Bill to alter name of Laban Morris and sons John and William

Laban Morris of Craven County, NC is NOT the son of Thomas Morris & Rachel Platt!

Sara WhitfordDecember 27, 20241 comment

The whole purpose of this post is to explain who Laban Morris’s parents probably are (or at least his father) and to correct the record of who they DEFINITELY AREN’T.

They definitely aren’t Thomas Morris and Rachel Platt of Burbage, Wiltshire, England. That is incorrect information that was published in a Morris genealogy book by a distant family member close to 30 years ago. The book has a lot of good information in it, but the couple listed as Laban Morris’s parents are incorrect.

Where Did the Mistake Originate?

The misconception about Laban’s parentage seems to have started with a genealogy book published in the late ’90s. This book, while containing a great deal of valuable information about the Morris family, incorrectly identified Thomas Morris and Rachel Platt as Laban’s parents. The error was an understandable one, made at a time when access to detailed historical records and genetic testing was limited.

Early internet genealogy platforms boosted the error, with users copying and pasting the information into family trees over and over again. Unfortunately, the mistake has become widespread, making it for Laban Morris researchers to learn the truth.

DNA Evidence Points to Rowland Ledbetter

In recent years, DNA testing has provided conclusive evidence to correct this historical inaccuracy. Male descendants of Laban Morris have undergone Y-DNA testing, which traces direct paternal lineage. The results link Laban’s male descendants not to Thomas Morris but to the Ledbetter family, and zeroing in on Rowland Ledbetter, a Revolutionary War veteran.

Rowland was just 16 years old when he joined the war effort, traveling through parts of eastern North Carolina, including old Dobbs County, where Morris and Henby families lived. It is plausible that Rowland and a young Morris or Henby girl had a relationship during that short time, resulting in Laban’s birth, probably around March 1781.

Why Was Laban’s Name Legally Changed?

Adding to the complexity of Laban’s story is his legal name change in 1810. Before this, Laban was legally known as “Laban Henby” (or Henley), likely reflecting a stepfather’s surname. By 1810, Laban petitioned to change his name to Morris, a decision that probably aligned with his maternal lineage since we know he was never Legitimated by his Ledbetter father.

The timing of the name change may have been influenced by Craven County legal proceedings he was involved with. In early 1810, Laban appeared in court as a witness in a land dispute between John Chapman and Joel Walls. During the case, it’s possible that questions arose about his legal name, prompting him to make the change official. By the end of that year, his name, along with his two oldest sons, John and William, was formally changed to Morris by the North Carolina General Assembly.