Frank Morse and Sons

 

Frank D. Morse was president of the Drummond State Bank and served as the republican sheriff of Granite county from 1910 through 1912. Frank’s undersheriff was Sam B. Clark. Frank was elected Constable of the Drummond Township in November 1900 (Philipsburg Mail, November 1, 1900). He was also a deputy sheriff from 1898 through 1902 and 1906 through 1910. He died of a probable blood clot in the heart at his residence near Drummond on November 1, 1922. 

Born in Bradley, Maine on November 7, 1855, Frank came to Montana at the age of 22 and located in Philipsburg. At that time he was engaged in the lumber business. Next he re-located to Elk City and ran a general store for the company of Morse and Brogan. He next mined in Bear Gulch and then located on a 160 acre homestead near Drummond. During the years he added to the acreage for a total of 1600 acres in hay and grain, with many head of stock. The ranch was considered one of the most valuable in the lower valley. 

Frank was married May 5, 1883 at New Chicago to Miss Julia Gasper. He is not listed as a registered voter in November 1912. They had two sons: Verdine B. and Frank M. Both were married and involved in the mercantile business in Hall at the time of their fathers death. Other survivors besides his wife were a sister Mrs. James Rodgers in Helena and two brothers Melvin Morse of Bangor, Maine and George W. Morse of Park City, Utah (not to be confused with Colonel George W. Morse of the Drummond area.) The funeral was held from the ranch home to the Methodist Church in Drummond with Rev. Allan Haldeman conducting the service. He was assisted by Rev. T.H. Parker of Three Forks. Burial was in the Valley cemetery and no pall bearers were listed in the obituary. Frank was a member of the Macabee Lodge in Drummond and a past commander of that society. 

A.A. Peters bought the business owned by the Morse Brothers (The Hall Mercantile) in January 1920 according to the January 9th Mail (But the Morse brothers continued to operate the store.) The Granite County Commissioner minutes in January 1932 noted payments to the “Morse Brothers of $54.34 for supplies” bought by six different persons conducting business for the county. 

The Morse brother’s General Store in Hall was broken into on the 24th or early on the 25th of June, 1924 and a large amount of merchandise was stolen. The robbery was discovered by Frank when he went to open up the store on the morning of the 25th. An inventory of stock showed the robbery consisted of several pocket watches, three pair of shoes, and other small articles. The cash register was opened but they found only pennies. 

I found frequent references about Julia Morse in the papers such as when she returned to Drummond from Missoula May 26, 1927 after being a patient in the Missoula hospital for several weeks. The September 27, 1929 Mail noted that Verdine Morse, Donald Morse, Nevin Morse, Russell Willsey and Robert Miles were visitors in Deer Lodge on Wednesday evening to attend the Deer Lodge chapter of De Molay. 

The December 17, 1949 Deer Lodge News carried the death notice of Julia S. Gasper Morse. She died at her Drummond home. The death notice and headstone are in disagreement on her death date. The newspaper printed on the 23rd states she died on the 17th of December, 1949; the headstone states December 18th. Born May 8, 1861 at Surrey, Hancock county, Maine, Julia was the youngest of 7 children. At the age of 16 she traveled by stagecoach to California to live with her sister Mrs. Rodney F. Phillips. Several years later Julia came to New Chicago to live with her sister Rozenia McPhail. As stated above she married Frank on May 5, 1883. The wedding service was performed at New Chicago by Rev. W.A. Shannon a Deer Lodge pastor. The newlyweds settled on the ranch east of Drummond where they lived for more than 40 years. The remainder of her life Julia lived in Drummond. Julia’s funeral was held at the Methodist Church in Drummond with Rev. Warren Pardun performing the service. Internment was in the Valley cemetery. Survivors were: sons: Verdine B. Morse and his wife of Drummond and Frank M. Morse and wife of Hall; Grandchildren: Donald V. Morse of Wenatchee, Washington, Nevin B. Morse of Drummond, Julia Irene Smith of Long Beach, California, Fern Olson of Missoula, Edith Barker and Phyllis Steck of Helena, Flora Jean Olsson of Hall, Frances Paddock of Victor, Muriel Chartier of Missoula, Revel and Dalton Morse of Drummond; sixteen great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. 

