People

James W Morse

James W. Morse (born October 5, 1838, Madison County, New York) was a merchant and hardware dealer active in Dundee during the latter decades of the nineteenth century. He came west in 1863 and spent roughly two decades in the Dundee vicinity as a schoolteacher and farmer before establishing himself in the village's commercial life in 1883. (Source: *Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County* (1904))

Known Activities

Morse arrived in the Dundee area in 1863 and reportedly taught school near the village for two winters, establishing early ties to the local community. In 1872 he purchased a farm east of Dundee, where he worked the land for approximately eleven years. In 1883 he relocated to the village proper and entered the hardware business, the occupation with which he became most closely associated in local records. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

In March 1864, Morse married Anna Salisbury of Elgin, Illinois. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Timeline

Year	Event
1838, Oct. 5	Born in Madison County, New York
1863	Came west; arrived in the Dundee vicinity; taught school near Dundee for two winters
1864, March	Married Anna Salisbury of Elgin, Illinois
1872	Purchased farm east of Dundee
1883	Moved to village of Dundee; entered the hardware business

## Sources

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904). Retrieved from archive.org.