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Lot Essay
By tradition, these spoons descended from the Morris family of New York. The 1,900-acre Morrisania Manor, which Lewis Morris (1671-1746) inherited from his uncle in 1691, is now part of the Bronx.
Morris was appointed Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court (1715-1725) and Royal Governor of New Jersey (1738-1746). Morris's grandson, Lewis Morris (1726-1798), was named in his honor and maintained an equally important role in Colonial politics, also from his post as the third and last lord of Morrisania Manor.
The younger Morris was part of the Continental Congress and he was eventually a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He arrived in Philadelphia for the signing of the document slighly later than his fellow congressmen, due to his engagement that summer with George Washington in Long Island and Manhattan as Brigadier General of the Westchester County militia during the British seige of New York.
Morris was appointed Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court (1715-1725) and Royal Governor of New Jersey (1738-1746). Morris's grandson, Lewis Morris (1726-1798), was named in his honor and maintained an equally important role in Colonial politics, also from his post as the third and last lord of Morrisania Manor.
The younger Morris was part of the Continental Congress and he was eventually a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He arrived in Philadelphia for the signing of the document slighly later than his fellow congressmen, due to his engagement that summer with George Washington in Long Island and Manhattan as Brigadier General of the Westchester County militia during the British seige of New York.