Horace Morris (1831 - 1897)

Born 1831 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Died 3 Apr 1897 at about age 66 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ellen Smith [send private message]

Biography

Horace Morris is a part of US Black heritage.

Horace Morris was a son of Shelton Morris and Evalina Spradling, born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1831 or 1832.

He married Wilhelmina Chancellor circa 1859-1860. They resided in Louisville, Kentucky. Their known children are:

1. William, born about 1865;
2. Chancellor D., born (probably) November 1868 (November 1869 according to 1900 census)
3. Lillian L., born November 1871
4. Maud, born about 1874
5. Estella W., born April 1873
6. Bristow, born circa 1878-1880 (March 1878 according to 1900 census; March 1880 according to his death record)
7. Horace, born January 1883
8. Cyrus A., born about 1887 (July 1886 according to 1900 census)

In 1860 the U.S. Census recorded Horace Morris, age 28, in Louisville, with Willieann Morris, 18 (his wife), and Benjamin Morris, 21 (his brother). Horace and Willieann had married within the year. Also in the household were Lawrence Minor, age 30 (recorded as head of household); Maria Minor, 25; two Minor children; and Lewis Kenner, age 20. Horace Morris and Lewis Kenner had the occupation Storeroom Tender, and Lawrence Minor and Benjamin Morris both were recorded as Steward SB (interpreted as steward on a steamboat). All household members were born in Kentucky and were described as mulatto. ^[1]

He was appointed cashier of the Louisville branch of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Bank in December 1868.^[2] The 1870 U.S. Census recorded him as Harris Morris, age 39, in Louisville, Kentucky, with Willedmena Morris, 25 or 28; William Morris, 5; Chancelor Morris, 1; and Fannie Leibert, 15. Harris Morris was cashier of Freedman's Bank and reported $200(?) in personal estate. Harris and the younger household members were born in Kentucky; Willedmena was born in Virginia. All were characterized as mulatto.^[3] Under his leadership, the Louisville branch of the Freedmen's Bank was one of the most successful in the United States. In 1881, after the bank collapsed, he was the only African American cashier called to Washington, DC, to assist with resolving accounts.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ United States Census, 1860. Enumeration sheet for Louisville Ward 8, Jefferson, Kentucky; Page: 765. Accessed on Ancestry.com at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4231187_00765
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Kleber, John E. The Encyclopedia of Louisville, University Press of Kentucky, 2001. Pages 626-627.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6GYW-9HQ?cc=1438024&wc=KPBY-W38%3A518657901%2C518688401%2C519617501 : 12 June 2019), Kentucky > Jefferson > Louisville, ward 10 > image 273 of 288; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176170977/horace-morris : accessed 07 July 2021), memorial page for Horace Morris (1832–3 Apr 1897), Find a Grave Memorial ID 176170977, citing Eastern Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA ; Maintained by savannahdarr (contributor 48069324). Note: No gravestone image. Memorial contains an excerpt from his entry in the Encyclopedia of Louisville.