1. Richard1 Morris, born 1814 in, Virginia. He married Surena Pillbery, born 1824 in, Tennessee.
Notes for Richard MORRIS
Children of Richard MORRIS and Surena PILLBERY were as follows:
+ 3 ii William Clayton or Calvin2 Morris
+ 4 iii James Lawrance2 Morris
5 iv Margaret2 Morris, born 1845 in Butler's Landing, Jackson, Tennessee.
6 v Dicy2 Morris, born 1847 in Butler's Landing, Jackson, Tennessee.
7 vi Malishe2 Morris, born May 1850 in Butler's Landing, Jackson, Tennessee
8 vii Augustin2 Morris, born 1851 in Butler's Landing, Jackson, Tennessee
9 viii David2 Morris, born abt. 1856 in, Jackson, Tennessee.
10 ix Not Named2 Morris, born 1860 in , Jackson, Tennessee.
Generation 2
3. William Clayton or Calvin2 Morris (Richard1),
born 14 Sep 1842 in Butler's Landing, Jackson, Tennessee; died 26 Nov 1930
in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. He married on 10 Apr 1864 in, Newton, Georgia,
Sarah Milissa Allen, born 29 Sep 1847 in, Walton, Georgia; died 9 Sep 1915
in Henderson, Rusk, Texas, daughter of David Richmond Allen and Nancy Allen
(Mrs.).
Notes for William Clayton or Calvin MORRIS
| + (the confederate cross)
W. C. Morris Co. H 8 Tenn. Inf. CSA at Rest |
| Obit: "The Henderson Times" 2 Dec 1930, #47, p 4; Confederate Veteran Dies. Mr. W.C. Morris, 88 year old Confederate veteran died at the home of his son R.E. Morris in Highland Park here Wednesday, and was buried Thanksgiving Day. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Egbert Jimmerson at Crim's Chapel. Mr. Morris was born in Tennessee, Married in Georgia, but had lived the greater portion of his life in Texas. His wife had been dead for the last fifteen years. He is survived by the following eight children: Robert, John, George, Howard, Charley, Jess, Reuben, and Mrs. James Vinson, to whom the many friends extend their sympathy. |
| INTERVIEW: with Sidney Morris Hunt, April 1991, Fort Worth, Texas. He was good to Guy and I. They were raised in Georgia. I don't Know how old they were when they came to Henderson. We had a farm in Henderson but I don't know if Daddy's daddy had a farm. When my Grandpa Morris got kinda feeble he lived among the children. I remember when Grandmother Morris died but I don't remember what year it was. I must have been 9 or 10 years old when she died and Grandpa Morris lived with some of the children, he stayed a while with us and he stayed a while at Aunt Mattie's and he would stay awhile with one child or the other until he made his rounds. Seemed like to me that Grandpa Morris had a crippled hand and it happened in the war or something. |
| INTERVIEW: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "He would give me a nickel or dime to scratch his back. He was an invalid in a wheel chair. He was joyful, as comical as could be. |
| LETTER: From Sarah Helen Morris Crim, Henderson, TX, 1992. "A few years ago they were putting new markers at Civil War Veterans in the Crim's Chapel Cemetery, and they told me that they could not put one at Pa's grave because he served from Tennessee. I informed them that his marker would not be changed. I remember Daddy going to a lot of trouble to get that marker and I intend for it to stay. Pa died at our house." |
Death Certificate, Rusk Co., TX, Texas State Board of Health # 20606.
| Tomb Stone, Crim's Chapel Cemetery, N. of Henderson, Rusk
Co., Texas, on the corner of CR 243 and CR 322. Photographed 1991 by Travis
Morris of Cleburne, Texas. Stone Reads:
- Sarah A. wife of W. C. Morris - - Sept 29, 1847 - Sept 9, 1915 - |
+ 12 ii George Henry3 Morris
+ 13 iii John Thomas3 Morris
14 iv Roman3 Morris, born 1874 in, Walton, Georgia;
died bef. 1882 in , Walton, Georgia. SOURCE: 1880 CENSUS, Walton Co. Georgia,
pg 45, Dist 115, 416 Broken Arrow, 393-396 Morris.
15 v James3 Morris, born 1876 in, Walton, Georgia;
died 1888 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. SOURCE: 1880 CENSUS, Walton Co. Georgia,
pg 45, Dist 115, 416 Broken Arrow, 393-396 Morris.
+ 16 vi Rubin Cook3 Morris
+ 17 vii Willis Howard3 Morris
+ 18 viii Robert Edward3 Morris
+ 19 ix Mattie Mae3 Morris
+ 20 x Charley Fred3 Morris
21 xi Jess3 Morris, born 23 Aug 1896 in Henderson,
Rusk, Texas; died 21 Mar 1945 in Europe. SOURCE: 1900 census in Rusk Co.
