RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: IMF on Monday 30 March 09 19:14 BST (UK)
-
Hi,
My granduncle Edmund Alfred Morfey, was born on 15-10-1877, at Rye Foreign,
East Sussex, England. I have never been able to find a marriage or death for him over here.
On findmypast.com I found a Mr. E. A. Morfey, 30 years, singleman, farmer , on the passenger list of the Salamis sailing from London to Sydney on the 27-10-1908, unfortunately they do not have any further information on the entry.
It may well be that the passenger is my granduncle and I would be very grateful if anyone could help out with further information or suggestions as to where to look next.
Thanks,
Ian
-
A quick search of the Electoral Rolls to 1936 shows very few MORFEY's in Australia and those are in Western Australia but no Edmund Alfred.
There is this death however but this person was listed as early as 1916 on the WA electoral roll along with a John MORFEY and both were miners.
MORFEY Freddie
District Perth Reg#2780 1948
Freddie died aged 69 years ie b. c1879 and is buried
http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/NameSearch/GenResearch.html
John MORFEY is also buried at the same cemetery.
There are a few MORFEY's listed on whitepages none in WA.
http://www.whitepages.com.au/wp/initResSearch.do
Have a browse at the resources at the top of the board.
Cheers
Cando
-
Australian Archives site has a record of miltary service WW2 for John Thomas MORFEY b Peasmarsh UK(Near Rye) 1907. I know this is a generation later but I would have thought he must be a relative. The record is fully digitised. Thought you might be interested in having a look at him.
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch/index.aspx
(Search by clicking on the Namesearch link at the botoom of the page, newxt to the man's photo.)
Cheers, Judith
-
From passenger records available on the net, it would appear that John Thomas MORFEY emigrated in 1927. The other 7 MORFEY's emigrated to Western Australia with the exception of E A, who as Ian has mentioned, emigrated to Sydney.
John T's wife -
http://www.saghs.org.au/graves.htm
Newspaper Deaths, Funerals, Lest We Forget & Memorials
Surname: MORFEY
Given name(s): Elizabeth White-Bryden
Source date: A 2000
Unfortunately we are no closer to finding the elusive Mr E A for Ian.
Cando
-
Hi Imf,
It may be a help if you give us the names of your man's parents which I assume you have if he was your great uncle [your grandfather's brother?]
Sometimes a death can be located with the support of parental names.
Sue
-
Ian I notice that there are only 8 MORFEY names in Aus on
http://www.whitepages.com.au/wp/initResSearch.do
Not many letters to write. ;D
Cheers
Cando
-
Thanks Cando, Judith and Sue for your contributions.
Freddie Morfey ( my grandfather ) and John his brother emigrated to W.A. in 1912 and 1911 respectively to search for gold so the family story had it. Through the many good resources online I found that they did jointly own a mine for a couple of years or so at Maniga Marley, W.A.
John was for many years an engineer in the W.A. gold mines area and died at Nedlands in 1962. Freddie went on to work as a sheep farmer, he died at Armadale in 1948. They are buried in the same plot.
Both men sent for their wifes and children. My grandmother never went . John's wife Agnes went over with her then three children when Freddie went out to join John in 1912, she returned to England pregnant with their fourth child and never returned to Oz.
Neither man returned to England and as far as I have been able to check neither remarried.
John Thomas Morfey was the son of John Morfey and had two children that I am aware of John and Alan Dennis. John Thomas is buried in Centennial Park Cemetry, Adelaide together with his wife Elizabeth. At the time of his death he was living at Glengowrie.
Sue suggested that Freddie's and John's parents might help, they are Thomas and Ellen Susan Morfey.
Thanks Cando for the suggestion of writing to the Aussie Morfey's, I tried it about a year or so ago and got one reply, they were heplful but definitely not related. I think I might try again.
The family story passed down to us never mentioned Edmund Alfred at all let alone that he went to Australia, yet the passenger in 1908 could well have been him and it's an intriguing possibilty.
There is much that I don't know about my Morfey's in Oz but I'll keep digging away at it.
Once again thanks for your efforts and suggestions.
Ian
-
From
http://www.saghs.org.au/graves.htm
Newspaper Deaths, Funerals, Lest We Forget & Memorials
Surname: MORFEY
Given name(s): Alan Dennis
Source date: A 2007
Copy of the notice is available from SAGHS for a fee.
John Thomas's marriage from the Victorian indexes - indexed three times!
