Thomas Morris1

M, (between 1655 and 1661 - 1713/14)

Charts Pedigree for Phoebe Alice Jones
Relationship 7th great-grandfather of James Jay McKinney.
Last Edited 25 Mar 2000
Reference MMMFFFMMMMC
Researcher 0
Unrelated 0

Note* THOMAS MORRIS OF SOMERSET COUNTY, MARYLAND
From Maryland land records we find that on 16 December 1683, the Right Honorable Charles Lord Baron of Baltimore in the ninth year of his term granted unto Thomas Morris of Somerset County, Chirurgeon, two hundred acres of land called "South Fleet". On the same day he granted another 200 acres of land called "North Fleet" onto Thomas Morris, Chirurgeon. Both parcels are described as being situated in Somerset County, Seaboard side, back in the woods about 2 miles westward of the Buckingham Plantation. The Buckingham Plantation, included 1500 acres of land lying just East of what is now the Town of Berlin, had been patented on 27 July 1679 by John White. New settlers were granted 50 acres of land per person provided they transported themselves. Larger tracts were often granted to individuals that had performed a special service for the crown or the Colonial Governor. There are no hints of information to explain how or where he acquired the skills that qualified him as a Chirurgeon. R. V. Truitt1, states that the first doctor in the region between the Nanticoke and Virginia was one John Rhodes, a Chirurgeon/ plantation owner (1663-1672). Another was George Hasfort, a Custis indenture in Northampton County, who after a year was released from indenture and practiced as a Chirurgeon in Annemessex in Somerset County. The word "Chirurgeon" is the archaic form of surgeon. In 16th and 17th century England surgeons were quite distinct from physicians. The latter were trained at universities in the field of medicine. They generally avoided surgery, deferring procedures such as treatment of wounds, leaching, amputations, tooth pulling, and blood letting to surgeons or barber surgeons. The surgeon was distinguished from the barber surgeon in the sense that he normally had attained a higher level of education than the barber surgeon ( some of whom were self trained). Nevertheless, the pool of barber surgeons gave rise to the surgeons who subsequently became assimilated into the practice of medicine along with the physicians. Physicians and surgeons were few in the early colonial period. The land granted to Thomas Morris may have been an award made to attract medical people to Maryland.

Lord Baltimore was particularly disposed to populating the Eastern Shore to solidify control over his province which was eyed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania in the interest of extending their borders. According to Truitt1,"about all of the grants in Worcester County were made under the Act of 1951. Typically, the settlers obtained their acreages as grants from the Lord after submitting a petitioning indicating location, description and size and securing warrants, surveys and final approval. Land was abundant, cheap and readily available and the Lords proprietor were anxious to have it occupied for both political and revenue reasons. The individual settler held the land under a fixed rent, i.e., quitrent, rather than outright ownership. Large grants were made, an individual received 100 acxres for himself, his wife and all males brought in at his own expense, except for children for whom only 50 acres could be claimed."
Changes were later made, since in 1674 William Innis received 600 acres of land for transporting himself and eleven others to Maryland. It is generally acknowledged (although there is no direct evidence) that Thomas Morris settled in Maryland (relocated from Accomack County, Virginia) sometime between 1679 and 1683 in the continoance of migrations of families and individuals who left Virginia to escape religious persecution and harassement or who were seeking new land opportunities. Many of these were Quakers, who having been persecuted by the Virginia Colony accepted the invitation of Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore, to settle in Maryland.
Thomas Morris first appeared in the Accomack County, VA tax rolls in 1677, in fact, this is the only year that he is listed. To be named in the tax rolls, a person had to be a male of legal age (16 years old for this purpose) and not indentured to anyone. The fact that Thomas Morris did not appear in the tax rolls after 1677 is not at all clear. The point of origin of Thomas Morris is not known at this time. One possibility, as pointed out by Leslie Dryden in his notes2 is: on Mar 7, 1671/72 Dennis Morris of Accomack Co. was granted a certificate for 100 acres of land for transporting from the British Isles to Virginia Thomas Morris and John Bisby (Land Grants of Upper Northampton Co. P.71). He states that Thomas Morris may have been his son or nephew. Bonnie Stone in her History course work paper3 titled; "The Early Settlers of Worcester County, A Chapter on Thomas Morris" submitted to the Salisbury State University also suggests that he had a close association with Dennis Morris. According to Ralph T. Whitlaw in his book on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Thomas Morris along with Richard Moore and John Parker bought 300 acres of land for 6,000 lbs. of tobacco in a parcel (identified as A112 by Whitlaw) near the present town of Guilford. Thomas Morris and his partners had to have been established income producers at this time, since 2000 lbs of tobacco was a fair sum. Bonnie points out that the Grantors Index for land sales lists Dennis Morris as the primary person in this exchange and that Thomas Morris, John Parker and Richard Moore are secondary. An acre of this piece of land located on the extreme Northwest corner of the tract was dedicated to the Guilford Quaker Meeting house which was erected sometime between 1679 and 1683. Weekly meetings were held on Sunday at the meetinghouse and on Thursday at the house of Sarah Coe ( widow of Thimothy Coe) or at the house of George Johnson ( not the George Johnson that emigrated to MD). In 1684 Thomas Morris and John Parker assigned their interest in the tract to Richard Moore who shortly thereafter sold it Thomas Nixson a tanner.

