Joseph Morse (1721 - 1772)

Born 30 Nov 1721 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Olive Mary (Mason) Howe — married 1745 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 1772 at about age 50 in Amherst, Cumberland, Nova Scotia

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Biography

Joseph Morse was born November 30, 1721, the son of Hon Joshua Morse and Mary Kingsbury of Medfield, Mass^{[1] [2] [3]}. A younger son, he was left a sum of money in his father's will^[4]

His wife was Olive Mason, daughter of Thomas Mason and Mary Arnold^{[3] [5]}

Their children included:

1. Alpheus^[3], born between 1742 and 1749 in Rutland, Massachusetts^[6], who married Theoda Crane, a sister of Col Jonathan Crane, and lived in Horton, Nova Scotia^[5], and Amhers, Nova Scotia^{[2] [7]}
2. Simeon^[3], born October 21, 1746 in Rutland^[6] who married Mary Freeman, had no children^[5]
3. Thaddeus^[3], born March 30, 1752 in Woodstock, Connecticut^[8], who died unmarried^[5]
4. Olive^[3], born Jan 13, 1754 in Roxbury^[9] who married first 17 May 1769 Lt. William Eddy ( b. 16 Aug 1752. d. 3 May 1778) ^[7]; and married second Lt Hezekiah King (who died 16 May 1829), and who died after 1848^{[5] [2]}
5. Caroline^[3], born in June 1765, in Cumberland, Nova Scotia, who married David Onion, in Medfield in 1785, and died in 1848 at an advanced age^{[10] [5]}

Colonel Joseph Morse was proprietor of a tavern in Roxbury and furnished supplies for General Amherst during the Seven Years War, however he was taken prisoner by the French at Oswego. He was liberated to England in a prisoner exchange, and received land grants from the King in compensation for his suffering, but his health did not recover^{[2] [11]} In 1763, Joseph settled in his land grant in Cumberland Township, Nova Scotia^[3], which he named Amherst ^{[12] [2] [13][7]}

Joseph Morse died in 1772^[3] , and was buried at Fort Lawrence^[14] After his death, his widow married Maj. William How, a revolutionary who involved with Olive’s husband in the ill-fated uprising in Fort Cumberland, and fled back to New England^{[2] [7]}. The Fort Lawrence grant was confiscated by the crown., however Alpheus remained in Amherst, and his descendants may still live there today

