Today's write-up once again centers on an oddly named Chautauqua County resident who gained distinction by serving in the New York State Assembly. That man is Adolphus Freeman Morrison, an obscure 19th century resident of Hanover, New York. Unlike Sextus H. Hungerford and Waterman Ellsworth (both profiled a few days ago), very little information could be located on Morrison's life, excepting a few brief mentions in Andrew Young's History of Chautauqua County, published in 1875. A portrait of Morrison is not known to exist at the time of this writing, but the photographs of his gravesite in Forestville, NY (located below) prove an adequate substitute.
Adolphus F. Morrison was born on November 29, 1805, to Samuel (1771-1827) and Lurena Patterson Morrison (1775-1848), both of whom were residents of Washington County, New York. He received his odd first name in honor of his cousin Adolphus Freeman, a prominent physician in the Washington County area. Adolphus's father Samuel was originally born in Massachusetts and he and his wife settled in the Chautauqua County area in the early 1820s with their six sons, who are listed as follows: John, Adolphus, Robert, Ransom, Wilson, and Orrin.
Adolphus Morrison is listed (along with his brothers John and Orrin) as a merchant in the Forestville area, although no mention is given as to what business they were involved in. At some point in the 1820s, he married Ann Dennison, a union that lasted until Adolphus's death in 1852. This marriage also produced one son, Leverett A. Morrison (1832-1871) who is buried in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Although few sources mention him at great length, Adolphus F. Morrison served in several local public posts during his short life, and this is a true testimonial that he was a man held in high esteem by his fellow Chautauquans. In 1839 he was named as Hanover town supervisor and was re-elected to this position in 1848. During his years as town supervisor Morrison also held a seat on the Chautauqua County Board of Supervisors, and it is worth noting that this board was chaired by future New York Governor and U.S. Senator Reuben Eaton Fenton (1819-1885).
Adolphus Morrison achieved his highest level of public service in November 1842 when he was elected to the New York State Assembly. Representing his native town of Hanover, Morrison took his seat at the beginning of the assembly's 66th session on January 3, 1843. During his service (which extended to the end of the session on April 18, 1843) Morrison served alongside fellow Chautauquans Odin Benedict (1805-1874) from the town of Ellery and Emory Force Warren (1810-1895, from Charlotte) who also won assembly seats in the November 1842 election.
Little is known of Morrison's life after his legislative service. An 1847 New York Agricultural Society report lists him as being elected as a Vice President of the "Chautauque County Agricultural Society" for the year 1848. Adolphus Freeman Morrison died in Hanover on September 20, 1852, at the age of 46 and was subsequently buried in the Forestville Pioneer Cemetery.
Yesterday (March 18) I made a visit to Morrison's gravesite in Forestville to photograph his gravesite. The Forestville Pioneer Cemetery is one of the more interesting cemeteries to visit in Chautauqua County. There are some very early gravestones here (the earliest I found dated from the mid-1810s) and there's also an ancient-looking fountain/reflecting pool located near its center. This fountain is covered over by a clapboard shack and looks to be in dire need of restoration. Still very interesting to visit though!
Adolphus Morrison's stone is quite substantial and also bears the name of his wife Ann, who survived him by 26 years, dying in May 1878 at age 82. She is actually buried under the small marker on the left of the above picture, and it's also interesting to note that she was nine years older than her husband!
There is also a badge-shaped insignia towards the top of Morrison's stone. Though it is not very readable in the picture above, the insignia reads "MY FATHER", a dedication from Adolphus's son Leverett.
From the Legislative History and Souvenir of Connecticut, 1901.
Preston, Connecticut resident Adolphus Dykeman Zabriskie was for many years a prominent citizen of that town, being elected as its representative to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1900. Although a resident of Connecticut for nearly all of his life, Zabriskie's birth occurred in Brooklyn, New York on October 1, 1854. The son of Thomas Henry and Marie Cleveland Zabriskie, Adolphus received his schooling in New York state and married in 1875 to Sarah Adelia Kimball (born 1854), with whom he would have six children: Charles Cross (born 1877), Luther Kimball (born 1879), Mary Cleveland (born 1883), Maria Louise (born 1887), Alice Mabel (born 1889) and Edward Henry (born 1892).
