You indicated that I could give you my version of the history which was printed in the newspaper.  Unfortunately, I have no version, as this was the first time I ever heard it.  Jeremiah John Morris died on 2/12/1941, which was 2.5 years before I was born, so I never met him.  In addition to my grandmother Cora Morris Arbaugh who lived with us for some time, I knew my great-aunt Minnie fairly well, as she lived in the town I was raised in. (Modesto, California).  Relatively little was ever said to me about the Morris family specifically, and I just assumed that Minnie was an Arbaugh.  Toward the end of my mother's life, I was told a few things, which I will not go into. 

My grandmother Cora, was the oldest child of J.J. Morris, by his first wife Amelia Mitchell, who divorced him and left Cora with her mother in Walnut Ridge.  According to my mother, J.J. then rode to Walnut Ridge, picked up Cora, and took her with him on horse back to Franklin County.

He later on married Georgia Ann Avryhart, and they proceeded to have ten children together starting with Charles William Morris, who is the younger mail standing at the far right of the rear line of people in the picture.  By the way the picture was taken in 1897, probably sometime around the summer, as the baby in the arms of Georgia Morris is John Arvil Morris, who was born on 3/8/1897.  He couldn't be much more than 6/7 months at the time of the picture.

Photo below taken in 1897

Following are the names of the people in the picture.  I will put the married names of the women in parenthesis for anybody doing research.  I will also include birth dates and those death dates that I have.  All of the children of J.J. Morris are deceased at this time.

Back Row, Left to Right:

Molly Ruth Morris (Higdon) 9/1/1883-12/23/1963;  Married Tom Higdon

Cora Morris (Arbaugh) 12/6/1873-6/15/1962;  (Died Modesto, CA)  Married John William Arbaugh

Minnie Mary Morris (Stutchman) 5/18/1881-5/27/1966:  (Died Modesto, CA)  Married Samuel Eli Stutchman

John Jackman ( I don't know the relationship of this man to the Morris family other than the mother of John William Arbaugh, who married Cora Morris was Sarah Jane (Sally) Jackman;

Charles William Morris 11/3/1878-4/17/1957;  Married Maggie Hopkins

Front Row, Left to Right:

Bertha T. Morris (Harmon) 3/7/1891-11/11/1917; I noticed a big picture layout on some Harmons in either Franklin or Johnson County.  My mother's first cousin Gaye Harmon, married Cleve Harger.  Cleve is dead, but the last I heard, Gaye was still alive in Modesto, California

Franklin Lodie Morris 10/22/1888-9/7/1970;

Georgia Ann Avryhart (Morris) 7/6/1860-5/31/1935;

Baby-John Arvil Morris 3/8/1897;

Elmer Thomas Morris 4/5/1894;

Jeremiah John Morris 2/14/1853-2/12/1941;

Martha (Marlie) S. Morris (Eastep) 9/6/1886-2/22/1974 or 2/22/1994; I can't tell which is which from the sheet I have.

There were also two other children:

Edgar Morris 11/3/1901 and

Eunice Morris (Fuqua) 2/8/1904.  Obviously they were not in this picture.

I will be sending some other stuff along, but this is enough for this message.  Hope you find this of some interest for Franklin County and genealogical use.

Bill Crews