The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21
By ELEANOR LEXINGTON.

Morse is name found in German his
tory as early as 1900. The form then
was De Mors, and. two brothers of the
name received great honor and no.
torietyZ on account of their invention of
type. In the next century we
come across the name of Hugo Do Mors,
an English knight. The family has its
martyr in the person of Henry Morse,
who gave his head in 1914 in exchange
for his religion
AS to the origin of the name, some
authorities say that it was first Moss,
the name of a seaport in Norway, which
was the birthplace of many Normans
There they gathered before their
descent upon France and settlement in
Normandy. All names borrowed from
towns are preceded by "de.' The
name was perhaps first De Moss or De
Mors. Mazz is another form; there are
also the variations Mosse, Morse and
Morse before settling upon Morse.
Immigrants to this country during
the early part of the seventeenth CEN
land about 1886; he settled in Ded-
ham, Mass, in 1885. Joseph Morse was
another founder of the American
branch Of the family; then there were
the two brothers, Anthony and William
Morse, who also followed close upon the
heels Of the Pilgrim fathers.
The Morses have always had a repu-
tation for piety. So inclined are they
to goodly life that it is as natural for
them to be religious as for others to be
goddess. They are Of that Puritan
Of law and order the colonies could not
have kept together. Macaulay unjustly
said Of the Puritans that they forbade
bear-baiting, not that it hurt the bear,
but because it afforded some slight de-
gree Of pleasure to the spectators.
There is a story that one father in
Israel, certain John Morse, who was
distinguished for his piety and eccen-
tricity, built fireplace in his front hall
and here shut himself up to fast forty
days, but on the fourth day, some say
the third, he claimed that the Lord had
excused him.
The family has always possessed a
sense of humor, more or less developed
! in individual members. For example,
there was DR.. Isaac Morse of Elizabeth
town, N. j., who enjoyed joke, even
at his own expense and that Of his
woodpile: Coming upon a neighbor one
doctor picked up the largest log he
"Here is the backlog,'' he exclaimed,
out of breath, from the exertion, and
throwing it down at the mans feet.
The lesson proved as good as a sermon,
for the doctor lost no moro wood. Nor
when one rushed in and told him that
his mill was. on fire did he get excited,
"rOh, well, it will b.. burned up before
went on with his story. -
A sense Of humor was also displayed
by the. Morses Of Midway, Mass. They
earnestly desired son, but only daugh.
tiers were born to them; Wait-Still
they named one, and she proved the last
Of the long line Of daughters, for the
next addition to the family was a son
taking his. part in the revolutionary
war. His first office was to hold a spy
glass for Washington to watch the
movements Of the enemy.
I Before the end of the war Abne1
Morse held commissions Of captain anC
major Of artillery. Major John Morse
was in the revolution without pay, anc
he also employed or hired three soldiers
Stephen Morse Of New Hampshire was
| also a revolutionary, soldier, and so wa'
j ties Of Bunker Hill, Bennington
!Ticonderega and Monmouth. $50 hu
name and honest was he, SO rough ant
ready, some one has written. Of him
"that had he lived to the present tim'
he would surely have been president o:
the United States.''
: Descendants Of sa ,ays Morse, born i
mission to the societies Of Colonial War.
for he was an Indian fighter. His wa
the first house burned when Dedham wa
fired. Joseph and John Morse, of tn
same town, were In King Philip g war
the former was a. captain. ,
r Attic George Morse was not fighter
he invented, while mere lad, the me
tallie cartridge case, which. alone ha
: made breech-loading small arms sue
, cess.
) Turning from the arts Of war; to thos
: fof peace, we come to the B. Father Q
!, American Geography This was Reg
i Jedediah Morse. In 1874 he publishe
ge9graphK the first Of its kind kind
: 1antic # for his teStbooE was used j
schools in Great Britain, and Edinburg
+ university conferred upon him the d.
gree Of DID. From childhood he had
!. passion for geography, and he was yer
: absent-minded. Once, when recitin
I Greek, being asked where certain yer
:. was found; he replied, Upon the coas
:. Of wonderful energy, always actin,
y ing, always thinking, always talking,
as Daniel Webster said of him. It ma
be mentioned that. the. Morse and Wei
4 ster families were related by marriag
e Jedediah Morse was the father Of San
e, uel Finley Breese Morse, artist and il
8 tventor, he. who made the name immort,
9 80 the lightning flash forever Morse
r fame. sa
: His artistic proclivities got him int
trouble. when a mere lad at q dam
. school, He sketched the teacher 3 fac
i. with pin on chest Of drawers. III