My biggest, tallest and most exasperating brick wall has been the Morris/Embry/Chance Families.
John William Morris can be traced successfully from his marriage to Martha Embry October 4, 1866
in Webster Co. Mo and her death in Taney County abt 1873 and his second marriage to Caroline Honeycutte,
through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma. I have names of 14 of supposedly 16 children, his date and place of death
and buriel. But no where do I find any thing about his parents who they were, or brothers or sisters. John W. Morris
was born July 6, 1847 somewhere in Mo. to parents who he states on the 1910 Ok. census that father was from Ill. mother from Tnn.

Well the brickwall surrounding John W. Morris is no longer, it came tumbling down with a resounding crash.
I have been corresponding with Morris cousins who are descendants of the second marriage of John W. Morris
to Caroline Honeycutte. They are Dennis Wilson, whose ancestor is Thomas Washington (T. W.) Morris son
of John and Caroline. Lenore Walker whose Francis Matilda (Fannie)Morris is the daughter of John and Caroline. Ken Brown
whose ancestor is Amanda Melvina daughter of John and Caroline. Chloe Clark whose ancestor is Dora Morris,
daughter of John and Caroline. I descend from John W. Morris and his first marriage to Martha Embry.

Chloe Clark mentioned to Dennis Wilson that her mother had that John's father was Thomas Morris
who married a Brown. That and John W. was born in Taney Co. Missouri.

Taking that snippett of information Dennis Wilson and I both took a look see at the 1850 census for Taney County.
I got to admit that I sure had one heck of a time trying to read this census. Simply put, I was getting close and
John W. Morris put up roadblocks to prohibit my research. Beginning with Saturday September 23, 2000 I went to the
Omaha Public Library in Omaha Nebraska and I literally could not get to the place. The Central Park Mall which the
Library overlooks was barricaded for the River City Roundup Parade. On Friday the 29th of October I tried again.
Got to the Library ok, but strangely the electricity for the microfilm readers was non existant. The problem was only
on that floor in that room of this 4 floor and basement of the largest of the Omaha Libraries. They got it fixed in no time,
the electrician said it looked like someone switched the wiring around, he could not figure it out, but was able to
fix the stuff right. Ok we get the 1850 Taney Co. Census from the file cabinet, the microfilm is not there in its
place is the 1870 Dekalb Co. census. Back to file pull 1870 Dekalb Co. box, microfilm in there is 1850 Taney,
make switch. Here we go. 1850 Taney county enumerator only listed Initials then Surname. Big Headache.
Found a T. Morris age 24 with S. Morris age 21 child J Morris male age 4 and female age 1 month.
This family is living next door to T Morris age 62 GA and D. Morris age 61 GA.

This is what I have put together, not without help, thanks to Dennis Wilson and his wife, other Taney Co.
researchers who have diligently put together a compiliation of information from records, family history data
and census records that identify the folks only listed by their initial and surname.

Thomas Morris b. GA
Dora/Dollie/Dorothy Morris b. GA

Had the following children:

I have been told that there was a sister Francis who married in Wayne Co. Ky. have not been able to document that yet.
Elizabeth Morris b. Ga. m. Archibald Taber/Tabor
Matilda Morris b. Tnn m. Isaac Taber/Tabor brother to Archibald
John Morris m. Nancy?
Possibly a sister Dollie who died young and is buried in Taney Co. Missouri.
Thomas Morris b. Ill. 1825/26 m Sarah/Sally Brown

They had the following children:

John W. Morris born July 6, 1847 Taney Co. Mo.
P. J.(according to census for Taney Co. 1850)age 1 month, died before 1860 Census.
Amanda M. (Manda) b. 1853
Nancy J. born in 1857 most likely Ozark Co. Nancy would have been 13 in 1870 and is not found on the census with her mother, brother, or sister in Webster Co. Mo assuming she died young as well.

Thomas Morris and family is found on the 1860 Ozark Co. Missouri census with his wife and three children.
Currently I do not know when he died, just that his wife is found with the John W. Morris family in 1870 Webster Co.
Missouri and she has the last name of Conner. The Nancy Morris who is found on the 1870 census in his household,
I believe is his Aunt, wife of John Morris, his uncle.

To cement this I found a marriage record from Webster Co. Missouri for Amanda M. Morris to Joseph Canifax 1868.
They live two doors away from John W. Morris on the 1870 census.

John Morris had a daughter Amanda Melvina, named for his sister, son Thomas Washington Morris
is named for his Grandfather Thomas Morris. It looks like daughter Dora may have been named for his
Grandmother Dora/Dollie/Dorothy. His daughter Sarah E. is named I believe for his mother and I have not
figured out where the names Mary Jane, and William Franklin came from. Daughter Rebecca I believe is named
for Martha Embry Morris' mother Rebecca Darland Embry who died sometime after Martha's birth in 1846. Daughter
Francis appears to be named for the Aunt Francis that I have been told married in Ky.

The children of John Morris are listed after the Chance and Embry families following this narrative.

Stephen or Steve Chance was born abt. 1865 in Mo. according to family he appeared in Wright/Douglas
Counties about 1888 and married Alice Ballew. For years family researchers have tried to find his
lineage without success. Steve Chance died in 1906/ in Wright Co. Mo.

William Embry b. 1725, m Rachel Davis October 6, 1743 King George Co. Va.