Thomas Morris's interactions within the local community appear to have been many, possibly as a Chirurgeon, but also as a planter. He appears in the Somerset County cattle marks list of 1685 as a planter of "Popono" (possibly Pocomoke). Farming was the central industry of life. Hard currency was scarce and tobacco and land were mediums of exchange. John Cropper of Somerset Co. willed 200 acres of a tract called Hoggs Norten and 100 acres of land of a tract called Linneath to Thomas in 1686. In 1686 he was appointed guardian of the orphan Richard Hill, son of Richard Hill and Hilmet Hill. His responsibilities included raising Richard Hill and the protection of a 325 acre parcel of land called "Addition" and another 146 acres called "Conclusion" until Richard attained adulthood. In 1688 Thomas bought 200 acres of land which he named "Bewmarris". Also, he was witness to the wills of Nicholas Cornwell in 1701 , to William Richards in 1708 as well as Captain Samuel Showell, Christopher Reynolds and Nathaniel Ennis. He was appraiser of the inventories of Christopher Reynolds, Samuel Showell, John Smock, Mathew Jones, Howell Francis and was the administrator of the will of John Murphew .

Thomas Morris married Mary Smith (the daughter of Edward Smith), widow of Samuel Ennis shortly after he died in 1690. The harshness of life and the need for the re-establishment of self supporting family entities after the death of a marriage partner favored quick and expedient remarriages. Often the new husband was legally involved in the settlement of the estate of the deceased husband of his new wife. In the same year Mary's father died and Thomas was appointed guardian of Mary's sister, Elizabeth. Thomas agreed to support her, to look after her estate and to dispose of it when she reached legal age (18 years in Maryland at the time). Elizabeth married a few years later, for in 1694, Cornelius Ennis and his wife Elizabeth Smith along with Thomas Morris and his wife Mary Smith assigned (sold) 250 acres of the parcel of land called 'Fladburry' (left to the Elizabeth and Mary by their father Edward) to James Rounds, Edward Green and William Rounds. Thomas and Mary had four sons: William born about 1692, Thomas born about 1694, Joseph born about 1696 and Edward born about 1698. Mary died before 1704. Thomas then married Parthenia Ennis, daughter of William Ennis, who had been twice married previously. First to John Smock ( died in 1692) and then to Henry Reed who died about 1704.
Thomas and Parthenia were married about 1705. They had a daughter, Parthenia, who was born about 1706.

Thomas Morris died in 1713. His will which was probated 3 Dec 1714,stipulated that all his goods and chattels be divided into three parts. One third was to go to his wife Parthenia and the balance to be divided equally among his five children, William, Thomas, Joseph, Edward and Parthenia. He left to the oldest sons, William and Thomas, the plantation called 'Linneath'. His wife Parthenia was to live in the plantation house at Linneath through her widowhood. He left to John Burbage the parcels called 'Hoggsnorton' and 'Bewmarris' provided that he pay 12,000 lbs of tobacco to John Hampton. Parhtenia was named the Executrix and given power to sell the land at the best price should John Burbage not pay the money owed to John Hampton. His sons Joseph and Edward were to receive 4,000 pounds of tobacco when they reached their lawfull ages. George and John Truitt, brothers and planters, were named the overseers. The will was witnessed by Job Jarman, Henry Smock and Gavin Hutchinson., Principal=Mary Smith1 
Marriage* Principal=Mary Smith1 
Birth*between 1655 and 1661 1 
Death*1713/14 1 

Family

Mary Smith
Marriage* Principal=Mary Smith1 
Child

Citations

  1. [S70] E-mail: E-mail from Phyllis Zachow to Jim McKinney on 27 Feb 2000.