Biography of Celey (Celia) Morris Harvey

CELEY (CELIA) MORRIS HARVEY
by Dr. Bert Hudson
(Contributed by author / posted with permission)

Celey (Celia) Morris, the daughter of Benjamin Morris and Nancy Jarrett, was the granddaughter of the first permanent settler of the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. Celia Morris was born in Kanawha Co., Virginia on June 4, 1792, and she died there on Jan. 4, 1836. The will of William Morris establishes that Celia's father Benjamin Morris was the son of William Morris. George Atkinson, in his book, History of Kanawha County, West Virginia from its organization in 1789 until Present time, reported that the William Morris family settled in the Kanawha Valley in 1774, becoming the first permanent settlers in that area. A Mr. Kelly attempted to settle in the Kanawha Valley prior to the arrival of the Morris family but hostile Indians killed him shortly after he arrived in the area. The wills of Benjamin and Nancy (Jarrett) Morris prove that Celey (Celia) Morris was the granddaughter of William Morris. Thus, it is well documented that Celia Morris was a member of the pioneer family that established the first permanent settlement in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia.

Celey (Celia) Morris married Capt. John Harvey on Feb. 16, 1816, in Orange Co., VA. After the death of her parents, Celia Morris Harvey inherited or purchased the Morris mansion and made it her family's home from about 1825 until her death. Since Capt. John Harvey lived in Raleigh County, WV, at the time of his death, it appears that he moved to Raleigh County after the death of Celia Harvey. Both Celia and John Harvey were buried in the Lady Dunn Cemetery, which is near the site of the old Morris Mansion. Many years after the death of John Harvey, the old mansion, which had been acquired by the Cannelton Coal and Coke Company, was converted into that company's main office building.

Celia and John Harvey's family lived in both Kanawha county, West Virginia, during most of their marriage. The author has been unable to document their having any children other than Morris Harvey, but other researchers state that they had a much larger family. Morris Harvey's biography reports that he was born in Raleigh County in 1824, and that he "grew up in the Morris Mansion near Cannelton. Therefore, it appears that the family was living in Raleigh county as late as 1824, but that they moved to the Morris Mansion, which was located in Kanawha County on the north side of the Kanawha River opposite the present day city of Montgomery, after 1824. The 1830 United States Census shows that John and Celia Harvey were then residing in Kanawha County, WV. In view of these data, it is reasonable to infer that the family of John and Celia Harvey lived in the Morris Mansion from the middle 1820's until 1836 and possibly for several years thereafter.

Celey Morris Harvey died at the Morris Mansion, which was located in Kanawha County, WV, on Jan. 4, 1836. Capt. John Harvey died in Raleigh County, WV on Apr. 28, 1849. Celey Harvey and her spouse were buried in the Lady Dunn Cemetery (formerly known as the Dunn Cemetery), which is located on north side of US Route 60, opposite the site of the old Morris Mansion and the city of Montgomery, WV. The tombstones of Celey Morris Harvey and her spouse are still standing atop the mountain above the Lady Dunn Cemetery.

In 1848, coal was discovered on the mountain opposite the Morris mansion and a coal mine was soon established there. The first settlement in the immediate vicinity of the Morris mansion consisted of some forty homes for coal miners and a store, all of which were built atop the mountain on which the coal mine was located. A forest fire destroyed that settlement, which later became known as Cannelton, but it was soon rebuilt on what is now known as Smithers Hill.