Texas, Sheet 7, Dist 7, Enum Dist 85, Pct 3, Fam 128, Film T623 1667, W,
b Dec 1892, GA, age 7,, f b Tenn, m b GA,
Death: Stone in Crim's Chapel Cemetery, N. of Henderson, Rusk, Texas, on the corner of CR 243 and CR 322. Photographed 1991 by Travis Morris of Cleburne, Texas.
| Jesse Morris
Texas (Missing in Action in Europe, WW-II) Pvt 165 Depot Brig Aug 23, 1896 - March 21, 1945 |
4. James Lawrance2 Morris (Richard1),
born May 1845 in Butler's Landing, Jackson, Tennessee; died in Monroe,
Walton, Georgia. He married abt. 1868, Mary Jane Allen, born Jun 1847 in,
Georgia; died in Monroe, Walton, Georgia.
Notes for James Lawrance MORRIS
1880 Soundex, T744 roll 55, Newton Co. GA., James Morris, age 34, b TN, Vol 18, E.D. 99, Sheet 7, Line 11.
1900 Census, Rockdale Co., GA; 1900; Vol 61, E.D. 94, Sheet 19; line 79; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX;; Note: age 54.
1910 Census, Gwinnett Co., GA; 1910; Vol 50, E.D. 53, Sheet 13A;; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX; T624, Roll 194; Note: age 65.
1920 Census, Gwinnett Co., GA; 1920; Vol 55, E.D. 74, Sheet 6A; line 7; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX; T625, Roll 260; Note: age 74, widower.
Military! Tennessee Confederate Service Index, Film M231 # 31; J.L. Morris, Co E, 8th Tennessee Inf, Private.
Burial! Ebenezer Baptist Church abt seven miles outside Monroe, Georgia.
Notes for Mary Jane ALLEN
Source: Eric Morris, 2365 Broadmax Mill Road, Logansville, GA 30249.
1995.
25 iv David J.3 Morris, born Apr 1882 in, Georgia.
+ 26 v James Richard3 Morris
27 vi Roolis3 Morris, born May 1884 in, Georgia.
Source: Eric Morris, 2365 Broadmax Mill Road, Logansville, GA 30249. 1995.
AKA: Uncle Rollie.
11. William Anderson3 Morris (William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 4 Apr 1867 in, Walton, Georgia; died 21 Mar 1955 in Atlanta, DeKalb, Georgia. He married (1) Mina Lenora Dickens, born abt. 1867; died bef. 1955. He married (2) unknown.
Notes for William Anderson MORRIS
+ 29 ii Dorthy4 Morris
30 iii Thelma4 Morris, born abt. 1895 in Atlanta,
DeKalb, Georgia; died in Atlanta, DeKalb, Georgia.
Notes for George Henry MORRIS
1900 census in Rusk Co. Texas, Sheet 7, Dist 7, Enum Dist 85, Pct 3, Fam 128, Film T623 1667, W, b Sep 1870, GA, age 29,, f b Tenn, m b GA, Farmer, litterate, Rent 128 acre farm.
CEMETERY: Laurel Land Cem., Fort Worth, Texas.
| NARRATIVE: Letter by Marilyn Morris Draper 28 Aug 1987 " Unfortunately, my husband nor my children got to meet my Grandfather, George Henry (papa) Morris. He died when I was about 13. I remember him fondly. The earliest and probably fondest memory I have of him was when I was about 3 or 4 years old. He had bought my brother Eddie and myself little chairs. Mine was a wooden rocking chair and Eddie's was a small metal lawn type chair. I remember the smile on his face when he unloaded them out of a car and set them on the sidewalk for us to see." |
| INTERVIEW: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson,
TX, 1991, by Travis Morris.
"He worked at a cotton mill in Fort Worth." |
Children of George Henry MORRIS and Martha Edith THOMPSON were as follows:
+ 35 iv Woodrow Caroll4 Morris
+ 36 v Billy Lewis4 Morris
13. John Thomas3 Morris (William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 17 Feb 1872 in Walton, Georgia; died 29 Jan 1963 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas. He married on 14 Jun 1889 in Rusk, Texas, Emily Allen Guest, born 1 Oct 1875 in , Walton, Georgia; died 24 Dec 1965 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas.
