Robert Morris

The subject of this sketch, one of the oldest and most prominent citizens of Freeport, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, September 27, 1804, and came to this country with his parents, James and Elizabeth (McLaughlin) Morris, in 1819. The family first located in Indiana county, from which they soon removed, however, to Greensburg; thence after a sojourn of several years they went to Pittsburgh, where the lives of the parents were both ended, and where they were married. Robert served an apprenticeship under his father, and learned the carpenter's trade. July 28, 1829, he was united in marriage in Allegheny (then a borough) with Isabella Gilchrist, who, like himself, was a native of Scotland. In 1832 they removed to Freeport, where Mr. Morris has ever since lived. His wife died in 1854. Four children were the offspring of the union -- James M. (deceased), Elizabeth J. (wife of Judge A. D. Weir, of Butler county), Alexander G. (located in Tyrone, Pennsylvania), and Margaret G. (Mowry), deceased. Upon September 11, 1855, Mr. Morris married his second wife, who is still living, Mrs. Sophia D. Boyd, n�e Weir. Mr. Morris has led a very active and useful life. Besides working at the carpenter's trade and as a builder and contractor, he has taken a prominent part in several enterprises. He was the prime mover in the project which resulted in the laying out of the Freeport cemetery, and was one of the original stockholders and organizers of the Freeport Planing Mill Company, and the Buffalo Milling Company. He has several times been elected councilman, and has held other offices in the borough government. Politically he is a democrat, and religiously his affiliation is with the United Presbyterian church,

Source: Page(s) 608-609, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed December 2000 by Jeffrey Bish for the Armstrong County Smith Project.
Contributed by Jeffrey Bish for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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