Morris Harvey is generally credited with being the major contributor to the industrial development and mass settlement of the New River and upper Kanawha Valleys of West Virginia. From the end of the Civil War through the early 1870's Morris Harvey bought a great deal of land in the New River Valley. At that time land along the New River was considered worthless because it was too mountainous to be farmed and there was no way to ship coal from there to the nation's coal markets. However, Morris Harvey convinced the C & O railroad to extend its tracks through the New River Gorge and on westward to Huntington, WV. The coming of the railroad to the New River Valley resulted in the establishment of scores of coal mines, villages and towns along the New River and Upper Kanawha River. The only access to the newly established mines in the New River gorge was through Morris Harvey's land. This accomplishment made Morris Harvey very rich and established his reputation as one of the major contributors to the industrial development and populating of the Kanawha Coal Field, an area that later became one of the most productive industrial regions of West Virginia. Morris Harvey also served a term as Sheriff of Fayette County, WV, before and after the Civil War. Later in life, Morris Harvey became the major benefactor of the college which ultimately became Morris Harvey College. That college later became the University of Charleston, WV.

At the time the Celia and John Harvey decided to make their home in the Morris mansion the surrounding area was so remote that there were few if any schools, social institutions and services available to the people living there. The present city of Montgomery, WV, was then known as Cannelton Station or Montgomery's Landing, for it consisted of little more than a river ferry and a handful of buildings. In 1830, only six towns in WV had a population of 1,000 or more residents and none of them were within commuting distance of the Morris Mansion. During the period of time when the John Harvey family occupied the Morris mansion, there were no cities, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, paved roads, public high schools, colleges within easy travel radius and the only public transportation serving the area was a bi-weekly stagecoach. According to the book, WEST VIRGINIA STUDIES, Our Heritage, William Thomas Doherty, Education Foundation, Inc., Marshall Buckalew, Ed., Charleston, WV, 1984, p. 86, free schools were not required by WV law until 1863. The same source indicates that in 1850, WV's eleven libraries contained less than 8.000 books and 5,500 of those books were located in college libraries in Brooke and Taylor counties, both of which are extremely distant from Kanawha County. Thus, during the formative years of the children of John and Celia Harvey, the family had little or no access to essential educational and social institutions and services.

At the time Celey and John Harvey occupied the Morris Mansion, transportation to and from that part of WV was extremely primitive. The James River and Kanawha turnpike, which connected the James River area of Virginia to the Ohio River, was completed in 1830. After the Civil War, locks and dams were built along the Kanawha River in order to facilitate the shipment of coal to markets in the outside world. The C & O Railroad, which reached Cannelton Station in 1872, opened the area to the outside world for the first time ever. The city of Montgomery was platted in 1879, but it was not incorporated until April 1, 1891, which was nearly seventy years after Celia and John Harvey took up residence in the Morris mansion. Since there were no cities, educational or social institutions within horse-and-buggy commuting distance of the Morris mansion, it goes without saying that the Harvey children must have received their early education and enculturation training in their home. Therefore, the responsibility for the early education and guidance of the Harvey children fell upon Celey (Celia) Morris Harvey.

In view of the above information, the author has concluded that Celia Morris Harvey was the most important influence in the cultural, educational, ethical, and social development of her children, including her son Morris Harvey. It appears to this writer that Morris Harvey's achievements would have been impossible without the early cultural training, educational encouragement, emotional nurturance, guidance, religious training and teaching provided by his mother during his formative years. If the above conclusions are valid, Celia Morris Harvey was one of the most outstanding and important Appalachian women of her day.

The following were the author's sources for the information contained in this article:

1. Carper, Helen, "A Grand Move: Morris Harvey College Comes to the City." Goldenseal, 14(4), 46.

2. Krebs, Frank J. "Where There is Faith: The Morris Harvey College Story, 1888-1970;" Charleston: Morris Harvey College, 1974.

3. Pioneers and Their Homes on Upper Kanawha, Ruth Woods Dayton.

4. History of Kanawha County, West Virginia from its organization in 1789 until Present time, George Atkinson, 1984.

5. Will of William Morris, Kanawha County, WV, Will Book A, p. 30.

6. Will of Benjamin Morris, Kanawha County WV Wills, p. 83, Kanawha County Court, Kanawha County, WV, Aug. 10, 1829.

7. Will of Nancy (Jarrett) Morris, Kanawha County Court, Kanawha County, WV, May 18, 1832.

8. U.S. Census, Kanawha County, Virginia, 1830.