RICHARD MORSE
Richard Morse was born July 10, 1837 at Llanelly, Carmarthenshire,
Wales, the son of William Morse and Mary Thomas. Richard
married Maria Jones October 11, 1856 at Merthyr
Tydfil, South Wales. She was the daughter of William and Martha Jones.
At the age of Twenty-six
Richard Morse and his wife and two daughters, Mary Ann and Margaret, came to America. They sailed from London June 4, 1863 on the Amazon.
Richard and family remained in Pennsylvania where he worked a short time to earn money to
continue the journey. They went to Logan, then in the spring of 1869
he was called by the President of the Church to help make a settlement in Samaria, Idaho. Other families were there before them.
Richard took up land for
farming, also a town lot of about two and a half or three acres. At first they
lived in a log house. Then he built a six room brick home plus a frame summer kitchen. His
family consisted of six daughters: Mary Ann, Margaret, Rebecca, Jane, Maria and
Sarah. Two children, Martha and William, died when infants.
Richard was the first
Sunday School superintendent of Samaria. He was High Councilman of Malad
Stake, county commissioner, and chairman of the town council. He owned a
general store next to his home.
He must have been a very
intelligent person, had high ideals, read good books and loved music. He had an
organ, then later sent East for a piano, the first one
in Malad Valley. Also his clothes were of the best quality.
He served a mission to Great Britain between 1887-9. He spent his time in Wales and enjoyed seeing again his two sisters and his
other relatives.
The large pictures on his
living room walls showed he liked art. I
was told that he loved to sing and sang with his soul in it. His home was where
the apostles stayed overnight when they came to Samaria to hold conference.
In the fall and winter he
did a lot of freighting with his wagon and team of horses. On one such trip to
towns south he did not return home for several months as was his custom he
drove into his lot singing. He had taken ill with a high fever in some town and
had been nursed back to health by an acquaintance and his wife. He died 11 November
1901.
- Viola C. Reese, wife of
Richard M. Reese
