Murphy's in Maesteg

[searcher58]

Hoping that someone can help find a link. It is important that a family friend finds his irish ancestry.
He has very little to go on.  He also has very little on his welsh roots also.

Joseph William Spencer (b. around 1867 in Wolsingham, Durham) married a Mary ? (b. Maesteg around 1870)

They are down as being in Durham in the 1891 census.

Their daughter Elizabeth Ann Spencer married a Joseph Murphy at St. Patricks in March 1909 and had a daughter also Elizabeth in 1915.  Joseph William Spencer (coal miner) is down as deceased at this time.
Joseph Murphys father is down as John Murphy, General Labourer.

Elizabeth the daughter also married a Murphy, but left him and came to Australia with her new husband. I think there were two other sisters and a brother. 


Many thanks in anticipation

Jan

[CaroleW]

Possible marriage from freebmd  www.freebmd.org.uk

Marriages September qtr 1888   
Mary Ann Crowley    Swansea  11a 1033   
Joseph William Spencer   Swansea  11a 1033

[CaroleW]

Have you looked up the 1911 entry for Joseph Murphy and Elizabeth?  It may give you the exact area of Ireland he came from.  It will also give you his birthyear

With a name like Joseph Murphy and father John in Ireland - you need to gather as much info as possible

The 1911 is copyright protected so lookups are not allowed here but there is a free index at

http://www.1911census.co.uk/search/tnaform.aspx

You will have to buy credits to view any possible matches

With any additional info from the 1911 - you could then try tracing the Murphy family on the Irish 1901 which is free at  www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search

[searcher58]

Hi there Carole, I couldn't find any matches to look up in the 1911, for all permutations of any of the names.
My friend says his mother refused to talk about her life before Australia, lots of family secrets.

I'm trying all ways to just move that one brick, but it refuses to budge.

 It doesn't help that they were flitting back and forth between Maesteg and Wolsingham in Durham.
I have a couple of clues through someones family tree that might validate that I actually have the right Spencer Family.

You would think I would learn when someones says to me, can you help me find my roots.  But I just can't resist the hunt.

[Pejic]

Don't get excited.

I have a Murphy ancestor in South Wales, but have found nothing useful in working out where he came from or who he married.

His name was Ledgingham Murphy and he had 8 children, one of whom (Sophia) married a William Howell and died in Chepstow in August 1851

[CaroleW]

Their daughter Elizabeth Ann Spencer married a Joseph Murphy at St. Patricks in March 1909

Where and when was Elizabeth born?

How old was Joseph on the 1909 marriage cert and what was his occupation?

Were either of the witnesses surname Murphy?

[searcher58]

Jospeh Murphy is down as a coal miner. He was 23 at the time of the 1909 wedding. I checked out the witnesses - Agnes Begley (thought she could be a reli with a married name), couldn't find her in Maesteg. Then William Cookesley(?), couldn't find him either.

Elizabeth Ann the daughter was born in Caerau Rd, Caerau, Maesteg in 1915.

[CaroleW]

Where and when was Elizabeth born?

I meant Elizabeth who married Joseph

Using only the free 1911 census - there is a Joseph Murphy aged 26 living in Bridgend.  Freebmd shows this as the registration district for the 1909 marriage so seems a good bet

Using the instructions below - wife seems to be Bessie aged 21 - Bessie was a common corruption of Elizabeth.  There is also a 19yr old Michael Murphy - may be Joseph's brother

USING THE FREE 1911 INDEX TO DETERMINE THE CORRECT HOUSEHOLD

http://www.1911census.co.uk/search/tnaform.aspx

Once you find a possible match - make a note of the county and district in which the person was living

Return to the index and in PERSONAL DETAILS - just put the surname of the family - nothing else

In LOCATION - Select the county and below it - type in the district

In OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD - show the full name of the person you have found on the index

Click SEARCH

You will have to buy credits to view the full entry - the above instructions will only help to possibly show others of the same name in the same household

[searcher58]

On the 1891 census she is down as being born in Maesteg.

I've read up on the history of Maesteg and Caerau and learnt that there was a large influx of Irish (not all legal).  I've also been told that a John Murphy is down on the Memorial as dying in the great war. Don't know if he is connected or the same john murphy down as Joseph' father.
I'm just nipping dowen the road now to get the names of the friends aunts and uncles and maybe try to jog his memory about family stories.

J