What echoes do you think linger here at the Ritson Morris and Elmwood Plantation Plaque? This plaque marks a place of significant history. It tells a story of early Texas settlers and their lives. It speaks of a man named Ritson Morris.
Ritson Morris was a Virginia native born in 1798. He journeyed to Texas around 1827. He first settled in Nacogdoches. There he married Minerva Edwards in 1829. A year later the Morrises moved to this area. Minerva’s father Amos Edwards had settled here in Stephen F. Austin’s colony.
Morris received a Mexican land grant. He then established a 3000-acre plantation. He named it Elmwood. He raised livestock and crops here. The family initially lived in a modest log house. Later it was replaced by a large two-story structure. That structure stood on this site until about 1885. Minerva Morris’ brother Ashmore Edwards built a home nearby too.
Ritson Morris played a role in the early conflicts. In 1832 and 1835 he participated in skirmishes. These were against the Mexican army at Anahuac. These were precedents to the Texas Revolution of 1836. During the revolution Morris sought safety for his family. He sent them to New Orleans. They later returned and lived on the plantation. They stayed for many years.
Sadly Ritson Morris contracted tuberculosis. He died on September 21 1849. He was buried in the family cemetery on Elmwood Plantation. Many of his descendants still live in southeast Harris County.
This Ritson Morris and Elmwood Plantation Plaque serves as a reminder. It marks the legacy of Ritson Morris. It also represents the resilience and pioneering spirit of early Texas families. The story is one of land ownership and family. It is a story of conflict and community. It is a story etched into the very soil beneath our feet. Remember Ritson Morris and Elmwood Plantation.