Henderson, Rusk County
(1805-1883) Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, William Wright Morris moved with his family to Coosa County, Alabama, in 1840. He taught school, studied law, and was elected judge. In 1847 he brought his mother, widowed sister Martha (Morris) Spivey, her three children, and family slaves to Henderson. The judge practiced law and built a fine plantation home (3 mi. NW) for the family. An influential man, he was elected district judge in 1854, served as a Texas legislator, and helped promote the first railroad in East Texas. Morris County was named for him in 1875.