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records Medfield, Volume 1, page 74, also found in NEHGS, which states MORSE, Joseph, s. Joshua and Mary, Nov. 30, 1720-1 [sic]
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} The Chignecto Isthmus, and its first settlers by Trueman, Howard, 1837-1908; Publication date 1902; Publisher Toronto, Briggs, see pages 31-2 for Joseph Morse, his son Alpheus, and his son John
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8} Wright, Esther Clark, 1895-. Planters And Pioneers. rev. ed. [Canada: s.n.], 1982
4. ↑ Will of Joshua Morse, Medfield, 1749, case # 48706 Suffolk County, MA: Probate File Papers Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2017-2019. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5} ‘’Morse Genealogy, Comprising The Decendants of Samuel, Anthony, William and Joseph Morse and John Moss, being a revision of The Memorial of teh Morses’’ Published by Rev Abner Morse in 1850, Compiled by J. Howard Morse and Miss Emily W. Leavitt, Under the Auspices of the Morse Society, 1903-1905
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Massachsuetts Vital Records Rutland, Volume 1, page 71, also found in NEHGS, which states MORSE :
   • Alpheus, s. Joseph, between 1742-1749, bap.
   • Simeon, s. Joseph and Olive, Oct. 21, 1746
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics, Volume 56 Number 4601, Date March 17 1881, County Westmorland, Place Sackville, Newspaper Chignecto Post: King George II also volunterred to indemnify Joseph MORSE for his losses in the Oswego disaster by a Parliamentary grant. Mr. Morse then returned to America; the King soon died and nothing more was ever done. Mr. Morse gathered up his shattered fortunes at Medfield and sailed for Nova Scotia. He settled at his grant at Fort Lawrence where he is said to have erected a fine residence and lived in some style, in Government employ there and received while in this position a pension obtained for him through the influence of Lord AMHERST. His friend, Major ALLAN often told his grandson, the late Mr. Morse, that he had read letters of Lord Amherst to him suggesting if he would come to England, his services to the Crown in the French and Indian campaigns were such the King and Parliament would amply reward him; but his broken health prevented him from adopting this course and forced him to confine himself to his house as an invalid. The township of Amherst was named by him after his patron and saint, Lord Amherst. He built at his own expense a school house, probably the first ever built at the head of the Bay for the education of all. ... His widow married William HOW, who was Major in the Eddy rebellion and Col. William EDDY, a revolutionist who was killed by the British in an attack at Passamaquoddy, had married his daughter, Olive MORSE. When that ill fated expedition retreated through the wilderness to the borders of Maine, it was followed by Mrs. How and Mrs. Eddy and the Fort Lawrence grant was declared confiscated to the Crown. The Amherst grant in the meantime had been settled by one of Joseph's sons, Alpheus, whose loyalty was unimpeached. Alpheus MORSE's house was on the site of Willow Bank, the residence of his grand nephew, Col. STEWART and most of the Grant of 1763, remains in the Morse family to this day. Alpheus Morse married Theodore CRANE, a sister of Col. CRANE of Horton and entertained with a somewhat lavish hospitality at his home. His son, the late Hon. John S. MORSE was born in 1783 and died 98 years after. Mr. Morse's eldest brother, Alpheus, who married the daughter of Judge GAY, one of the grantees, died at the age of 95. His second brother, John MORSE, died at the age of 99. Joseph, another brother, waxed exceedingly old. The latter married a daughter of Col. PURDY of Fort Lawrence, a Revolutionary hero, who received to the day of his death from the British Government, a pension for his services in the rebellion of 1776. He represented the town of Cumberland as member for years. Silas MORSE, another brother is a hale nonegenarian. One sister, the wife of Wm END, Irish gentleman and leading politician, died at an advanced age. Sarah MORSE, widow of Alexander STEWART, C.B., Master of the Rolls and Judge of the Court of Vice Admiralty, retains at 83 years the vigor of middle age. In 1791, J.S. MORSE was sent by his father to Partridge Island, Parrsboro to be educated by his uncle, James Noble SHANNON son Richard Cutts SHANNON, Attorney General of Connecticut and was the grandfather of Hon. S.L. SHANNON of Halifax. 
8. ↑ Vital Records of Woodstock, Connecticut, 1686-1854 Volume 1, page 100 (Online database. NewEnglandAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: Vital records of Woodstock, 1686-1854. Hartford: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., 1914, which states MORSE Thaddeus Morfe son of Joseph Morfe by Oliff his wife born March 30th: 1752
9. ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 Roxbury, Volume 1, page 250 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016), which states MORSE Olive, d. Joseph and Olive, of Boston, bp. Jan. 13, 1754.
10. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records Medfield Volume 1 page 226, also found in NEHGS, which states ONION, Caroline, b. Cumberland, N.S., wid. David, d. Joseph Morse and Olive, epilepsy, May 29, 1848, a. 84 y. 11 m
11. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics, Volume 56 Number 4590, Date March 10 1881, County Westmorland, Place Sackville, Newspaper Chignecto Post Joseph MORSE was a native of Medfield, Mass. and a great-grandson of one of the Puritan fathers, Samuel MORSE who was born in England in 1585, settled in Massachusetts in 1635. Joseph was the son of Hon. Joshua MORSE of Medfield who it is said was a large real estate owner, representing his town in the General Court. Joseph MORSE who settled in Cumberland was an enterprising man of business. He was the proprietor of the celebrated George Tavern, Roxbury, said to have been a popular resort at the time and headquarters for military men. He formed an acquaintance with Lord AMHERST and the latter induced him to undertake to furnish the commissariat dept. at Oswego then threatened by the French. The capture of that place with 1400 prisoners by Montcalm in 1756 was only one of a year of defeats to British arms. Morse was captured, carried to Quebec where he was imprisoned and finally sent a prisoner of war to France. The ship in which he was sent was captured by an English man of war and he was happily released from confinement and horrible brutality which he suffered in a crowded hold, nearly devoured by vermin. His condition was so shocking that a special report of his case was made to Geo. II who sent for him and granted him large tracts of land at Fort Lawrence. Contemporaneous with this grant 30,000 acres of land were granted to Joseph Morse in the Mississippi valley, some miles distant from New Orleans which passed into the possession of Miss Morse who married a Mr. YOUNG. This domain made her immencely wealthy. When visited before the outbreak of the late civil war by one of the Cumberland Morses, this lady possessed on her own right forty slaves besides cottomn and sugar plantations of large extent.
12. ↑ Cumberland County Genealogical Society Maps and Place names web page, which states ‘’Amherst – The Micmac name was Nemcheboogwek meaning “going up rising ground”. The Acadians who settled here as early as 1672 called the village Les Planches. It was named Amherst by Colonel Joseph Morse, the first settler, in honor of Lord Jeffrey Amherst, Commander of the British forces in America.’’ and cites ‘’The Citizen’’, Saturday, March 19, 1988, Page Three: “A Touch of Cumberland County History” – Some place names in Cumberland area, by Dr. Graham P. Hennessey
13. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics, Volume 56 Number 4588 Date March 10 1881 County Westmorland Place Sackville Newspaper Chignecto Post, which states The late J. MORSE and His Times - Five years after Winslow's transports had dropped with the tide out of the Basin of Minas with their cargoes of expelled Acadians, six vessels (1st June 1760) sailed up with a party of immigrants from Connecticut some 200 people strong to people Horton. It was at this same time royalists settle at Liverpool, Annapolis, Falmouth &c. On 22nd Nov. 1763 the granrt of the Township of Cumberland was issued by Montague WILMOT, then Lieut. Governor. The following is a list of grantees (see original for lot numbers) Joseph MORSE, Elijah AYER, Josiah THROOP, John HUSTON, Joshua WINSLOW, Jesse BENT, Gamaliel SMETHURST, Sennacrib MARTYN, James LAW, Abiel RICHARDSON, Sara JONES, Wm BEST jr., Obediah AYER, William NESBETT, William HOW, Windsor EAGER, Arch. HINSHELWOOD, Gideon GARDNER, Saml. DANKS, Thos. DIXON, Zebulon ROE, John KING, Hezh. KING, John BENT, Jon. COLE, Ebenr. GARDNER, Jona. EDDY, Wm HUSTON, Alex. HUSTON, Simeon CHESTER, Thos. PROCTOR, Brook WATSON, Wm ALLAN, Wm ALLAN jr., Jonathan GAY, Martin PECK, John WALKER, Daniel GOODIN, Henry McDONNELL, Ebenezer STORER, Amos FULLER, Benoni DANKS, Samuel GAY, John ALLAN, Assell DANKS, Isaac DANKS, Charles OUTON, David BARNUM, Ebenezer BARNUM, Danl. EARL, Robt. WATSON, Anthony BURK, Wm WELSH, John FILMORE, Wm SOUTHARD, Saml. RAYMOND, Nehemiah WARD, John COLLINS, Joseph AYER, Thos. CLEWS, Wm MILBURN, Abiel RICHARDSON, George ALLAN, Wink. ALLAN, Jabez CHAPPELL, Leffey CHAPPELL. ... Most of the grantees were military men, all had seen service and fought against the French and Indians on the borders of Canada and for the protection of British possessions in this part of the world.
14. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick Daniel F Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics : Volume 29 Number 2026; Date September 29 1870; County Westmorland; Place Sackville; Newspaper Chignecto Post; which states Mention of a letter from Jabez MORSE dated at Newport, Mass. ... The letter further said that the writer had made a pilgrimage here in 1819 when a young man, visiting Fort Cumberland of which he gave a short account and the cemetery at Fort Lawrence where he searched for and discovered the monument of his ancestor Joseph MORSE, Esq., half thrown out of the ground and nearly covered with wild shrubbery. (see original)

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Malcolm Bliss for creating WikiTree profile Morse-2186 through the import of Malcolm Bliss Family Tree_AutoBackup_2013-05-29_01.ged on May 29, 2013.

Thank you to Scott Harris for creating WikiTree profile Morse-1958 through the import of Harris Family Tree.ged on Mar 19, 2013.