Three years following his marriage Zabriskie relocated to Preston, Connecticut, where he would engage in farming. Elected to the Connecticut Assembly in November 1900, Zabriskie served on the House Committee on Agriculture during his one term, which concluded in 1903. Little else is known of Zabriskie's life following his time in the legislature. He did, however, have a long lifespan, dying some time in 1947 when he would have been either 92 or 93 years old. He was interred at the Preston City Cemetery in Preston, New London County, Connecticut.
From the Notable Men of Central New York, 1903.
Cayuga County, New York jurist Adolphus Hawxhurst Searing may have lived to just fifty years of age, but during his short life carved a notable career for himself on the Cayuga County bench, serving as Judge of that county from 1901 until his death. Born in Cayuga County town of Scipio on August 27, 1856, Adolphus was the son of Leonard Hawxhurst and Alice Hudson Searing. A student at the Sherwood Academy in Cayuga County, Searing would continue his schooling at Swarthmore College, graduating in the class of 1878.
Following his graduation from Swarthmore Searing decided upon a career in law and enrolled at the University of Michigan's Law School at Ann Arbor. A graduate of that school in the class of 1882, Searing returned to New York and settled in Auburn, joining a law firm operated by Horace Howland. Searing married in 1884 to Sarah McKeel (born 1864) and the couple would remain childless through the entirety of their marriage.
Adolphus Searing practiced law in Auburn until 1889 when he was selected to serve as a special county judge for Cayuga County. He would serve until 1901, when he won election as Judge of Cayuga County and remained on the bench until his death at age 50 on March 26, 1907. He was survived by his wife Sarah and was interred at the Aurora Cemetery in Cayuga County.
Following his marriage to Martha Minerva Lemert (1848-1934), Brown gained prominence in the Farmer's Alliance of Wilson County and was serving as that group's president at the time of his nomination for the Kansas House of Representatives in 1890. He would win the election that November, eking out a narrow win over J.R. Chambers, 1,777 votes to 1,745. Serving during the 1891-93 session, little else is known of Brown's life, except notice of his resettlement in Arkansas, where he died on March 5, 1916. He was survived by his wife Martha, and both were interred at the Hicks Cemetery in Pike County.
From the San Francisco Call, June 25, 1902.
German immigrant Adolphus Gustavus Russ rose to become a distinguished figure in San Francisco, California, serving a term in the California state assembly as well as being a fireman and hotel owner. Born in Germany on January 19, 1826, Adolphus Gustavus Russ was the eldest son of Christian Russ, who migrated with his family to New York City in 1835. Adolphus obtained his education in that city and in September 1846 joined his father and brothers on the ship "Loo Choo", bound for California.
After several months journey the Russ family reached San Francisco, California in March 1847 and within a short period had purchased three lots of land. By 1850 Adolphus had become a founding member of the city fire department and in November 1851 married Frances Simon, with whom he had ten children. In 1862 Adolphus and his brothers began construction of an elaborate three-story hotel, the Russ House, which survived until its damage by fire in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Sources also note Russ was the owner of a grocery in the city, as well as a former president of the city's German Benevolent Society.
Adolphus Russ was elected to the California State Assembly in 1867 and during the 1868-69 session served on the committees on Internal Improvements, and Swamp and Overflowed Lands. Following his term, Russ continued prominence in San Francisco and in his later years was a "friend to historians of the pioneer days and has never hesitated to assist any creditable effort in this line." Russ died in San Francisco on June 24, 1902, at age 76 and following funeral arraignments was interred at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in that city.
Portrait courtesy of Find-a-Grave.
Certainly one of the most obscure congressmen on record, Adolphus Hitchcock Tanner was a Washington County, New York-based lawyer who served with credit during the Civil War, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry. Following his service, Tanner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 15th congressional district, where he served for one term. Born in Granville, New York on May 23, 1833, Adolphus Hitchcock Tanner was the son of Samuel T. and Prudentia (Hitchcock) Tanner.
Adolphus H. Tanner's early life saw him attend common schools and after deciding upon a career in law was admitted to the New York bar in 1854. He began practice in Whitehall (also in Washington County) and continued until the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1862 he enlisted in the Union Army and would become a captain in Co. C. of the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry. This regiment would see action during the Atlanta campaign and Tanner himself was slightly wounded in the legs at the Battle of Dallas in that campaign in 1864.
By November 1864 Tanner had attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was honorably discharged at war's conclusion. Following his return to New York Tanner launched a campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1868 and in November of that year won the election, defeating Democratic candidate Jason Osgood by a vote of 17, 054 to 14, 641. His term extended from 1869-71 and held seats on the committees on Public Buildings and Grounds, and the War Department.
