday evening last, Aug. 7. Mr. Morris was 75 years old on the 26th of March last, and until a few weeks before his death had been remarkable active for one of his age. He died of dropsy which had kept him confined for about six weeks prior to his death. Mr. Morris was one of the oldest and most respected citizens of Waynesburg. He was a charter member of the lodge of Odd Fellows of this place, and also an earnest and active member of the Free Masons for a long term of years. He was buried by these orders in conjunction, of which, beside Waynesburg lodges, representatives were present from lodges at Mt. Morris, Carmichaels and Blacksville. Mr. Morris had been twice married; first in 1839, to Emaline Mills, of this county, who died in 1847. Of this union three children were born, Mr. Jas. H. Morris, of Ashland, Neb., and David M., of Hanson, Neb. David visited here last year, and James was here a few days a week or two ago, the first time in thirty-five years. And a daughter who married Dr. Atwood, of Lostant, Ill. She is now dead. He married Catharine Brown, a sister of our townsman, Peter Brown, in 1854, who died in 1885. They had born to them three children all of whom survive: Misses Mary and Eva, of this place, and Mrs. C. J. Bebout, of Washington, Pa., who has been in very poor health for several months. Mr. Morris was a consistent member of the C. P. church for over 25 years, and an earnest and conscientious advocate of the temperance cause. He was conscious of the near approach of death but had no fear, instead he expressed his readiness to take his departure. He was an excellent carpenter, and, perhaps, did more with his own hands toward finishing our magnificent college building than any other one person, he having finished all the rooms on the first floor with but one exception, beside some others on the floors above. After religious services conducted by Rev. A. W. White, at the late home of the deceased, the remains were borne to Green Mount Cemetery where the impressive burial ceremonies of the orders named were performed in the presence of a very large gathering of sympathetic people." Source: Buchanan, Candice Lynn, transcriber, Robert Morris (Waynesburg Republican, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, 13 Aug 1891;), p. 1, col. 5, http://www.greeneconnections.com/BuchananPhotoAlbum/GreeneCoRes/Mor....

Candice Buchanan said, "Robert Morris did wood work in Miller Hall. . . . The original building was Hanna Hall, built 1850, but based on the wording in the obituary, I am pretty sure they are referring to Miller Hall. It was considered quite a masterpiece and the description of 'magnificent' in his obituary would seem to refer to it. Miller Hall was not totally finished when Robert died, but it had been under construction for since the 1870s." Source: Greene Connections Group, Facebook.com, "Are there any descendants of George Harvey Elms & Evaline Florence Morris," 29 Apr 2014

Robert Morris was given a contract to complete three library rooms in Miller Hall for $350 in February, 1887, and by the same date the Ullom Brothers had completed two stairways. Source: G Wayne Smith, History of Greene County, Pennsylvania; Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Cornerstone Genealogical Society, 1996.

"By February 1887, two fine stairways had been built to the third floor by the Ullom Brothers, 'master workmen along this line,' and all floors had been laid." This is a clue to Robert Morris' employer. Source: William H. Dusenberry, The Waynesburg College Story, Kent State University Press, 1975, p. 144.

Celia Gdovin Riggle said, "Mom [Lois Morris Gdovin] always said that Robert Morris had a hand in building Waynesburg College and that he was given a paper that said his descendant's had free tuition to the college forever. At some point the college asked to borrow the paper and the family never saw it again." Source: Celia Riggle, email to Keith Riggle, "Waynesburg day 4," 29 July 2014

Regarding Robert's & Catherine's 1860 & 1870 residence of Marion Township, that was annexed into Waynesburg in 1880. Caldwell's 1876 map of Greene County shows Marion being the northern part of Waynesburg, which accords with where Robert purchased his house on Wayne Street. Their house also appears on TM Fowler’s 1897 map of Waynesburg. Of his maps the Pennsylvania State Archives states, “Although the scale of certain buildings were exaggerated to make the town more visible, the accuracy and attention to detail was otherwise so meticulous that each building was almost an exact copy of its real world counterpart down to the number of windows it possessed.” The back side of the house on the map appears very similar to the house I visited in 2014 (which had been moved over one lot from the corner). Source: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, MG-11 Map Collection, MAP #567 - FOWLER'S PANORAMIC MAPS, Pennsylvania State Archives, online database and digital images, http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/mg/di/m011_0567/Fowler.htm

