JOHN GOTTLIEB MORRIS (1803-1895):
FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE
HISTORY OF THE GERMANS IN MARYLAND
A merica went through a profound social,
economic, and cultural transformation
during the course of the nineteenth century.
The demands of nation-building brought to
the fore innovators and leaders of every variety.
Among these leaders, John Gottlieb Morris of
Baltimore played a major role in the arena of
cultural transition. Though little known today,
the Baltimore pastor and civic leader collabo-
rated intimately in changing the nature of
Lutheranism in America, creating several
major cultural institutions, including the Soci-
ety for the History of Germans in Maryland,
and materially aiding the rise of professional
science.
John G. Morris' long, productive life (1803-
1895) and diverse intellectual interests in-
volved him in numerous battles which con-
tributed to the shaping of American cultural
identity. From the relationship between geol-
ogy and biblical revelation to the need for
American leadership in American science, he
fought for principles that he believed ad-
vanced knowledge, culture, and morality.
Among Morris' achievements which had the
most long-term significance was his role in
founding and leading the Society for the His-
tory of Germans in Maryland. Though he be-
gan this venture late in life (in 1886 when he
was 82 years old), the Society has flourished for
109 years along the lines which Morris and his
colleagues laid out. To understand Morris' pio-
neering efforts in founding the Society, we
must first begin with a biographical sketch of
this strong-willed and determined man.
Biographical Sketch¹
John G. Morris, born in York, Pennsylvania
on 14 November 1803, was the last child and
third surviving son born to John Samuel Got-
tlieb Morris and Barbara Myers Morris. Morris'
father had come to America as a German im-
migrant to fight for the Revolution and later
settled in York as a successful physician. Mor-
ris' mother, Barbara Myers, was a native of Bal-
timore County, Maryland and a life-long
Lutheran, as was her husband. Though the el-
der Morris died when the boy was only five
years old, John Gottlieb received an excellent
education for his era, in large part because of
his father's substantial estate, and because of
the great interest his mother and oldest
brother, Charles, took in his development.
John Gottlieb's mother and his oldest
brother were the dominant influences of his
early years and long after. Charles Morris, who
served briefly as a Lutheran minister and
founded a successful pharmaceutical company
in York, was the young John Gottlieb's
guardian. Under Charles's direction, John Got-
tlieb studied at York Academy and attended
college, first at Princeton and then graduating
from Dickinson in 1823. Intellectually gifted,
with a strong aptitude for foreign languages,
Morris mastered German, Greek, Latin, He-
brew, and French. He loved books and plays
and read voraciously. In addition to his
intellectual skills, Morris' potential for success
was bolstered by his "companionable" nature, a
trait he later noted in his autobiography, Life
Reminiscences of an Old Lutheran Minister?
In deciding on a career, the twenty-year-old
graduate was strongly influenced by his family's
Lutheran roots, particularly by his mother's
piety and the ardent desire of Charles Morris
that he become a minister. But Morris' descrip-
tion in Life Reminiscences of his decision to go
into the ministry is a far cry from the intensely
emotional "conversion" experiences typical of
American Protestant evangelicalism in the
1820s:
The Lutheran church, Morris noted, "had
less than 300 ministers at that time, and her
sphere of activity was constantly enlarging,
whilst the ministry was not multiplying in pro-
portion. Providence had cast my lot within her
sphere, and I concluded that this was the field
for me to work in, and I entered .... The
church needed my services. I thought, and I
cheerfully offered them. I regarded her need
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John Gottlieb Morris
as equivalent to a call from her, and hence I
concluded it was the divine will."³
Morris' decision was rational, though un-
doubtedly sincere, and was marked by emo-
tional restraint and intellectual balance, quali-
ties which became hallmarks of his life and
career.
Because the Lutheran church did not have a
seminary, Morris' theological training was
eclectic and spotty, an experience typical for
many clergymen of the period. For two years,
he studied in New Market, Virginia with
Samuel Simon Schmucker, perhaps the best
educated Lutheran clergyman of the day. He
next studied briefly with the Moravians in
Pennsylvania and then spent seven months at
the Presbyterian church's Princeton Seminary.