Notes for John Thomas MORRIS
| March 1954
Just a little paragraph about my family. I was born in Walton Co. GA. My parents are one of the best Irishman I know of and my mother was one of the best of the woman of the Confederacy. Her father was slain on the battlefield, I know not where. His name was Richmond Allen and I do not know his middle name. My father - father came from Ireland and his mother came from Scotland. Her name was Pillberry and I never have heard from anyone by that name. Maybe some one that reads this little sketch of my life maybe can help me find my akin by the name of Pillberry from that great country of dear old Scotland which I would like to visit, also from my father's home, dear old Ireland. I think as all other Irish think, that was one of the best. My father went into the Confederate Army from Celma Tenn. and done his training in Nashville, Tenn. and was in the battle of Murphesboro also in the battle of Chicaghmoga, also in the battle of Dalton, GA, also in the battle of Atlanta, and at Cornet and Tupelo, Miss. also in the battle of Nashville, Tenn. He was also in the battle of Tupelo, Miss. and in the battle of Look Out Mountain and many more places I cannot record. I know he was one of the best Irishman I know of. Now just a few line of myself. I have stated above about my birth. I was brought up to attend S. School which I did and taken interest in S.School. Was always ready to quote scripture verses which I was glad to do. I don't think there is any better than a good S. School. Well I was called a bright lad at the time. I was reared by poor Father and Mother. What little schooling I got was a Blue Back Speller and McGathey Reader and Geography for which I liked very much. John T. Morris |
| NARRATIVE: Interview: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "He was full of bull. He would tell one joke after another. He was retired from the railroad." |
+ 38 ii Pearley Eugine4 Morris
+ 39 iii William Thomas4 Morris
+ 40 iv Gertrude4 Morris
+ 41 v Horace Dewayne4 Morris
+ 42 vi Clyde4 Morris
43 vii Otis4 Morris, born 22 Feb 1904 in Henderson,
Rusk, Texas; died 1905.
+ 44 viii Delphia Irene4 Morris
+ 45 ix Corene Kathrine4 Morris
+ 46 x Helen Beatrice4 Morris
+ 47 xi Fanny Pauline4 Morris
16. Rubin Cook3 Morris (William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 6 Dec 1878 in Walton, Georgia; died 21 Aug 1965 in Dallas, Dallas, Texas. He married Dora Clamp, born abt. 1880; died in Dallas, Dallas, Texas.
Notes for Rubin Cook MORRIS
+ 50 iii Rubin C.4 Morris
51 iv Jewell Effie4 Morris, born abt. 1908; died
1942 in Dallas, Dallas, Texas.
52 v Opel Virginia4 Morris, born abt. 1910; died
1950.
+ 53 vi Henry Grady4 Morris
+ 54 vii Edwin Earl4 Morris
17. Willis Howard3 Morris (William
Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1),
born 12 Mar 1883 in Walnut Grove, Walton, Georgia; died 15 Nov 1968 in
Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas. He married on 10 Feb 1912 in Henderson, Rusk,
Texas, Sarah Ines Allen, born 1 Mar 1889 in Nesbitt, Robertson, Texas;
died 11 Mar 1978 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, daughter of Pleasant Tackett
Allen and Martha Catherine Caldwell.
Notes for Willis Howard MORRIS
Death Certificate, Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., TX, File # 3714.
Notes for Sarah Ines ALLEN
Index to birth records; Robertson Co.; TX; Book #2. Probate Birth Records, Book 21, Robertson County, Texas, pg 135.
School Teaching Certificate, Rusk Co., TX, 1907, Second Grade. School Teaching Certificate, Mangum, Greer Co., OK, 1909.
Death Certificate, Tarrant Co., TX, File # 880.
+ 56 ii Guy Tackett4 Morris (Dis Fire Chief)
+ 57 iii W.P. "Bud"4 Morris
+ 58 iv Reuben Howell "Dick"4 Morris
+ 59 v Martha Delsenia4 Morris
18. Robert Edward3 Morris (William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 10 Sep 1885 in Macon, Bibb, Georgia; died 7 Nov 1961 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. He married on 6 Jan 1915, Nellie Bell Williams, born 17 Jan 1893 in Caldwell, Burleson, Texas; died 6 Jun 1969 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas, daughter of Green LeRoy Williams and Sarah Elizabeth Bell.
Notes for Robert Edward MORRIS
| NARRATIVE: Interview: by Travis Morris with Sidney Morris Hunt, April 1991, Fort Worth, Texas. Every one liked Uncle Robert. He was a Mail carrier in Henderson too. He helped a lot of his kin people. |
| Death: Buried in Lakewood Memorial Cemetery in N Henderson, Rusk, Texas, on the east side of N Van Buren St just N of Hwy 64. The stone, a little NE of the "Crim" Mausoleum, photographed 1991 by Travis Morris of Cleburne, Texas. Stone reads: Nell W. Morris Jan 17, 1893 June 6, 1969 |
+ 61 ii Robert Edward Jr.4 Morris
19. Mattie Mae3 Morris (William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 26 Jan 1888 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas; died 21 Dec 1984 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. She married on 26 Jun, Jim Vinson, born 11 Apr 1883; died 12 Dec 1948, son of John D. Vinson and Mary E. Vinson (Mrs.).
