Samuel Morris

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1788, , , Kentucky, USA
• Residence: 1800, , Gallatin, Kentucky, USA
• Residence: 1810, Bardstown, Nelson, Kentucky, USA
• Residence: 1820, Millwood, Lincoln, Missouri, USA
• Residence: 1830, , Nelson, Kentucky, USA

Notes:

1753 Born James City County, Virgina.
1766-69 Early member of James City Baptist Church between age thirteen and sixteen, began to preach the gospel.
1770-1776 Birth of son-Robert
1773/77- Sometime is this period of time, he married Lucy, the mother of his first two children.
1775 Assisted in the organization of the Grafton Baptist Church, York County.
1776 First pastor of Boars Swamp Baptist Church
1777 Birth of daughter Mary
1778 Estimated death of first wife
1778 Marriage fo Sarah Walton Watkins, widow of his neighbor Thomas Watkins, Jr.
1799 Name appears on petition to House of Delegates concerning a ferry in the County of James City
1779 Sept 6 acquired one acre of land on Boar Swamp adjoining the head of the mill pond of the late Thomas Watkins Jr.
1779 Oct 4 acquired another five acres on Boar Swamp next to the estate of Thomas Watkins.
1780 He could legally perform marriages [Law passed in Virginia legalizing dissenting ministers rights to perform marriages without legal penalty]
1780 June established and became first pastor of the First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
1783 July 7 bought one-half acre lot in City of Richmond, paid 11,000 pounds of tobacco
1780-1786 Four children born of second wife
1786- Listed on tax rolls as slave holder with three negro tithes and six negros, not tithes.
1787- Name appears on petition from James City County, Virgina protesting payment of interest of "certificates of depreciation", issued to soldiers during Rev.War.
1787-Sept 6- sold parcel of land on Shockoe Hill.
1787-Dec 20- Living in of the City of Richmond, sold property bequeathed to his present wife by her last husband.
1788- moved to Kentucky, first on Elkhorn Creek, in present day Franklin County, then to Jefferson Couny, and the Brashears Creek Baptist Church, now Shelby County. From then until 1794- he organized an ministered at several other churches. [Four of his brothers and a sister, went with him to to Ky.].
1794-Jan-he established fox Run Baptist Church with fifteen members.
1794- April- Instituted Elk Creek Baptist Church.
1798- Moved to Carroll County [then part of Gallatin County]- he and William Hickman founded the earliest church- Port William Baptist Church- changed to McCool's Bottom Baptist and then to Ghent Baptist.
1798-1801- Acquired at least 1500 acres of land, some on the Ohio River and the waters of Locust Creek and Corn Creek. He disposed of this property in various parcels, even after he moved from Gallation County. In May of 1800, 347 acres were given to his daughter Elizabeth's husband, John Craig and another 300 acres was given to his son, John H. Morris in July of 1801.

He was described by Spencer as "below medium height, of stout build with the tendency to corpulency, and in later years became so unwieldly as to be unable to go far from home. He was scrupulously neat in his dress and elegantly dignified in bearing....as a preacher, he "spoke rapidly, with great energy and boldness." He owned over 1500 acres on the Ohio River.

Joshua married Elizabeth Lucy Step in 1770. Elizabeth was born in 1750 in , , Virginia, USA; died in 1778 in Richmond, Independent Cities, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]