Nigel, thanks for your lookup offer. Please refer to your March 4 note to me regarding a Thomas Morgan lookup. I can't find the original message string in this database. Hopefully you'll be able to understand what I'm up to when you read it.
I had someone lookup the marriage certificate for Thomas Morgan and Anne Roberts you mentioned in your note. It reads:
1850 Marriage Certificate
Thomas Morgans, Aged 28, Widower, Collier, Pendarren, Merthyr, Father John Morgans, Deceased, Collier.
Married:
Ann Roberts, Aged 19, Spinster, Pontystorehouse, Merthyr, Father David Roberts, Deceased, Collier.
Witness Elizabeth Matthews and Mary Morgan
on March 4 1850, at Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan Register Office
The Certificate reveals that GGGF Thomas was a widower and therefore married previously before his marriage to my GGGM Ann. If he married about 21 years of age, the previous marriage would have occurred about 1841 and therefore could have lasted no more than 9 years because he married Ann in 1850.
The news of this previous marriage is new to my family but could possibly explain a story passed down in the family. My grandmother told a story about her mother having multiple brothers in Wales, and that one of them chased down and walloped a neighborhood boy who had taken her doll. I've guessed this must have been an OLDER brother, but until now I've had no luck finding any evidence of an older brother in the census records provided.
GGGF Thomas Morgan is recorded being age 30 in the 1851 census (below), age 41 in the 1861 census (below), and deceased in the 1871 census (below). Ray Griffiths did a lookup For the 1871 census and reported that the family is recorded:
Anne Morgan, Wid. age 42 washer woman
Mary " Sin " 17 landing coal
Elizabeth " " 7
Thomas " " 5
Living at 86, (looks like) Bethina Colliery Arms Merthyr Tydfil.
The child Thomas, age 5, did not travel to the US with the Ann, Mary and Elizabeth in 1874, so probably died before 1874. There were likely other children born to GGGF Thomas and GGGM Ann, but because they aren't recorded on any census and the censi occur every 10 years, none would have been older than 9 before they passed away. We know that father Thomas was alive to conceive child Thomas about 1865-1866 but died sometime between conception and 1871.
I saw information from the Durham Mining Museum site that may shed further light. Follow this link <
www.dmm.org.uk/uknames/u1865-02.htm> to see deaths recorded for the Gethin Cyfarthfa Colliery disaster, 20 December 1865. Amongst the 34 deceased are Thomas Morgan (father), age 46, 23 Garden Street, and Joseph Morgan, age 23, 23 Garden Street. This Thomas Morgan is the correct age to be my GGGF. The son, Joseph, could possibly be explained by the first marriage and could possibly be the older brother from the story above.
Another piece of interesting information comes from the 1871 census data provided by Ray Griffiths. In his lookup message he says widow Mary Morgan and her family are "Living at 86, (looks like) Bethina Colliery Arms Merthyr Tydfil". I searched and searched, trying to find information about Bethina Colliery Arms with no luck. I now wonder whether it's misread from the document and could in fact be Gethin Colliery Arms. If so, it seems to place my GGGM and her family at the death location about the time the disaster occurred.
So after this long preamble, I'm looking to find a newly married Thomas Morgan or Morgans in the 1841 census at Methyr who was born about 1820. The name of his (first) spouse, if he was married for the census, is unknown. If son, Joseph, was 23 at death, he would have been likely born in 1842 and therefore not recorded; and he was probably their first child so if married, they would likely be childless for the census. It's not certain they would be living at Merthyr when the census was taken, but it's likely they were.
Also looking for an Ann Roberts in the 1841 census, born at Merthyr Tydfill about 1831, daughter of David Roberts.
Also looking for confirmation that there was in fact a lodging place called the Gethin Colliery Arms.
Also looking for advice about what's involved to lookup death information for Thomas Morgan (killed at Gethin Colliery, 20 December 1865) and his son Joseph Morgan (killed at Gethin Colliery, 20 December 1865). Do you think there would be information on these death records that somehow corroborate the link to my family (name of spouse, names of parents, etc)?
Thanks so much for any help or advice.
DR
