Stephen Morris Nevern 1791

[pricewynne]

Hi

I wondered if anyone has access to the parish records for this period? I am trying to find Stephen Morris' parents. He was born in Nevern in 1791 and lived his life out near St Davids. I would be very grateful for any help. All the online records post date his birth!

Thankyou!

[osprey]

there are records online for Nevern at that period. There's the baptism of a Stephen recorded 6 Feb 1791 but no details of parents.

So, taking this from another angle. The 2 witnesses to Stephen's marriage were Thomas Mortimer & Rowland Morris. Rowland Morris then married Margaret John 16 Nov 1820 in Eglwyswrw, Rowland noted as of Nevern. The 2 witnesses were John Williams & Stephen Morris.

1841 census Kilgwyn Quarter, Nevern HO107/1446/23 folio 10 pg 38
Rowland Morris 52 Smith
Mary 48    (should be Margaret)
Hannah 19
James 15
Thomas 13
Mary 6
Jane 4
Rowland 2
all born in county

Rowland Morris of Fronogwydd, Nevern died 9 Feb 1842 and his widow Margaret was granted administration of his estate 12 Nov 1842. The admin is on the NLW site
http://cat.llgc.org.uk/cgi-bin/gw/chameleon?skin=profeb&lng=en

I can find their marriages in parish records, but struggling with baptisms & burials which suggests the Morris family could be non-conformist.
On FreeReg, the baptism of Stephen's daughter Elizabeth in 1817 was in Ebenezer, St David's. Ebenezer was Independent - the record from FamilySearch 
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQQH-TM7
so it begins to look like the baptisms for Stephen & Rowland may not be in the parish registers because they were baptised elsewhere & the survival of non-conformist registers is not as good as those of the established church & online coverage is very patchy.
Near Nevern is a very old Independent Church called Brynberian

http://brynberian-online.co.uk/chapel.html

What records exist would be at the record office in Haverfordwest.

[pricewynne]

Hi,

Thankyou so much for your response. Yes they were certainly non-conformist from Stephen onwards. I was mislead by his marrying in St. Davids. So people married in the parish church at this time even if they were non conformist?

I have copies of the wills of the Nevern Morrises. Hadn't spotted a Rowland was witness to Stephen's marriage.

After your suggestion (as on hols in Pembs) I went to the chapel in Brynberian. Quite a few Morrises in the graveyard. Including a Rowland (smith). In later generations there were even Stephen Morrises.

If there is anyone out there who visits Haverfordwest or Arberystwyth archives I would be very very grateful for a look up of Morrises in the Brynberian records.

Are the Nevern records you found the IGI?

Many many thanks!

[osprey]

some records for Nevern have been transcribed for FreeReg

http://freereg2.freereg.org.uk/

and you can access the scanned registers on Findmypast.

From the time of Hardwicke's Marriage Act until the start of civil registration in 1837, all marriages had to take place in the parish church apart from for Quakers & Jews. From civil registration, couples could marry in a non-conformist church, but a registrar, with his register, had to be there to record the marriage. This was the case until the 1890s when chapels could apply to be licenced for marriages.
https://www.llgc.org.uk/visit/family-history/records/nonconformist-records/

So finding a marriage in the parish church doesn't mean the family worshipped there. Early independent churches may well have had their own burial grounds. If not, the burials would be in the parish churchyard as well. It's just the baptisms or births that may have been recorded elsewhere. Not all denominations practice infant baptism. And records of non-conformist churches do not always survive.