John Morse Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 289-290

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN MORSE. The story of the early settlement of any country is the 
most interesting portion of its history, and the lives of the pioneers 
of Beadle county will furnish the historian his most popular theme. 
Among those whose names will be found in the record of Dakota's pioneer 
days is the gentleman whose name heads this article, and who 
established his home in Altoona township, Beadle county, in time to 
witness the growth and settlement of this region. 

Mr. Morse was born in Canada, June 18, 1845, a son of William and Eliza 
(Evans) Morse, the former of Welsh and the latter of English lineage. 
When our subject was thirteen years of age he accompanied his father to 
Michigan, his mother having died eight years previous, and there 
obtained work in the mills of the region. Later he began sailing on the 
Great Lakes and for many years acted in the capacity of mate. He 
enlisted in Company E, Fifteenth Michigan Volunteers, in time to join 
the army before Atlanta, and accompanied Sherman's army on its 
victorious career. At Fort McAllister he was slightly wounded. His term 
of service was not so extended as some of the earlier volunteers, but 
it chanced that he was thrown into some of the hardest campaigning of 
the war, and saw more of the actual service than many of those who 
followed the fortunes of the war from its beginning. 

After being mustered out August 23, 1865, at Little Rock, he returned 
to the Lakes and began his former occupation of a sailor. In 1870 he 
retired to a farm in Michigan, and in 1880 made a trip to Dakota, and 
looked over the country from Huron to Redfield. He filed his claim, and 
returned to Michigan for the winter. In May of the following year he 
brought his goods and took up his residence on his land, thus becoming 
one of the earliest settlers of the region. He engaged in general 
farming and stock raising, and has made a complete success of his 
business. On his arrival he owned one span of horses, and had two 
hundred dollars in money, and after necessary expenditures it became a 
difficult matter to provide for wants as they arose. He helped to 
locate settlers at five dollars apiece, and also broke their land for 
them. He soon began to prosper and now owns a half section of excellent 
land, thirty head of good stock, and has a comfortable residence and 
convenient buildings for his stock and grain. 

Mr. Morse was married in 1868 to Miss M. Amand Comer, a native of 
Michigan, and to this union. one child. was born,- Olive, now Mrs. H. 
H. Haskins, of Beadle county. Mr. Morse is an adherent of the Populist 
faith, favors equal suffrage, and advocates state control of the liquor 
traffic. He has always taken an intelligent and commendable interest in 
local political affairs, and has come to be a man of strong influence 
for the better interests of his community. He is a member of the 
township board, and township treasurer, and the people have every 
confidence in his integrity and ability in the proper administration of 
any public responsibilities that may be entrusted to him.