Tanner wasn't a candidate for reelection in 1870 and later married Mary Hall (1843-1915), to whom he was wed until his death. They continued to reside in Whitehall until Adolphus's death at age 49 on January 14, 1882. Both were later interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Salem, New York.
From the NY Tribune, January 15, 1882.
Portrait from the Michigan Manual, 1893-94.
Adolphus Augustus Ellis' major political claim to fame rests on his service as Attorney General of Michigan from 1891-95, and in addition to that office held other important posts, including Mayor of Ionia and Prosecuting Attorney of Ionia County. Born in Vermontville, Michigan on October 5, 1848, Adolphus Augustus Ellis was the son of Elmer and Jane M. Ellis. In his youth, Ellis attended schools local to the Eaton County, Michigan area and would also work as a farmhand in the state of his birth and in Iowa.
After returning to Michigan in 1868 Ellis was employed in hardwood lumbering and after accumulating enough income enrolled at the Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan in 1869. Following a shortage of personal funds to continue his schooling, Ellis briefly worked as a farmhand, and after graduating in 1872 taught school and spent his free time studying law. After a period of study in the office of Shaw and Pennington in Charlotte, Ellis was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1876 and until 1881 practiced in the town of Muir.
Adolphus A. Ellis married in Michigan in 1874 to Mattie N. Nichols (1849-1931), and the couple's four decades of marriage saw the births of two children, Howard Adolphus (1881-1926) and George Newton (1883-1915). The couple moved to Ionia in 1881 and it was in this city that Ellis made his first entrance into politics, being elected as Prosecuting Attorney for Ionia County in 1884 for the first of two terms. In 1888 he became the Greenback Party nominee for state Attorney General but was defeated by Stephen V.R. Trowbridge.
While he may have lost in his first bid for the attorney generalship, Ellis' political fortunes changed in 1890 when he was elected as Mayor of Ionia, and in the year following won a second term. In 1890 Ellis again was a candidate for attorney general (this time on the Democratic ticket) and won the election that November, besting Republican Benjamin Huston. Ellis went on to win a second term in the 1893 election year, defeating Gerritt Diekema by a little over 1,300 votes.
At the conclusion of his term in 1895, Ellis returned to Ionia but was not done politically, as the voters of that city elected him to three more terms as mayor between 1897 and 1899. He and his family later removed to Grand Rapids in 1906, where he continued to practice law. Ellis died in that city on April 25, 1921, aged 72. He was later returned to Ionia for burial at that city's Highland Park Cemetery.
Portrait from the 1917-18 Tennessee Legislative composite.
Two-term Tennessee state representative Adolphus Ivar "A.I." Dorsey is very likely the most obscure man to be profiled in this article, there being an extreme dearth of resources mentioning him. Born September 25, 1878, in Mississippi, Adolphus I. Dorsey was the son of Adolphus and Mary (Jones) Dorsey. Nothing could be found in regards to Dorsey's early life and education, and his middle name is also spelled as "Ivor" and "Ivan" in addition to the spelling given here. He would marry Irma Oldham (1880-1967) at an unknown date, who survived him upon his death in 1960.
Prior to his legislative service, Adolphus Dorsey was elected as mayor of Ripley, Tennessee, holding that office from 1910-18. He would serve his first term as Lauderdale County's representative to the Tennessee General Assembly from 1913-15 and during that session chaired the committee on Enrolled Bills and also sat on the committees on Constitutional Conventions and Amendments, Insurance, Immigration, and Waterways and Drainage.
Dorsey was elected to a second term in the statehouse in 1916 and sat in the 1917-19 session. Nothing else is known of his life after this point, except notice of his death on August 16, 1960, at age 81. Both he and his wife Irma were later interred at the Maplewood Cemetery in Ripley.
Portrait from the Gaffney Ledger, October 21, 1897.
For over fifty years prominent in the business and political life of Gaffney, South Carolina, Adolphus Nott "Dolph" Wood served that city as its mayor on three occasions. One of fifteen children born to James and Harriett Wood, Dolph Wood was born at Pacolet River, South Carolina on December 17, 1846. He studied in the local schools of that area and engaged in farm work during his youth and nearly a year before the end of the Civil War cast his lot with the Confederacy, enlisting in the 15th South Carolina Infantry.
