The Morton family was closely associated with the growth of Presbyterianism in Charlotte and Cumberland counties. Foote’s references connect its members with the beginnings of the Briery congregation, the Cumberland and Cub Creek churches, Revolutionary service, Hampden-Sydney College, and the family of Rev. John Holt Rice.
The following account brings together the Morton family references scattered throughout William Henry Foote’s Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical, Second Series, arranging them by generation and family relationship.
The Briery Settlement
Foote introduces the Mortons during Rev. Samuel Davies’s early missionary travels. When Davies needed lodging in Charlotte County, James Morton rode ahead and brought him to the home of Littlejoe Morton, whose estate stood near the bridge over the Little Roanoke River.
Littlejoe initially viewed the Presbyterian “New Lights” with suspicion. Nevertheless, he and his wife received Davies hospitably. Their encounter with the preacher led to their conversion and helped prepare the way for the gathering of the Briery congregation.
Littlejoe was also an enterprising land agent. He managed interests belonging to the Randolph family and selected valuable tracts of land on their behalf. Foote does not identify Littlejoe’s wife or explain his relationship to the other Mortons named in the account.
Captain John Morton
Captain John Morton accompanied Samuel Davies on his first visit to Littlejoe Morton’s home. He became one of the earliest supporters of the Presbyterian cause and served throughout his life as a ruling elder of the church in Cumberland County.
Foote does not provide Captain John Morton’s parentage, marriage, children, or precise relationship to Littlejoe Morton.
Major James Morton of Willington
Major James Morton served as an officer during the Revolutionary War. His fellow soldiers called him “Solid Column,” a tribute to the firmness and courage he displayed in military service.
In civilian life, Major Morton resided at Willington and served as an elder of the Cumberland church. He was also treasurer of the Board of Trustees of Hampden-Sydney College, connecting the family with one of Virginia’s leading Presbyterian educational institutions.
Major Morton married Mary Smith, who was born in Hanover County in 1755. Her parents had been followers of Samuel Davies. Mary died on February 4, 1815.
Children of Major James and Mary Morton
Foote’s references by name or mention of six children of Major James Morton and Mary Smith.
Ann Smith Morton and Rev. John Holt Rice
Ann Smith Morton married Rev. John Holt Rice on July 9, 1802. Rice became one of the leading Presbyterian ministers and theological educators of his generation.
During Rice’s final illness in 1831, Ann’s brother, identified by Foote as Dr. Morton, attended him as his physician. Dr. Morton devised a hand-carriage in which Rice could be taken into the garden for fresh air.
Rice died in September 1831. When the funeral procession reached Willington, Major Morton collapsed under the shock of his son-in-law’s death. He lamented that he had expected Rice to be the glory and comfort of his old age and ultimately to bury him. Major Morton’s health failed, and he died soon afterward.
William Morton
William Morton appears in an anecdote from his childhood. When he was twelve years old, his upbringing was described as emphasizing strict respect for elderly people. He later became a ruling elder in the church.
Other Children
Foote also names Mary Morton, Johnny Morton, and Fisher Morton among the children of Major James and Mary Morton. The passages gathered here provide no further identifying information about them.
The physician called Dr. Morton, who cared for John Holt Rice, was another son of Major James and Mary Morton. Foote does not supply his given name in the account summarized here.
Colonel William Morton of Charlotte County
Colonel William Morton was a prominent ruling elder of Cub Creek Church in Charlotte County. Foote does not state whether he was closely related to Littlejoe Morton, Captain John Morton, or Major James Morton.
Colonel Morton’s daughter Nancy Morton married Rev. William Hill, D.D., in the fall of 1792. She subsequently accompanied her husband to Jefferson County.
Genealogical Notes
Foote’s references do not provide a continuous genealogy connecting every Morton named in this account. Littlejoe Morton, the James Morton who guided Samuel Davies to Littlejoe’s home, Captain John Morton, Major James Morton, and Colonel William Morton should not be assigned to a single household or generation without additional evidence.
The account does not establish that the James Morton associated with Samuel Davies’s early visit was the later Revolutionary officer Major James Morton. They have therefore been treated separately.
The name Littlejoe Morton has been retained as Foote presents it. Researchers should search contemporary land, tax, probate, and church records for spelling and naming variants that may identify him more fully.
Major James Morton and Mary Smith are specifically identified as the parents of Ann Smith Morton. Foote also associates William, Mary, Johnny, Fisher, and an unnamed physician called Dr. Morton with their household, but the passages summarized here do not provide complete birth, marriage, or death information for those children.
The Jefferson County to which Nancy Morton and Rev. William Hill relocated is not identified more precisely in the supplied account. Researchers should verify the jurisdiction and date before associating the couple with a particular modern state or county record set.
Source
This family genealogy was compiled from references appearing throughout William Henry Foote’s Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical. Foote’s scattered biographical, family, church, and settlement references have been brought together here and arranged by generation to make the genealogical relationships easier to follow.
Foote, William Henry. Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical. Second Series. Second edition, revised. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1856. Available online at AccessGenealogy, Sketches of Virginia: Historical and Biographical. Accessed 10 August 2026.