The information we have on the Morse Lineage is sketchy to say the least and, as always, an on going effort. At the time of this writing, our Morse roots begin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the late 1800's. During this time, Philadelphia, was growing at an alarming rate while attracting immigrants from many European countries. Many of the problems in Philadelphia centered on sewage disposal, water supply, street cleanliness, and housing upkeep. Philadelphia had experienced cholera and typhoid epidemics in the 1890's, which had caused a push for better water systems in the city. The typhoid fever death rate was the highest in the Nation, over 1,000. Into this world enters our Louis, stage left.

Louis Quincy Morse, born on Christmas Day 1895, Philadelphia, PA, does not leave us much of a trail to work with. It is known that Louis grew up on Hester Street, The Ghetto, in the Lower East side of New York City. Hester Street was the hub of Jewish settlement on the Lower East  Side of New York City circa 1900. We have documentation showing that on 4 December  1936, Louis, just twenty-one   days shy of his forty-first birthday, applied for a Social Security Number in New York City, New York. At that time Louis was employed as an Auctioneer at Allan Auction Company located at 1535 ^1/2 Broadway in New York City. He listed his residence as 675 Walton Avenue, New York, NY. Neither the company nor the residential address exists today. In fact, a Lowes Theater occupies the location of 1535 Broadway which is located right on Times Square. Louis's handwriting was very neat and clear in a firm hand.

The parents of Louis Quincy Morse have been even more elusive. Documentation shows that his father was Simon Morse and that his mother was Sarah Hyman. It is known that Simon was a tailor and family sources suggest that he operated his own business in New York City. Historical facts of the 1900's lead me to believe that he was most probably employed in one of the hundreds of sweat shops located in the New York City Garment District adjacent to the Hester Street neighborhood. Extensive research has been and will continue to be done regarding these two ancestral question marks. At this time, no further information has come to surface. Point of interest: Family knowledge suggests that the family name use to be "Moskowitz or Moskowicz" and that the family was of Polish Jewish origin. This has yet to be verified. I've communicated with several Jewish Genealogists and have one faint possibility. I've discovered a Shimon Moskowicz who may be the father "Simon" of Louis. Scant records suggest that Shimon possibly immigrated from Wielun, Poland because he disappeared from the records after his birth there in 1863. Further speculation is that he could have been drafted into the Russian army, moved to Lodz or Piotrkow, finally immigrating to America in the 1880-1900 period. But he didn't marry or die in Wielun. His father was Yehuda Yosef Moskowicz., his grandfather Melech [King] Moskowicz, and his gg grandfather was Yosef. Moskowicz. Still trying to piece this branch together. This line of information was gained through the assistance of Jim Bennett, bennett@coral.co.il , of Haifa, Israel. Jim's Great Great Grandfather was Melech [King] Moskowicz. Many "Thanks" to Jim for his assistance.

We know of two. There was a brother, Sol (we assume Solomon or Saul), and a sister, Rae. Sol Morse left fewer tracks than Louis did. Family knowledge tells us that Sol was missing the lower portion of one arm, elbow to fingers, and that he was all but bald. To date, there is no further information regarding Sol. Rae Morse resided in Philadelphia, PA at 4815 Locust Street, The Locust Tower Apartments during the late 1960's. From documentation, we know that Rae married an "Unknown" Wiener. We also know that she was alive at the time of Louis's death in 1968. She signed Louis's death certificate. No further information has been uncovered.