Rachel Eliza Close Morse 1838-1898

MORSE, CLOSE

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 11/7/2010 at 22:52:11

Obituary
Walker News
Mrs. R. F. Morse, whose maiden name was Rachel Eliza Close, was born at Catlin, New York, May 7, 1838, and died at Dubuque, Iowa, April 19, 1898, aged 67 years, 11 months and 12 days.

Her parents dying when she was about four years old, she and one sister and two brothers were left to the care of different friends of the family, all of whom are now dead. When Mrs. Morse was ten years of age, and while living in the family of a Baptist minster, she became a member of that denomination and remained in that connection for some forty-five years, but not living convenient to the church of her choice, she united with the Presbyterian church in Jones county, Iowa. She was thus identified with the Christian church from early womanhood, giving her a reverence for sacred things which continued with her to the end of her life.

Romain F. Morse and Rachel E. Close were married at Peru, Huron county, Ohio, March 16, 1850, being a little more than forty-eight years wedded. There were born to them eight children, three of whom died in infancy. The others, three daughters and two sons, are living and were present at the funeral. They are the grandparents of seventeen children, two of whom are dead.

The above brief outline embraces a busy, kindly, intelligent and useful life. She was proud of her family, and her family was proud of her. They lived much in each other’s thought and for each other’s comfort and enjoyment. She was conspicuous among her acquaintances for a quiet and cheerful manner. Much of her life was spent in contributing to the happiness of her friends and being genial and gentle in her disposition easily retained their esteem and confidence. Her kindness of heart endeared her to all who knew her, and the memory of her goodness will never fall from their remembrance. Oh! It is pleasant thus to know that the “good die not,”

During the last few years of her life she bore in quiet patience the burden of a great deal of pain. Sharp and acute attacks of rheumatism were endured with but passing remark, and for four or five years past, the growing tumor on her right kidney, from which she died, caused her much pain and inconvenience, and even her own family until lately, were unaware of her suffering. We little know the calm heroism that some women are capable of enduring.

Any one who has the privilege of looking at the book that she seemed to prize above all books, can soon see that she was a careful and painstaking Bible student. On almost every page of her Bible, especially the new testament, she has carefully marked expressive passages, and on some of the pages the brackets are quite frequent, with sometimes a special mark to emphasize particular passages. We almost envy Mr. Morse the possession of such a Bible. He will, no doubt, take great pleasure in scanning the places made so prominent by his loving wife’s fingers. That book will yet become a valuable relic in the Morse family. (Emmet County Republican, Estherville, IA, May 5, 1898)