The Morey Family, to which belonged the late Mrs. Paddock Richmond Read, is an old and long established one in New England. The name has been spelled Morey, Mowry, Mowrey, etc. The family which settled in the Plymouth Colony spelled the name Morey, while other branches made their home in Rhode Island, where the spelling of the name was changed to Mowry. George Morey, the first of whom we have record, made his home in Bristol, Rhode Island. He married there Jan. 22, 1683, Hannah Lewis, and their children were:
- John Morey, born Oct. 3, 1684
- Mary Morey, March 24, 1687
- Sarah Morey, March 4, 1690
- Hannah Morey, March 18, 1695 (died December, 1717)
- George Morey, Aug. 31, 4696
- Martha Morey, March 12, 1698
- Abigail Morey, Feb. 27, 1701
- Benjamin Morey, April 18, 1705
- Thomas Morey, Jan. 1, 1708.
George Morey, son of George and Hannah (Lewis) Morey, born in Bristol, R. I., Aug. 31, 1696, moved to the town of Norton, Bristol Co., Mass., where he made his home. He was the founder of the Morey family in that section of the State. He died there Feb. 3, 1780. He was an innholder in Norton from 1744 to 1773, and was also the owner of several slaves. He was a volunteer in the expedition which besieged and captured Louisburg, Cape Breton, 1745, being captain of the 4th company of the 9th Mass. Regiment, commanded by Col. Joseph Dwight. His commission was granted June 3, 1745; he was discharged from the service Oct. 17, 1745, and allowed to return home on account of illness. Mr. Morey was twice married, (first) – intentions published Jan. 4, 1723 – to Elizabeth Hodges, born Nov. 13, 1700, in Taunton, Mass., died Nov. 30, 1745, in Norton. She was the daughter of John Hodges and granddaughter of William Hodges. Mr. Morey married (second) a Miss or Mrs. Love. His children were:
- George Morey, born Dec. 28, 1724
- Samuel Morey, Aug. 19, 1727
- Elizabeth Morey, March 13, 1730
- Benjamin Morey, May 18, 1732
- Hannah Morey, May 13, 1735
- Abigail Morey, Jan. 27, 1738
- Sarah Morey, Dec. 31, 1740
Samuel Morey, son of George, was born Aug. 19, 1727, in the town of Norton, Mass., where he spent his life and where he died Dec. 15, 1798. He married (first) May 3, 1750, Mary Hodges, born July 12. 1734, daughter of Ebenezer Hodges, of Norton. She died Feb. 25, 1773, and he married (second) June 22, 1774, in Hopkinton, Mass., Ruhamah Mullen, a widow, of Hopkinton, who died Nov. 9, 1807. His children, all born to the first marriage, were:
- Ebenezer Morey, born Nov. 13, 1751
- Sarah Morey, born Feb. 27, 1755, married Elijah Hodges
- Samuel Morey, born June 4, 1757, was a doctor (he was a soldier in the Revolutionary war)
- Daniel Morey, born Aug. 8, 1759, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war
- Anna Morey, born Feb. 11, 1762, married Dr. Timothy Smith
- Fanny Morey, born July 16, 1764, married Laban Wheaton, of Norton
- Mary Morey, born Nov. 7, 1766
- Lettice Morey, born Dec. 25, 1768, married Rev. Nathan Holman, of Attleboro.
The father, Samuel, in September, 1779, was one of the committee to obtain food supplies for Boston. He was appointed justice of the peace Jan. 9, 1789.
Ebenezer Morey, son of Samuel, was born in the town of Norton, Mass., Nov. 13, 1751. He married there March 31, 1774, Lydia Copeland, daughter of Deacon Benjamin and Sarah (Allen) Copeland, of Norton. He made his home in Norton, having grown to manhood there. There is no record of his having been in the Revolutionary war, although his younger brothers Samuel and Daniel both participated. Ebenezer died June 20, 1778, at the age of twenty-seven years, leaving a widow and two children, viz.:
- Mary Morey, born Feb. 3, 1775
- George Washington Morey, born Sept. 17, 1776
George Washington Morey, son of Ebenezer, was born Sept. 17, 1776, in Norton. Here he grew to manhood and when a young man came to Taunton, where he remained the rest of his life. He was a man well known and highly respected. His death occurred Oct. 1, 1852, at the age of seventy-six years. He married in Taunton, on April 7, 1803, Mary (Polly) Leonard, daughter of James Leonard, of Taunton, Mass., and they were the parents of Belinda Copeland Morey, who married Paddock Richmond Read.