Morse, William Inglis

William Inglis Morse was a clergyman, author, historian and bibliophile. He was interested primarily in the history of North American, specifically Canada and Nova Scotia.

Born in Paradise, Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia in 1874, Morse would go on to study at Acadia College (now University) in Wolfville, then at Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massechussets, obtaining both a B.A. from Acadia and a B.D. from Theological School. In 1904, he was married to Susan Alice Ensign, and would have one daughter with her. Morse was ordained priest in the Anglican Church in 1901, in Boston, and worked as an Assistant Minister at St. John's Church in Stamford, Mass. from 1902 to 1904, then as a rector of the Church of the Incarnation in Lynn, Mass. from 1905 to 1930. He began taking an interest in historical research and rare books in the 1910s, and took research trips to England and Europe through the 1920s. When he retired from the ministry in the 1930s, he was able to concentrate on Canadian history and on collecting rare books and manuscripts, especially those pertaining to the history of Nova Scotia in 17th and 18th centuries. He collected and donated multiple rare books and manuscripts to universities in the Maritimes, including Dalhousie University, Acadia University, and the University of King's College. He also donated Canadiana to Yale, and as the honourary curators of Canadian Literature at Harvard University, added 6 500 items, including a complete set of works by Thomas C. Haliburton. He passed away in 1952.

Morse published extensively, including:

1906-1950 -- Edited and published The Chronicle in Cambridge, Massachusetts, originally the newsletter
for his Lynn parish, but eventually the record of his collecting and scholarly interests4
1908 -- Acadian Lays and Other Verse. Toronto: W. Briggs.
1920 -- The Lady Latour, with Picture Poses Appended for Those Who Journey. Toronto, Ryerson.
1922 -- Seeing Europe Backwards. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1923 -- Interludes for Dust Eaters (Ancient and Modern) with a Monologue. Boston, Nathan Sawyer.
1924 -- Twisting Trails in the Auvergnes, Cevennes Alps of Provence, Belgium, Holland, and British Isles. Boston: Nathan Sawyer
1925 -- Genealogiae or Data Concerning the Families of Morse, Chipman, Phinney, Ensign and Whiting. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1925 -- Ricordati, 1874-1924. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1926 -- The Diary of a Musketeer. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1926 -- Eccentrics in Paradise and Other Essays. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1927 -- Sicilian Days and Other Journeys Round the Mediterranean and Adriatic. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1927 -- Letters and Cartoons from FGC [ illustrator Fred G. Cooper] to WIM, 1916-1926, and Brief Reference to Caricature in Relation to Nature, Travel, Golf, the Bible, and Parochial Life. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1929 -- Gravestones of Acadie and Other Essays on Local History, Genealogy and Parish Records of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. London: A. Smith.
1930 -- Nordic Trails: a Journey to Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Czecho-Slovakia. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1931 -- Catalogue of books, manuscripts, maps and documents in the William Inglis Morse collection, 1926-1931 / Acadia University. London: The Curwen Press.
1932 -- The Land of the New Adventure: The Georgian Era in Nova Scotia. London, Bernard Quaritch.
1933 -- The Narrowing Path, 1901-1920. London: Curwen Press.
1935 -- Acadiensia Nova (1598-1779); new and unpublished documents and other data relating to Acadia (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, etc.), the actors: Sir William Alexander, Jacques de Meulles, Gargas, Vincent de Saccardy, Marquis de La Roche, Delabat and J. F. W. des Barres (2 vols.). London: Bernard Quaritch.
1937 -- Local History of Paradise, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia (1684-1936). Boston: N. Sawyer.
1938 -- Supplement to Local History of Paradise, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia (1684-1936), Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1938 -- The Lord's prayer [notes of an address by W. Inglis Morse]. Cambridge, Mass. : The author.
1938 -- Catalogue of the William Inglis Morse Collection of books, pictures, maps, manuscripts, etc. at Dalhousie University Library, Halifax, Nova Scotia / compiled by Eugenie Archibald; with a foreword by Carleton Stanley and a preface by William Inglis Morse. London : Curwen Press.
1939 -- Pierre du Gua, Sieur de Monts, Records: Colonial and "Saintongeois." London: Bernard Quaritch.
1940 -- Ewart Gladstone Morse, 1892-1935: a Memoir. Boston: Nathan Sawyer.
1941 -- Bliss Carman: Bibliography, Letters, Fugitive Verses, and Other Data. Windham: Hawthorn House.
1944 -- Letters of D. Alexandra Malaspina (1790-1791), collected and edited by William Inglis Morse; translation of the letters by Christopher M. Dawson. Boston, Mclver-Johnson
1944 - 1949 -- The Canadian Collection at Harvard University. 6 vols. Cambridge: Harvard University Printing Office.
1945 -- Published Autobiographical Records of William Inglis Morse, 1874-1905. Boston: Mclver-Johnson
1944 -- Diary of the Rev. Jacob Eliot, M.A., 1716-1764. Cambridge, Mass.: [s.n.], 1944.