My Genealogy Hound

SULLIVAN H. MORSE, a prominent farmer of Cass County, and an early settler of Calvin Township, was born near Reading, Vt., January 19, 1814, and was next to the youngest in a family of eleven children born to Asa and Anna (Bowman) Morse. His father was the third in order of birth among six children comprising the family of Samuel Morse, and was born at Holden, Vt., October 19, 1772. The Morse family was first represented in America by three brothers, who emigrated from England in Colonial times, one of whom settled in Rhode Island, one in Connecticut and the third in Massachusetts. From these brothers sprang the innumerable representatives of the family now in the United States. Aside from these brief facts, however, the writer has but little information upon which to base the early family history.

Asa Morse, father of our subject, married when he was scarcely eighteen years of age, his bride being Miss Anna Bowman, who was born in Vermont (presumably near Holden) December 16, 1774, and was but little more than sixteen when she married. The information relative to her family is very limited. They were of English extraction and an old New England family. In the early part of 1816 Asa Morse, with his family, which then consisted of his wife and ten children, left Vermont and settled near Ft. Ann, in the State of New York. The father was a man of very limited means and of a roving disposition. At one time we find him with his family at Ft. Edwards, later near Saratoga Springs, and afterward in central New York, where he died in 1832 His wife, who died January 18, 1866, was a noble Christian woman and a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church. One of the brothers of Asa above mentioned, tradition tells us, was possessed with witchcraft and for years was the terror of the part of the country in which he lived.

The brothers and sisters of our subject were as follows: Asa, Jr., was born November 23, 1792, married there, became the father of two children (one of whom is living in Vermont and the other in Wisconsin), and after passing his entire life in the Green Mountain State, there died. Nathan, who was born May 5, 1794, came West, settling in Cass County, Mich., where he died about 1873. He had a family of four daughters and one son. Betsy L., who was born June 10, 1796, died when a young lady. Enos B., who was born August 22, 1798, came to Michigan, where he died, leaving three children. Nancy A., who was born February 7, 1801, married a man named Jackson and died leaving one daughter. Arathusa, whose birth occurred May 21, 1804, married Almon Carr, of Massachusetts, and was the mother of twelve children, all of whom are living. Her eldest son, E. T. Carr, is a prominent architect at Topeka, Kan., and made the plans for the State Capitol at that place. Emeline R., who was born May 5, 1806, married Dr. Thompson, son of the founder of the Thompsonian Institute. She died leaving two children. Erastus Z., who was born July 27, 1809, came to Michigan and died in Union, leaving two children. Sidney L., whose birth occurred May 9, 1812, was of a roving disposition, and at his death left one child. Sullivan H., the subject of this sketch, was born January 19, 1814. Horace H., born May 17, 1816, was a prominent merchant in New York State, and died there, leaving one child.

Of this large family all have gone to their final reward except the subject of this sketch and his sister Arathusa. He had but limited advantages for acquiring an education in his boyhood days. His father, as stated above, was a man of roving disposition, who had but small means, and in fact thought that an education was of but little account. Sullivan, however, thought differently and he ran away from home, barefoot, to go to school, and by making good use of his time obtained a good education and was said to be one of the best spellers in his part of the country. After he was twenty-one, having saved up a little money, he hired a private teacher to instruct him, and thus his education was completed. He started out in life as a carpenter and joiner, and followed that occupation most of the time for forty years

November 10, 1839, Mr. Morse married Mary Ann Steves, the eldest of four daughters of Enoch and Christina (Pulver) Steves, who were of German extraction. By this marriage was born a large family of children: Phoebe Ann, died February 7, 1841. Albert Maning married Emma, daughter of J. V. Shepard, and they have three children; he makes his home on a farm in Mason Township. William Evert married Flora Woods, by whom he is the father of four children; he is a farmer in Jefferson Township. Charles Henry married Minerva Strong and they with their four sons reside on a farm in Cass County. Rollin Eugene married Louisa Amsden and is a merchant at Dowagiac. Alvina Florence is deceased. Watson Wilford died March 2, 1858. Harriet Melina married Perry Reams and lives in Wayne Township, Cass County.

In 1860 Mr. Morse came to Michigan and bought a part of the farm where he now lives. He has cleared more than one hundred acres with his own hands and now has one of the best farms in Calvin Township. April 18, 1875, his wife and the mother of his children died. For his second wife he married Marietta Steveson, on the 10th of October, 1877. She died October 25, 1888, leaving no children. Since that time Mr. Morse has lived practically retired, doing little more than look after his extensive interests. He has spent considerable time in travel and has taken several trips East. In politics, he has been a lifelong Democrat and has held some of the offices in the township, yet has never aspired to office. He is now (1893) nearly four-score years of age, hale and hearty, and is spending his declining years in a quiet way in his pleasant home surrounded by the comforts of life.