They had to following children:

William "Grancer" Embry b. abt 1757 North Carolina d. abt 1840 Butler Co. Ky

William Grancer Embry m. Nancy ? abt 1775 in North Carolina

They had the following children:

John Embry b. abt 1777 North Carolina d. November 19, 1855 Butler Co. Ky.
Cader Embry b. December 11, 1778 Granville Co. NC d. January 24 1848 Butler Co. Ky.
Burrell Embry b. abt 1780 North Carolina d. 1840 Mercer Co. Ky.
Mary/Polly embry b. 1781 North Carolina d. October 1859 North Carolina
Martha/Patsy Embry b. abt 1782 Wake Co. NC d. abt. 1865 Butler Co. Ky.
William embry b. abt 1784 Wake Co. NC d. abt 1865 Butler Co. Ky.
Isaac Embry b. abt 1786 Wake Co. NC d. est 1845-79 Ohio co. Ky.

William Grancer Embry married a second time to Ann Coy October 6, 1809
Garrard Co. Ky the daughter of David Coy and Mary Dennis

They had the following children:

Rachel Embry b. 1810 Butler Co. Ky d. est. 1832-1904
Lucy Ann embry b. January 1816 Garrard Co. Ky d. 1908 Butler Co. Ky.

Burrell Embry b. abt 1780 NC married Elizabeth Rhay abt 1799

They had the following children:

Temperance/Tempy embry
Burrell Embryb. July 9, 1821 d. January 13, 1897 m Rebecca Darland January 10, 1841 Garrard Co. Ky.
George Embry
Joel Embry
Talton Embry
Mary/Polly Embry
Nancy Embry
Elija Roland Embry
Isaac Embry
Elizabeth Embry
Effie Embry
Martha/Patsy Embry

Burrell Embry m. Rebecca Darland in 1841 Mercer Co. Ky. He is the son of Burrell Embry Sr.
and Elizabeth Rhay and the grandson of William Grancer Embry.

They had the following children:

John Embry b. 1842
James Embry b. 1844
Martha Embry b. 1846

Burrell Embry married a second time. The date of his first wife's passing has not been found yet nor her final resting place.

Burrell Embry m. Lucinda Wheeler the daughter of James and Sarah Wheeler, February 1, 1850 in Garrard Co. Ky.

They had the following children:

Charlotte Russel Embry b. November 16, 1850 KY
James C. Embry b. 1854 MO d.January 5, 1897
Sarah E. Embry b. 1855
Burrell/Berl (Tude) Embry b. 1857 MO
Lucinda Embry b. 1859 MO
Eliza Embry b. 1862 MO
William Embry b. 1866 MO
George Ann Embry b. 1869 MO

Burrell/Burl Embry and his son James b. 1854 are buried in Cherry Mound Cemetery, Grayson Co. Texas.
Lucinda Wheeler Embry had a newborn child in 1850 and adding to that three young, motherless children
to raise as well. An awsome task, but not so uncommon of the times. She mothered, loved and raised three
children who were not her own flesh and blood, and eight children who were. Thank you Lucinda, you will
occupy a special place in my Embry Family tree.

John William Morris m. Martha Embry October 4, 1866 Webster Co. Mo.

They had the following children

Mary Jane Morris b. 1868 m. William Deckard March 12, 1885, Douglas County Mo. Mary J. and William Deckard
are buried in Bethel Cemetery, Taney County Mo.
Sarah E. Morris b. 1869 m. Joseph (Babe) Walker no children.
Rebecca Morris b. 1872 m William Washington Marler 6 children
William Franklin Morris b. 1873 m. Martha Malissa Spurlock 7 children.
Alice (according to my dad's bible, dob and dod are unknown.)

After the death of Martha Embry Morris abt 1873/1875? John W. Morris married Caroline Honeycutte,

They had the following children

Amanda Melvina Morris b. 1877
Thomas W. Morris b. 1878
Frances Morris b. 1881
Allie Morris
Ollie Morris?
Dan H. Morris
Nora Morris
Dora Morris
Dovie Morris
Laura Morris

John W. Morris and family lived in Mo. and Boone Co. Arkansas by 1900 then moved to Sequoyah
County Oklahoma by 1910. John W. Morris died May 1912 near Sallisaw Ok. and is buried at Akins
Cemetery near Sallisaw. Caroline Honeycutte Morris died in 1935 and is buried next to her husband.

William Franklin Morris b. 1873 d. Aug 1947 Douglas Co. Mo. married Martha Malissa Spurlock,
daughter of James Madison Spurlock and Celia Jane Eslick. Martha was born July 2, 1873
Douglas Co. Mo. She died Jan. 1, 1965 Springfield Mo. William Franklin Morris and Martha Spurlock
were married abt 1893-98.

They had the following children

William Earl Morris b. 1900
Jesse Morris
Eva Morris
Bertha Morris
Evert Morris died young
twins died at birth
William Earl Morris m. Pearl Agnes Chance abt 1921 in Wright Co. Mo. Pearl was the daughter of Steve Chance
and Alice Ballew and was born 1904 Wright Co. Mo.

They had the following child

Charles Ray Morris b. Feb. 2, 1922 in Wichita Falls Texas. Charles folks divorced when he was a small child
and about 1930 he traveled to Omaha Nebraska to live with his Aunt Clella and Uncle Billy Byers.
He remained with his Aunt and Uncle until his mother was financially able to join him. Charles married
Pearl Lorene (Peg) Jones b. November 15, 1922 in Omaha Nebraska on May 25, 1942. They had 38 wonderful
years together on this earth and no doubt are joined together once again in Heaven. Charles died August 11, 1980
and Peg died Jan 4, 1994. They left this earth far too soon.

Their children are

Living
Living