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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald 1960s ~
By H. W. Strawbridge

Harriet N. Morse

Editor’s Note – The subjects of all the past “Who Was Who” sketches have been men
For the first time the writer is having a lady of long ago as the subject of this sketch,
Namely Miss Harriet N. Morse, a spinster of Chapmanville.

Miss Harriet N. Morse was born Oct. 10, 1824, probably in Allegany County, N.Y. She was a daughter of Joseph and Rhoda Wilson Morse who moved with their family just east of Stone Springhouse Corners, Cherrytree Township, in the early years. Three of Harriet’s brothers were Horace Morse, Chester Morse and Brown Morse.
As a young lady Harriet was a school teacher. She was known to have taught in the Prospect school, which was built in Chapmanville in 1848 across the road from the present Methodist Church. An article of agreement was made on May 5, 1851, between Harriet Morse, teacher, and a number of subscribers. It provided that she teach a three-months term in the Prospect schoolhouse, Plum Township, for one dollar per week and free board. “And we, the Subscribers, agree to pay in proportion to the number of Scholars we each Sign, one-half in money when the School is out and the other half in grain, delivered at Nat’l Morse’s by the first of October next”. It was signed by Brown Morse 2, D. Klingensmith ˝, Stephen Morse 2, Nathaniel Morse 1, Benjamin Hoyt 1, Walter Gibson 1 ˝, Duane Pierce 1 ˝. At a later time Harriet got $15 a month teaching, and she continued taking part of her payment in grain.
In 1851 Harriet’s widowed mother, Mrs. Rhoda Morse, had acquired 7 acres from her son, Horace Morse. This piece of land was north of Chapmanville. Here Harriet and her mother lived several years. In July, 1865, the mother, being in failing health, assigned the title over to Harriet and she died four months later.
In 1866 Harriet sold this place to William McClelland for $400. It is now included in the W.H. Loker property. It is said that at the time Harriet had a beau. This fellow wished to borrow the money and she let him have it. The crooked fellow “skidooed”, and she never saw him or the money again.
Harriet then arranged to buy a half-acre lot in Chapmanville on the State road from Eli Holder for $250. She was four years paying for this place. There was a small building on it which Mr. Holder had used to run a store for a year. However, Harriet did not operate a store in it. She lived in this little house the rest of her life. A woodhouse was attached to the rear of the house. It stood between the present Loker Garage and Dale Proper house.
It was probably around 1870 that Harriet was troubled with dropsy, and was sick quite a while. A doctor from Wayland doctored her and she recovered from it.
At another time she had breaking-out spots on her neck which was then called “crofula”. They were similar to boils, but there were no cores in them. She recovered from this also.
Harriet helped to care for a relative, Mrs. Mary Pierce of Chapmanville. After Mrs. Pierce died, and in Harriet’s last years, she received as a reward a pension check each month from Mrs. Pierce’s sons, who were famous doctors in Buffalo, N.Y. The first check they sent to Harriet was for $50 on a Christmas. Then, they sent $25 a month to her. During some winters she stayed with the Pierces at Buffalo.
Three neighbor families who closely looked after her during her last days were the Ben Morse, Joseph W. Morse and Thomas Murray families. Mrs. May Morse, 80, of Chapmanville, recalls of her mother sending her over every four or five days with a pint of milk to give to Harriet. She also delivered pints of milk to Harriet’s next-door neighbor, Mrs. Massa Eakin. Harriet once gave a peony and a larkspur to Mrs. Morse. She still has the peony.
Harriet was average sized, perhaps a little heavy, but she was very stoop-shouldered. She walked with difficulty bent half-over forward. Many people knew her as “Aunt” Harriet Morse, and she was called as such. She was a neat and clean woman, but dressed plainly. She didn’t believe in frills and fanciness.
When Aunt Harriet’s cousin, Stephen Morse, lost his wife, Elizabeth, by death in 1880, Aunt Harriet stayed and kept house for the Stephen Morse family for some time. Stephen’s youngest son, Albert J. Morse, died in June, 1958, aged 90.
About 1873, Aunt Harriet joined the Chapmanville Methodist Church and remained a member until the spring of 1889, when she withdrew. She then became interested in a religious group which was known as the “Saints”, and who met in the Plum Advent Church building for some time to hold their meetings. It is said she adhered to this faith until her death.
On a day in the latter 1870’s or early 1880”s, Harriet had a visitor. He was Dorastus Guild, a widower of high esteem from Stone Springhouse Corners. The hale old gentleman walked from his home to Harriet’s, a distance of about five miles. The purpose of his visit was to ask Harriet if she would become his wife. What was said in their conversation we know not, but we do know that no wedding ever materialized.
Harriet raised lots of flowers. In fact she had rare and unusual flowers that other neighbors didn’t have. One particular flower was a round flower. After peeling off its green sides, the inside contained unusual shiny parts. She also raised tiny daisies, pink and white ones. They weren’t any larger than one’s thumb nail, and they grew only 2 or 3 inches high.
Aunt Harriet died at 7 o’clock, Tuesday morning, May 5, 1896. She was 71. The cause of her death was dropsy of the heart, the duration of her illness having been eight months. She also had a tumor on her neck. Dr. W.J. Richey attended her in her last illness.
Her funeral took place in the old Baptist Church which stood at the Chapmanville Cemetery. She was buried in the church cemetery. This old church burned down little more than a year later.
Joseph W. Morse, father of Mrs. Mary Eastwood of Chapmanville, was administrator of Harriet’s small estate. Her house was later torn down by the Murray family.

Transcribed by Paula Harry
dharry@pa.rr.com

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription of information from both early and late (current contributors) work.