Judge William Wright Morris

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Judge William Wright Morris. Born in 1805 in Halifax County, North Carolina, William Wright Morris came into the world with a restless streak and a sharp mind. By 1840, the family had packed up and moved to Coosa County, Alabama, and young William made something of himself there.

He taught school. He studied law. He got himself elected judge.

Not a bad run for a man just getting started. But Alabama, it turned out, was only the warm-up act. In 1847, Morris made a move that took real conviction.

He didn't just pick up and go himself. He brought his mother, his widowed sister Martha, known before her marriage as Morris and now going by Spivey, her three children, and family slaves, all of them, to Henderson, Texas. That's a caravan, not a commute.

Once he planted his boots in Henderson, Morris got to work. He practiced law, and he built a fine plantation home three miles northwest of town for the family. The judge had a way of making things happen.

In 1854, he was elected district judge. He served as a Texas legislator. And when the question of a railroad in East Texas came up, Morris was in the room, helping push that first railroad through.

By 1875, the people of Texas had seen enough of William Wright Morris to name a whole county after him. Morris County. He passed in 1883, but that county is still out there, carrying his name down every road you drive through it.

What the marker says

(1805-1883) Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, William Wright Morris moved with his family to Coosa County, Alabama, in 1840. He taught school, studied law, and was elected judge. In 1847 he brought his mother, widowed sister Martha (Morris) Spivey, her three children, and family slaves to Henderson. The judge practiced law and built a fine plantation home (3 mi. NW) for the family. An influential man, he was elected district judge in 1854, served as a Texas legislator, and helped promote the first railroad in East Texas. Morris County was named for him in 1875.