The 12year old son of Frank and Annabelle McDonald Morse drowned August 26, 1929 in Flint Creek near Hall. Carroll was swimming with friends on the Nelson ranch and as they were getting dressed to return home a Nelson let out a cry for help. Carroll was tying his shoe when the distressed call came and without thinking ran into the water fully clothed to save his friend. Carroll saved his friend and dragged him to the creeks edge where others helped Nelson out of the water. Carrol fell back into the current and went under in an area about 7 feet deep. The friends ran for help and Carroll was found about 30 minutes later. The coroner thought the youngster may have died from heart exhaustion due to the cold water and strenuous exertion, rather than drowning. The funeral was held at the Methodist Church in Hall with internment in the Valley cemetery. Rev. Miss Nellie Phillips officiated. Pallbearers were: Russell Lyon, Fred McRae, Ted Hughes, Glenn Robbins, Robert Miles and Russell Willsey. 

The accident notice and another news article announcing a Hero Award are in conflict as to the name of the distressed swimmer. One gives his name as Fred and the other states Carl Nelson Junior. The family had children by both names, but Frankie (Morse) Fickler states that Fred was the Nelson saved. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced on November 1st that a posthumous award of a bronze medal was given to Carroll for saving his friend and that the medal would be mailed to his father Frank M. Morse at Hall, Montana in Granite County, according to the Popular Standard, November 20, 1930. 

Frank and Julia’s son Verdine Morse died on May 31, 1953 at the age of 68 and was buried in the Valley cemetery. He was listed as a registered voter on November 1, 1912 with the address of: Section 10, Township 10, range 12 W. 

Dalton Morse was the youngest of five children born to Verdine and Wanda Morse. He served in the Army Air Corp during World War II and returned to the Drummond ranch after his discharge. He married Pearl Farman in 1956. Dalton was a fire fighter with the Blackfoot Forest Protective association and worked for many of the local ranchers. When he died on November 13, 2009 at the Granite County Memorial Hospital, Dalton was the last survivor of his siblings: Verdine Edwin, Reul L, Muriel (Chartier) and Francis (Paddock). Wanda also preceded Dalton in death. Memorial services were held at the Drummond Community Hall on January 12, 2010. 

Verdine’s brother Frank and sister-in-law Annabelle McDonald Morse celebrated their fiftieth anniversary with an open house at their home in Hall in June of 1958. All seven of their children and families were present at the celebration. As noted in an earlier story, Annabelle’s mother and father Anna and Jonas McDonald were killed in a train wreck near Caldwell, Idaho on July 31, 1909, while enroute to the Seattle World’s Fair. 

Frank M. Morse died in a Missoula hospital on May 26, 1965. He was born on his parent’s (Frank and Julia Morse) ranch east of Drummond on October 6, 1886. After attending schools in Drummond Frank became the postmaster at Hall from 1913 to 1956. Frank was listed as a registered voter on November 1, 1912 with the address of Drummond. He also operated a mercantile business in Hall during the same period. Frank was a past master of Ruby Lodge A.F. & A. M. and past patron of Margaret Cummings Chapter of OES. Frank was survived by his widow and seven children: Donald V. of Wenatchee, Washington, Nevin W. of Drummond, Julia Smith, Edith Barker and Phyllis Steck all of Helena, Fern Olson of Missoula and Flora Jean Ollson of Hall and their families which included 15 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Twelve year old son Carroll preceded him in death. After a service in the Hall Methodist Church with Rev. Robert Lamphere officiating internment was in the Valley cemetery. Pallbearers were: Archie Henderson, Wilford Johnson, Robert Fischer, Robert Conn, Jack Nelson and Tim Hanifen. 

Annabelle Morse was born on April 24, 1887 in Gravenhurst Ontario, Canada to J.D. and Anna McDonald. At an early age the family moved from Canada to Bonita, Montana then moved to Drummond in 1900. She married Frank on June 8, 1908 and from 1913 until her death except for five years (1920-1925) she and Frank lived in Hall. Annabelle died at the age of 96 on October 23, 1983 at the Granite County Nursing Home. Survivors were 6 of her 8 children and their families. She was preceded in death by son Carroll (1929), daughter Edith (1979) and Frank (1965). Burial services were performed at the Hall Methodist Church with internment in the family plot at valley cemetery. 

Frank and Annabelle’s daughter Fern Elizabeth Morse Olson died May 25, 2008 in Polson, Montana at the age of 82. She was buried in the Sunset Memorial cemetery in Missoula. 

