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Hi all

I am looking into the family of JANE MORGAN (1858ish-1919) - specifically her siblings and parents.

Here is what I know:
 - Jane was born around 1858 in either Wolverhampton or Oldbury (according to census).
 - Her parents were THOMAS MORGAN and MARY (unknown maiden name).
 - She married William Ashcroft on 3rd September 1877 in Dudley, Staffordshire and had children with him, continuing to live in the Oldbury area.
 - She is buried with her husband William. The burial register has her name as MARY JANE, aged 62.

In regard to Jane's parents, this is what I have gathered:

1861 census - Walsall Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton
Thomas Morgan - lodger - 54 - Coach Trimmer - Wolverhampton
Mary Morgan - wife - 42 - Warwick
George Morgan - son - 5 - Wolverhampton
Jane Morgan - daughter - 3 - Wolverhampton
John Morgan - son - 2months - Wolverhampton

1871 - Birmingham Street, Oldbury
Thomas Morgan - lodger - 64 - vagrant - Wootton (something), Wiltshire
Mary Morgan - lodger - 33 - Warwick
George Morgan - lodger - 13 - 'not known'

Jane and John are not with their parents in 1871 because both of them had been sent to reformatories for stealing (this was reported in local newspapers). John in 1869 and Jane in 1870. The article extracts are too long to post but to summarise:
- 1869 - States that John was caught stealing. He had been caught stealing before and sentenced to a day imprisonment (I've not found this in newspapers yet). Committed for 21 days then to a reformatory for 6 years. He is stated to be a 'clever thief'.
 - 1870 - Jane, aged 11, was charged with stealing. It states her father made a living by begging and that a few weeks earlier her brother (aged 9) was sent to a reformatory. she had apparently been previously detected in 'several petty robberies'. She got 6 weeks imprisonment and 5 years in reformatory school. A second report about Jane's arrest notes her father lives in Oldbury, has a wooden leg and 'professes to make a living hawking matches'. In this article, it is eluded to that the children are not well taken care of. Jane's father is stated as having a 'habit of taking his children about with him to public houses to beg' and that once he was locked up for begging and Jane was with him. The article ends by saying Jane was well-known by the name of 'The Oldbury Girl'.

By all accounts it sounds like their father THOMAS MORGAN was an intriguing character and that this family may have been quite notorious.

JOHN MORGAN appears at the reformatory Aston in the 1871 census, age 10. JANE MORGAN also appears in a reformatory in Limpley, Wiltshire in 1871, aged 10 (birth place listed as Birmingham).

I have JANE MORGAN covered from 1881 until her death in 1919. Her siblings and parents are more elusive.

Jane's father THOMAS MORGAN died in 1874 in Birmingham Street, Oldbury. He was 67. Occupation - hawker. Present at death was an Amelia Cooper of the same street. Interestingly, his burial register puts his place of death as Green Street, Oldbury.

Jane's mother Mary is listed as living with her in 1881 as follows:
1881 - Talbot Street, Oldbury
MARY MORGAN - Mother - 50 - Widower - Warwickshire.

MARY MORGAN died in 1890 in Church Street (where Jane and her family were living at the time). She was 60 and widow of Thomas Morgan, coach trimmer of carriage works.

I have searched for Jane, John and George's birth records on GRO but I'm not coming up with any definite ones that all have the same mother's maiden name. I also don't know what became of either George or John after 1871.

Jane's parents also intrigue me. I'd love to find out more about Thomas Morgan. Mary also currently has no maiden name so I'd love to try and find out who she was.

If anyone can help with this family I would greatly appreciate it. I had asked for help with Jane a few years ago and have collated the information in this post. However, for reference, here is the link to the previous one - https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=873285.0

Thank you in advance!

Hi all

I'm looking into Jane Morris, born in Birmingham, as I want to find her parents, her whereabouts post 1861 and her date of death. Jane married James Roath in Birmingham in 1830 and had a number of children with him as follows:
Jane Roath (1830-1837)
Mary Ann (1831-1871)
John James Roath (1833-1835)
Jane Roath (1836-?)
Richard Roath (1836-?)
John Roath (1838-1920)
George Frederick Roath (1840-1906)
Emily Roath (1841-1846)
Charles Edward Roath (1844-?)
Selina Roath (1846-1847)

In each census (of which I've found her in) her ages and places of birth are as follows:
1841 Wales Census - abt 1811 (not born in county)
1851 back living in England (widowed) - 1816 - Birmingham
1861 - 1813 - Birmingham

In 1861, she had a William (age 10) listed as her son but he is not the child of James Roath, as he had died in 1847. There is also a Henry Roath (age 4) listed as her grandson. There is no birth record on GRO that I can find for him so it is unclear which of her children Henry belongs to. I think it could possibly be her unmarried daughter Mary Ann. It is worth noting here that Jane also had a daughter called Hannah Roath in 1852 (who died in 1854). The father of this child is Charles Roath (according to the birth record) - pearl button maker. The birth was registered by Jane, living in Warf Street, Birmingham. I have no idea who Charles Roath is.

There is a Jane Roath in the 1871 census that could possibly be my Jane. In this census she is listed as a widow and is living with two grandsons - Henry (14) and Arthur (7). I did look at Arthur Roath's record on GRO and his mother's maiden name was Stokes. This has thrown me a little! I wonder, if this IS my Jane, who the two boys belong to. Jane's daughter Mary Ann died in 1871 unmarried, and she was living with Jane in 1861 (alongside brothers Charles 17, George 20 and Henry 10). Mary Ann died in 1871 in Grosvenor Street West, Birmingham. Jane was listed on the death certificate as living in Icknield Port Road, Birmingham. What the Stokes connection is, I am unsure.

The estimated birth year for Jane in the 1871 census is 1807 - quite a difference to previous censuses. Her birth date seems to range from potentially 1807-1816, making finding her parents quite tricky. However, she is consistently recorded as being born in Birmingham. There is a baptism of a Jane Morris in Birmingham in 1812 - father John and mother Mary. Could this be my Jane? Are there other potentials I am missing?

I am also yet to find Jane in census beyond 1871, or a death for her. What became of her?

Yes, the child Samuel Onions's death was reported by a Catherine Yates of 8 Court Moor Street. She is presumably a neighbour. The father, Samuel Onions's death was informed by a surgeon of Queen's Hospital.

There is another George & Mary Robinson on 1851 census - no children

1851c Piece 2052 Folio   186 Page number   46
Gas Street Birmingham      
George Robinson 35 Head occ labourer   
Mary Robinson      21   Wife
James Watkin 42 Visitor
The above George Robinson pob Dudley Worcester and Mary’s pob is dittoed Dudley Worcester
1851c https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGZN-DVP?lang=en

This census could be the same family as in 1861? Though the birth place for George is different.
 If so, this is what made me question whether the above George is the correct one, because my Ellen Robinson was apparently born in 1850. Therefore she'd surely appear on this census. Unless, as I said, the Ellen in 1861 really is my Ellen and she was born later than claimed on her marriage certificate and in the 1871 census. In the 1871 census she was living with her husband John's parents so they may not have known her real age perhaps? 

Which then brings me back to the question - where is her birth registration on GRO?

Given the age gap between George and Mary, I do think there's a chance he was married before. If so, Ellen may have had a different mother, or she could be the illegitimate child of Mary Wright.

I'm not sure how to look for particular streets in the census. This would be a useful thing to do though.