James Morse was born in 1798. In 1821 he was living in Lyon, France. He claims to have been a '49er. According to the 1850 census, there was a James W. Morse living in Saratoga, NY. Morse owned property on Vine St. in Philadelphia, Pa. City directories for Philadelphia list him as a gentleman. He was a successful businessman--perhaps a merchant--who owned property in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New York, and was a good friend and traveling companion of Ambrose C. Kingsland, a successful merchant and mayor of New York during the 1850s. Morse was involved with the New York Yacht Club, taking a cruise along the New England Coast with other members in 1876. In 1877, he and Kingsland went to Europe. He had an active social life and traveled extensively in his later years.
From the description of Diary, 1876-1881, 1876-1877. (Winterthur Library). WorldCat record id: 122460277
