OHIO STATE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS
JAMES R. MORRIS
James R. Morris was born at Rogersville,
Green County,
Pennsylvania, January 10, 1820. He died at
Woodsfield, Ohio,
December 24, 1899.
His father, Joseph Morris, was elected
to Congress in 1843
and re-elected two years later.
Joseph Morris moved with his family to
Waynesburgh,
Pennsylvania, in 1828, in the following
year to Antioch, Ohio,
and two years later to Woodsfield, Ohio.
James R. Morris received his education
in the common
schools and the printing office. He
studied law in Woodsfield
and was admitted to the bar October 25,
1843. In this year
his father, who was county treasurer,
was elected to Congress
and the son was appointed to fill the
unexpired term. In 1844
he founded the Spirit of Democracy, which
is still published.
In 1857 he was nominated for the office
of state treasurer but
was defeated with the state ticket of
his party.
In 1860 Judge Morris was elected to
Congress as a Demo-
crat and re-elected in 1862. He supported the war measures
of President Lincoln, whom he greatly
admired. In 1872 he
was elected probate judge of Monroe
County and re-elected in
1875. He served as postmaster at Woodsfield,
from January 1,
1886, to July 1, 1889.
His description of the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln is
published for the first time in this
issue.
JUDGE JOHN CLEVES SYMMES
On page 15 of this issue of the QUARTERLY
is published a
portrait of Judge John Cleves Symmes.
This is from an en-
graving which in 1902 was in the
possession of his great-grand-
daughter, Mrs. Betty Harrison Eaton of
North Bend, Ohio. The
Judge had a nephew who bore the same
name, John Cleves
Symmes, and whose portrait in public
prints has been confused
(75)