George Harvey Elms, son of George Elms and Sarah Jones Elms, was born Feb. 22, 1863. He died June 27, 1947 and is buried in Greene Mount Cemetery, Waynesburg, Pa. He married (1) Eva Morris Oct. 18, 1894. She was born May 13. A daughter of Robert Morris and [space] Brown, a descendant of the pioneer, Peter Brown. She died January 17, 1902. I wish here to insert this note about Aunt Eva's father. He was not the famous "Financier and Signer" of American Revolution as some relatives claim. Uncle Harvey told me that his father-in-law's father was Dennis Morris. He was much older than his wife. He never cared for children and Robert Morris was reared by the Millikens who lived between Sycamore and Nineveh. Dr. Milliken always considered Robert Morris as being one of the Milliken family. Although Uncle Harvey did state that Milliken told him when Robert Morris was a boy, he would get angry and would visit his Morris relatives at Blacksville, W. Va. This is a clue to his family. He also stated Dennis lived in Ohio until he reached the age of in his 90's. Aunt Eva's father was an excellent carpenter. It was he who worked years on the Main Hall of Waynesburg College. He and Dr. Miller were the best of friends. I hope to insert these Morris records in my Morris history later. Source: Laura Elms Morris, The Story of George and Sarah (Jones) Elms, self-published, p. 19, no place or date given, but Cicely Stewart cited the date as 1959. [Note: Laura Elms married Thomas Henry Morris, son of Andrew Jackson Morris and Missouri (Goodwin) Manis. This Morris family was not related to Robert Morris. Laura retired in 1959. See pp. 20-21 of her book.]

RESEARCH NOTES

There are 3 Morrises listed as First Settlers of Greene County, Pennsylvania:

Morris, James Morris, Jonathan Morris, Samuel

http://www.cornerstonegenealogy.com/DATA_SHEETS.htm

Contact the Cornerstone Genealogical Society of Greene County to see if someone can look up their family sheets.

There was also one or more Robert Morrises: 1800 US Census 1798 Lawsuit 1752 granted land in Greene County, possibly "Liberty Hall"

Searched "History of Greene County, Pennsylvania" by Bates but found nothing about Robert, although I did find a mention of James H.

Searched Rootsweb board for Greene County but didn't find anything

There was a Robert Morris from Monmouth Co NJ who died in Jefferson Township, Greene Co, in 1829, but he didn't have a son named Robert. Perhaps one of his sons did?

There was a Henry Morris born in Greene Co in 1792 but he didn't have a son named Robert.

According to a very reputable source, the Robert Morris who appears in the 1850 US Census in Jackson Township of Greene County was born in 1796 and died between 1870 and 1880 in Jackson Township. I don't see how he and Salome Renner could have been our Robert's parents. I have never found any evidence that they had sons named Robert and Jesse. Robert & Salome were married about 1818, two years after our Robert’s birth. In addition, Robert & Salome were residing in Jackson Township in the 1850 US census. We know that our Robert’s mother died in 1820, and his father, unable to care for his young son, bound him over to Robert Milliken as an indentured servant. So I think that Robert & Salome were not our Robert’s parents. Robert Morris of Jackson Township was the son of John Franklin Morris, who was the son of Robert Morris of Monmouth Co, NJ. <http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=robertmor...>. William (Bill) Muller has an extensive database on this family (he is married to a Morris). His information is well-sourced.

This means that neither of the Robert Morrises listed in the 1820 census are likely to be ours; rather, they are the family from Monmouth.

Robert of Monmouth had 2 other sons named Isaac and Benjamin; look for their descendants.

Searched for Robert Morris' will in the Greene Co Wills Index at FamilySearch.org but did not find it. Also searched for wills of all Morrises who died before 1840, but the only two I found, for a George and a Jonathan, did not list a son Robert as heir. However, I did find a will for a Robert Millikin, filed 9 May 1865. See Sources folder under Robert Morris. It does not list any Robert Morris as heir, witness, etc.

9 Feb 2013 - Searched Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940, at FamilySearch.org for his marriages but found nothing. Marriage records for Greene and Washington County, PA, didn't begin until 1885.

27 Jul 2014 - There is a will for a Robert Morris of Philadelphia dated 26 Feb 1900, but obviously he was not the same Robert Morris.