Molly’s mother was born Hanora (also found spelled Norah or Nora) Morris (or Morriss).  Her birth date was February 19, 1900 and the passenger list indicates she was born in Ballagh, Ireland- likely the Ballagh in the county of Donegal and the northern province of Ulster[1]. On her death certificate, it says her parents were “not known.” The name, Morris, means “dark, swarthy” and is possibly a modern form of the ancient Irish name “O’Muirgheasa”.  The Morris ancestors stem from Galway, Tipperary and Waterford counties.[2]

The Morris family motto[3]: “A gair duw yn ucha”

(“The word of God above all” or “And the Word of God Highest”)

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[1] The term “Black Irish” is a derogatory term has multiple meanings- one used by the Catholic Irish to describe the Protestants of Ireland who have historically supported the British Rule of Ulster… The Myth of the Black Irish- Spanish syntagonism and prethetical salvation, T. P. Kunesh

[2] Kane Strategic Marketing (1993) Kane Ancestral Map Ireland Harbor Springs, Michigan: Kane Strategic Marketing Inc. http://www.irishheritage.com

[3] Retrieved November 9, 2006 from http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/m/bl_name-MORRIS.htm