An American Family History

Richard Morris was born about 1637 in Charles County, Maryland. He was a planter in Charles County, Maryland

In April, 1656 Richard and William Heard were assigned the rights to 200 acres from Christopher Cornell. They assigned the same land to John Morris and Giles Tomkins in July of the same year.

In 1659 he, and others, petitioned the court for payment "for trouble & paynes wee tooke in taking Mr Hutts Vessell." He was paid 20 pounds of tobacco a day for four days work.

In 1660 Giles Tomkins assigned a patent to Richard.

In 1661, when he was 21, he testified in a court case between Josias Fendall and Mary Vanderdunk who married Hugh O'Neale.

In 1661-1663 he was involved in land exchanges for land in Charles County including Johnson's Town, Moore Towne, and Mate's Dale,

His first wife was named Alice (Ales). They married before October, 1662 when they assigned land to William Codwell.

In 1664 he was constable and the

Charles County Court ordered that Agnes Taylor be by the Constable Richard Morris and at the whipping post in the public view given 20 lashes on her bare back for having played the whore, having been before accused of the like crime.

On September 12 1667 Richard's son was born, died and buried.

In 1668 he patented Morris His Hope.

In 1671 and 1672 he registered James Piper, age 11 and William Kekley, age 10, as servants In 1676 he registered Annas Morris, age 18, as a servant

In 1679, Richard Smoote. Jr. (1663 - 1734) chose Richard as his guardian.

He married Penelope Theobald. Their children and life together are described in detail in the section on Penelope and Richard Morris.

Richard Morris died in 1686.

Fendall's Rebellion In March, 1660 Josias Fendall attempted to overthrow the proprietary government of Maryland. It was a bloodless coup.

Planter is an archaic term for a settler. Plantation was a method of colonization where settlers were "planted" abroad. A plantation is also the kind of large farm that was the economical basis of many American Colonies and owners of these farms were also called planters.