Absalom Pride Morse (1784–1868)
Founder, educator, surveyor, healer, civic leader,
and the man who gave Minerva its name.
 Absalom Pride Morse -
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Early Years & Marriage
At 21 years of age, Absalom travelled to Troy, NY for a visit. While there he was offered a job as a teacher at a young man’s academy in Easton, Washington Cty, NY. He accepted the job offer and taught there for several years. He met his wife Lydia Tallman while in Easton. They married in 1809 and started their family. Illness & the Move to the Mountains (1814) It seems Absalom was not healthy, and doctors were concerned about the possibility of tuberculosis. They advised him that a move to the mountains would be beneficial. And so, in 1814, he, Lydia, and their three children, along with Absalom’s brother Asa, moved to Minerva, NY. There were already Tallmans living in Dominick (later Minerva), including Lydia’s father Abner, offering the newly arrived family a sense of home. First Homestead on Fourteenth Road Absalom bought 50 acres of land next to his father-in-law’s property on what is now known as Fourteenth Road. His property, Lot 15, was the furthest along Fourteenth Road that any settlement had yet reached. He built a log home there, where he and Lydia eventually raised eleven children. Becoming a Town: Absalom’s Leadership (1817) At the time that Absalom and Lydia moved to Dominick (later Minerva), the settlement was still part of the Town of Schroon. Absalom quickly became an advocate for separating the settlement, motivated by a need for local control over roads and governance. He saw this vision become a reality three years later, in 1817. |
Quick FactsBorn: 1784, Preston, CT Arrived in Minerva: 1814 Family: Married Lydia Tallman; raised 11 children Homestead: Lot 15, Fourteenth Road; later built Morningside house (1836) Roles & Contributions
Many Minerva families today descend from the Morse line |
The first town meeting was held on April 1st, 1817, and Absalom was appointed the very first town supervisor. Not long after that meeting, Absalom changed the name of the town from Dominick to Minerva.
Is it any surprise that he chose to name the new town after the Goddess of Wisdom—known for wisdom, intelligence, ingenuity, civics, and education? All qualities that were imbued in him as a young man growing up in a newly formed country.
Surveyor, Land Agent & Mapmaker
Absalom was a very learned man for his time. Along with being a teacher, he was also a Land Agent and Surveyor. In 1823 he was appointed by the heirs of Francis Dominick to sell land in Minerva. From 1825–1826 he served as a land agent for John Ireland of New York City, which allowed him to manage portions of the Totten & Crossfield Purchase lands, especially Township 14. He surveyed and sold hundreds of acres throughout the region.
He also had mapmaking skills, and the maps he created are among the earliest documentation of Minerva’s developing road system.
A Town Doctor Before There Were Doctors
Along with his surveying and teaching abilities, he had some training in medicine. It is believed that he attended Dartmouth College for medical study, although no records have been found confirming his graduation. He was most likely the first person in Minerva with any formal medical knowledge, and he passed that knowledge on to his son Orson.
Both were known for setting broken bones, extracting teeth, treating injuries, and offering basic care during illness.
Morningside: A New Home at the Crossroads (1836)
In 1836, 22 years after moving to Minerva, Absalom and Lydia bought the land at the crossroads of what is now known as A.P. Morse Memorial Highway, Townshed Road and Longs Hill Road, where Morningside Camps and Cottages are located. He built the main house, which is not only still standing but serving as a residence for the LaBar family.
Civic Service & Public Life
From the moment he arrived in Minerva, Absalom set out to be a changemaker. His civic-mindedness meant he was well liked and respected as Town Supervisor, a role he held for nine terms. Along with that important position, he also served multiple times as Justice of the Peace, Commissioner of Schools, Town Clerk, and Minerva’s first Postmaster. He was also Vice President of the Essex County Agricultural Society for several years and acted as a local agent for the Glens Falls Messenger newspaper, taking subscriptions for the community.
Faith & Community
His civic-mindedness held true in matters of faith as well. He was an active member of the Minerva Baptist Church and served as its clerk for many years. He was an ordained deacon, a role he fulfilled from 1835 to 1868. It was Absalom who led the effort to build a new Baptist meeting house in 1848.
Legacy
Absalom passed in 1868 at the age of 84. His legacy, however, still lives on. He and Lydia’s eleven children married into other founding families, weaving the Morse line through the fabric of the town.
There are still Morses living in Minerva today, and there are probably few generational families in town who can’t trace their lineage back to a Morse ancestor.
Is it any surprise that he chose to name the new town after the Goddess of Wisdom—known for wisdom, intelligence, ingenuity, civics, and education? All qualities that were imbued in him as a young man growing up in a newly formed country.
Surveyor, Land Agent & Mapmaker
Absalom was a very learned man for his time. Along with being a teacher, he was also a Land Agent and Surveyor. In 1823 he was appointed by the heirs of Francis Dominick to sell land in Minerva. From 1825–1826 he served as a land agent for John Ireland of New York City, which allowed him to manage portions of the Totten & Crossfield Purchase lands, especially Township 14. He surveyed and sold hundreds of acres throughout the region.
He also had mapmaking skills, and the maps he created are among the earliest documentation of Minerva’s developing road system.
A Town Doctor Before There Were Doctors
Along with his surveying and teaching abilities, he had some training in medicine. It is believed that he attended Dartmouth College for medical study, although no records have been found confirming his graduation. He was most likely the first person in Minerva with any formal medical knowledge, and he passed that knowledge on to his son Orson.
Both were known for setting broken bones, extracting teeth, treating injuries, and offering basic care during illness.
Morningside: A New Home at the Crossroads (1836)
In 1836, 22 years after moving to Minerva, Absalom and Lydia bought the land at the crossroads of what is now known as A.P. Morse Memorial Highway, Townshed Road and Longs Hill Road, where Morningside Camps and Cottages are located. He built the main house, which is not only still standing but serving as a residence for the LaBar family.
Civic Service & Public Life
From the moment he arrived in Minerva, Absalom set out to be a changemaker. His civic-mindedness meant he was well liked and respected as Town Supervisor, a role he held for nine terms. Along with that important position, he also served multiple times as Justice of the Peace, Commissioner of Schools, Town Clerk, and Minerva’s first Postmaster. He was also Vice President of the Essex County Agricultural Society for several years and acted as a local agent for the Glens Falls Messenger newspaper, taking subscriptions for the community.
Faith & Community
His civic-mindedness held true in matters of faith as well. He was an active member of the Minerva Baptist Church and served as its clerk for many years. He was an ordained deacon, a role he fulfilled from 1835 to 1868. It was Absalom who led the effort to build a new Baptist meeting house in 1848.
Legacy
Absalom passed in 1868 at the age of 84. His legacy, however, still lives on. He and Lydia’s eleven children married into other founding families, weaving the Morse line through the fabric of the town.
There are still Morses living in Minerva today, and there are probably few generational families in town who can’t trace their lineage back to a Morse ancestor.