By war's end, Dolph Wood had attained the rank of private and after returning home recommenced with his schooling at the J.B. Lyles High School. After leaving that school in 1871 Wood taught school for about three years and then moved to Alabama, where he gained employment as a clerk in the mercantile firm of Draper, Son & Co. This was followed by a partnership with Joshua Draper which extended until 1875 when Wood relocated to Gaffney, South Carolina, where he'd reside for the remainder of his life. Adolphus N. Wood married his first wife, Millicent "Millie" Draper (1856-1894), in 1874. The couple were wed until Millie died in 1894 and would have a total of seven children. Five years after her death Wood remarried to Anna Eleanor Ellerbe (1866-1920), who he also survived.
In the years following his resettlement in Gaffney Dolph Wood established another mercantile firm, taking as a partner N. Lipscomb. Their firm extended for one year, whereafter Wood continued operations with various partners until 1887 when he made his first foray into banking. He was a founding organizer of the Merchants and Planters Bank of Gaffney and in 1901 assumed the presidency of that bank. Wood later attained high office in other business interests in the city, being the president of the Gaffney Manufacturing Company, vice president of the Cowpens Manufacturing Co., and president of the Gaffney Land and Improvement Co.
During his long residency in Gaffney, the citizens of that city elected Dolph Wood to at least three terms as mayor, his full dates of service being unknown at this time. He was re-elected to that office "by a most flattering vote" in March 1896 and continued in office into at least 1898, as he is recorded as the incumbent mayor that year. Wood's later years in Gaffney saw him serve as chairman of the city's board of public works in 1909, and in 1920 suffered the loss of his second wife Annie. Dolph Wood died in Gaffney on October 8, 1932, aged 85. He was later interred under an impressive memorial at the Oakland Cemetery in that city.
Portrait from the Gastonia Gazette, August 1, 1911.
Another Adolphus who served as mayor of a southern city is Adolphus Hoke "A. Hoke" Huss, a lifelong North Carolina resident. Born in Lincoln County in that state on May 9, 1876, Huss was the son of Henry and Mary Elizabeth (Bess) Huss. Little is known of Huss' early life or education, and at age 21 resettled in Cherryville, where he was employed with the Gaston Manufacturing Co. For several years Huss clerked in that company's general store and later advanced to the position of manager and buyer, which held for a further six years.
A. Hoke Huss married in Cherryville on Independence Day 1900 to Mary Luola Stroup (1878-1955), to whom he was wed for forty-four years. The couple would have seven children: Webb Hunter (1902-1971), Paul Henry (1904-1978), Clyde Moses (1906-1908), Thomas Kearn (1908-1993), Margaret (1911-1964), Dorus Hoke (1914-2004) and Claude Benjamin (1917-2016).
In the mid-1900s Huss was elected as mayor of Cherryville and by 1911 was serving his fourth consecutive term in that office. Huss' terms in office saw the purchase of chemical fire engines for the city, as well as the erection of a new brick town hall, remarked as being "second to none in North Carolina."
The man pictured above, Adolphus Earhart Graupner, was, in his day, a distinguished member of the California bar, being an attorney and professor of law. Graupner earns a place here on the site not only for his service as a judge on the Superior Court of California but also for his time as a member of the United States Board of Tax Appeals during the mid-1920s. The son of Louis Carl Graupner and the former Mazilpha Josephine Earhart, Adolphus Earhart Graupner was born in Clinton, Iowa on February 3, 1875.
Removing to California early in his life, Graupner resided in Red Bluff and attended the Boy's High School of San Francisco. He began the study of law in the late 1890s and earned his bachelor of laws degree from the University of California in 1897. After being admitted to the state bar that year Graupner launched his practice in San Francisco and in 1903 married to Annabelle Elise Wenzelburger (1879-1963). The couple would have at least one son, Adolphus Earhart Jr. (1908-1989).
Adolphus Graupner returned to public service in 1919 when he took on the post of general counsel for the California Industrial Accident Commission. After four years in that post, he was appointed as a member of the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals in Washington, D.C., serving until 1926. In the years following his leaving that board, Graupner was a professor of law at Hastings College from 1931 until the year of his death. Adolphus Graupner died in California on September 19, 1947, aged 72. He was survived by his wife Annabelle and both were later interred at the famed Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.
From North Carolina, Rebuilding an Ancient Commonwealth, Vol. III, 1929.