Notes for Mattie Mae MORRIS
| NARRATIVE: Interview: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "She was a housewife. She naver drank a cup of coffee in her life bur would really down the ice tea." |
| Death: Buried in Crim's Chapel Cemetery, N. of Henderson, Rusk, Texas, on the corner of CR 243 and CR 322. Photographed 1991 by Travis Morris of Cleburne, Texas. Tombstone Reads: VINSON Mattie Jim June 26, 1886 Apr 11, 1883 Dec 22, 1984 Dec 12, 1948 |
| Interview: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "He liked to hunt foxes. He had a large pack of hounds for the Hunt. He was a farmer and a substatute mail carrier." |
+ 63 ii Vera Mae4 Vinson
+ 64 iii Gladys4 Vinson
+ 65 iv James Preston4 Vinson
+ 66 v John William4 Vinson
20. Charley Fred3 Morris (William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 10 Mar 1890 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas; died 9 Jan 1959 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. He married Sarah Lou Parnell, born 3 Jan 1895; died 15 Feb 1973 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas.
Notes for Charley Fred MORRIS
| NARRATIVE: Interview: by Travis Morris with Sidney Morris Hunt, April 1991, Fort Worth, Texas. Uncle Charley adopted a boy out of Louisiana. These people had too many children and couldn't take care of them. Charles Van needed clothes and I know uncle Robert, I think he worked for the railroad then, and so he kept Charles Van in Clothes. But Uncle Charley was another drinker. There daddy drank before them, that's all they knew. Uncle Reuben, he drank too, over in Dallas. He kind'a hid his from his family a little bit. |
| Interview: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "He Worked for the Railroad." |
Notes for John C. MORRIS
1900 U.S. Census, Rockdale Co., GA; 1900; Vol 61, E.D. 94, Sheet 19; line 85; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX;; Note: age 26.
1910 U.S. Soundex, Rockdale Co., GA; 1910; Vol 75, E.D. 151, Sheet 16;; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX; T1263, Roll 94; Note: age 36, Schedule could not be read.
1920 U.S. Census, Gwinnett Co., GA; 1920; Vol 76, E.D. 177, Sheet 9; line 76; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX; T625, Roll 270; Note: age 45.
U.S. Social Security Death Index 1.11; 30 Oct 1993; Social Security System.
Children of John C. MORRIS and Beulah MORRIS were as follows:
26. James Richard3 Morris (James
Lawrance2, Richard1),
born 5 May 1884 in , Georgia; died 23 Jun 1964 in Monroe, Walton, Georgia.
He married abt. 1910 in , Georgia, Bessie E. Patrick, born 15 Oct 1889
in , Georgia; died 13 Jan 1975 in Monroe, Walton, Georgia, daughter of
Jane Mary Patrick.
Notes for James Richard MORRIS
1910 U.S. Census, Gwinnett Co., GA; 1910; Vol 50, E.D. 53, Sheet 13A;; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX; T624, Roll 194; Note: age 26, married.
1920 U.S. Census, Gwinnett Co., GA; 1920; Vol 55, E.D. 74, Sheet 5; line 88; Federal Archives, Fort Worth, TX; T625, Roll 260; Note: age 35, married.
Burried: Ebenezer Baptist Church abt seven miles outside of Monroe, Georgia.
+ 72 ii Mary Jane4 Morris
+ 73 iii James Howard4 Morris
+ 74 iv Lester Lee4 Morris
75 v Gladys4 Morris, born 1920 in , Georgia. Source:
Eric Morris, 2365 Broadmax Mill Road, Logansville, GA 30249. 1995.
+ 76 vi Eric Richard4 Morris
Generation 4
29. Dorthy4 Morris (William
Anderson3, William Clayton
or Calvin2, Richard1),
born abt. 1895. She married S. L. Chambless.
Children of Dorthy MORRIS and S. L. CHAMBLESS were as follows:
Notes for Marjorie Violet MORRIS
| Obit: Fort Worth
Marjorie Violet Arbuckle, a Homemaker, Died Saturday at a Fort Worth hospital. She was 88. Funeral will be at noon Monday at Brown, Gause-Ware, Owens & Brumley Funeral Directors. Burial will be in Laurel Land Memorial Park. Mrs. Arbuckle was born in Henderson and lived in Fort Worth for 75 Years. She was a Baptist. She was the widow of James Odell Arbuckle, Who died in 1974 (corrected to 1977 by JTW). Survuvors: Two sons, James O. Arbuckle of Henderson and Jack D. Arbuckle of Fort Worth; daughter, Louise G. Walker of Tyler; Nine grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren. (d 9-5-1992 f 9-7-1992 [JTW]) |
CEMETERY: Laural Land Cem., Fort Worth, Texas.
Notes for Woodrow Caroll MORRIS & Emma Jean BAKER
Children of Billy Lewis MORRIS and Vera June LAMBERTH were as follows:
87 ii Letha Anne5 Morris, born 24 Dec 1944 in Fort
Worth, Tarrant, Texas.
88 iii Martha Cecille5 Morris, born 8 Nov 1950 in
Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas.
