Lewis Morris, the delegate of New York in the Continental Congress, was born on April 8, 1726 in Morrisania, New York. His parents were Lewis Morris and Tryntje Staats. His father was Chief Justice of New York and the governor of New Jersey in his lifetime. Lewis’s oldest noted ancestor is Richard Morris, who was an officer in Cromwell’s Army and later left England and moved to New York where he was granted several acres of land in Westchester County. After Richard passed away the land was left to Lewis Morris (senior). Then when his father died in 1762 Lewis (junior) inherited the land and became the Third Lord of The Manor of Morrisania. Lewis was homeschooled until he turned 16, at which time he attended Yale College, which he graduated from in 1746. He married his wife, Mary Walton, on September 24, 1749 with whom he had ten children; six sons and four daughters, Catherine Morris, Mary Morris, Colonel Lewis V. Morris, General Jacob Morris, Sarah Morris, Helena Magdalena Morris, James Morris, Captain Staats Morris, and Captain Richard Valentine Morris. He was known to be a simple, family man who enjoyed agriculture (which makes sense as to why he had to many …show more content…
Morris was then placed into a committee with General George Washington to supply colonies with ammunition and military stores. He was also given the job of convincing the western Indians to break their alliance with Britain and to re-align themselves with the American colonies. After he had accomplished his tasks with the military and preparations for war, Lewis took his seat in Congress as the head delegate of New York. When the Declaration of Independence was brought to the fore-front of peoples’ minds, the country was split. There were many patriots who were very gung-ho with the idea of separating from Britain, then there were others who were scared of what could happen should their efforts lead to failure. New York seemed to be the most unwilling of the colonies to agree to this