A leading legal figure in Gates County, North Carolina, Adolphus Pilston Godwin Sr. served two terms as Mayor of Gatesville and later represented his home county in the North Carolina state senate for two terms. The son of Henry Adolphus and Levenia Jones (Askew) Godwin, Adolphus Pilston Godwin was born on September 29, 1877, in Harrellsville, Hertford County, North Carolina. He attended the public schools of Hertford County and for a two-year period studied at Trinity College in Trinity, North Carolina. After deciding upon a career in law, Godwin enrolled at Wake Forest University and graduated with his bachelor of laws degree in 1900.
Godwin was admitted to the North Carolina bar in the year of his graduation and soon formed a law practice in Gatesville, a firm that is still in existence today. From 1900-06 Godwin partnered with L.L. Smith and would later practice alone for a number of years. Godwin first entered the political life of his state in the early 1900s, winning election as Mayor of Gatesville. Following two terms in that office, he launched a candidacy for the Democratic nomination for state senator from Gates County. He was successful at the polls that year and, after taking his seat at the start of the 1907-09 session sat on the following committees: Banks and Currency, Commerce, Enrolled Bills, Military Affairs, Privileges and Elections (chairman), and Propositions and Grievances. Godwin would also have some oddly named company during this term, sitting alongside Rowan County native Whitehead Kluttz, who was profiled on this site in September 2013.
In 1908 A. Pilston Godwin won a second term in the state senate and during the 1909-11 session was named to four new committees, those being Corporations Commission, Election Laws (chairman), Fish and Fisheries, and Revisal. In December 1911 Godwin married Mabel Claire Hayes (1892-1963), to whom he was wed for over forty years. The couple would have five children, Adolphus Pilston Jr. (1912-1993), Walter Hayes (1914-2004), Frances Marne (1919-2003), Edward Reddin (1922-2011), and Phillip Pittman (1924-2001). Of these children, Adolphus Pilston and Phillip Pittman Godwin would follow their father into political service, the former being a state senator and superior court judge and the latter a state representative and Speaker of the House from 1970-72.
After leaving the senate Godwin continued in the practice of law and during the First World War served as legal advisor for the Gates County selective draft board. A longstanding member of the Kiwanis Club and the Methodist Church, Godwin was a past vice president of the Bank of Gates and in 1952 was joined in his law practice by his son and namesake, Adolphus Pilston Jr. A. Pilston Godwin Sr. died in North Carolina on January 16, 1956, aged 77. He was survived by his wife Mabel and children and was interred at the Gatesville Cemetery.
From the 1953-54 North Carolina Manual.
In addition to Adolphus Pilston Godwin Sr., the life and career of his son and namesake are also worth highlighting. Born on October 6, 1912, in Gatesville, Adolphus Pilston Godwin Jr. also served two terms in the North Carolina senate and is the first political figure profiled here to have previously been an FBI agent. A student at the Gatesville Hgh School and the Mars Hill College, Godwin also attended the Campbell College and Wake Forest University, graduating from the latter with his bachelor of laws degree in 1937. He married in August 1940 to Mildred Vann (1915-2012) and the couple's fifty-three-year union saw the births of two children, Adolphus Pilston III (1942-2015) and Gretchen Vann.
An FBI special agent from 1942-45, Godwin would join his father in the practice of law in 1952 and in that same year was elected to his first term in the state senate. He would win a second term in 1954 and during the 1955-57 session sat as a member of the committees on Appropriations; Courts and Judicial Districts; Education; Election Laws and Senatorial Districts; Judiciary II; Manufacturing, Labor and Commerce; Retirement and Employment Security; and Rules.
From "Who's Who in State Politics", 1912.
Obscure Boston, Massachusetts lawyer Adolphus Maynard Burroughs served two terms in his state's house of representatives in 1911 and 1912. While little could be found about him, he is recorded as being born in Momel, Germany on August 25, 1883. Immigrating to the United States at an unknown date, Burroughs attended public schools in Boston and the Boston English High School. He studied law at the Boston University Law School and after being admitted to practice operated out of Boston.
Elected to the Boston common council in 1909, Burroughs won election to the state legislature in 1911 and during that year's session was a member of the committees on legal affairs and engrossed bills. A member of the Boston Press Club and the Knights of Pythias in addition to practicing law, Burroughs died sometime in 1967 and was presumably buried at a cemetery in the Boston vicinity.
