Did you Know?
Like most stories of great significance, Samuel Morris' has collected its share of interesting facts as well as myths and speculations. The following are just a few items about Samuel Morris that you might find worthy of note:
Date of Birth
When interviewed by a Fort Wayne reporter, Samuel Morris could offer no date for his birth and could only estimate that he was 20 years old.
His Origins
On his deathbed, Morris gave a conflicting account of his own origins. Morris said he was stolen from an area near Guinea and taken to Liberia, where he was adopted by Kru chieftain. Whether the reporter was unable to understand him clearly or Morris was suffering from the onslaught of his illness is unknown.
His Favorite Bible Verse
According to Jorge O. Masa in The Angel in Ebony, "The 14th chapter of St. John, Sammy's favorite chapter in the Bible, is very suggestive of his Christian faith and life. On Sunday evening when the students in the dormitory would pay a visit to one another, Sammy's guests were always requested to read this chapter.
His Favorite Hymns
Many times when Morris would visit the homes of his friends in Fort Wayne, he would request the singing of Jesus is Mine and Behold the Bridegroom.
His Own Words
Little is left of Morris' own writings. However, a few quotes are known. These include:
"Bread is one thing, stone is another. I once saw a stone with gold in it and they told me it was worth more than a barrel of flour. But when I am hungry I cannot eat that stone, I must have bread. So my soul cannot be satisfied with anything but Jesus, the bread of life."
"Living a religious life is like eating meat. Some parts of the meat are lean and you like them very much. Some parts are fat and you do not like at all. But you must eat both lean and fat to be healthy and strong. So religion has its joys and crosses; you love joys but you draw back from crosses. However, you must take both of them to become strong, healthy Christian."
The Missing Window
One of the most interesting myths regarding Samuel Morris is the report given by an elderly church curator in Fort Wayne of a stained glass window depicting Morris. It is said to have been displayed in what is now First Wayne Street United Methodist prior to renovations done in the late 1950’s. Neither the window nor any information regarding its current whereabouts has been discovered.
Headstone
Following his death in 1893, Morris was buried beneath a small 16 inch headstone in a poorer section of Lindenwood cemetery. When Taylor's senior class of 1928 had his grave relocated and a new headstone dedicated the location of his first resting place was lost forever.