1897 Mary Beecher Morse - Sister of Edward S. Morse

 

The 1897-dated cover is addressed to John G. Morse in Salem, Massachusetts, and it bears an interesting return address. While today, Box Number 141 belongs to the Gorham Historical Society in Gorham, Maine, 04038, it was once the property of Mary Beecher Morse in the late 1800s. Her brother was Edward Sylvester Morse, making John G. Morse her nephew.

Mary Beecher Morse (1845-1938) entered into matrimony with Beverly Randolph Clark in 1868. The notion of Mary marrying someone named Beverly may seem peculiar at first glance, as Beverly is typically considered a feminine name. This prompted me to conduct some research. I uncovered a Beverly R. Clarke (male) listed as 38 years old in the 1875 Brooklyn, New York census, residing with his wife, Mary B. (Beecher), who was 30 years old. It's worth noting that in this census record, the surname is spelled as "CLARK." My research also unveiled the fact that "Beverly" is a name that can be used for both genders, a discovery I made only today. This brings to mind Johnny Cash's famous song, "A Boy Named Sue," which highlights the unconventional nature of names.

On the reverse side, there is a rudimentary map depicting a portion of Massachusetts, which indicates the positions of Newbury, Plum Island, Ipswich, and Oldtown. The identity of the cartographer remains unknown. However, the presence of lines crossing over these place names suggests that the map was created prior to the mailing of this letter, likely to prevent any confusion for the postal carrier regarding its intended destination. Nevertheless, it remains a mystery.