The Morse family papers document the life businessman R.I. (Robert I.) Morse and his family members, and their experiences in  present-day Bellingham, Washington, California and Waterville, Maine. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence written between Morse family members during the time period 1878-1965.

The correspondence provides insight into the history of the Morse family and that of early Bellingham. The collection includes twenty-four letters written by R.I. Morse to his mother and siblings in Maine. His letters report aspects of his work and early family life in San Francisco, as well as later experiences in Sehome—now Bellingham—Washington, where Morse established the Morse Hardware Company in 1884. Morse describes his new home as a place of “primitive” landscapes packed with two hundred foot high trees. He details the efficient logging techniques used to fell those trees, and also alludes to a fledgling railroad industry in the area. In addition to documenting ongoing personal ventures and family matters, Morse's letters contain an account of a motor trip taken by him and his second wife, Ada C. Morse, during the final months of his life. In March 1920, the couple drove an “Essex runabout” from the Sacramento, California area to Los Angeles. Morse provides vivid descriptions of California landscapes, as well as the road conditions and driving speeds of the day. 

Among the additional family correspondence are nine letters written by Ada C. Morse, dated 1920-1942. They include several to R.I. Morse's sister, Mary (May) Morse Jackson. The collection also contains ephemera and a small number of family photographs (circa 1897-2005).