That Explains It!

 

I recently received some ancestry information pertaining to the maternal side of the family.  I only had a vague awareness of the Morse family history and was surprised at a few similarities: 

·        My great-great-great grandparents came to the U.S. from England.  I too came to the U.S. from England.  I was born in Wimpole Park.

·        My great-great –great grandfather was the brother of Jedediah Morse, father to Samuel F.B. Morse (Inventor of the telegraph – Morse Code).  No wonder I’m such a chatterbox!

·        My great-great grandfather (Ahira) and his wife Ann were Catholic.  Through the years, many of the Catholic Morse Clan converted to Protestantism.  I was raised Protestant and converted to Catholicism in 2006.

·        My great-great grandmother (Ann) smoked a pipe.  I smoked a pipe in college – not pot mind you, regular pipe tobacco…always the rebel!

·        My great-grandfather (Samuel) married Amanda Jane Dunbar (I was named after her – Patricia Jane). Amanda was the only child of eight that survived into adulthood.  I too struggled to survive into adulthood due to a plethora of health issues … made of strong stock!

 Some other interesting facts from my mother’s side of the family:

 

        *  Our ancestors have been traced back to the Gauls of France.

 

        *  My great-great-great grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War under George

           Washington.

 

        *   My great-great grandfather (Ahira) fought in the war of 1812.

 

        *   My great-grandfather (Samuel) settled in the Washington Territory and became friends

             with Chief Joseph, Chief Lawyer and Chief Looking Glass - all of the Nez Perce Tribe.

 

        *   My grandmother, Nellie Morse Davis, was a matron at the Washington State Penitentiary.