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William F. Morse |
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Alice Lillian Blodgett |
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William
F. Morse (Hiram,
Mary) was born on May 17, 1850 in New
York to Hiram Morse, according to his Ottawa County, Michigan death
certificate, but census records indicate birth years of 1851, 1852, and 1853. He
married Alice Lillian Blodgett circa 1873 or 1874 UN14, UN15, and this marriage may have occurred on
June 4, 1873 in Greenville, Montcalm County, Michigan, but this has not yet
been verified. Both the Montcalm County Clerk and the Ionia County Clerk stated
that the marriage record of William Morse and Alice Blodgett was not logged in
their respective marriage books. At the time of the 1880 census, which
indicated that he was a laborer whose birth year was approximately 1853, he
stated that he was born in Pennsylvania, his father was born in Berlin, and his
mother was born in Ohio UN13. The death certificates for his daughter, Maud M. Long, and his
son, Myron, stated that he was born in New York MI21, but the death certificate for his daughter, Carrie Hershberger,
stated that he was born in Germany MI21.
His 1913 marriage record to Lydia Dietz Dunkellberger
stated that he was born about 1851 in New York to Hiram B. Morse and Mary Syers MI23.
He
may have been the William “Mouse” or “Monse” who was
enumerated in 1870 at age twenty in Georgetown, Ottawa County, Michigan in the
household of a farmer named Samuel Dolen or Doeen UN12.
The occupation of this particular William was
unlisted, but his name appeared at the end of a list of laborers UN12. Men with the Morse surname who lived in Ionia County, Michigan
in 1872 included Allen B. Morse, an attorney, Charles S.
and H.H. Morse, who were clerks, Lucius Morse, a joiner, and ten farmers:
Charles F., Darius J., Edwin, James H., Joseph, Joseph C., Leonard E., Myron,
Thomas J., and Walter W. Morse HI16. It
is unclear if any of these men were related to William F. Morse.
A
man named William F. Morse traveled south from Big Rapids, Michigan to Bryant,
Indiana with a married woman (Ella Barker, the wife of Byron or Riley Barker)
and her fourteen-year-old daughter in early January 1893 or late December 1892 BR24, HE12, PR13. This William F. Morse was
described as a Wesleyan minister BR24, HE12, PR13 and
an evangelist who had “held a series of revival meetings in Big Rapids” during
the spring of 1892 and who had a wife and “half a dozen small children in a
neighboring village” BR24.
While in Indiana, William and Ella attended a revival in Bryant and William
adopted the alias surname of “Myers” BR24, HE12,
and when he was located by Riley Barker, he was placed
into custody in the Portland, Indiana jail BR24, HE12, PR13.
While it is uncertain if this William F. Morse was the same man who was married
to Alice Blodgett, the similarities (occupation, location, name, number of
children) make it very unlikely that this was any other William F. Morse.
The
1900 census stated that he was born in May 1851 in New York to a father who was
born in Germany and a mother who was born in England, and he was a preacher who
had been married for twenty-seven years UN14. He was the
officiant in three of the marriage ceremonies of his children: he was called an
elder on the marriage record of his daughter, Maud M. Morse, in 1897, a “Minester” on the marriage record of his son, Myron Morse,
in 1904, and when his son, Fred W. Morse, married in 1921, William’s
denomination was recorded as “State Evangelist Church of God” MI8. In 1910 at the age
of fifty-eight, he told the census taker that he was a clergyman born in New
York to a father who was born in Germany and a mother who was born in the United
States UN15. In 1920, he stated that he was born in New
York, his mother was born in England, and his father was born in the United
States, but that was only after he first said his father was born in a
different location UN16. The original words were scratched out by
the enumerator and are illegible, but part of what was originally written may state “On… ocean” UN16.
In
1920 he was a farmer who was married to a woman
named Lydia UN16. This Lydia was probably Lydia Dunkelberger,
who married “Wm. F. Morse” in Kent County, Michigan between the years 1912 and
1913 KE17. The marriage record for “Wm F. Morse”
and Lydia Dietz Dunkellberger stated that “Wm F.
Morse” was sixty-two years old, was previously married, and was minister who
lived in Grand Rapids MI23.
It also stated that he was born in New York to parents Hiram B. Morse and Mary Syers MI23;
his age of sixty-two indicated a birth year of about 1851. William married
Lydia Dunkellberger on May 19, 1913 in Grand Rapids,
Kent County, Michigan in a ceremony officiated by Valentine Buxton and
witnessed by Mrs. Clyde Jeffery and Mrs. V. Buxton MI23.
According
to his Ottawa County death certificate, he died at age seventy-five at 10:30pm
on January 19, 1927 in
Georgetown, Ottawa County, Michigan of “valvular disease of the heart”.
Contributory factors to his death were dropsy, which is edema, and bronchitis.
He was buried in Elbridge Township Cemetery, Oceana County, Michigan on January
22, 1927.
·
1870 US Census: may have lived in Georgetown, Ottawa County,
Michigan.
·
1880 US Census: lived in Otisco, Ionia
County, Michigan.
·
1900 US Census: lived in Elbridge Township, Oceana County,
Michigan.
·
1910 US Census: lived in Elbridge Township, Oceana County,
Michigan.
·
1920
US Census: lived in Georgetown, Ottawa County, Michigan.