He spent a brief time in the fall of 1826 at the
new Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettys-
burg before he received a call from a recently
organized, struggling church in Baltimore,
First English Lutheran Church.
Within a year after coming to Baltimore,
Morris married Eliza Hay, daughter of a promi-
nent York family. Devoted to his family, the
Morrises had ten children, of whom four
daughters survived to adulthood. Eliza Hay
Morris died in 1875 at the age of sixty-eight.
Referred to as the "Nestor" of progressive,
English-speaking Lutheranism in Baltimore,
Morris was primarily responsible for the trans-
formation of the church's image in the eyes of
Baltimoreans. In his thirty-three years of ser-
vice at First English (1827-1860), Morris in-
creased the congregation from a few dozen to
an average of 260 communicants. He helped
found two other English-speaking churches be-
fore the Civil War (Second and Third English).
In the decades after he left First English, Mor-
ris continued active parish work with part-time
calls to Third English and to St. Paul's in
Lutherville, which he had helped organize in
1856.
During his sixty-nine-year career as a clergy-
man, John G. Morris was elected president of
the Maryland Synod seven times and twice cho-
sen head of the first national Lutheran church
body, the General Synod. Morris also served al-
most fifty years on the governing boards of the
two Lutheran institutions at Gettysburg, the
Seminary and Pennsylvania College (today
known as Gettysburg College). He remained
closely identified with the cause of Lutheran
education throughout his career. Morris
played a prominent role in the "new measures"
controversy and in the bitter struggle over the
nature of "American Lutheranism," eventually
leading the moderate conservatives in the Gen-
eral Synod to victory over revivalists in the
confessional battle.
John G. Morris' civic and intellectual pur-
suits reflected his multi-faceted talents and in-
terests. An early member of the Maryland His-
torical Society, he established the Society's
library and extensive natural history collec-
tion. Morris served as the first librarian of
George Peabody's new philanthropic institute
in Baltimore and, within six years, he created a
25,000-volume research library which com-
bined the best European and American works.
With a personal library of over 300 volumes,
Morris kept apprised of the latest devel-
opments in German theology, science and cul-
ture. His wide-ranging intellect and curiosity
manifested themselves in the hundreds of
books, pamphlets and articles, which he wrote
on a number of topics. The topics included
Luther, the Reformation era, German
contributions to western civilization, Maryland
history, and that recurrent nineteenth-century
debate, science and religion.
Let us turn now to those activities of cultural
leadership which culminated in Morris' found-
ing of the Society for the History of the Ger-
mans in Maryland.
Culture's Builder
As urban life in America steadily developed
and expanded throughout the nineteenth cen-
tury, one major aspect of this maturation was
the establishment and growth of important cul-
tural and educational institutions. Throughout
the decades of his active church work, John G.
Morris carried out a significant role in local,
regional, and national cultural life. As a civic
leader, collector, and author, Morris became
intimately involved with educational institu-
tions (the Seminary and College at Gettys-
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John Gottlieb Morris
burg), historical societies (the Lutheran His-
torical Society, Maryland Historical Society, So-
ciety for the History of the Germans in Mary-
land), and research institutions (Peabody
Institute, Smithsonian Institution).
John G. Morris' avid interest in natural his-
tory, particularly in the entomological study of
butterflies, formed much of the basis of his
work at the Seminary and College at Gettys-
burg. Between 1844 and 1848, Morris taught at
the College as a part-time zoology instructor.
He worked to obtain the scientific apparatus
and specimens he needed for his lectures. He
wrote to Spencer F. Baird, his friend and, at
that time, professor of natural history at Dick-
inson College, about his efforts and the reason
for them. "I arrived here [Gettysburg] last
Monday," Morris informed Baird, "and have
ever since been laboriously engaged in arrang-
ing minerals, shells, and diversairia of the cabi-
net. . . . I lecture one hour each day in zoology
and have succeeded thus far in interesting the
youngsters very much."4
Morris' commitment to awakening student
interest in natural science never faltered. He
delivered numerous natural history lectures at
the College during the 1860s and 1870s, and
for over a quarter of a century, he gave the
Seminary students a yearly series of lectures on
"The Relations between Physical Science and
Revealed Religion."5 Morris' efforts to inte-
grate natural science into the curriculum of
the College and the Seminary reflected a na-
tional trend, which sought to make this branch
of science a basic component in the liberal arts
education provided by medium- and small-
sized colleges. Morris and other like-minded
educators hoped this would eventually stimu-
late interest in science throughout the nation.
