Biography - Daniel Morris
DANIEL W. MORRIS was born in Maury County, Tenn., in 1825, and is now a prosperous farmer in Burnside Township, Johnson County. His father, Reuben Morris, was a Virginian, and a farmer by occupation, who was taken to Tennessee when a child by his parents, and there was reared on a farm. He was married in his youth to Elizabeth Morris, a cousin, by whom he had nine children, five sons and four daughters. Daniel W. had two sisters and three brothers older than himself. He has a twin brother, James, who is a farmer in Arkansas, where he has resided for the past thirty years. The mother of these children died at the age of fifty-seven years, about 1841. She had buried two daughters in early childhood and left seven children at her death.
The maternal grandmother of Mr. Morris was Sarah Tibbs, probably of Virginia, who was the daughter and wife of a farmer, and became the mother of sixteen children. She died in Franklin County, Ill., in 1852, at the great age of one hundred and five years, and kept house and did her own cooking until within a short time of her death. Her sons were brave soldiers under Gen. Jackson. Daniel Morris and Reuben, who were married and were brothers-in-law, were comrades in the war. The latter was married four times, and had nine children by his first wife, and four by the last, two sons and two daughters. He removed to southern Illinois in the fall of 1841, and brought with him the subject of this sketch and his twin brother, and also Elizabeth Brummet, a granddaughter. His second wife and her child joined him the next year, all coming with ox-teams and covered wagons, in very humble circumstances. Daniel W. at first worked for $8 per month, and during his first year's residence in Illinois he took up eighty acres of timber land within two miles of Vienna, built a log cabin on the claim, and began at once to make a farm. One of his brothers, William, took up an eighty-acre piece adjoining this, which he soon sold to the twin brother of Darnel W.
Our subject was married in 1843, to Minerva J. Neely, of middle Tennessee, who was a playmate of his in his youth. His brothers made their home with him, and they lived on this farm about seventeen years, clearing up fifty acres and building a good new house, with a plank floor and clapboard roof, into which they moved from the original home. On this first farm two sons and four daughters were born. Our subject had bought his brother's eighty acres and sold the one hundred and sixty acres for $1,300, buying two miles east one hundred and twenty acres for $1,000. This was already improved with a good log house, and sixty acres were under cultivation. Upon this farm they lived eight years, and then sold it for $1,800, his farm then consisting of one hundred and fifty acres, He afterward removed to Burnside Township and bought two hundred and twenty acres adjoining his present home farm, paying $1,600 for the improved farm, together with corn in the crib and forty head of hogs, sheep and cattle. This was in the year 1866, and in the fall of 1882 he sold one hundred and eighty-three acres for $1,800, having previously sold the other portion for $360. This sale netted him a profit of $500. He now possesses one hundred and sixty-two acres one mile away from his home, besides a tract of one hundred and twenty-seven acres in his home estate.
Our subject's first wife died June 6, 1880, aged forty-seven years, and he was married in 1882 to his present wife, who was the widow of A. M. Jackson. Her maiden name was Mary Johnson, and she was the daughter of John Johnson. By his last marriage Mr. Morris had two children, both of whom were sons. One of them died in infancy, and the other one, Danie D., is a bright boy of ten years. He has three sons and one daughter in Kansas. One of his daughters, Sarah, wife of Nathaniel Nichols, died at the age of twenty-six years, leaving one daughter. Awzonetta, died at the age of fifteen. The others died in infancy. Before the organization of the Republican party, Mr. Morris was a Whig, but he has ever since then been a Republican. He and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church.
Extracted 15 Apr 2002 by Rick Girtman from 1893 Biographical Review of Johnson, Massac, Pope, and Hardin Counties, Illinois, pages 307-308.
