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.
Monument Restoration
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.
We have started a monument restoration fund to raise the money needed to stabilize this memorial to our ancestors. We are currently working with the Vine Lake Cemetery and several companies to determine the best corrective action to take, to ensure that this monument is around for many generations to come.
Donations to this fund are tax deductible. If you would like to contribute- checks can be made out to The Morse Society (for: Monument Restoration) may be mailed to the secretary, Kathie Halvey, at 3 Poplar Road, Beacon NY 12508-1552.
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 Caroline 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 Caroline Morse, 5300 Carteret Rd, Chesterfield VA 23832. She 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
©2007 Morse Society
a 501(c)(3) organization