In creating Pennsylvania College's natural his-
tory collection, John G. Morris devoted count-
less hours to acquiring and classifying numer-
ous specimens. Within a year of commencing
his efforts, Morris had acquired sixty-five bird
specimens, ninety-two reptiles, ninety-seven fish
and crustacea, 900 shells and 1100 insects.6
Working on the collection expanded his knowl-
edge of invertebrate animal anatomy and pro-
vided excellent illustrations for his lectures.
Morris' quest to understand the natural
world included creating his own sizable collec-
tion through gathering, purchasing and ex-
changing specimens. He collected shells, fish
and bird specimens, and many insects, particu-
larly his beloved butterflies (lepidoptera).
Morris attributed his stamina and good health
to "my frequent ramblings in the fields and
woods" in search of specimens.7 In addition to
his own efforts, Morris received substantial as-
sistance from another Lutheran clergyman
and scientist, John Bachman of Charleston,
South Carolina. When the General Synod met
at Charleston in April 1850, Bachman gave
Morris all his folio volumes of botanical speci-
mens.8 By the end of his life, Morris' collection
had grown to over 7,000 items . a rich source
of scientific knowledge.
Morris also led students from the College
and Seminary in forming the Linnaean Asso-
ciation, one of the first college natural history
societies in the country. Under Morris' leader-
ship, the Association enjoyed a decade and a
half of achievement before the Civil War dis-
rupted its activities.9 A major accomplishment
involved construction of a building on the Col-
lege's campus devoted to the study of natural
history. As Morris noted, the first such building
"conceived, designed, erected, and completed
through the agency of the students."10 Morris'
other achievements while directing the Associ-
ation included editing an outstanding journal,
The Literary Record and Journal, which provided
a forum for getting scientific articles before ed-
ucated segments of the American public; and
creating a collection of natural history speci-
mens, that Morris used in teaching and in fur-
thering his own understanding of comparative
anatomy.
Morris' election in 1851 to membership in
the Maryland Historical Society marked the be-
ginning of a long and fruitful relationship and
signified recognition of his position as a civic
leader. He held numerous positions and was
elected president in 1895. Morris spoke for
other men of his class when he expressed his
belief that the proper role of an historical soci-
ety was to "verify doubtful facts, develop and
record unwritten events, correct popular er-
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John Gottlieb Morris
rors, authenticate disputed dates . . . delineate
the character and deeds of illustrious men."11
Morris' principal service at the Maryland
Historical Society was to expand and improve
the Society's library and natural science collec-
tion. For decades, Morris and his colleagues on
the library committee worked assiduously to
increase the holdings through a merger with
the Library Company of Baltimore, purchases,
and donations. By 1885, the library had grown
to an impressive collection of over 20,000 vol-
umes and pamphlets.12 A valuable collection
open to the 500 members of the society and to
interested Baltimoreans in general.
While working to build the library, Morris
led the effort to create a natural history collec-
tion. He directed the Society's efforts to docu-
ment the state's flora and fauna by acquiring
animal, plant, and mineral specimens. Morris'
work aided scientists in studying the state's ge-
ologic history and exploring the interaction
between native plants and animals.
From the 1850's onward, John G. Morris be-
came involved with yet another emerging cul-
tural institution, the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C. In addition to periodic lec-
tures, Morris began publishing his major scien-
tific works through the Smithsonian. His most
valuable scientific publications, The Catalogue
of the Described Lepidoptera of North America and a
subsequent Synopsis describing lepidoptera ac-
tive during the daytime and twilight hours, re-
flected Morris' abiding fascination with butter-
flies and his keen sense of the need for
American scientists to study their country's
natural history. These two works, published by
the Smithsonian Institution in 1860 and 1862
respectively, show Morris' scholarly abilities at
their best. Morris supplemented information,
gleaned from studying and classifying his own
specimens and from research in European and
American reference works, with data his fellow
entomologists shared with him. From these
sources, he pulled together all the information
then known about species of the North Ameri-
can lepidoptera.
