The Morse Society
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The Morse Society |
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About the Morse Society
The Morse Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to researching and compiling Morse, Mors, Morss and Moss genealogical records in the United States and Canada. The society was originally established in 1892 by descendants of the five New England progenitors:
The Morse Society dissolved in 1906 and lay dormant until it was reorganized in 1973. Because the original Morse Society had concentrated exclusively on our New England ancestry, these are the lines for which we have the most data and from which the majority of our members trace their ancestry. Indeed, a large part of the society's work involves extending the Morse Genealogy from the sixth generation to the present in our computer databases.
But another goal of the reorganized Morse Society is to expand the organization to include Morses of all backgrounds. Consequently, the society has a growing number of members who either have not established a link to colonial New England, or trace their ancestry to a Morse settler in some other part of North America.
The Research Team has undertaken the long-term job of updating the old 1903-05 Morse Genealogy by Morse and Leavitt. This new resource will re-examine and update the first 6 generations of the 5 main Morse/Moss lines in the book. In addition, we are attempting to include the descendants of the Morse women whenever possible. In each MARA database we hope to include birth, marriage and death dates and places, baptism date and place, military service (where applicable), burial location, generation number, and alpha number for each individual in generations 1-6. Whenever possible, we will link photos of documents, homes, gravestones, etc. to these people.
Because of the vast amount of research involved to ensure accuracy, these databases will be rolled out gradually. Even the smallest database (William) took many hundreds of hours to prepare, so the smaller databases will be available before the larger ones. The William Morse and Joseph Morse MARA databases are up and running already, and we will try to have the John Moss MARA up by the end of 2009. We hope to get the Anthony line MARA up in late 2010. The Samuel line is behind schedule, with no target release date at this time.
These MARA databases will be available to Morse Society members who descend from them, ie William line descendants will be able to access the William MARA. Joseph line descendants will have access to the Joseph MARA etc. When a new MARA database is released, we will email all members from that line for whom we have email addresses, notifying them of the release. Notification will also be made in the MSNL. Members will need to register to access MARA (this is in addition to the registration to use the regular MS website, although you may use the same username and password if you want), and the Shepherd for that line will verify that you are a descendant by consulting our genealogical database. If you have already worked with your Shepherd and submitted you genealogical info this process will be quite fast. If research is needed to link you to the line it could take some time....a good reason to work with your Shepherd before your lines' MARA is released!
Another MARA feature that we want to get up and running in the near future will be a "supply closet", where you can print up blank forms like pedigree charts and family group sheets. We will eventually add a "favorite links" page, containing the urls of websites that members of the RT find most useful, and pages of "how to" articles to make your research easier.
The Morse Monument, erected by Rev. Abner Morse in the Vine Lake Cemetery in Medfield Massachusetts in 1858 was intended to be an everlasting tribute to our Morse, Mors, Morss and Moss ancestors.
There has been growing concern over the past decade about the condition of the base of this historic monument. New England has not experienced a serious earthquake or hurricane in several generations, and the ability of the monument to survive either in its' present shape is in question.
NOTE: The monument restoration project was completed in the fall of 2008. We'll make a final inspection in the spring of 2010 to see how the repairs fared through two New England winters. Our sincere thanks fo all of the members who supported this project. The project gave us an unexpected benefit, connecting us with The Vine Lake Preservation Trust that manages the Vine Lake Cemetery, our monument’s home. Please see the hope page of this Web site for more information about The Morse Society’s support of VLPT.
In the mid-1990s the Morse Society turned to computer technology to maintain its genealogical records. It began as an effort to create databases on each Morse line from all the data that we inherited from the original Morse Society of the early 1900s. But just entering the data into the computer is only half the job — most of our inherited data is unsourced, so there is an ongoing effort to identify sources for each item in the databases.
To facilitate the task of data collection and management the Society started its Shepherd program in 1998 whereby each Morse line has one individual (the Shepherd) who serves as the primary contact person for research in that line, and is responsible for updating and verifying that lines computer database. The Research Team (consisting of all the line Shepherds) welcomes interested Society members to help as assistant Shepherds.
The computer databases have emerged as the major ongoing project of the Society.
DNA Testing
See separate article detailing this project.
Digital Imaging
The goal of this project (started in 2003) is to find and photograph a gravestone for every Morse descendant... so please snap a photo or two of every Morse, Mors, Morss and Moss stone you come across (plus any stone that has a Morse listed on it as a spouse, in-law or whatever) and jot down the name and location of the cemetery.
We are going for high resolution photos (preferably 300 dpi or more) sent via email as JPEG attachments to Ron Morse, our Digital Imaging Manager photos@morsesociety.org. Please include the persons' name and dates as given on the gravestone, plus cemetery name, town and state in the body of the email. We'd also like your name, so you will get credit for taking the photo.
If you prefer snail mail, please send a clear photo (include a SASE if you want it returned) with all of the above info to Ron Morse, 7971 Oakhaven Place, Indianapolis IN 46256. He will scan the photo and return it to you as quickly as possible.
English Roots
Since 2000 the Society has again turned its attention to the English ancestry of the Morses, re-examining the evidence to see if any "new" documentation has been uncovered on the origins of the Morses in England. Recent feature articles in the MS Newsletter have reviewed the continuing conundrum of Samuel(1) Morse's parents, and a search for evidence of the 14th-century knight Hugo de Mors.
problems or suggestions, contact:
Morse Society Webmaster
© 2009 The Morse Society
a 501(c)(3) organization