MORFEY John Thomas
BRYDEN Elizabeth White
1941 Reg#955
MORFEY John Thomas
GREENALGH Elizabeth White-bryden
1941 Reg#955
MORFEY John Thomas
WHITE-BRYDEN Elizabeth
1941 Reg# 955
Photo of J Morfey, Lawler
http://www.rootschat.com/links/05yq/
Cheers
Cando
-
Ian do you think this could be your Edmund A on the 1901 census transcribed as MORFEE. Born c1878. Of course you may have already found this but this gentleman has a wife. I can find no marriage record on freebdm. Probably mistranscribed.
1901 RG13/855/49/11
Living at Ivychurch, Kent
MORFEY Edmund A Head Married 23 Coachman b. Rye Sussex
MORFEY Louis Wife Married 20 b. Wittersham, Kent
Cheers
Cando
-
Hi Cando,
You are working very hard for my cause, thanks.
I will contact the SAGHS for a copy of the burial notice for Alan Dennis Morfey.
Thanks for looking up the photo of John Morfey, I do already have it , it's the only photo I have of the two brothers.
You may have cracked the Edmund Alfred saga with your find on the 1901 Census, it could well be him and his wife. Edmund was definitely born at Rye Foreign and not Rye as per the census entry, however the wife could have supplied the information and got it wrong.
It prompted me to check the marriage certificates I have . On Freddie's marriage certificate for his marriage on 07-06-1902 the witnesses are Edmund Alfred Morfey ( which I knew ) and Louie Morfey ( who I supposed was another relative and not the wife of Edmund ).
I rechecked the entry on the 1901 Census and the name of the wife could be Louie.
Somehow I need to find the marriage and get a certificate to be sure that things are as they appear.
Many thanks,
Ian
-
Hi Ian
I agree with you re the name Louis/Louie...writing a tad difficult to decipher. Of course it may be only a nickname or abbreviated from Louise/Louisa or even a 2nd given name. I have searched using all sorts of combinations. The surname MORFEY has probably been mistranscribed....can't find a thing. I guess trawling the indexes is the only solution.
Cheers
Cando
-
Hi Cando,
As a result of your find of a possible match in the 1901 Cenus I decided to check the 1911 version. Despite trying all manner of spelling combinations I had no luck.
I thought that should the 1908 E . A Morfey be mine it would have meant that perhaps Louie/Louise had died somewhere between the above dates, no trace on the various indexes.
It could mean that the 1908 Morfey might still be mine if Edmund decided to emigrate. There's a fair bit of speculation here but I have to look at the various possibilities.
There was no trace of Louie/Louise on the list of Morfey emigrants that I have.
I'll keep plodding away.
Thanks again to you and the others for the interest shown.
Ian
-
I know its been a few years since this was posted, my great grandfather was Edmund's brother Thomas (he changed his surname to Smith sometime between 1891 and 1895)made searching for him fun. ::). Thomas was born 15th November 1874 at Foreign of Rye. His mother was Ellen Susan, maiden name Baker, she married three times to William Leadbetter, Thomas Morfey and Edward Smith Pope.
Edmund's wife Louie Barham remarried Albert William Gorham at Rye 1910. Edmund had three daughters with Louie - Pearl Louie Morfey born 1903, Queenie Violet Morfey born 1905 and Joyce Una Susan Morfey/Gorham born 1908.
-
Personal Message sent to sgf28 this morning.
IMF
-
I am Alan's daughter, can I help in some way?
-
Hello Tania,
Do you mean that you are the daughter of Alan Morfey, son of John Thomas Morfey, if so then you will undoubtedly be able to help me, maybe also regarding Edmund Alfred.
If you can confirm the above then we would have much to pass on to one another.
Regards,
Ian
-
Hi Ian, yes I am the daughter of Alan.
-
Hi Tania,
That's great ! So we are 2nd cousins !
I'd be grateful if you can help with regard to Edmund Alfred, brother of Fred and John, in a sense he is a bit of mystery as I have never been able to find a death for him. It's possible that he emigrated too, but I have not found anything to date to support this idea.
I am sure that I could help you with the British connections, while you could with the Australian ones.
Any reply to this will be your third and will then enable you to send/receive personal messages offline.
I have been working on the family history for ten years.
Ian
-
Ian I doubt I can help with history that far back, but you are welcome to PM me.
-
Hi Ian
I have just seen this search for Edmund Alfred Morfey - who was my great grandfather. My nan was his daughter Pearl. I may have more info to add to your story.