As Morris divided the order of lepidoptera
into its various families, genera and species, he
followed commonly accepted scientific classifi-
cation schemes in organizing his material,
carefully listed the authority for each item
under review, and noted any reference work
which described the item. The Catalogue and
the Synopsis listed several thousand species pre-
viously described in a myriad of sources, and
proved tremendously valuable reference tools."
Morris' peers in the scientific community ac-
claimed his compilations for their scholarly ac-
curacy and practical usefulness. A fellow pi-
oneer entomologist, William Henry Edwards,
believed that "this [Morris' works] gave a start to
American collectors and the work of describing
new species went on brisker. " Herbert Osborn,
professor of natural history and president of the
Entomological Society of America, recognized
the Catalogue as the only work of its era available
to American students. Osborn expressed his
debt to Morris when he wrote, "For many years
it was the only work by which I could attempt to
identify species after the few that were figured
or described in popular works were covered."-
Augustus R. Crote, a later expert on the lepi-
doptera, credited Morris' work with first ac-
quainting him with the principles of taxonomy."
These two works constituted John G. Morris'
greatest scientific achievement.
Over the many active years of his career,
John G. Morris received numerous marks of re-
spect for his work as a scientist. Chosen as a
founding member of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science in 1848, he
served for many years as the head of the Asso-
ciation's Entomology Section. Numerous sci-
entific societies in American and Europe hon-
ored him with election as a member. The most
prestigious included the American Philosophi-
cal Society, the Society of Natural History in
Nuremberg, Germany, the Society of Northern
Antiquarians in Stockholm, and the Royal His-
torical Society of London.
During the tumultuous Civil War period,
John G. Morris remained a staunch Union sup-
porter. During the difficult years of the 1860's,
he embarked on another venture, which he
hoped wound strengthen cultural bonds in the
city and state. In July 1860, he left his pastorate
at First English and became the first librarian
of the newly established Peabody Institute.
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John Gottlieb Morris
An avid supporter of George Peabody's
dream of creating a major cultural center in
Baltimore, Morris labored for years to build a
premier research collection. When the library
formally opened to the public in 1866, it had
over 25,000 books and thousands of pam-
phlets. Through his diligence and skill, Morris
ensured the success of a major component of
George Peabody's temple of culture. The li-
brary, operating in accordance with Morris' di-
rectives on cataloguing and preserving books,
was on its way to becoming a major research
facility.
In the decade following the Civil War, Morris
devoted much of his energy to two historical
societies which meant a great deal to him. As
an ardent Lutheran, who hoped to see the
badly divided church eventually reunite, John
G. Morris put great store in the power of his-
torical memory to serve as a unifying force. A
founding member of the Lutheran Historical
Society in 1843, he served as president from
1874 until his death in 1895.
With few resources at hand, Morris suc-
cessfully encouraged the many synods and na-
tional church bodies to send copies of minutes,
reports, and other church papers to Gettys-
burg for safekeeping by the Lutheran Histori-
cal Society. He scoured newspapers and jour-
nals looking for publications by Lutheran
ministers suitable for the Society's collection.
By 1895, the collection had grown to over
1,998 bound volumes (books, sermons, ad-
dresses, ecclesiastical document,) and 1,000
unbound pamphlets, manuscripts, and letter 17
With the assistance of his nephew, Seminary
professor Charles A. Hay, Morris had created
the best collection of Lutheran documentary
materials in America.
Founding of the Society for the History of the
Germans in Maryland
In the last decade of his life, the indefati-
gable John G. Morris' most notable venture re-
flected another of his life-long concerns. From
his beginnings in a German-American family
through his long involvement with the German
language issue in the Lutheran church, Morris
always cared about German acceptance into
American society. He tried to foster this by
showing German contributions to history in
general and American society in particular.
