When the trees were small and streetcars ran on Madison Street, D.C. and Elizabeth Morris lived here.

Old News

From the 3rd floor
of the Webb City Public Library

D.C. and Elizabeth Morris

Webb City Area Genealogical Society
August 3, 2022

Receiving two photos of a house that was formerly at 813 S. Madison St. made us curious about the couple who lived there.

David Calvin Morris was born on Sept. 21, 1875, in Illinois. He married Mary Elizabeth Anderson on May 5, 1897, in Bates County, Missouri and moved to Webb City in 1902.

According to the 1910 Webb City census, D. C. and Elizabeth were living at 726 Washington St., and he was working as a claims agent for the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company.

His 1917-1918 World War I draft registration card lists their home address as 813 S. Madison Ave.

The 1938 city directory notes that D. C. and Mary are still living at this address but D. C. is now retired and drawing his old age pension. He went back to work at some point as the 1940 census lists his occupation as assistant collector of state sales tax.

Mary Elizabeth was born on Aug. 24, 1875, in Greene County, Missouri. She was a graduate of Park College and a graduate pharmacist. She was a member of the Webb chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and the White Shrine, Order of the Beauceant. Elizabeth died on April 19, 1946, of injuries received from a fall at her neighbor’s house at 809 S. Madison St.

D. C. remarried after Elizabeth’s death and moved to California for a few years. He died in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 1957. D. C. and Elizabeth are both buried at Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery in Joplin.

Sentinel bound volumes are now in the Genealogy Room

The WCAGS has accepted ownership of the complete collection of bound volumes of the Webb City Sentinel, from 1983 (after the fire) until the final issue on Dec. 30, 2020.

Those issues can also be viewed on microfilm, along with much older issues.

Webb City Area Genealogical Society

WCAGS members staff the Genealogy Room on the third floor of the Webb City Public Library. Current hours are noon to 4 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in the Genealogy Room.

Everything you want to know about Jasper County Missouri Schools is available at a site compiled by Webb City Area Genealogical Society member Kathy Sidenstricker.