In early New England records there are many of the name of Moss, Morss and Morse, with many variations of spelling, the most prominent being William, Anthony, Joseph, Samuel and John, who emigrated early in the seventeenth century, and their descendants. The name Moss was early found among the Jews, the Celtic Irish and the Saxon nations of the Continent, and the name DeMors was known in Germany as early as the year 1200. Hugo de Mors, who lived in England in 1358, and was honored by George III, with a diplomatic commission, was probably descended from the German family. The name appeared in the records of Suffolk county, England, in 1589, about the same time in Essex coutny, and also became common in Norfolk county. Of those who emigrated to New England in early days none were more highly honored by their fellows thatn John Moss, who is believed to have been a member of a family of high standing in England, on accoutn of his high attainments and evident culture. The family has included many educators, ministers and men of the learned professions, and the name has always stood for good citizenship.

(I) John Moss, of New Haven. The first four generations of his race spelled the name Moss, and many of his descendants have retained this spelling to the present day, although the majority of them have adopted Morse. The exact date of his birth is unknown, some authorities giving it as near 1619, while others claim he was one hundred and three years old at the time of his death in 1707. He was one of the noble band who founded New Haven, Conneciticut, and was much esteemed for his high quality of courage, his excellent judgment in matters relating to the common welfare, his firmness of character, his piety and perseverance. His advice and counsel were sought by the wisest and holiest men of his day, and he was in the highest sense a godly Puritan, ready to perform his duty at all times. His fellow citizens honored him in many ways, and he was one of the most prominent men of New Haven at the time of its settlement. He was one of the members of the first general court in 1639-40. He was often called upon to advocate a case in the civil courts; on the union of New Haven with Connecticut he was repeatedly sent to the general court at Hartford and was appointed a magistrate. When part of New Haven was set apart as Wallingford, March 11, 1669, he became one of the committee to manage all the plantation affairs of the latter place, the other members being Samuel Streeet, John Brockett, Abraham Doolittle. They were to dispose and distribute the allotments in such equal manner as was best suited to the condition of the place and the inhabitants thereof, and to use the best means in their power to secure a fit man to dispense the word of God.
The name of John Moss was prominently identified with all the leading measures of the village of Wallingford, and he was assigned the second home lot, near the south end of Main street, on the east side. He was prominent in both state and church affairs, and was well fitted by natural ability and experience to take his place among the rulers of the new town.
Children born to John Moss:
John, baptized Jan. 11, 1639, died young.
Samuel, born April 4, 1641.
Abigail, Aprl 10, 1642.
Rev. Joseph, Nov. 6, 1643.
Ephraim, Nov. 6, 1645, probably died young.
Mary, April 11, 1647.
Mercy, see below.
John, Oct. 12, 1650.
Elizabeth, Oct. 12, 1652.
Hester, June 16, 1654.
Isaac, July 1, 1655; died in 1659.

(II) Mercy, son of John Moss, was baptized at New Haven, April 1, 1649, and his inventory was given at New Haven March 3, 1684-85, by Joseph Moss and John Alling.
He left a house, barn and two lots, one fifty-seven acres and the other eighty-two acres. He was one of the proprietors of New Haven, and also lived at Wallingford.
By his wife Elizabeth he had two children:
John and William,
the latter born June 28, 1680, settled at Derby, Conn., and with his brother John inherited property in New Haven.

(III) John (2), eldest son of Mercy and Elizabeth Moss, was baptized Jan. 7, 1677, and died in 1723, while on a trip to Hartford. He lived at New Haven, Conn.; Jamaica, Long Island, and Stratford, Conn.
He married, Dec. 22, 1707, Jane, daughter of Stephen Thompson, who died at Stratford, Dec. 28, 1743.
Children:
Mary, born Dec. 5, 1708.
Lieut. John, see below.
Elizabeth, died Sept. 6, 1743.
Joanna.
Mehitable, died Oct. 4, 1743.
Capt. Joseph, born April 13, 1720.
Jane, born May 22, 1723.