Notes for Claude Alvin MORRIS
Children of Claude Alvin MORRIS and Myrtle WALKER were as follows:
Notes for Pearley Eugine MORRIS
39. William Thomas4 Morris (John Thomas3, William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 29 Oct 1896 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas; died 1966. He married Sally Langston.
Notes for William Thomas MORRIS
Children of William Thomas MORRIS and Sally LANGSTON were as follows:
Notes for Gertrude MORRIS
Notes for Horace Dewayne MORRIS
Children of Clyde MORRIS and Betty Mae LESTER were as follows:
Children of Delphia Irene MORRIS and Jimmy HALDEN were as follows:
Children of Corene Kathrine MORRIS and Ernest Joseph KNIGHT were as follows:
Children of Helen Beatrice MORRIS and Henry M. DAVIS were as follows:
Children of Fanny Pauline MORRIS and William CARROLL were as follows:
Children of Alma Clytie MORRIS and Robert Lee Jr. WAMACK were as follows:
Children of Rubin C. MORRIS and Dorthy PACE were as follows:
Children of Henry Grady MORRIS and Leatrice Ruth CARDER were as follows:
Children of Edwin Earl MORRIS and Margret CROSSLAND were as follows:
| OBIT: "Fort Worth Stat-Telegram" Saturday, July 13, 1996. "Sidney Smith Reynolds Hunt, 87, Died Thursday in Fort Worth. Funeral: 10am today at Laurel Land Chapel of the Chimes. Burial: Laurel Land Memorial Park of Fort Worth. Mrs. Sidney Smith Reynolds Hunt was born Sept. 24, 1908. She was a member of Hallmark Baptist Church. Survivors: Son and daughter-in-law, Morris Allen and Peggy Smith of Fort Worth; and grandchild, Robert Allen Smith of Tampa, Fla." |
Notes for Guy Tackett MORRIS (Dis Fire Chief)
DEATH: Certificate of Death; Fort Worth Bureau of Vital Statistics, File # 813.
BURIAL: Laurel Land Memoral Park, Fort Worth, TX.
| NARRATIVE: A recollection of Guy T. Morris 30 Oct 1910 - 10 Mar 1977. To try to bring back the things I can recall in 66 years may prove to be too depressing for me to accomplish - the dates will be hardest - my earliest memories must be age three. I was born in Rusk County about 5 miles N. E. of Henderson, Texas to Oscar and Ines (Allen) Sheffer on October 30, 1910. They separated before I can remember, so I have no recollection of him. My sister, Sidney born in September, 1908, and I were left with my mother and I think we moved in with her parents (P. T. and M.C. Allen.) My first memories are of my grandmother teaching me the alphabet and numbers on a set of wooden blocks - to keep everything in proper order of happening is impossible so certain categories like school will be recalled and back to other subjects. I started to school so my sister would not have to walk alone about 1 1/2 miles through heavily wooded areas. I was 5 years old. My ability to learn (So I was told) was above average. The school was 1 teacher 1 room in the community of New Hope (nicknamed "Chicken Feather") which my grandmother despised. |
| Interview: by Travis Morris with Sidney Morris Hunt, April 1991, Fort Worth, Texas. It was hard work down on the farm. We had to milk, and cut wood. We had to do everything. The family moved to Fort Worth in about 1929. They were not making a livelihood on the farm during the depression. You couldn't get nothing for your cotton. After coming to Fort Worth, Daddy and Guy cleared land for a housing project in the Bluebonnet, TCU area. Guy got a job at the Southwestern Casket Company, and then got on with the Fire Department, and then went into the Service. Guy was my own brother, but its a funny thing, we were never close. Why I don't know. |
BIOGRAPHY: Reta M. Evans, A MARTIN FAMILY SAGA; 1794-1991;Henington
Publishing Co., Wolf City, TX, 1992; pp 186-191; Lib of Congress Card Catalog
# 91-076322, Author lives in Fort Worth Texas.
| NARRATIVE: by Travis Morris. Helen Loreta, known as Reta, Grew up in Grandfield, Oklahoma with her father, Stepmother, Cora, and her brother. She and her stepmother never got along and shortly after her high school graduation she married a solder from Fort Hood, Oklahoma. After about four years, and one child, the marriage broke up and Reta moved home with her parents, She left her son with them and went to Fort Worth, Texas for employment. She met and married Guy T. Morris in 1950 and moved her son in with them in Fort Worth. Guy was a Fireman and proved to be a good father and husband. She made her career with Champlin Oil Co. And retired from it in 1986. Guy retired from the Fire Department in 1977 as a District Chief. He had a stroke and died one month later. Reta met and married Edward Burton Evans in 1983. He was on the staff of a Virginia Collage and retired shortly after their marriage and moved to Fort Worth. He sold his home in Virginia and bought a motor home and they now travel around the country. 1992. |
| RECOLLECTIONS by Loreta Combs Evans. I was born long before
television, record players and VCRs but we had radios that stretched our
imagination and I was blessed with a father who sang to me and a grandmother
who was a wonderful story teller.
