Morse Society Natick Convention

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1979 Natick Massachusetts

MS Newsletter Issue No. 19

The Morse Society reunion enjoyed a most beautiful day of sunshine on Saturday, October 6, 1979 at Natick, Mass. which was located close to Medfield, Sherborn, Walpole and Dedham. Medfield is the location of the Samuel Morse house and the cemetery of the immigrant Morse Seven.

     Philip McCord Morse of Winchester, Mass. presided at the business meeting and gave a speech on the Morse Family in England. Mrs. George J. (Marion) Morse of Lowell, Mass. presided as secretary and registrar. During the business meeting it was decided to hold the next reunion in 1981, and every two years thereafter.

     The Natick Country Club golf course lies between Speen and Mill Street. Mill Street was the location of the two old Morse homes before fire destroyed one and a new development replaced the other. Following a full course turkey dinner at the country club, an afternoon bus tour was arranged by Martha Jennison, Marion Rowe and Philip Weston Morse. During the tour, Mr. Morse narrated on the various Morse homes and cemeteries.

     The Tour passed the Morse Institute and Natick Public Library on its way to the Leland Morse Hospital. They then traveled through South Natick where Rev. Eliot taught the Indians about Jesus Christ and the English language. These same Indians later fought along side the settlers and against King Philip's Indians in 1676. The tour continued through virgin forests, not much changed since the 1600 and 1700's, to Farm Road where they visited the second oldest cemetery in Sherborn, which was a private Morse cemetery until given by the Lemuel Morse estate to Sherborn in 1877. Farm Road is also the location of several old Morse homes. They stopped at the former home of Captain Joseph Morse. This home was built after his marriage in 1671, and was used as a meeting house until First Church was built. It sold out of the Morse family in 1753.

     The next stop of the tour was at Peak House in Medfield. Beside Peak House is another Morse home, and across the street is the cellar hole of the Samuel Morse home which was burned by Indians in 1676.

     The next stop was First Church, where all the Morses were members. No man could be a "freeman" with right to own property, vote or have any voice in the management of public affairs unless he was a member of the church. In 1641 it was declared that "all who were orthodox in judgment and not scandalous in daily life" could become members of the church.

     The last stop was at Pine Lake Cemetery in Medfield where the monument or Cenotaph is located, bearing the inscription, "In the Memory of Seven Puritans who emigrated from England to America 1635-39". Buried on the north side of this monument are the graves of Samuel 1 and Elizabeth. The monument lists the names of Samuel, William, Anthony, Joseph, John, Peter and Robert with different spellings of Mors, Mosse, and Morse. This monument was erected in 1858 as a memorial.

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