Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 August 1891 — HISTORY IS FALSE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HISTORY IS FALSE.

AT LEAST IN REGARD TO ROBT. MORRIS. The Patriot Who Sacrificed His Wealth and Ambition to Have 111* Country—He Did Not Die in a Debtor's Prison—Millions ot De'lars Are. Dae His Heir*. History is likely to suffer from a most Important contradiction, and active

measures are now being taken to prove that statements which have come down from generation to generation, and which have been copied into every cyclop# dla extant, are wrong in a 'very important historical respect. The statement which is now in a way to be proved

incorrect, if not absolutely false in every particular, is that Robert Morris, the Revolutionary patriot and financier, died in a debtor’s prison, and lies buried In Christ Churchyard, Philadelphia. “More than once,” history goes on to state, “Robert Morris rescued Congress from a seemingly fatal crisis by borrowing money on his own name and that of his firm. The $1,500,000, which enabled Washington to carry out his last campaign against Cornwallis, was raised by his exertions and on his own notes. From 1781 to 1784 Robert Morris was Superintenddht of Finance, and was vested with complete control over the monetary affairs of the country. Here, again he several times used his reputation as a man of great wealth to rescue the Treasury from embarrassment”

Four years ago, a law was passed by Congress to reimburse the heirs of Robert Morris the $1,500,000 which was due him, with Interest, now amounting to in the neighborhood pf 88,000,000. f The heirs have been active in consequence, and some interesting discoveries have been made in the tracing of relationship, among the facts which are established beyond controversy being

[that he was born ip England in 1734, but he did not die, ns related by history, in a debtor’s prison in Philadelphia, but on a small farm in the neighborhood of Farmingdale, N. J., in 1826, tyventy later than recorded in history. During his last years

of life he was in cared for and devotedly nursed by a granddaughter named Mary Hurley, now living with her own granddaughter at Toms River, N. J. Robert Morris had three children, Samuel, James and Joseph—Samuel residing until his death in the vicinity of Farmingdale, James going to Eatontown, and Joseph to parts unknown. The three nearest relatives to the historic Robert are tljree living granddaughters, Mrs. Hurley, mentioned above, and residing

at Toms River, N. J., age 92 years: Mrs. Content Sutphen, living at Col? Neck, five miles from Freehold,N.J. ; and Mrs. Adeline Woolley, age 7 4 years, living at . Long Brarfch, N. J. The fact that Robert Morris’grave cannot be found in Christ Church, Phlladel-

pljia, and that there have never been any heirs coming forward to claim him would all go to favor the theory that' some one in prison permitted him to escape, and thus allowed him to live in seclusion at Farmingdale. This is enough to account for the family Ignorance and the great discrepancy in historical accounts of his death. Dr. Daniel Morris Woolley, of Brooklyn, was discovered, iu the search for authentic information on the subject of the career of Robert Morris, to be a great-grandson of the revolutionary patriot, and he gave all the Information at his disposal, although at tirst reluctant to do so, as he felt, he said, that his family would not care to bo prominent in the matter. He said: “When I take into consideration that Robert Morris was born in the same year as that recorded in history, that the granddaughter has the Bible, from which I made a comparison of the signature on the original Declaration of Independence and found them unmistakably similar in every particular; that an impress has been taken upon oiled paper and shown to the cashier of a national bank in Long Branch, who said

he would be willing to take an affidavit that one and the same person wrote on the Declaration and in the Bible, and that he and all his descendants were intellectual peop'e, all conspire to make me a firm believer that Robert Morris, my great-grandfather, was the original signer of the Declaration of Independence. “Mrs. Content Sutphen, my aunt, re members her grandfather Robert distinctly. She said to me that he frequently came to her father’s house, which was then two miles distant, in Farmingdale, and talked constantly about the Revolutionary war. She remembers distinctly how he talked about Washington and bis white pony. She also remembers very vlvidiy riding a long distance to the funeral of her grandfather, and how they stopped and cared for the horses on the way, and that he was buried in Leedsville, N. J. ”

Mra Adeline Woolley, the youngest granddaughter of Robert Morris, was born at Farmingdale, Monmouth County, N J., on Feb. Id, 1816. Sbe is 74 years

of age and a remarkably intelligent and active woman. She was 10 years old at the death of her grandfather and remembers him distinctly. Samuel Morris, the grandson of Robert Morris, was born in Farmingdale, N. J., Sept 15, 1807. At the age of he mar*

ried his first wife, Rhoda A. Van Meter, and raised a family of ten children, six of whom survive the father. The wife died about twenty-six years ago. Five years after the death of the first wife he' was united in marriage to Mrs. Hannah Lincoln, of Piano, 111., where he resided until hi ß ’

death, May 2. 1889. For nearly twenty years he resided in Plano, and acquired considerable wealth. In his mature years he was active, kind and highly respected by all who enjoyed his acquaint* ance. His surviving children are Charles MJ Morris, now a thrifty merchant of Plano, HL, Cyrus H. Morris and John D.

Morris, Mrs. Dr. Cook, Mrs. O. & ElUthorpe and Mrs. Robert White, of Lake City. Samuel Morris had several brothers, all of whom attained prominence. As stated, enough is known to absolutely establish the fact that Robert Morris did not die in a debtors* or any other kind of a prison, but on a farm of his own purchase, or purchased by friends, in Farmingdale, Monmouth County, N. J.

SAMUEL MORRIS.

CHAS. M. MORRIS.

MRS. MART HURLEY.

MRS. CONTEXT SUTPHEN.

MRS. DR. DAVID COOK.