Samuel and Martha Morse Family in Illinois

In 1856, David age 11, was bound to Samuel M. and Martha Morse in Berwick, Warren County, Illinois. David lived with the Morse family for approximately twelve years. He served in the Civil War during this time. Exactly how David came to live with the Morse family is unknown.

The Morse family was a very prominent family in Warren County, Illinois. Samuel M. Morse's father, Samuel G. Morse, was born in Connecticut in 1786 and migrated to Illinois in 1811. He was elected to the Consitutional Convention in 1818 as they met in Springfield, Illinois. He was also the sheriff of Bond County and very active in politics. This environment may have had a great influence on David Lapray's political involvement in Idaho. (2)Google web page searched April 2009, http://www.usgennet.org/usa/il/county/warren/samuel_g_morse.htmHere is a link to the Morse family website

Samuel M. Morse, the man whom David lived with, was born and raised in Illinois in about 1822 making him about the same age as David's father, John. Samuel M. Morse married Martha P. Bowman of Michigan on February 2, 1854 in Warren County, Illinois. (Marriage Record found in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, film #1377920, Index to marriaages, 1831-1900; Warren County, Illinois, County Clerk).

From Scotland to America

John and his young son David came to America around 1850, but there is uncertainty as to the circumstances surrounding their arrivals. It is believed that John's wife and David's mother died in Scotland before they sailed to America.

Is there a marriage record for John and his first wife in Scotland? Is there a death record for John's wife in Scotland? Is there a record of birth or christening in Scotland?

One story said that John re-married after his wife's death, John traveled to America alone, and then David traveled to America with his step-mother. Is there a record of John's second marriage? Is there a ship record for David and his new mother? It is said the step-mother did not like it in America so she left David with his father, John and she returned to the British Isles.

Another story says David was shipped to America alone with a tag on him. Is there a ship record for David? Either way, John Lapray, a single father is in America with the responsibility of raising his young son alone. This is probably the reason David was raised by the Morse family in Illinois.

John and David Lapray may have come through the New York port between the years of 1848 and 1852. There should be a ship record in the British Isles and one in the United States of America, but neither has not been found. A search for them in the 1850 Federal Census has not been productive. Samuel Lapray said his father, David, came from Scotland in 1849 or 1850. David being a young boy may have gone to school in New York before he and his father moved to the Midwest. It is not known how long they stayed in New York before moving west. There may be school records or naturalization records for David and John Lapray.

Scotland

It is believed that (according to military, census and church records) that John Lapray was born in Scotland in November 1823. The month of birth was deducted from John's military record where he declared under oath he was 41 years and 0 months old in November 1864. John's wife, the mother of David Lapray, Sr. has not been identified as of 2010. John's son, David Lapray, Sr. was born May 1, 1845 somewhere in Scotland according to military and church records.

Elizabeth Alice Egbert Lapray, the only spouse who survived David Lapray, Sr. stated in her Civil War Pension deposition (1) that, "Soldier [David Lapray, Sr.] was born in Scotland. He said he came to the United States when he was seven years of age. He said he was reared by M.P. Morse [Martha P. Bowman Morse]... His mother died when he was an infant. David had no brothers or sister. His father (I think) John Lapray came to the United States.(1)Elizabeth Alice Egbert Lapray Dack, January 17, 1908, Clear Lake, Lincoln County, Idaho. Deposition A, Case of Children of David Lapray. No. 762769, p12, taken by M.M. Brower.

Is Weston in Oneida or Franklin County, Idaho?

Weston was located in Oneida County, Idaho up until January 20, 1913. At that time Oneida County was split and then Weston was located in Franklin County, Idaho. So any events prior to January 20, 1913 took place in Oneida County and events after January 20, 1913 took place in Franklin County, Idaho. This is important if one is looking for vital records that were kept on a county level such as birth, marriage, death, land, probate and court records.

Lapray or LaPray?

You may have noticed that some Lapray family members spell Lapray with a small "p" and others use a capital "P". Why? One explanation is that Clyde and Claude LaPray, twin sons of David LaPray, Jr. took a penmanship class and decided to start capitalizing the "p" because they liked the way it looked. It had more flair!

Another explanation said that David LaPray, Jr. started capitalizing the "P" in his name so the bank would not get the two David's bank accounts mixed up, since they both lived in the same town of Weston, Idaho.

David LaPray, Jr. signed his wife's death certificate in 1934 with a captial "P". So David was probably born with "Lapray" but changed his name to "LaPray" later in his life. This probably had some influence on his twins.

On the Lapray family reunion held in France in 2002. Pierre Lapray said they spell "Lapray" with a small "p", so that is the original spelling.

David Lapray, Jr. and David Lapray, Sr.

John Lapray, born about 1841 in Scotland, had a son named, David Lapray, and David's oldest of ten children was also named, David Lapray. To help designate between father and son, I will use Sr. and Jr. The two David's are David Lapray, Sr., the father, 1845-1900 and his oldest son, David Lapray, Jr. 1874-1960.

The Purpose of Blog

The purpose of compiling information on David Lapray, 1845-1900, his father, John Lapray and David's three spouses (Sarah Dees, Henryetta Hoffman, and Elizabeth Alice Egbert) and his ten children; 1) Sarah Dees, mother of David Lapray (Jr.) and William Lapray; 2) Henryetta Hoffman, mother of John Lapray, Samuel Lapray, Albert Lapray, Sarah Adelia Lapray, and Elmer Ellsworth Lapray; and 3) Elizabeth Alice Egbert mother of Howard Lapray, Hyrum Calvert Lapray and Chester Lapray; is to hopefully tie together past research and offer new beginnings for future research on the Lapray ancestral lines which we now know through DNA analysis goes back to the Burgundy/Burgoyne area of France.