ELIJAH R. MOREHOUSE SR. was born in New Jersey around 1834, the oldest son of David and Huldah Morehouse. The 1850 Census shows the family in Perth Amboy, new Jersey and states that David Morehouse was a ship master, that is, he was a captain. Besides Elijah the family included younger siblings Albert, Huldah, and David. Both ELijah and Albert Morehouse followed their father to become ship captains.

Elijah R. Morehouse was certified as a steamboat engineer and captain, and had worked for the Delaware and Raritan Canal and Transportation Company prior to November of 1874, when he wrote a letter to Captain C.A. Woolsey, Superintendent of the Jersey City Ferry describing his career. 

Elijah Morehouse married his Irish-born wife Isabella in the mid 1850s. The family was living in South Amboy, New Jersey when the Census was taken in 1870. At that time the family included children Ida, Elijah Jr., George, Emma, and Anna. His occupation is given as Captain of Steamer. Captain Morehouse moved to Camden in the mid-1870s, taking up residence at 434 South 3rd Street, where he was living when, on April 8, 1877 he was appointed as an extra man with the Hook and Ladder Company, replacing Cooley Smith. Most likely due to the fact that he was aboard ship and not available to answer fire calls, he was removed from service on November 26, 1877 and replaced by William C. Lee. 

By the time the 1878-1879 City Directory was compiled, Captain Elijah Morehouse and family had moved to 320 Washington Street. His sons trained underneath him and both became tugboat pilots in their own right. Elijah R. Morehouse Jr. married Jennie Tice in the early 1880s, and a son,  who was named Elijah Richard Morehouse was born on February 2, 1884. As of this writing it is not known whether or not he was "Elijah Richard Morehouse III" or simply "Elijah Richard Morehouse".

Captain Elijah R. Morehouse Sr. passed away shortly after the 1883-1884 Camden City Directory was compiled. His widow and sons remained at 320 Washington Street through at least 1887. Sadly, by the time the 1890-1891 Camden City Directory was compiled, Elijah Morehouse Jr. too had died. Jennie Tice Morehouse remarried a few years later and by 1900 she and her son Elijah Richard were living in Morrisville, Pennsylvania with second husband Joel Mason and his son from a previous marriage William Mason.

Elijah Richard Morehouse would come back to Camden in the 1900s as the superintendent of a large construction company. In a few years he founded his own company, the E.R. Morehouse Company, located at 1400 Pine Street in Camden, which built many large public works projects over the years in Camden and elsewhere.

Captain Morehouse's younger brother, Albert E. Morehouse, also came to Camden and worked as a tugboat captain for many years. Last a resident of 704 South 3rd Street, he died in Camden of pneumonia in November of 1907.