Grandpa Charles Orlie Morris was number six in a family of
seven children. At the time of his birth the a Morris Family History by Bonnie
Jo Phillips September 2013 rea was Indian Territory. His father was Reuben Morris and his Mother
Lydia Matilda King.
1. John M. ,born 1865 Greene, IA,
2. Mable Mae, born, 1868 Jasper, Mo
3. Nellie E., born 22Jun1871 Cherryvale, Montgomery, KS,
died 19 Mar 1955
4. Laura Dell, born 4 Apr 1876 Cherryvale, KS died 2 Nov
1970 Pomona, LA, California
5. Frances Reuben, born
4 Jan 1879 Labette, Labette, KS died 12 Jul 1947, Pomona, LA, California
6. Charles Orlie ,born
2 Jan 1886 Tehlequah, Cherokee, OK ,died Pomona, LA, California
7. Dicie born 1888 Tehlequah, Cherokee, OK, died 1888.
Grandma Maggie Mable Kirk was born in Van Buren, Crawford, Arkansas. Her mother Josephine Hodge and father Johnson
Kirk had two children a son Jessie J. Kirk and Maggie Mable. Jessie died as an
infant. Maggie changed her name to
Margaret after becoming an adult. Johnson
died and Josephine married Ed Wilson, her third husband. Josephine’s
first husband was Edward Crook. She had
four children by him and was widowed. He was a horse trader and there was a
rumor saying that he was hung for being a horse thief. I have no factual
evidence about that.
Charles and Maggie met and married when he was 17 and she
was 16. I interviewed Margret when she was about 80. She told me that he came courting on a big
horse and was wearing a pistol on his side.
He had black wavy hair and dark brown eyes. She thought he was very handsome. The gun was to shoot wild dogs.
Their first child Danial Clayton was born 20Jan1905. They were living in the mountains. Charles went to a dance leaving Maggie alone
with a sick baby. She cried as she told
me her baby died in her arms that night.
While living with her mother-in-law Maggie wanted to please
her. While Lydia was gone to town she
washed and sun dried the butter churn.
When Lydia poured milk into it to make butter it leaked. The wood had dried and the seams had
opened. She laughed when she related
this story.
My grandfather Charles had a third grade education (as he told
to Bettie, his youngest daughter). He
was a very intelligent man. He taught himself
to speak Spanish. He was a self taught
carpenter. He transformed my parent’s
garage in to a three room house for me when I married. We worked together remodeling it for a few
weeks. He taught me to hang wall board,
make kitchen cabinets, a picket fence, and hang wall paper. He was a born teacher and talked me through all
I did. He had a wonderful sense of
humor. Those days spent with him are a
precious memory. I love him dearly.
(more to follow)
