Will County ILGenWeb Biographies..... 
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File contributed for use by:
Dori Leekly & Margie Glenn

Author: History of Will County, Illinois; Chicago: Wm LeBaron Jr & Co, 186 Dearborn Street, 1878.

David MORIS, dry goods merchant, Braidwood; the subject of this sketch is one of the prominent 
merchants of Braidwood; was born in North Wales in March, 1832, and is the son of Robert and 
Kittie Arther (WILLIAMS) MORIS; his father, was a coal mine manager; when Mr. MORIS was but 
9 years of age, he entered the coal mines and engaged in mining while in North Wales; June 25, 
1860, in company with Thomas RADFORD, left Liverpool for America; landed in New York City; his 
first work in America was on Monongahela River, in mining coal one season; then to Palestine, 
Ohio; thence to Illinois, to La Salle County; thence to Morris, Grundy County; was engaged by 
Nicholas COTTON in the coal mining business; he leased, for ten years, a piece of coal land; 
here he sunk the first coal shaft on the C., A. & St, L. R. R., located near Braceville 
station; he then was engaged by a company to sink two shafts; one of them was in Reed 
Township, Will County, and was the first coal shaft sunk in Reed Township; was engaged in 
overseeing the Braceville coal shaft; he then entered a mining company composed of miners, 
known as the Joint Stock Coal Mining Company of Gardner. This company was engaged in sinking 
a coal shaft at Gardner; struck a large flow of water. After spending $25,000, they abandoned 
it. He then returned to Braceville; thence with Odell & Cady, drilling for coal; Mr. MORIS is 
one of the oldest and best posted coal miners in this vicinity; Nov. 10, 1873, he entered the 
dry goods business; this business he has followed ever since. Married Jan. 18, 1862, to Miss 
Eliza Jane MURPHY, of New York, by whom he has had six children, two living. Father died in 
1867; mother lives in North Wales.