Revs. J. R. Morris, and wife, Mrs. Bessie C. Morris, being regularly ordained ministers in the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church presented their credentials of ordination, and upon their application, were duly received as members of this the Dallas-Bonham Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
[Source: Minutes of the Dallas-Bonham Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, March 6, 1908, page 140]

WOMAN MINISTER DIES

Rev. Mrs. Bessie Copeland Morris, 85, a member of East Texas Presbytery, died January 31 in her home in Fort Worth, Texas. She had been an active minister in the church for 60 years, having been ordained at the age of 20. She was one of the earliest women to be ordained as a minister in the church and faced severe opposition.

During her active life she served as an evangelist and also pastored churches. Her husband, the late John R. Morris, was also a Cumberland Presbyterian minister.

The funeral was held in Fort Worth with Rev. Brown C. Welch, of the St. Mark's church, officiating. Present for the service was a local Methodist minister, Rev. Warren Flynn, who attended because he was converted under Mrs. Morris' ministry at Petersburg, Tennessee.

She was the author of a book entitled "Shall a Woman Preach?" which sold more than 50,000 copies.

Survivors include two sons, three daughter, eleven grandchildren, one great-grandchild.
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, February 21, 1967, page 4]

1908
Ministers Received From Other Denominations - Mrs. B. C. Morris, Mar. 7, 1908.
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Dallas, Texas
Minister - Dallas-Bonham Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1908, pages 2b & 13b]

1909
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Whitney, Texas
Minister - Dallas-Bonham Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1909, page 12b]

1910
Morris, Bessie C. Hubbard, Texas
Minister - Corsicana Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1910, page 214]

1911
Morris, Bessie C., Hubbard City, Texas
Minister - Corsicana Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1911, page 209]

1912
Morris, B. C., Hubbard, Texas
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1912, page 247]

1913
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Hubbard, Texas
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1913, page 321]

1914
Morris, Mrs. Bessie, Beech Grove, Tenn.
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1914, page 267]

1915
Morris, Mrs. Bessie (in transitu), Petros, Tenn.
Minister - McMinnville Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1915, pages 227 & 236]

1916
Morris, Mrs. Bessie (in transitu), Petros, Tenn.
Minister - McMinnville Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1916, pages 245 & 256]

1917
Morris, Bessie C. (In transitu), Petros, Tenn.
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1917, pages 257 & 273]

1918
Morris, Bessie C., Petersburg, Tenn. (In transitu)
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1918, page 239]

1919
Morris, Bessie C., Petersburg, Tenn. (In transitu)
Minister - Corsicana-Waco Presbytery - Texas Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1919, page 237]

1920
Morris, Mrs. Bessie, Petersburg, Tenn.
Minister - Elk Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1920, page 320]

1921
Morris, Mrs. Bessie, Petersburg, Tenn.
Minister - Elk Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1921, page 320]

1922
Morris, Mrs. Bessie, Lewisburg, Tenn.
Minister - Elk Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Chapel Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Chapel Hill, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1922, pages 208 & 280]

1923
Morris, Mrs. Bessie, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
Minister - Elk Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Chapel Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Chapel Hill, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1923, pages 218 & 290]

1924
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Santa Fe Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Session clerk lived in Columbia, Tenn.)
Commissioner to General Assembly in Austin, Texas.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1924, pages 14, 194 & 269]

1925
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Santa Fe Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Session clerk lived in Columbia, Tenn.)
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1925, pages 166 & 242]

1926
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Santa Fe Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Session clerk lived in Columbia, Tenn.)
Pastor - Wanesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Waynesboro, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1926, pages 172 & 249]

1927
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Santa Fe Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Session clerk lived in Columbia, Tenn.)
Pastor - Savannah Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Savannah, Tenn.
Pastor - Wanesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Wanesboro, Tenn.
Commissioner to General Assembly in Lakeland, Florida.
Served on the Committee on Missions.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1927, pages 16, 19, 195 & 255]

1928
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Hohenwald Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Hohenwald, Tenn.
Pastor - Savannah Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Savannah, Tenn.
Pastor - Waynesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Waynesboro, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1928, pages 36a-37a & 25c]

1929
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Hohenwald Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Hohenwald, Tenn.
Pastor - Savannah Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Savannah, Tenn.
Pastor - Waynesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Waynesboro, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1929, pages 173, 174 & 231]

1930
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Hohenwald Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Hohenwald, Tenn.
Pastor - Waynesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Waynesboro, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1930, pages 182, 183 & 249]

1931
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Hohenwald Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Hohenwald, Tenn.
Pastor - Waynesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Waynesboro, Tenn.
Mrs. Bessie Copeland Morris - Commissioner to General Assembly in Evansville, Indiana.
Served on the Committee on Evangelism and Revivals.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1931, pages 19, 22, 166, 167 & 233]

1932
Morris, Mrs. Bessie C., Columbia, Tenn.
Minister - Richland Presbytery - Tennessee Synod
Pastor - Hohenwald Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Hohenwald, Tenn.
Pastor - Waynesboro Cumberland Presbyterian Church - Waynesboro, Tenn.
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1932, pages 153 & 199]

1933
To Be Continued

Morris, Bessie Copeland. Gospel Echoes. Louisville, Kentucky: Pentecostal Herald Print, no date. [2 copies in archives]

Morris, Bessie Copeland. How I Was Converted. Louisville, Kentucky: Pentecostal Herald Press, no date. [This is a 16 page pamphlet. We have a scanned copy only] 2 copies needed for archives (W(weW

Morris, Bessie Copeland. "The Keys of the Kingdom." In Centennial Sermons and Papers Delivered at the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Organization of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, compiled by R. L. Baskette, 151-174. Nashville, Tennessee: The Cumberland Press, 1911. [book in archives]

Morris, Bessie Copeland. Shall a Woman Preach? Nashville, Tennessee: The Cumberland Press, 1913. [2 copies in archives]

Morris, Bessie Copeland. Shall a Woman Preach? Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1925. [2 copies in archives]

Morris, Bessie Copeland. The White Rose, or Who Slew All These? Arlington, Texas: The Purity Journal Publishing Co., Publishers, 1907. [1 copy in archives]