Biography - FRED S. MORSE

Fred S. Morse can rightly take pride in the fact that he is a descendant of one of the prominent pioneer families of Carlinville and Macoupin county. He was born February 17, 1900, at the well known Morse homestead just adjacent to this city on the west hard road. He is the eldest son of Theodore S. and Grace (Munhall) Morse. He is one of a family of eleven children, all living. His grandparents were the late Theo. and Emma (Welton) Morse. His great grandfather was Capt. Samuel Welton. On his father's side Mr. Morse comes from a family of civil engineers. His father was for twenty-five years one of the practical and active engineers, and was the author of out of the most complete atlases ever published in Macoupin county. The father besides being one of the widely known engineers of this county, was City Engineer of Carlinville. He was a member of and an active worker for many years in the First Presbyterian church of Carlinville. He died in 1921.

Fred S. Morse attended the Carlinville schools and graduated from the high school in the class of 1918. He attended and graduated from Blackburn College in 1921 with a degree in agriculture. But his life's goal was civil engineering and with this in mind he attended and graduated from the University of Illinois in the class of 1927, with the degree of civil engineer. He has served as county surveyor since 1924 and city engineer of Carlinville, since 1926.

Mr. Morse is a veteran of the World war and is a member of Guy Baird Post, No. 554, of the American Legion. For some years he has been a member of the Illinois Society of Civil Engineers. Since boyhood he has been a member of the First Presbyterian church of this city.

In 1932 Mr. Morse was united in marriage with Miss Mildred Phillips, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Phillips, of Carlinville. They have one child, a daughter Winifred Grace, aged one year.

Since a youth Mr. Morse has not been idle. He knows what it is to make his own way and has gained valuable experience from that unrivaled school of "hard knocks." He is not only a capable and experienced member of his profession, but is also a pleasant and agreeable gentleman to meet and know. His large number of friends predict that he is only at the beginning of a career that will reflect additional credit and honor to himself, his profession and his family.

Extracted 15 Dec 2018 by Norma Hass from History of a Famous Courthouse, by W. B. Brown, published in 1934, page 46.