DUANE
Duane's take
The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Ritson Morris and the land he called Elmwood. A Virginia man, Ritson Morris — born in 1798 — made his way to Texas about 1827. He put down roots first in Nacogdoches, where in 1829 he married a woman named Minerva Edwards.
One year later, after their first child came into the world, the Morrises picked up and moved to this area. Minerva's father, Amos Edwards, had already settled here in Stephen F. Austin's colony, so the family had a foothold in the land before Ritson even arrived.
He secured a Mexican land grant and built something worth naming — three thousand acres of Texas earth he called Elmwood Plantation. He raised livestock, worked crops, and the family started out in a modest log house. That log house was eventually replaced by a large two-story structure that stood on the site until about 1885.
Minerva's brother, Ashmore Edwards, built a home nearby, so the whole Edwards clan had roots running deep in the same soil. Now, Ritson Morris wasn't a man content to sit on the porch while history rode past. In 1832 and again in 1835, he participated in skirmishes against the Mexican army at Anahuac — confrontations the marker calls precedents to the Texas Revolution of 1836.
When that revolution finally came, Morris sent his family to New Orleans for safety. But they came back. They always came back.
And they went on living on Elmwood for many years. Ritson Morris contracted tuberculosis and died on September 21, 1849. He was buried in the family cemetery right there on Elmwood Plantation — the same land he'd carved out of a Mexican land grant, the same ground his children had grown up on.
And here's the part that makes a story linger: many of his descendants continue to live in southeast Harris County to this day. The man is gone, but the roots held.
What the marker says
Virginia native Ritson Morris (1798-1849) came to Texas about 1827. He settled first in Nacogdoches, where he married Minerva Edwards in 1829. One year later, following the birth of their first child, the Morrises moved to this area, where Minerva's father, Amos Edwards, had settled in Stephen F. Austin's colony. Morris received a Mexican land grant and established a 3,000-acre plantation he named Elmwood. He raised livestock and crops, and the family lived in a modest log house. It was later replaced by a large two-story structure that remained on the site until about 1885. Minerva Morris' brother, Ashmore Edwards, built a home nearby. In 1832 and 1835, Morris participated in skirmishes against the Mexican army at Anahuac, precedents to the Texas Revolution of 1836. Morris sent his family to New Orleans for safety during the revolution, but they later returned and continued to live on the plantation for many years. Ritson Morris contracted tuberculosis and died on September 21, 1849. He was buried in the family cemetery on Elmwood Plantation. Many of his descendants continue to live in southeast Harris County.