For example, Morris read a paper before the
Maryland Historical Society on the contri-
butions of the Nuremberg astronomer, Martin
Behaim, in the Age of Discovery. Morris' most
original historical piece was on "The Young
and German Luther," which appeared in the
Lutheran Quarterly. From the traditional Protes-
tant perspective, Morris saw Luther's work as
an act of Providence, a "predestinated" fact,
conceived and controlled by God. At the same
time, he showed an understanding of historical
causation and human psychology reflective of
new trends in historical scholarship by tracing
the political, intellectual, and religious dissatis-
faction widespread in Europe on the eve of the
Reformation. Morris understood the detesta-
tion sixteenth-century Germans felt for Italian
and papal control of the church. As historians
do today, he analyzed the patronizing attitude
of the Italians toward the Germans and the re-
sentment that resulted.18
In the article, Morris expressed an interest-
ing psychological perspective: "Most great
events in Church, state, literature, art and sci-
ence, etc., have been conceived and advanced
by young men." His point was that, if Luther
had been twenty years older, he might have re-
canted or at least not continued the fight;
breaking away from the heavy emotional in-
vestment of Luther's increasingly prominent
role in the Augustinian Order might have
caused him too much stress.19
To further the cause of integrating Germans
into American society, Morris did what had be-
come second nature to him, he began a new
cultural venture. On the evening of January 5,
1886, Morris helped create a vehicle to further
this cause. Meeting in the rooms of the Mary-
land Historical Society, Morris discussed with
other prominent Baltimore German-Ameri-
cans, such as Louis P. Hennighausen, Edward
F. Leyh, and Charles F. Raddak, the feasibility
of establishing a new historical society. After
some debate, the men decided to draft a
constitution for an organization "to collect and
preserve material for the history. . . of the Ger-
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John Gottlieb Morris
mans in the growth and development of the
American, Nation, especially in Maryland."20
A month later on February 16, twenty-three
men gathered, approved the draft constitution,
and elected John G. Morris as the first presi-
dent of the Society for the History of Germans
in Maryland. Despite his devotion to his Ger-
man heritage, Morris' primary identification as
an American came through when he success-
fully argued for recording the minutes of Soci-
ety meetings in English.21 Within a year, mem-
bership grew to seventy-two. Until his death,
the old scholar presided at the Society's nine
monthly meetings each year and "discharged
his duties faithfully."22
President Morris stimulated interest in the
Society through a stream of papers he read at
the monthly meetings. In one noteworthy pa-
per, on the Egyptologist Gustavus Seyffarth
Morris explained to members that the Society
also had a duty to "exhibit the career of Ger-
man individuals who have distinguished them-
selves in any department of human effort."
With obvious pride, Morris observed that he
had entertained the eminent scientist in his
home.23
As he did in all his scholarly ventures, Morris
prepared a compilation.this one a list of all
printed descriptions of America published by
German settlers and visitors prepared from
1673 onward. Morris also donated books on
German-American topics to build up the Soci-
ety's fledgling collection. In the years remain-
ing to him, Morris continued to use the Society
to build bridges with other Americans. In the
many papers he presented, Morris returned
over and over to the theme of German cultural
and patriotic contributions to the nation. He
made his points in biographical essays on the
Muhlenbergs, Conrad Weiser, and Baltimore
pastor John Ulhorn, among others. He ex-
plored for his listeners the treatment of black
slaves by Germans, the German experience in
Baltimore, along with translations of numerous
articles and essays.24
Evaluation
Active to within three weeks of his death on
October 10, 1895, John G. Morris was memo-
rialized for his "intense patriotism" and "love
of historical detail."25 Whether in secular or
religious arenas, he fought to raise the level of
public appreciation for American science,
American history, and the American experi-
ence in general. Essentially a man of the ante-
bellum era, Morris believed that gentlemen of
education and means had a responsibility to
combat social disorder and elevate the charac-
ter of public discourse.
John G. Morris, like others of his class,
sought to counteract the economic, social, and
political pressures tearing city, state, and na-
tion apart. Cultural institutions were the prin-
ciple vehicles in the struggle to achieve na-
tional identity and cohesiveness. What John G.
Morris built as a cultural leader endures. An
English-speaking Lutheranism rooted in Amer-
ica is a reality. The collections of the Maryland
Historical Society and the Peabody Institute
represent major steps in making knowledge
and culture more accessible to society at large.
