John and David Morris were born in 1831 and 1832 respectively in Bedford county, Pa., sons of Welsh immigrants who came to the United States in 1800. John left home in 1849 and arrived in Carroll county two years later with no capital and got a job as farm laborer on Telegraph road in Rock Creek township. He acquired a team of oxen and plow and broke the prairie including the section in which Lanark was later located. He bought his first land about 1859 from the Illinois Central railroad, borrowing the money from a Mt. Carroll capitalist who reportedly demanded an annual rental of 32 per cent interest on the money he loaned.
John Morris married Sarah Copp, daughter of the M. W. Copps, settlers from New Hampshire, and quickly became a successful livestock operator and breeder who imported the first herd of Red Polled cattle from England to Illinois. The herd later was destroyed in the foot and mouth disease epidemic. John's brother, David Morris, joined him in 1856 and acquired land of his own, marrying late and having one son, John L. Morris, born in 1881. David Morris was killed by a bull in November, 1903, at age 71. John L. Morris, his son, farmed the 320 acres he acquired, helped organize the Lanark National bank which he headed when he died in 1965 leaving no descendants.
John Morris acquired 1275 acres in Wysox and Rock Creek townships and 800 acres in Kansas before he passed on in 1927 at age 95. He was survived by two children, George R. Morris and Harriett Norris Cook.
George Morris, born June 6, 1868, began farming after graduating from Lanark High School, married Amy Kenyon, and divided his time between pioneering in better farming and civic affairs. He was a charter member of the Carroll County Farm Bureau, serving several terms as president, ran for the General Assembly on the Republican ticket in 1906 but lost in the primaries by 57 votes after a recount. He was active in formation of the Lanark high school district, also campaigned for Theodore Roosevelt as county chairman of the Progressive Party in 1912. The George Morrises had two sons, Robert L. born July 19, 1905, and John K. born June 3, 1909. Robert was graduated from Beloit College in 1927 and went on to get his law degree at Harvard three years later. He entered the law practice at Lanark. John K. got a degree in agriculture at the University of Illinois in 1932, and returned to farming the Morris land at Chadwick. Robert married Bernadine Cunningham in 1932, became active in Democratic politics, served as assistant attorney general for Illinois for eight years and has been city attorney for Lanark since 1931.
John married Ealy Grobe, ran a high-producing dairy herd for a time, later developed a purebred herd of Aberdeen Argus cattle, was active in local government and was elected to the Illinois legislature in 1946 serving subsequently 10 sessions for 20 years before losing in the Democratic primaries in 1966 after his district was reapportioned. John was active in revenue and agriculture legislation serving as chairman of both House committees at different times. In the 1964 election when all members of the House ran at large, John Morris got the second highest legislative vote in the Democratic landslide, next to Adlai Stevenson III whose father was the former Governor, United Nations ambassador and twice candidate for President. Gov. Kerner appointed John Morris chairman of the State Revenue Appeal board in 1967.
Two daughters were born to the Robert Morrises, Mary Ann who was a victim of polio at age 8 and was confined to an iron lung respirator for more than 20 years, and Susan, born Sept. 9, 1941, who attended Western Illinois University and Parsons College before marrying David H. Shetter, a Captain in the U. S. Air Force, now stationed in Thailand. The Shetters have three children, Sara, Robert and JoAnn. Mary Ann passed on April 6, 1968. The Robert Morrises own 400 acres of the original Morris land operated by the Arnold Zuck family in section 32, Rock Creek township and section two, Wysox; Mrs. Bernadine Morris owns the 89-acre farm in the same vicinity operated by Russell W. Zier, Jr.
Two children were born to the John Morrises, John F. who was killed in an automobile accident in April, 1958, and Patricia born Oct. 1, 1944 who got a bachelor of arts degree at Bradley University in 1967. A University of Illinois student at the time, John had fitted and shown several blue ribbon winning fat steers at the local and state fairs and the International Livestock Show, Chicago before his untimely death.
George Morris passed on in 1956 at age 88; his siter, Harriet born in 1878, attended Frances shimer Seminary, was a talented muscian, and married Claude B. Cook who farmed extensively in Wysox and Rock Creek townships. Their children were Harriet, Morris, Claude B., Jr., George, Katherine and Ruth. Morris Cook became a plant foreman for Northwestern Steel and Wire, Sterling until his death in 1954 in a factory accident, Claude B. Cook Jr. born in 1913 has owned and operated 160 acres in Wysox since his mother's death. He is a successful insurance and real estate man who owns more than 500 acres of land in Carroll and Stephenson counties. George Cok born in 1916 owns and operates Morris farms borth in Wysox and Rock Creek townships, has been a precinct committeeman for some 20 years and a sectional state highway foreman for eight years. All the land owned by John and David Morris, the early setlers, except 160 acres in Carroll county is still owned by descendants and the productivity of these prairie soils with plant food added is greater today than it was when the sod was first plowed.
From the Goodly Heritage 1968