(IV) Lieutenant John (3), son of John (2) and Jane (Thompson) Moss, was born about 1610, at Jamaica, Long Island, and resided at Stratford. He died Feb. 3, 1789, and is buried in the cemetery at Monroe.
He married (first) a Miss Sabine, and (second) Sarah, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Jeanes) Salmon, born about 1729. Thomas Salmon came from London, England, to build the first Episcopal church at Stratford. He owned lands now within the city of London.
Mrs. Moss died April 29, 1785, in her sixty-ninth year, and is buried by the side of her husband.
Children:
John, William, Daniel, Sarah, born 1742; Joseph, Nancy, born 1744; Jane, Mabel, Betsey (Elizabeth), and Isaac (twins) born April 1, 1755; Elihu, Jan. 22, 1759.

(V) Daniel, son of John (3) Moss, was born June 27, 1746 at Stratford, and graduated from Yale College in 1767. He was a merchant and farmer, and was engaged during the revolution in furnishing supplies to the American army. The great depreciation in colonial currency very much reduced his fortune, and he practically made a new start in Fairfield, Vermont, where he settled soon after the revolution and died Jan. 3, 1822. The revolutionary rolls show that Daniel Moss was a member of Colonel Wyllis' regiment in teh campaign about New York, and was reported missing Sept. 15, 1776. He appears as a private in the Sixth Regiment, Connecticut line, for the year 1777, enlisting Jan. 4 that year, and credited to New Haven. The pay roll for the year 1781 also includes his name for the entire year.
He married, June 27, 1766, Rebecca, daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Hollingsworth) Munson; she was born June 22, 1752, and died March 1, 1844.
Children:
Betsey, born May 18, 1777.
William, Oct. 2, 1778, died unmarried at Sheldon, Vermont, May 8, 1865.
Rebecca, born July 11, 1780, married Samuel Weed.
Lydia, April 28, 1781, died May 25, 1782.
Lydia, born April 3, 1783, married David Barlow.
Daniel, mentioned below.
Fanny, born Oct. 31, 1790, married Samuel Mead.

(VI) Daniel (2), only son of Daniel (1) and Rebecca (Munson) Moss, was born Oct. 10, 1785, in Fairfield, Vt., and died there April 6, 1860. He was a farmer and a prominent citizen of the community.
He married, Jan. 19, 1812, Adelia, daughter of Thomas and Clarissa (Cone) Northrup, who was bor April 18, 1794, and died March 13, 1867.
Children:
Rebecca, born Oct. 18, 1813, married Bailey B. Nelson.
Harmon, born Nov. 15, 1815, at Cambridge, Vermont.
Thomas and Northrup (twins), born Aug. 1, 1819.
Harmon Morse was a very capable man and exercised much influence in his section. He was father of Professor Anson D. Morse, of Amherst College, and Dr. Harmon Morse of Johns Hopkins University.

(VII) Northrup Morse, a twin son of Daniel (2) and Adelia (Northruo) Moss, was born Aug. 1, 1819, in Fairfield, Vermont, where he grew up on the farm, and received such education as was provided by the common school. As a boy he became clerk in a general store in his native town, and before attaining his majority removed to Malone, New York, where he was occupied in a similar manner. About the time that he became of age he was proprietor of a general store in Malone, and subsequently kept a retail shoe store there. He retired soon after 1880, and died Oct. 30, 1888.
He was a member of the Congregational church, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and an active Republican in politics, though not an office seeker.
He married, April 17, 1844, Julia Isabelle, daughter of Rev. Ashbel Parmelee of Malone. (See Parmelee, VI).
Of their six children, three are living:
1. Frances D., deceased, was wife of Sidney Warren, residing at Irving, Kansas.
2. Albert, died in childhood.
3. Daniel P., mentioned below.
4. William, in business in New York City; resides at Hackensack, New Jersey.
5. Harriet, married at Malone, N.Y. to F. M. Heath, of that town; resides in California.
6. Alfred, died in boyhood.

