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MONONGALIA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Tina Hursh
frog158@juno.com
January 3, 2000
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.
Chicago and New York, Volume II
pg. 75
Samuel John Morris, M.D. The distinguishing services of Doctor Morris in the
medical profession have been as one of the most popular members of the faculty
of instruction in the medical school of the University of West Virginia, where
he is professor of anatomy.
Doctor Morris was born at Morgantown, August 3, 1887, son of Samuel Hall and
Elizabeth D. (Morrison) Morris. One of his forefathers, a native of Maryland,
moved to Western Pennsylvania prior to the Revolution and settled in Fayette
County, where the place of his settlement became known as Morris Cross Roads.
Here the great-grandfather of Doctor Morris, Thomas Morris, was born. It was
also the birthplace of his son, John Jarrett Morris, who was born in 1825 and
subsequently became a farmer in Monongalia County, West Virginia, and spent
his last years at Morgantown, where he died in 1900. Samuel Hall Morris was
born on the Morris farm in Fayette County, October 22, 1850. His mother was
Eliza Ann Hall, who was born of Hopwood, a settlement at the foot of the
Alleghany Mountains near Uniontown in Fayette County. She was born there in
1826 and died in Morgantown in 1902. Her father, Samuel Hall, was a Quaker and
was born in 1799 at Kenneth Square, now a part of the City of Philadelphia. He
was a stone mason by trade and went to Western Pennsylvania to work during the
construction of the National Road. In Fayette County he met and married
Margaret Kendall, and the settle at Hopwood, where after giving up his trade he
followed farming the rest of his life. Samuel Hall Morris married Elizabeth
Delia Morrison, who was born in Morgantown, September 7, 1852, daguther of
Robert and Delia Thomas (Watts)Morrison. robert Morrison was a bridge builder,
and wa the engineer who constructed the bridge from Grafton to Fetterman over
Tygarts Valley in West Virginia. This was built for the Baltimore & Ohio, and
was the first railroad bridge in taht part of the state. Later for many years
he was a well-known contractor and builder at Morgantown. The two children of
Samuel Hall and Elizabeth Morris were Samuel John and Mrs. Nellie M. Rider.
Samuel John Morris was reared and educated in Morgantown, attending the public
schools, the preparatory department of the university and in 1906 entered the
university proper. He spent two years in general courses and two years in
medicine, receiveng his M.D. degree in 1912, and in the same year he also
graduated with the M.D. degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at
Baltimore. This was followed by one year in Mercy Hospital at Baltimore, and
after his return to Morgantown he became an instructor in anatomy at the
University. In 1916 he was promoted to associate professor of anatomy in charge
of that department, and since 1920 has held the chiar of anatomy.
Doctor Morris is a member of the County, State and American Medical associations
and the Phi Sigma Kappa college fraternity. June 12, 19122, he married Edna
Leyman, daughter of Michael Layman, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. They have one
son, John D., born February 27, 1919.
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