The Society for the History of the Germans in
Maryland continues to recognize and honor
German cultural contributions to the nation.
John G. Morris shone in that tier of talented
and ambitious men who created the research
collections and built the scientific and histori-
cal societies. His life work contributed signifi-
cantly to the cultural journey of nineteenth-
century America and in no small measure
molded the era that followed. It was an endur-
ing legacy left by the first president of the
Society for the History of the Germans in
Maryland.
. Michael J. Kurtz
The National Archives
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John Gottlieb Morris
NOTES
1
Michael J. Kurtz, "Being a Renaissance Man in
Nineteenth Century Baltimore: John Gottlieb Morris,"
Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. 89 (Summer 1994): 156-
158; Michael J. Kurtz, "John G. Morris: The Scientist
Informed by Faith," Lutheran Theological Seminary Bulletin,
Vol.71 (Fall 1991): 51-52.
2
John G. Morris, Life Reminiscences of an Old Lutheran
Minister (Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society,
1896), 26, 28.
3
Morris, Life Reminiscences, 47.
4
John G. Morris to Spencer F. Baird, 18 July 1844,
Papers of John G. Morris, Lutheran Theological Seminary,
Gettysburg, PA.
5
Abdel Ross Wentz, History of Gettysburg Theological
Seminary, 1826-1926 (Philadelphia: United Lutheran
Publication House, 1926), 245.
6
John G. Morris, "Cabinet of the Linnaean Association,"
The Literary Record and Journal of the Linnaean Association of
Pennsylvania College, 1 (November 1844): 3-52.
7
Morris, Life Reminiscences, 166-167.
8
Raymond M. Host, 'John Bachman, Man of Faith, Man
of Science," Lutheran Quarterly 2 (Summer 1988): 218.
9
Charles H. Glatfelter, A Salutary Influence: Gettysburg
College, 1832-1985 (Gettysburg: Gettysburg College, 1987),
pp. 103-111.
10
John G. Morris, An Address Delivered Before the Linnaean
Association of Pennsylvania College, September 14, 1847
(Gettysburg: H. C. Neinstedt, 1847), 3.
11
Annual Reports of the Society for the History of the Germans
in Maryland, 1894-1896 (Baltimore: C. W. Schneidereith
and Sons, 1896), 4.
12
Annual Report of the Officers and Committees of the
Maryland Historical Society for 1884-1885 (Baltimore: John
Murphy and Company, 1885), 8-10.
13
John G. Morris, Catalogue of the Described Lepidoptera of
North America (Washington, B.C., Smithsonian Institution,
1860); John G. Morris, Synopsis of the Described Lepidoptera of
North American, Part 1: Diurnal and Crepuscular Lepidoptera
(Washington, DC, Smithsonian Institution, 1862).
14
"Entomological Reminiscences of William H.
Edwards," Journal of the New York Entomological Society, LIX
(June 1951): 135-136.
15
Herbert Osborn, Fragments of Entomological History,
Including Some Personal Recollections of Men and Events
(Columbus, OH: The Author, 1937), 167-168.
16
Arnold Mallis, American Entomologists (New
Brunswick,
NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1971), 304-308.
17
Proceedings of the General Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in the United States, 5-13June 1895, 203.
18
John G. Morris, "The Young and German Luther,"
Lutheran Quarterly (January 1882), 7-12.
19
Morris, "The Young and German Luther."
20
First Annual Report of the Secretary of the Society for the
History of the Germans in Maryland (Baltimore: Isaac
Friedenwald, Printer, 1887), 15.
21
Report of the Secretary, 16-17.
22
The Second Annual Report of the Secretary of the Society for
the History of the Germans in Maryland (Baltimore: Theo.
Kroh and Sons, Printers, 1888), 9.
23
The Third Annual Report of the Secretary of the Society for
the History of the Germans in Maryland (Baltimore: Theo.
Kroh and Sons, Printers, 1889), 17-20.
24
The Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Annual
Reports of the Secretary of the Society for the History of the
Germans in Maryland (Baltimore: C. W. Schneidereith and
Sons, 1891, 1893, 1896), 4, 3-4, 11-19.
25
Maryland Historical Society, Minutes of Society Meetings,
11 November 1895.
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