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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: CrystalPalace on Tuesday 05 March 24 14:53 GMT (UK)
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I am struggling to find the baptism for my GGG grandfather, William Morris.
I have only a few facts:
He married Sarah Crayford at Elham Kent in 1836 - so no father's name.
His children's baptisms suggest the family were living in Reculver from 1840, (1841 census for this parish missing) and wife Sarah buried there 1846.
In the 1851 census, William is still in Reculver, widower, age 39, birthplace 'Milton, Kent'. I've tried Milton, Sittingbourne and Milton, Gravesend + surrounding parishes but can't find any William Morris' baptised 1809-1815, nor even any likely families.
So I just wondered how much reliance I should put on the Milton connection, without the corroboration of subsequent census records?
Perhaps I should add that I can't confirm a death either, although by 1861, the family are dispersed, the eldest married (doesn't say father deceased on certificate) and the youngest are at sea, one went as a cabin boy in 1859, age 13.
How accurate have you found birthplace info in your experience?
Grateful for any insights
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Hi
What about Milton Regis?
Map
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Reculver,+Herne+Bay/Milton+Regis,+Sittingbourne/@51.33724,0.569121,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d94b6d4cf88875:0x8829bd395f30503b!2m2!1d1.2137547!2d51.3781135!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8d530ecbd5abf:0x6d1a6c07558bb08f!2m2!1d0.729984!2d51.3513018?entry=ttu
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What was the occupation of William? If it was connected with the water I can see how he might have moved from Milton to Reculver but how did he get married in Eltham?
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Hi,
Ancestry is showing a baptism of a William Morris on 26 March 1811 at Linton, Kent (parents Thos and Mary)
Could this be of interest?
Alan
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Thanks all
Sorry, I should have called it Milton Regis not next to Sittingbourne in my original post but there's no Morris' there that I can find.
William was a labourer (1851) but did wonder about the Reculver connection not just the maritime aspect (Coastguard stations?) but because there was an extended family called Morris already in Reculver and though I've traced the family back from early 1700s to mid 1800s, I've not been able to see likely parents for William.
Also- and this just adds to my confusion, William's granddaughter Eliza Hopkins marries a James Harlow who is in fact the GG grandson of a John Harlow and Hannah Morris who were both baptised, married and died at Reculver.
Not only did William get married in Elham but so did his eldest daughter Sarah (1860 John Hopkins)
I seem to have coincidences but can't find connections!
I did see the William Morris born Linton and the date fits but is a long way from Elham - do Milton and Linton sound sufficiently alike to be confused?
Thanks for your thoughts!
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Hi,
Not sure if this helpful, but FS has four listings for William and Sarah's marriage in Kent in 1836. Three are for Elham and one for Elstone, 13 miles from Elham, between Reculver and Elham.
Stefan
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Hi,
Regrettably, I don't know the area, however it seems to me that -
1. William Morris's wife Sarah Crayford was baptised 8 Feb 1818 at Selling, Kent daughter of William and Susan Crayford.
2. He and Sarah's first born Mary Ann Morris was baptised at St Peter and St Paul Church, Upper Hardres Court on 1 Sept 1839 (Free Reg).
3, Mary Ann then married on 8 May 1859 at Fordwich, Kent to William Homersham.
4. One of the Family Search records a marriage at Elmstone, Kent on 17 April 1836 and not as originally thought.
All these places are fairly closer together on Google Maps surrounding Canterbury so my thinking is that perhaps the search should be concentrated on that specific area?
Does this make sense?
Alan
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What was the occupation of William? If it was connected with the water I can see how he might have moved from Milton to Reculver but how did he get married in Eltham?
ELHAM, not Eltham.
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Hi,
Another few thoughts -
William (born 1811) and Sarah's second child was named Thomas Morris (baptised 12 Feb 1841 at Reculver). This could be following a naming pattern for the first two children, following the potential father Thomas Morris (born in Linton in 1788; died there 1833) and his wife Mary (1788-1873), suggesting maybe this is the right path?
I think also that William's potential father Thomas married Mary Horton in 1810 and that William was their first born - they had many other children (including a George in 1814) which was the name of William and Mary Ann's third child.
A number of trees on Ancestry have tied the family is to what I believe is a different William Morris -born 1815 in High Halden and have him dying in Pluckley in 1892, He also has children named Mary A and Thomas but they like their father were born High Halden and the ages don't quite fit.
The more i look at this the more I feel the William Morris in Linton seems a really good candidate. I cannot see any other close possibility.
If you were to consider this and examine it closer, then there are trees on Ancestry going back a lot earlier (assuming they are correct of course)
Alan
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Thank you, so helpful to have other opinions/insights.
It's interesting that the Linton baptism has been highlighted.
As part of my efforts to identify William, I compiled a list of all William Morris' born Kent 1809-1815 and tried to exclude on basis of marriage/death records and census entries - I was left with a shortlist of about 16 possibilities which included Linton baptism!
I had looked at this family and found that most stayed around the Maidstone area initially though some emigration to Australia but I couldn't find any records in the area for William so currently he is in the 'most likely' category and am going to focus my research on this Morris family.
Do you think its possible that the Milton birthplace recorded on the 1851 census could be an error by enumerator?
Thanks so much for your help
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Hi,
In those days of illiteracy etc, I would imagine its easy to mix up Linton and Milton. Similarly a mix up between Eltham and Elmstone is potentially on the cards.
There is a Morris family Tree on Ancestry and it could be worth your while contacting them if you are an Ancestry member.
Their list of children to Thomas and Mary starts with George 1814 but they have either overlooked the birth of William in 1811 but never realised William is part of the family.
By the first census in 1841 William has gone his own way and married Sarah etc so it would be reasonable to not have picked him up from the early census details.
The birth dates tie in nicely for the Thomas/Mary marriage so if it was me I would contact the tree owner for his views.
Alan