Leonard Morris (sheriff)

Leonard Morris, Gent born Morriss (1748 – May 17, 1831) was an American spy, justice and sheriff, and was one of the founders of Charleston, West Virginia in 1789. As compensation for serving as a Spy during the American Revolution Leonard was granted large tracts of land in the Kanawha Region and became a freeholder, in addition he was made Justice of Kanawha County in 1789, where he received the title of gentleman, part of the gentry class. While holding no official military rank in the militia, Leonard was serving as an agent for the state of Virginia under General Andrew Lewis and George Washington.

Five years later Leonard was named as one of the trustees of Charleston when the town was incorporated by the Virginia House of Delegates in 1794, alongside Ruben Slaughter, Andrew Donnally Sr, John Young and William Morris. William Morris Jr, and Young were also spies from 1778-1782 and subsequently rewarded appropriately.

Leonard replaced John Alderson as Sheriff in 1798. Alderson demanded backdated taxes to be paid on lands owned by Bushrod Washington or risk forfeiture, Bushrod sent a letter to his uncle, President George Washington, on January 9, 1798 stating the Sheriff of Kanawha County, John Alderson, was levying heavy tax deficits against Bushrod and George's property in Kanawha; George responds ten days later in a letter to Bushrod agreeing to assist in the matter. Leonard, a trusted former agent, was deemed as the appropriate replacement.

Early life and family
Leonard was born in Orange County, Virginia (later Culpeper) to British born merchant William Morris and Elizabeth Stapp. Elizabeth's father, Joshua Stapp was of the planter class who regularly conducted business with James Madison Sr. and maintained several tobacco plantations to include one along the James River in the Varina Farms. Leonard grew up in Culpeper County, Virginia and his father's land bordered Colonel Henry Field who served as in the House of Burgesses and Aide-de-camp of General Lewis. William Morris purchased the land from former colleague Crown Surveyor George Hume, in the mid-1750s who was the mentor of George Washington. The land was originally granted to land of the late Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood, Hume's first cousin. Henry Field was the first cousin of Colonel John Field who died during the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, whose land adjoined Henry's on the opposite side.

Leonard had sixteen children, six by his first wife Margaret Price - John, Meredith, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Leonard Jr.; and ten children by his second wife Margaret Larkin - Charles, Nancy, Parthenia, Joshua, Hiram, Peter, Andrew, Cynthia, Madison and Dickinson.

Leonard's daughter Elizabeth married Robert Lewis the granddaughter of John Lewis (cousin of General Andrew Lewis).

Leonard's brother William Morris Jr served in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Kanawha County. Leonard's brother John Morris was a Captain in the County Militia alongside Daniel Boone, John is the father of US Congressman Calvary Morris, and Bishop Thomas Asbury Morris. Leonard's nephew (through her sister), John Hansford also served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1812 - 1818.

Leonard's brother Henry Morris, married Mary Byrd whose extended family included Patrick Henry, and General Andrew Lewis through her mother's side (Margaret Dean). In 1756 at Fort Dinwiddie, Mary, her mother and siblings were taken as prisoners of war by the Shawnee during the French and Indian War - her father John Byrd was murdered. Her sister Sarah was one of the only family members not captured, and remained under the guardianship of her uncle John Dean and John Stuart (brother in law of Robert Dinwiddie). Henry was the only Morris brother to fight in Captain Lewis's company (son of General Andrew Lewis), and witnessed the fall of Colonel Charles Lewis in the Battle of Point Pleasant.

Lord Dunmore's War
While never being listed on any muster rolls during the Battle of Point Pleasant like his brothers John, William Jr, and Henry Morris - some historians assert Leonard Morris fought in the battle in 1774, however this claim has never borne any evidence While Lord Dunmore's 180 day war was ongoing, Leonard commanded Fort Morris (also known as Kelly's Post) positioned along the Kanawha River. The Morris Fort was established in early 1774 near the mouth of Catfish Shoals on the Kanawha River twelve miles away from Leonard Morris' Fort.

Fort Morris was built by Leonard, William, John Morris, and John Jones; but Leonard thought it would be strategic to have a secondary fort further down the Kanawha River. Both of these forts were established prior to Colonel Lewis and Dunmore's men coming to engage with Chief Cornstalk.

In November 1774, while occupying Fort Morris, Leonard received a guard of ten soldiers who remained until the settlers were safe from Indians. In one of the last raids the Indians kidnapped Sallie, one of Leonard's maids, and though Morris and twenty men followed the Indians as far as Guyandotte they were unable to obtain her release. The war party was of a couple hundred, and their ransom was too great that they could not get Sallie back.

