Who was Harry Morse ?

[Scott Pitta]

Here is part of the testimony of Harry Morse about his experience at Azusa Street.

I soon went to Los Angeles to investigate for myself, and as I heard they rolled over one another and stuck their tongues out like snakes and had other awful contortions, I was very suspicios of them. I was at the time in Peniel Mission work and my heart was hungry, realizing my need of deeper things of God for the ministry and wanting the real, genuine baptism from God. So I went to investigate, but was very cautious, extremely so because of these bad reports. But I wanted to see for myself. When I went into the old Azusa Street Mission that Monday night in the month of September, 1906, I was utterly surprised to find merely a good old time red hot gospel revival meeting going on, and I tell you it hit the spot in my soul. While I did not understand everything, yet I soon changed my opinion and after a few more investigating visits, to be perfectly sure, I publicly put myself on record as being in favor of God’s work there. In a few weeks more I began to seek the baptism.

Let me say too, that, having been in close touch with the work since 1906 on the Pacific Coast, where it is most strongly represented, and being well acquainted with most of the leaders, I declare to you that I have not seen any fanatical rolling, nor the strange things which are reported, but I have found some of the most saintly and deep thinking people who were in the Holiness Movement, and some from many of the churches, with a new glory in their souls, standing for this work.

This was penned in 1914.

[Godsdrummer]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

I just sent him an email.

Thanks

Please let me know if you get a hold of him, I was his assistant pastor for almost two years, back in the early 80's when he was in Everett WA.

[Scott Pitta]

Yes, he graciously responded to my email. More leads...the trail never ends.

[Scott Pitta]

Mary Durst was a student of Harry Morse in 1940. In the 1950's she teamed up with Evelyn Blackridge and preached revivals in northern California and Washington.

Anyone know of them ??

[LifeGuide]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

Mary Durst was a student of Harry Morse in 1940. In the 1950's she teamed up with Evelyn Blackridge and preached revivals in northern California and Washington.

Anyone know of them ??

Not sure if Mary is any relation, but there was a Durst who was district superintendent of West Virginia in the 60's-70's maybe?

[Scott Pitta]

Mary Durst was from Yakima, Washington, prior to her student days in Oakland.

[Scott Pitta]

Edward Odell Thornton was a student of Harry Morse. Looks like he was a student around 1938. This would make him one of the last of the students at the Mission.

1941-1945 Thornton pastored in Lodi, Ca.
1950 Thornton pastors in Pasadena, Ca. and evangelizes in Mt. Vernon, Ill, and at the Big Downtown Mission for Harry Morse.
1955 Thornton pastors a UPC church in San Francisco. He is still living there in 1970.

He and his wife had one son, so he did not believe in the social purity doctrine.

In 1955, he had a story in the Pentecostal Herald. I wonder if I should develop a list of contributors to that magazine who were Morse alumni ?

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

Edward Odell Thornton was a student of Harry Morse. Looks like he was a student around 1938. This would make him one of the last of the students at the Mission.

1941-1945 Thornton pastored in Lodi, Ca.
1950 Thornton pastors in Pasadena, Ca. and evangelizes in Mt. Vernon, Ill, and at the Big Downtown Mission for Harry Morse.
1955 Thornton pastors a UPC church in San Francisco. He is still living there in 1970.

He and his wife had one son, so he did not believe in the social purity doctrine.

In 1955, he had a story in the Pentecostal Herald. I wonder if I should develop a list of contributors to that magazine who were Morse alumni ?

Thornton had some falling out with the UPC and became associated with the School of Prophets the Sowders movement.

[Scott Pitta]

Rev. Epley, you are better than google.

Looks like he pastored in Pasadena, Ca not long after Clyde Haney returned to Stockton. But he did not stay there long. Some guy named I.M. Hunnicut pastored there around 1951. Edgar Langford was there in 1955.

There were a handful of Apostolic churches in San Francisco. The one started by William Seymour around 1908 was still there in the 1960's. 2 other very old Apostolic churches are still there. One is a Spanish church pastored and founded by Daniel Nava. The other is still a church but is no longer Apostolic.

I hope to make it to the UPC archive this Spring to fill in some corners in the book.

As always, your insights are of profound value.

If I could ever figure out a way to post pictures on this site, I could post pics few have ever seen.

[Scott Pitta]

Today I interviewed Richard Crayne. He authored a book titled Pentecostal Handbook. He was pleased with my review of his book. It is a odd collection of facts about Pentecostalism I cannot find elsewhere. Mainly historical tidbits. Primarily down south.

There are Pentecostal Sabbath keepers, but they are all after Harry Morse.

I also interviewed a man whose father was a student of Harry Morse. The man also remembered Harry and Maud. He has some pictures and hopefully other material.

Both interviews went really well.