(VIII) Daniel Parmelee, eldest surviving son of Northrup and Julia (Parmelee) Morse, was born April 6, 1852, in Malone, where he spent his boyhood. He graduated from the public school, and was a student at the Franklin Academy at Malone. At the age of sixteen years he began his business career as a clerk in his father's store, and in 1872, when twenty years old, went to New York City. There he found employment in the wholesale shoe store of Benedict Hall & Company, and after six years' service became a partner in the firm. After another period of six years he formed a partnership with Frank E. Rogers and established an independent business under the style of Morse & Rogers. This was incorporated in 1896 under the same name, and Mr. Morse is now (1910) president of the company. His energy and business capacity have contributed much to the development of this establishment, one of the largest in the wholesale trade in the country, enjoying a large foreign trade in addition to its domestic business, and having offices in the West Indies and Central America. Mr. Morse is also president of the Edwin C. Burt Company of Brooklyn, manufacturers of the celebrated Burt shoes.
He is a director of the Irving Exchange National Bank, the Manufacturers' Trust Company, the Merchants' Association, and the Northport Electric Light Company, the latter concern being located near his house in Huntington, Long Island. Mr. Morse is president of the Franklin County Society in New York, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Union League and Arkwright Clubs of New York, and the Hamilton and Lincoln Club of Brooklyn, and also of the Northport Yacht Club.
He is a trustee of the Clinton Avenue Congregational Chruch of Brooklyn, and an active Republican in politics, though he has never accepted any official position. A man of genial and social nature and pleasing manners, he is most democratic in habit and enjoys the esteem of all who are brought in contact with him.

He married, Dec. 4, 1878, Adelia Zabriski Terhune, born Feb. 9, 1858, in Hackensack, New Jersey, daughter of Richard and Lydia (Ackerman) Terhune, of that place, descendants of the oldest families of New Jersey.
Mr. and Mrs. Morse have had three sons and a daughter, namely:
Raymond Parmelee.
Henry New.
Marjory.
Daniel Parmelee (2). The daughter Marjory is deceased.
Raymond P. is superintendent of the Edwin C. Burt Company's factory in Brooklyn.
Henry N. is in the employ of Morse & Rogers.
Both are graduates of the Brooklyn Polytechnic Preparatory School, and of Cornell University. Daniel P. is now a student at Brooklyn Preparatory School.

The ancestry of Mrs. Morse in traced to the French Huguenots, who removed from France to Holland before the Revolution of the Edict of Nantes. The first record in New Amsterdam (New York) was Albert Albertse, who was found there Feb. 16, 1654. His second son, Albert, was baptized in the Dutch Reformed church at New Amsterdam, Aug. 16, 1651, and was a farmer in Flatlands, Long Island. He was father of Richard (Dirck), who was born in Polifly, New Jersey. His son, Captain Nicholas, was born in Hackensack, Jan. 15, 1736, and was father of Richard Nicholas, born Oct. 21, 1763, in Hackensack. His fifth son, Peter Richard, was born July 5, 1803, on the homestead in Lodi, New Jersey, and married Sept. 1, 1824, Maria Brickerhoff, born Feb. 18, 1806, daughter of Ralph and granddaughter of Richard Brickerhoff, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. Their eldest child, Richard Paul, was born April 4, 1828, and died June 4, 1892.
He married, July 26, 1849, Sophia Euphemia Ackerman, born May 9, 1829, died Nov. 9, 1900, daughter of Henry Lawrence and Lydia (Schoonmaker) Ackerman. The Ackerman and Zabriskie families, with whom the Terhunes are intermarried, were among the oldest in New Jersey, and are treated extensively in the Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey, published in 1910, by the Lewis Historical Publishing Company, publishers of the present work.
The name Terhune was evidently an epithet or characterization applied to the descendants of Albert Albertse before surnames were in genearl use among the inhabitants of New Amsterdam. Albertse simply means son of Albert, and was never a real surname. Most of the Dutch immigrants in New Amsterdam followed this sytem, and adopted surnames some time after the settlement of New York.

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