I was born on a late Saturday evening on November 5 1921. My mother had a difficult time and as a result of my birth she required surgery when I was five months old. She developed pneumonia while in the hospital and died on 20 May 1922. My father was heavily in debt after the hospital and funeral expenses so he sold his team of horses and all his equipment. He took my brother and me to his mother's home and went to work at a gin in Rocky, Oklahoma to pay off his debts. My brother, Travis, and I lived with our grandmother and step grandfather, John and Amanda Chiddix, until our father remarried in January 1927. My memories of those years are a delight. I adored my grandfather, who called me Baby until the day he died. I loved grandmother too, but in a different way. She was the Monarch of the family and her word was law. I can remember her saying "I may not be always right but I am never wrong"; however along with the discipline went a great deal of indulgence and I loved both grandparents dearly and missed them something fierce when I was taken away. I was just past five years old when my Dad married Cora Lee Doty and my brother and I went to live with them in the small town of Grandfield, Tillman County, Oklahoma. Cora was 33 years old when she married Dad, which was considered a spinster in those days. She had always lived with her parents and there is no doubt that she had a problem adjusting to the care of two children who had been spoiled by their grandparents for the last five years. It was quite an adjustment for us too and I would not classify my childhood memories as especially pleasant. However, I discovered early in life, that a sense of humor was a precious commodity and, thankfully, I was born with one. The first place that we lived in Grandfield was on the lower east end of Main street just around the corner from the ice plant where Dad had a job. He not only worked in the plant making the ice but he also delivered ice by horse and wagon. I remember him taking Travis and me to the ice plant one day to see how ice was made. It was extremely cold in the plant and there was a heavy odor of ammonia. The door to the outside was thick and tight to keep the cold in and I wanted out of there almost as soon as I heard that heavy door slam. Later Dad worked for the Blue Front Grocery. He worked in the store during the morning hours and delivered groceries in the afternoon. The majority of shopping was done by telephone in those days. After the housewife placed her order, Dad would fill it from the shelves and when he had enough orders to fill the Model T truck, he would deliver them. Very few items were perishable and the meat orders were filled, by the butcher, just before Dad left for deliveries. Almost all groceries were charged, including ours, and the customers would come to the store about once a month to settle up their bill. It was customary for the merchant to give the customer a bag of candy when he paid his bill. This was a real treat for my brother and me because it was the only time we got candy except at Christmas. Dad finally got a job at the Bell Oil and Gas Refinery located one mile north of town and he bought the house that I grew up in. It was on Main Street, about seven blocks from the commercial part of town---all two blocks of it. At this location we kept a cow, chickens, a large garden and a lovely strawberry patch. The house had two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and small bathroom where we took our weekly baths. My brother slept in the small bedroom and I slept on a cot in the dining room until Dad was financially able to build another bedroom. I went to school from first grade through twelfth in Grandfield. All the kids walked to school, home for lunch, and back again. When we got home from school, in the afternoon, we always had an apple from the peck that was kept behind the swinging door to the kitchen. We did our chores, I gathered the eggs (and how I hated it) and Travis milked the cow. After dinner we did the dishes, I always washed while Travis would dry and more often than not he would pop me on the hind-side before we were finished. To this day I still don't know why I didn't make him wash, at least sometimes, so I could pop him one. After our chores were finished it was time for homework and I always had loads of it and Travis had very little. He had the brains in the family---I had to dig for everything I got. Regardless, I enjoyed school and read everything I could get my hands on and I still do. Travis graduated as salutatorian of his senior class---I was just lucky to graduate. When I was in my early teens, Dad traded milk to one of the ladies in town to give me piano lessons. I hated it, hated practicing, hated taking the lessons and wasn't too fond of the teacher. After two years we all gave up on me and the piano. Next Dad traded milk to a neighbor lady to teach me art. I loved it and I loved her. Vida Sims was not only my art teacher she was also my friend. I could talk to Vida and her mother, Mrs. Clark, about any problem that I had. They were dear people and I think the most important thing they taught me, besides looking for the beauty around me, was to find the humor in a situation. Our family was Baptist and Dad was a deacon in our church. When I say we attended church, I mean we attended church, (like every time the doors opened) but in later years I was grateful that I had that religious foundation to stand on. Like the rest of the young people in the church we were not allowed to dance, go to movies or attend sports events on Sunday. Of course, smoking, drinking and card