Alice
Lillian Blodgett (Alonzo, Sarah) was born on
September 27, 1858 in Michigan, according to her death certificate. The data
provided to the 1880 census enumerator concurred with this information, as it
indicated that she was born about 1858 in Michigan to parents who were born in
Ohio. The sworn Declaration for Pension,
given by her mother, Sarah Ann Blodgett, on October 20, 1864, stated that her
birthdate was September 27, and seemed to list the year as ‘60, but this year
was patently incorrect, for it stated “Alice L. Blodgette
7 yee...r [years] of age Sept 27 ‘60” FE1, yet if this were true, she would have been just four years old
in 1864. The abbreviated birth years for her siblings were incorrect as well,
and were written in a heavy hand overtop different,
faint writing, which could not be discerned FE1. The 1900 census clearly stated that she was born in
September 1848, but listed her age as 41, which would indicate that she was
born about 1859. Her full name, Alice Lillian Blodgett, was written on the 1912
marriage record for Hattie Alice Morse and “Emery Elmer Morrison” MI8.
Alice
was the mother of Frank Alonzo, Eva M., Maud May, Lula Belle, Myron Ben, Forrest
G., Hattie Alice, Carrie W., Fred William, and Inez R. Morse. Frank Alonzo Morse was born in 1874 MA53 (on December 22, 1874 MI5) in
Belding (Ionia County), Michigan to William Morse and Alice Blodgett MI5, MA53. He married Emma Woolager
(or Emelia Marie Wallager, who was born near Berlin,
Germany MA53) on May 8, 1895 in Belding, Ionia County, Michigan MI23, MA53, and he stated that he was born in
Ionia County MI23. Frank died at age
seventy-one on December 16, 1946 in Ludington, Mason County, Michigan MI5.
Eva M. Morse was born on December 1, 1877 but died because she
“burned to death” on August 29, 1878 in Otisco
Township, Ionia County, Michigan, at the age of almost nine months MI3. Maude M. (Morse) Long,
the daughter of William F. Morse and Alice Blodgett, was born on June 22, 1879 MI21. The 1880 US Census indicated that her middle name was “May” UN13. She married John H. Leathers on November 25, 1897 in Branch,
Mason County, Michigan in a ceremony officiated by William F. Morse MI23. Maude Leathers and Edward E. Long, both of Lansing, Ingham
County, Michigan, were married by J.H. Shafer, Justice of the Peace, on April
30, 1929 in Mason, Ingham County MI23.
She died at the age of fifty-nine from chronic myocarditis on December 4, 1938
in Bath Township, Clinton County, Michigan MI21.
Lula B. Morse was
born on December 30, 1881 in Otisco Township, Ionia
County, Michigan to William F. and Alice L. Morse IO2. She first married Floyd Marrison, the
son of John Marrison and Esther Pierce, on November
24, 1898 in Crystal, Mason County, Michigan MI23,
and later Lula Belle Marrison married Henry Bentley
on September 17, 1949 in Ingham County, Michigan MI23. She died at age sixty-eight on October 5, 1950 in Lansing,
Ingham County, Michigan MI21. Myron Ben Morse was born on July 12,
1884 US14. Myron, the son of William F. Morse and Alice “Blodget”,
married Etta Timmerman on March 30, 1904 in Georgetown, Ottawa County,
Michigan, and Myron’s father, William, performed the ceremony MI23. He died at age fifty-one from chronic lymphatic leukemia on July
2, 1935 at the University Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor,
Washtenaw County, Michigan MI21.
Forest G. Morse was
born on May 30, 1887 US14, MI20 in “Belveder”, Michigan US14
(probably in Belvidere Township, Montcalm County). Forest Morse, the son of
W.F. Morse and Alice Blodgett, and Lula A. McGhan,
both of Ludington, were married by Marion C. Bishop on May 9, 1909 in
Ludington, Mason County, Michigan MI23. Forrest
G. Morse died on January 14, 1974 in Belding, Ionia County, Michigan MI20. Hattie
Alice was born in Ionia, Ionia County, Michigan on May 1, 1890 HA26, although her birth record was not located in Volume D of the
Ionia County Births register.
Carrie (Morse) Hershberger,
the daughter of William F. Morse and Alice Blodgett, was born on November 11,
1892 MI21, and her middle name may have been Willetta HE15. Carrie W. Morse and William A. Hershberger, both of Elbridge,
Oceana County, were married by Robert R. Gale, Justice of the Peace, in Hart,
Oceana County, Michigan on March 27, 1910 MI23.
She died at age twenty-one from a subphrenic abscess which developed into
sepsis on May 7, 1914 MI21,
which indicates that she may have had an abdominal surgical operation prior to
her death.
Fred William Morse was
born on November 8, 1894 US14, US20 in
Mason County, Michigan US14, MI23.
Fred Morse, the son of William Morse and Alice Blodgett, and Helen Woodhead,
both of Custer, were married by William F. Morse on August 12, 1921 in Crystal,
Michigan MI23. He died on September 21, 1962 US20. Inez R. Morse was
born in October 1896 UN14. Inez
and Charles Berry, both of Hart,
Oceana County, Michigan, were married by Reverend N.F. Jenkins of the “ME”
Church in Hart, Michigan on January 2, 1914 MI23.
According to her Oceana County, Michigan death
certificate, Alice died at age fifty-four at 9:00pm on September 20, 1912 of
splenic leukemia, and she was buried at Elbridge Cemetery in Elbridge Township,
Michigan. Her obituary stated PE1:
Our
minister’s wife, Mrs. Wm. F. Morse, died Friday
evening, September 20, of cancer of the stomach. She leaves a husband, eight
children, and friends to mourn her loss. Funeral services were held Tuesday
afternoon in the Elbridge church, conducted by Elder C.S. Wright, and the remains
laid to rest in the Elbridge cemetery.
·
1870 US Census: lived in Otisco, Ionia
County, Michigan.
·
1880 US Census: lived in Otisco, Ionia
County, Michigan.
·
1900 US Census: lived in Elbridge Township, Oceana County,
Michigan.
·
1910 US Census: lived in Elbridge Township, Oceana County,
Michigan.