 It looks like the Morse Mercantile Store was operated by the Morse family until 1956. I have failed to find anything about the new operators at this time.

McPhails: Prominent Citizen's of New Chicago

Headlines in the April 29, 1910 Mail were: “FIRE IN THE VALLEY; The McPhail Hotel at New Chicago is burned to the ground.” The property owned by Archie and Mary Ann McPhail burned Wednesday evening April 27. The fire was discovered about 8:30 p.m. in the second story of the building. Neighbors quickly gathered to assist and about 35 people worked for several hours. Some formed bucket brigades and others removed as much of the belongings as they could before the roof caved in. The only water available was 50 feet from the house. The barn and other nearby buildings were saved. A few days before the fire an irrigation ditch that ran near the house had been closed off to let the area dry so it could be cleaned out. The cause of the fire was believed to be from a chimney. The building was erected 29 years before the fire after the previous hotel on the same spot had burned down. (This would make the hotel’s original start date prior to 1881.) 

The previous fire occurred in the dead of winter and the temperature was 20 degrees below zero. Archie rebuilt the hotel the next spring as it was a welcome place for the weary traveler on their way to “Old Bear.” 

Archie’s son, R. D. McPhail, assistant cashier at the Drummond State Bank married Miss Grace Hanifen of Garnet during the week of September 20th stated the September 27, 1912 Philipsburg Mail. The ceremony was performed in Butte at the Catholic Church with Rev. Father McCormick performing the ceremony. The attendants were Mr. and Mrs. Noel McPhail. The bride’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. H.T. Hanifen. The couple set up housekeeping in Drummond. 

 Archie A. McPhail died April 6, 1928 at his son Noel McPhail’s home in Los Angeles. Born in Canada on August 31, 1838, to Archie and Christie (McIntosh) McPhail, he came to the United States as a young man. Archie arrived in Montana by way of Pike’s Peak in Colorado and traveled from Fort Bridger to Bannock where he arrived on September 20, 1862. I have been unable to determine if he was the same person referred to as D. A. “Archie” McPhail, married to Matilda Schnepel Wenandy McPhail when she died June 8, 1888. I also found references to Archie McPhail having problems with A.H. Porter in 1893 and that Archie had married one of Porter’s sisters in 1890. 

 Archie’s wife, Mary Ann died in 1923 and a year later he moved to his son’s home in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he had always lived on a ranch near New Chicago that was settled in the 1860’s. He did some mining, but the majority of his efforts were in ranching and raising stock. The Society of Montana Pioneers (1899), stated that his occupations was a miner and stock raiser. The funeral was held in Drummond with internment at the Valley cemetery. 

Allen McPhail “…the oldest citizen of Granite county” died January 23, 1930 at his ranch home near New Chicago at the age of 94. Born at Harrison’s Corners, Ontario, Canada August 3, 1836, Allen went to the gold fields in Colorado as a young man. After living in Denver for two years he moved to Oregon and then Boise, Idaho. In 1865, Allen came to Montana and settled in the Flint Creek valley where he had lived continuously for the past 65 years. When he first settled in Montana, Allen engaged in placer mining activities. Then in 1871 he settled a homestead near New Chicago and engaged in ranching. He married Rozenia Gasper in 1879. Allen was an active member of the Society of Montana Pioneers and had a very nice eulogy written in the paper by “Sandbar” Brown’s son James: …Civilization for one brief moment was halted last week while Time recorded the fact that a peaceful man’s work had been completed. In the interval every beating heart in the little community wailed. Stand Aside! while a monument to a man was being moulded to remain forever in memory! Thus as the warrior used the moment for his trumpet, the peaceful man uses the human heart. Here, then, is his place in the sun, and Death perpetuates it. Internment was at the Valley cemetery. Survivors were; wife Rozenia, son Emery McPhail of Three Forks; Daughters: Miss Nettie McPhail a teacher in Missoula, Mrs. J.R. (Annie) Enman of Hall and Mrs. (Christie) Nakken of Drummond; one brother Chris McPhail of Harrison’s Corner, Ontario and three grandchildren. 

 Rozenia Gasper McPhail died on October 2, 1932 at the family ranch at the age of 86.