playing was unheard of. We didn't necessarily feel deprived because half the kids in our town lived the same way. My brother and I spent two weeks each Summer with my mother's sister and her family. Aunt Ethel and Uncle Monroe Reed were very good to us and good for us. Quite often Aunt Ethel would make clothes for me while I was there. Uncle Monroe, who I called "Uncle Roe", would play with me, tease me, and take me to the farm with him. I have dear and fond memories of both of them. With the beginning of World War II, all the girls of marriage-age fell in love with love. They were marrying servicemen like it was their obligation to the war effort. I was no exception and on 20 June 1942 I married Harold Andrew "Dee" Harrison. He was a tall, handsome soldier that I had met a mere 6 weeks before. I knew absolutely nothing about his background, education, parents, ambitions, etc. and in peace time the relationship would have never materialized into marriage. Ten months after the marriage he shipped out still somewhat of a stranger to me. Our son, Travis Dee, was born 11 August 1943. Dee returned after the War but the marriage was doomed, actually from the start, and I got a divorce in February 1948. I moved to Fort Worth, Texas where I worked for a commercial hardware company as Inventory Clerk and attended Brantley-Draughn Business College at night. In 1957 I was employed by Champlin Petroleum Company as an Accountant. I spent 26 years with this company retiring as Senior Insurance Analyst in May of 1983. On 22 July 1950, I married Guy T. Morris, a city fireman who later became District Fire Chief of Ft. Worth, Texas. He adored my son and the feeling was mutual so he adopted him and was a loving father and husband for 27 years. Although Guy was plagued by medical problems for the last nine years of his life, we were not prepared for the massive stroke that took his life on 10 March 1977. I had no desire or intentions of remarrying but on a business trip to New York City I met Edward B. Evans from Blacksburg, Virginia. After a three year courtship we were married on 21 May 1983 in the First Methodist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. We spent the next three years in Blacksburg where I made some lovely friends. After Ed's retirement from Virginia Tech University we moved back to Texas as he had promised he would do when we married. I stay busy now with my many hobbies and since purchasing a motor home we spend about half of each year traveling. I don't think of myself as getting older until I put my arms around some of my grandchildren and find they are taller than I. However, the real shocker came when my oldest granddaughter had a darling baby girl in February of 1990 and made me a great grandmother. Aw, Such is Life! |
| NARRATIVE: Travis was raised by his grand parents in Grandfield, Oklahoma until he was seven. Then he lived in Fort Worth, Texas with his Mother and stepfather, Guy Morris, who adopted him. Travis thought little of books and much of girls. Fortunately after his high school graduation he didn't change that attitude. Adventure drew him into the Navy in 1963 where he spent almost five years at sea, and three tours in Viet Nam. Toward the end of his enlistment he married Shirley Ann Hill and they had one child. The marriage lasted no more than four years. Travis and his daughter moved in with his parents in Fort Worth, Texas. He went to work for Southwestern Bell Telephone and met and Married Vivian Lee Harrison, a legal secretary from Wichita Falls, Texas. She quit her job in favor of being a housewife. She adopted Travis' daughter and had four more children. They now (1991) live in Cleburne, Johnson, Texas. |
| Recollections:
Out of Gas - The first I remember is of a trip I made with my Uncle Travis Combs and his wife Ronnie. We were going from Henderson, Nevada to Lake Mead and back. My Uncle was driving an old coupe with only two front seats and a small space where I was riding between the seats and the back window. I was under three years old and fit in the space easily. The car began to jerk back and forth, speeding up and slowing down until it coughed and quit running. My Uncle turned and looked at us, and in his good humored yet humbled voice said "Well, we're out of gas". The Deer - I was about four years old and we were living in Henderson, Nevada. One of the neighbors had just returned from a deer hunt and I wanted to see the deer. There were two of them. They had their eyes open but did not move. It was explained to me that they were dead and would not move. I could not understand why anyone would destroy such a beautiful animal. Soon my mother called me into the house. She was crying on the sofa. When I went to her and ask of her trouble, she told me to gather my things, we were going to my Grandfather Combs' home in Grandfield, Oklahoma. "Is Daddy going?" I ask. "No." she replied. The deer was not the only thing destroyed that day. The Pond - I was living with my Grandfather Combs and his wife Cora in Grandfield, Oklahoma. We lived in a white frame house located on North Main Street. It had two bedrooms, an enclosed back porch sleeping area, a huge living room, kitchen, and dining room, and a front porch that stretched almost clear across the front of the house. It had a short front yard with a sidewalk and several sycamore trees between the sidewalk and the street. The back yard was very large. At the very back of the lot, from left to right, was a car shed, a work shed, and a chicken house with attached pen. In the middle of the yard was a grape arbor with a porch swing underneath it. Behind the arbor were