Person:Sarah Morris (67)

Parents

• Father = Capt. George Morris. Source: her newspaper marriage announcement.
• Mother = ?

Court records

1867 - Brazos County, Texas Deed Book H:392 -- 01 Aug 1867 - A.H. Wilson and his wife S.A. Wilson sold Sarah A. Shaw and Spencer Ford lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in block 121 in Bryan.

1869 - Direct Index to Volume A of Brazos County Court Civil Minutes, 1867-1869, 142 -- Feb. 1869, W.H. Bowman sued "Sarah A. Shaw et al." in Brazos Co. County Court. [Note: Unfortunately, the actual minutes book cannot be found, so there is no way of knowing what the lawsuit concerned -- but probably had to do either with land or with the hotel Sarah Shaw operated.]

1872 - Brazos County, Texas Deed Book N:195 -- 03 Oct 1872 - Mrs Sarah A. Shaw leased her "plantation" on the San Marcos River in Caldwell Co., Tx., for 5 years to Henry Haldeman and J.C. Shaw; the lease required Henry and J.C. to erect fences, build tenant houses, erect barns, etc.

1873 - Brazos County, Texas Deed Book N:294 -- (recorded 06 Jan 1873, a copy of a deed originally made on 02 Mar 1868) The Houston & Texas Central Railroad sold Mrs. Sarah A. Shaw lots 6, 7, 8, & 9 in block 99 in Bryan.

1873 - Brazos County, Texas Deed Book N:294 -- 06 Jan 1873 - Sarah A. Shaw sold David McIntosh lots 6, 7, 8 & 9 in block 9 in Bryan [Note: apparently when Sarah Shaw decided to sell the property, she could not find her original deed -- which makes sense, since it was probably destroyed in the fire in Dec 1872.]

1874 - Mrs. Sarah A. Shaw dies.

1876 - Brazos County Probate Minutes Book D:294-295 -- 04 Apr 1876 - Kate M. Lampkin submitted Mrs. Sarah A. Shaw's will and codicil [not copied into the minute books] to the court; Sarah A. Shaw died in Brazos County in 1874 and named Kate Lampkin as her executrix together with Spencer Ford. Ford "declined to act" as executor.

1877 Brazos County Probate Minutes Book E:51 -- 25 May 1877 - Kate Lampkin, executrix of Sarah A. Shaw, deceased, received permission to pay claims on the estate to:
H.A. Humphrey for $ 6.00
H.A. Humphrey for $ 38.38
W.H. Dean for $ 33.92

1.   1850 census.
2.   1860 census.
3. ↑ Brazos, Texas, United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   (printed page 25) lists:
   Shaw, Sarah A. 51 f keeping house $1500 $300 Tn
   , Sarah 21 f no occupation Tn
   , Jno. 20 m clerk in dry goods store Tn
   , Ada 15 f at school Tn
   , Georgia 14 f at school Texas
   Lambkin, Kate 30 f no occupation $400 $100 Tn
   , Thomas 10 m at school Texas
   , Wash 9 m at school Texas
   , Reburter (?) 6 f Texas

4.   Galveston Tri-Weekly News (Galveston, Texas)
   2, 27 Dec. 1872.

   "Bryan ... A fire broke out yesterday morning in the Brazos Hotel, totally destroying the hotel and three or four other buildings in the same block. The fire was discovered too late to save anything, several boarders lost everything they had, one of them lost $3000 in currency. The fire originated in the stove and the canvas overhead caught. There was no wind, or the whole block would have burned. The post office on the same block was saved with its contents. Loss $ 12,000, insurance $ 2,500. "

5.   Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas)
   2, 15 Sept. 1874.

   "A crazy man, whose name is Bragg, from Montgomery, Ala., made his entree into Bryan on the 5th inst., and jumped from the second story of the Prima Vista Hotel on the same night, but, strange to say, received but very little injury. He has since been passed upon as a dangerous character to run at large, and placed under the charge of the marshall of the city."

6.   Sam Eaves Tells of Early History of Bryan, in Bryan Daily Eagle (Bryan, Texas)
   23 June 1926.

   [An article in 1926 stated that the first rooming house in Bryan was run by Mrs. Sara Shaw and was on the corner across from Bonneville's store. The house was built in 1867.]

7.   In Early Days, in Bryan Daily Eagle (Bryan, Texas)
   29 Jan 1927.

   "... Mrs. Sara Shaw, the mother of Mrs. Spencer Ford and Mrs. A.C. Brietz, two women well remembered in Bryan, was a woman of more than usual vision and business ability. She came to Bryan "In the Early Days" and built a two-story boarding house on the corner, located at West 24th Street and Bryan Avenue. This select boarding house Mrs. Shaw operated successfully for a few years and then sold the place to Col. T.D. Wilson ... Mrs. Sara Shaw later bought the Bowman Hotel from the owner, Capt. James I. Bowman. A few years later the hotel caught fire and was burned to the ground on Christmas morning. After the fire Mrs. Shaw immediately began plans for rebuilding on the same site; this time the largest and finest hotel in this section of Texas was built. It was the pride of Bryan and Brazos County; the Prima Vista Hotel ..."

8. ↑ Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas)
   1, 25 Oct 1874.

   Shaw, Mrs. Sarah A., proprietor of the Primavista House (a hotel); died of consumption.