One Man Dead Another Hospitalized

 Following is the story the July 15th 1938 Philipsburg Mail headlined: Huebeck Dead, Deputy Sheriff Wounded in Shooting. This is a synopsis of the article: “One man dead and another in the Northern Pacific Hospital in Missoula seriously wounded Tuesday morning as the result of a shooting affray on an upper Willow Creek ranch 18 miles west of here. The dead man is John Heubeck a “hermit” rancher, who committed suicide by hanging himself on a rafter in the attic of his ranch home after wounding Fred Superneau, Granite County Undersheriff, four times, and later engaging in a gun battle with Angus McDonald, Granite County Sheriff. Superneau was wounded when he went to Heubeck’s ranch Tuesday morning to arrest Heubeck on a warrant signed by F.F. Redman, Forest Ranger, charging Heubeck with burning brush without a permit.” Fred knew Heubeck as his ranch was below the Luthje ranch and Fred was married to Anna Luthje, so when he presented John with the warrant and told him he needed to go with him to town, thought nothing about letting John go change his clothes. John came out of the bedroom with a pair of overalls draped over his arm which concealed a short-nosed 38 calibre revolver. John fired four shots at Fred with one creasing his “rib just under the heart, another passed through his right wrist, another his left arm and the fourth lodged in the upper right leg.” Hans Luthje heard the shooting and came to Fred’s aid, rushing him to Dr Knight’s Hospital in Philipsburg and he was then taken to Missoula. Hans notified Sheriff McDonald who notified the Silver Bow Sheriff asking for gas guns and headed for the scene. Butte Undersheriff Joe Boric and Deputy Carruther’s responded bringing the gas guns. When McDonald arrived at the ranch Heubeck fired at him and when he ran from the barn to the house was fired on a second time. McDonald then broke out a window in the house and hearing no shots peered inside to see Heubeck’s feet disappearing into the attic. After calling for the man to come out of the attic, McDonald pushed open the trap door and Heubeck fired again. He had already put the rope noose around his neck. McDonald returned fire with three shots: two going high and one hitting Heubeck in the cheek and then realized the rope had been tied to the rafter as Heubeck fell. 

Heubeck had lived on the ranch for 30 years and was survived by a brother in California. Fred’s wounds healed quickly and he returned to his undersheriff position. Fred was the son of William F. and Bertha Superneau who had moved to Philipsburg from Illinois prior to 1899. The 1910 Federal census show’s the family living in the Roslind district with Maynie, age 9, William Frederick age 7, Richard age 5, Laurence age 2 and Clarice an infant. Their son George died as an Infant in 1899. Fred married Anna Luthje at the age of 29 on March 9, 1927 and they had two daughters: Mildred died at the age of 17 January 1, 1949 and Shirley “Shammie” married Herbert Abbey. Fred worked as a Mill Man and was undersheriff for his brother-in-law Gus McDonald. When Gus went to fight in WWII his wife (Fred’s sister) Clarice was given the position of Sheriff with Fred remaining as undersheriff, until the term was up. Fred died of a CVA (stroke) on January 22, 1963 after being in St. Ann's Hospital in Anaconda for 2 days. All of the family are interred in the Philipsburg cemetery.

Letters From The Trenches in France

Vince Winninghoff wrote letters to his family during WWI that brought the realities of war home. Published in the Philipsburg Mail are the following: 

(August 30, 1918) The other morning they had quite a time around here and the Americans did fine work making the Germans more than pay for our losses which were very light, although a number of fellows were slightly wounded. In one place the Germans crept up real close with a liquid fire apparatus. The Americans heard a noise and just then the Germans shot the fire, but there was no one where they shot. This fire revealed the Boche and the Americans made short work of them, capturing a lieutenant and the apparatus, besides killing a couple and wounding more. The losses the Americans sustained did them more good than harm. It seemed to raise their moral 100 per cent and make them determined to get the Boche…We have lots of companions in the trenches. We have Frenchmen like in the picture. We talk with them and try to learn French and they try to learn English. Then there are the rats. If the allies had as many soldiers in the trenches as there are rats this war would soon be over. One ran up on the end of my gun while I was standing guard, and when you are sleeping rats play hide and seek on you as the little fellows did in the English story about Gulliver. And last but not least are the gray backs. Thousands of them! One sees fellows with their shirts off playing hunt the lice every day. At night while standing guard we hate the rats worse, for then while straining our ears to catch the slightest sound a rat will start running around on No-Man’s Land scaring us because we think it is a Boche. Sometimes as the day is breaking there won’t be a noise: even the boom and crack of gun is absent, then the birds will start singing. How beautiful it is one cannot imagine. And it is hard to realize that war exists. It really seems to me as if there are more birds on No-Man’s Land than any place else on earth…I am writing this in a dugout by candle light, and in a very poor position to write. Your Loving Son, Vince” 