two apricot trees. in front of the arbor was a small lily pond. The lot and buildings comprised about one acre. My Grandfather said he bought it for about two thousand dollars during the depression, which was about one year's wage. On a warm summer day when relatives were visiting, there was a small boy cousin, called Butch, about my own age of four. We were out playing around the lily pond. We were reaching the lily pads as far as our arms would stretch when Butch stretched a little too far and tumbled in head first. He was under only a few seconds when he broke the surface sputtering, screaming and crying. He was just close enough for me to catch his hand and pull him to the edge where he climbed out. He was standing there dripping and crying and I thought he should change, so I went into the house yelling "Butch fell in the fish pond!" where upon all the ladies jumped up and went running out back. "Gee. What's all the fuss? It ain't deep." The Kitten - Grandfield was a nice little town with old houses, big yards and friendly neighbors. One of which had a cat that had a litter of kittens. When the kittens were old enough to get out and go exploring one of them came over to our yard. I was delighted when it let me approach it and pet it and play with it. Then I discovered the funny way it acted when tossed into the air. I did it again, higher and higher, watching the way it would spread out and hit on all fours. I went to pick it up again and saw it was bleeding at the nose. I put it down and watched it stagger away and I began to cry. "I'm sorry kitty. I didn't mean to hurt you." The kitten never came back to play. Sky Writing - I was happily playing in the back of my Grandfather's home in Grandfield. That morning I had found a bat hanging in the switch bush next to the house. That discovery left me with a wonder of nature and I was watching the trees, poking in the bushes, and playing with the grasses and weeds. I happened to glance up into the sky and I saw the handwriting of God. I ran into the house screaming for my Grandmother, for I knew that the end of the world was coming. She heard my story, smiled, and took me by the hand and lead me back outside, explaining to me what I had seen. Then I could see the tiny airplane that was writing in the sky. God wasn't doing it at all... Or was he? Cow Town - I was six years old when my mother remarried a man named Guy Tackett Morris (the man that adopted me). He lived in Fort Worth, Texas. My mother called it by it's nickname "Cow Town". She came to Grandfield to fetch me to her new husband and our new home. The trip from Grandfield was only four hours by bus. As we entered the city she said to me "Here we are in Cow Town". I looked out the window of the bus and said "Mommy, where are all the cows?" |
Notes for W. P. "Bud" MORRIS
58. Reuben Howell "Dick"4 Morris (Willis Howard3, William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 7 Jul 1917 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas; died 8 Apr 1960 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas. He married (1) on 22 Apr 1939, divorced , Ava Nell Davis, born abt. 1920. He married (2) in Oct 1939 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, Bessie Lorene McElroy, born 5 Sep 1923 in Godley, Johnson, Texas; died 27 Aug 1989 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas. Notes for Bessie Lorene MCELROY
Children of Reuben Howell "Dick" MORRIS and Ava Nell DAVIS were as follows:
59. Martha Delsenia4 Morris (Willis Howard3, William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. She married on 26 May 1938.
60. Sarah Helen4 Morris (Robert Edward3, William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 26 Jul 1918 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. She married on 17 Dec 1938 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas, Ralph Frederick Crim, born 8 Aug 1915 in Overton, Rusk, Texas, son of Sanford Crim and Carrie O'Quinn.
Notes for Ralph Frederick CRIM
Notes for Robert Edward Jr. MORRIS
Children of Robert Edward Jr. MORRIS and Curtis Dene BROOKS were as follows:
Notes for Clifford O'Neal VINSON
63. Vera Mae4 Vinson (Mattie Mae3 Morris, William Clayton or Calvin2, Richard1), born 27 Sep 1906 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas. She married on 5 Apr 1925 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas, Ira King, born 24 Mar 1903 in Henderson, Rusk, Texas.
Notes for Vera Mae VINSON
Notes for Gladys VINSON
Notes for James Preston VINSON
| Interview: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "I graduated form Crim's Chapel School in 1936. I drove a bus in Houston until I had a back operation. I am a Baptist." |
| Interview: With Preston Vinson at his residence in Henderson, TX, 1991, by Travis Morris. "She was from Nacogdoches." |
Notes for John William VINSON
| VINSON John W
L. Ruth
Feb 26, 1922 - Nov 10, 1969 Married Dec 23, 1945 Aug 28, 1926 |
Children of John William VINSON and Lillie Ruth ROBERTS were as follows:
Children of Charles Van MORRIS and Eloise FEARS were as follows:
Notes for Mary Jane MORRIS
FGS submitted by Eric Morris, 2365 Broadmax Mill Road, Logansville, GA 30249. 1995.
Notes for James Howard MORRIS
Source: Eric Morris, 2365 Broadmax Mill Road, Logansville, GA 30249. 1995.
Burried: Ebenezer Baptist Church abt seven miles outside of Monroe, Georgia. City Burial Record page 495.
Notes for Lester Lee MORRIS
Source: Eric Morris, 2365 Broadmax Mill Road, Logansville, GA 30249. 1995.
Children of Lester Lee MORRIS and Flossy (---) were as follows:
Notes for Eric Richard MORRIS
OCCUPATION-RELIGION: Upholster - Jersy Baptist.