From 1777 through 1782, Morris was commissioned as spy by Patrick Henry for the State of Virginia during the American Revolution, tracking hostile Indian movements in Greenbrier and Kanawha along with his brother-in-law John Jones. Morris also worked alongside Lt. John Young (also a founder member of Kanawha County) who was newly commissioned under Captain William Morris's Ranger Company as a spy.

Revolutionary and Indian Wars
On August 10, 1789, Leonard Morris and William Morris were listed as having sold, and provided war materials in support of the Northwest Indian Wars to Colonel George Clendenin, 26 Privates, 2 Sergeants, one Ensign, one Lieutenant, and one Captain from March to July 1789 in support of the Northwest Indian Wars for the Kanawha County Militia Rangers, renamed in October 1789 as the Morris' Company of Rangers amounting to £118, 3 shilling and 9 pence.

Leonard Morris's farm and stock raising was instrumental to the war effort, from May 1791 Leonard's Brother Captain John Morris, Commander of the Morris' Company of Rangers provided Leonard's farm with soldiers until September 30, 1791, protecting the lands from hostile forces. The Ranger company was listed in a March 24, 1792 report to the Governor of Virginia, Henry Lee III as "having adopted full and effectual measures for the defense of the Western Frontier."

Appointment to Justice
On October 6, 1789, the Virginia House of Delegates appointed Leonard Morris as Justice of the newly established Kanawha County, and was sworn in as member of the County Court. The first official court appearance in Kanawha County was held in the house of Colonel George Clendenin. On this occasion several of the newly appointed Justices were sworn in as members of the Court including Thomas Lewis Jr., and Daniel Boone.

In late 1792, Leonard Morris, testified before the court regarding a land dispute between George Washington and Ruben Slaughter. Slaughter notified Washington of his taking custody of the 250-acre tract of land known as the Burning Springs Tract. Burning Springs was previously patented by General George Washington in 1774 after Captain Thomas Bullitt's group of surveyors mapped out the Kanawha in the year previous, which included Joshua Morris, Capt. Matthew Arbuckle, the Reverend John Alderson, John and Peter Van Bibber, McAfee brothers, McCown, Adams from the New River settlements, along with Hancock Taylor. Leonard stated that in 1775, he saw surveyors Samuel Lewis and John Stuart making a survey of the tract. Samuel Lewis son of General Andrew Lewis was well known friend of the Morris family who fought alongside Lewis in the Battle of Point Pleasant; a portion of the patent was later granted to Washington and Lewis, and signed by Thomas Jefferson, Governor of Virginia.

"And the said Leonard Morris, being produced as a witness for the plaintiff, after being first duly sworn, deposeth and saith: That in the year 1775, this deponent was residing on Kanawha river about six miles from Burning Spring Tract. During that year, Messrs. Samuel Lewis, a surveyor, Colo John Stuart, of Greenbrier, and Thomas Bullitt were on the Kanawha surveying lands, and procured from out of this deponent's family, Mungo Price and his son as chain carriers; that after the party returned from surveying, this deponent understood from them that they had surveyed the Burning Spring Tract for the late General George Washington (now President) and Andrew Lewis. This deponent, with the exception of some periods when the Indian wars made it hazardous to keep a family on Kanawha, has made it his principal residence since 1775. Sometimes during the Indian troubles, this deponent's family resided altogether in Greenbrier."

In 1794 Morris was named Commissioner for Kanawha County, and in 1798 named Sheriff of Kanawha County.

Later Life
Historical records show Leonard Morris owned 18 slaves in Kanawha County, Virginia in 1820. In 1836, Mararget Larkin erected a Church in Leonard Morris's honor, Ebenezer Chapel (Marmet, West Virginia) which was built by Morris's slaves. Leonard Morris is the founder of the City of Marmet, and the great-grandfather of Benjamin Franklin Morris who served as Marmet's mayor. Leonard Morris also founded Lens Creek on the Kanawha River

Misconceptions
Several misconceptions of Leonard Morris, to include:

1. Leonard was a commissioned officer who arose to the rank of Colonel. Leonard was never commissioned as an officer in the Virginia Militia or Continental Army. Leonard was a commissioned spy, but not directly a soldier - while he was attached to ranger companies, Leonard was acting as an agent for the Virginia Assembly and Governor. Leonard was subsequently left off most muster rolls due to Leonard being a state agent and paid through the Governor's Office.

2. Leonard and all his brothers (to include Benjamin Morris, who was aged four at the time) served in the Battle of Point Pleasant. Only three of William Morris's children served, William Jr, Henry, and John. In the early days of the war, Leonard maintained the Fort and thus not eligible for military benefits by virtue of not fighting in any company; his contributions were notable by providing a central docking location for the Virginia Regiment and overseer of the region in the absence of any Virginia lawman.