(September 4, 1918 Somewhere in France) Dear Father; Just another short note but active hitch at the front. But it was quite different from the hitches before in that we had a different kind of foe to face. Here the German infantry did not put up much of a fight. Every chance they got they threw up their hands and hollered “Kamerad”. They said their officers went to the rear before the attacks, otherwise they would have been shot if they showed a white flag. But the artillery fire at times was a fright. The Germans threw over shells that would dig a hole big enough to bury several horses in. … The German soldiers seem to have come to realize that the Kaiser cannot win the war and he has lost all ambition to fight. This I believe is true with the exception of the artillery and some of the machine gun men. The latter will often stand at their posts pumping lead into you until you reach them, then they will throw up their arms and holler, “Kamerad, Kamerad”, but they are shown little mercy. This is something to much for anyone to stand, but those who give up decently are treated as men should be. …I saw my first areoplanes brought down. The first one came down in flames. It was an Allied plane and was flying over our lines. I don’t know what struck it, but all of a sudden a tongue of flame darted out behind her. The aviator started toward the German lines then he turned and started to come down. Our ante-aircraft hit a wing and tore it off. The German came straight down. His machine kept spinning this killing the momentum and he came down fairly slow… Well father, I’ll bid goodbye; Your loving son Vince. 

(April 13, 1928) announced the marriage of Vincent C. Winninghoff to Miss Anna (Anne) M. Brooks, on Monday April 9, in Los Angeles, California. Vince, had been working in a U.S. Post Office position in Los Angeles for several years. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Winninghoff, and after graduating from Granite County High School won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in either 1912 or 1913 and was rejected secondary to a minor eye condition. Not being able to serve as an American, he served in the A.E. F., in France in WWI. After an education at The University Of Montana he moved to California and is credited in the Family History as "conceiving and designing the automobile transmission and flowing rear axle for automobiles as we know them today." He is also credited with developing the Zip Code System for the U.S. Post Office which is still in operation today.  

William Seelos: WWII POW

 

                                                      William Seelos and "Montana Power"

Granite county demonstrated their patriotic spirit enthusiastically during World War II, just as they had in WWI, and not only lost sixteen of our young men, but had a number captured and held as prisoners of war. William Robert Seelos was one of those brave men. Born to Marie and Sebastian Seelos on May 22,1920 in Philipsburg, he joined his sister Marian and lived the life of a small town boy until his father was killed in a motor vehicle accident on December 21, 1934. This accident happened on what we called “suicide curve’ on Flint Creek Hill and as a child I remember my father pointing out Sebastian’s car mostly hidden by brush far down the steep hillside just west of the hairpin curve, whenever we drove to Anaconda for school clothes. I have to assume William moved into the role of “Man of the House” after this accident and assisted his mother any way he could. 

William enlisted at Missoula, Montana on August 18, 1941 (before America joined the War) as an Aviation Cadet in the Air Corp. He progressed rapidly to becoming a B17 pilot, flying the “Montana Power” and on his 19th mission was shot down when hit with fighter flak on April 3, 1943 while flying to the ERLA Works in Antwerp, Belgium, MACR 15534. William parachuted unto Wuustwezel, north of Antwerp and was immediately captured as a Prisoner of War. He was interned at Stalag Luft I and was liberated at Stalag Luft VIIA (7A) on Moosburg, Germany by Patton’s 3rd Army and returned to Military control on July 6, 1945 He returned home to Philipsburg to spend a long furlough with his mother and after discharge from the Army-Air Corp moved to the Los Angeles, California. 

Of interest, his Philipsburg Mail obituary, May 26, 2005 stated : He died May 16, 2005 in Los Angeles and was 85 years old. He was raised in Philipsburg and attended and graduated locally. He served as a bomber pilot in World War II where he was shot down over enemy territory in Europe and was held as a prisoner of war until the end of WWII. Afterward William moved to L.A. to start a business. He is survived by his wife Mary and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At present I have not identified his children.