How much proof do you need?

[rogerb]

I have been reviewing some old brick walls and I have been looking at Mary Eliza Morley b1832 in Bristol.  From wedding certs and censuses I have ascertained that her father was John Morley, a mariner.

I found a Baptism record which matched this which showed the mother as Sarah.

But I couldn't find a matching marriage.

Now today, I have found a marriage on FindMyPast between John Morley, a mariner, and Sarah Jones in Carmarthen in 1822.

I checked for Morley births in Carmarthen but there were none.

Is it too much of a leap to think that this pair moved from Carmarthen to Bristol?  I know its not that far, but as we have probably all seen, people didn't really move too far from home 200 years ago.  The dates, names and occupation match up, but the location is worrying me.

[alpinecottage]

Carmarthen and Bristol were both ports, so for a mariner to move from one to the other is not unusual or unexpected.

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

People either travel extensively or barely move at all. I have an ancestor who was born in Middlesex in 1810. By the 1840's the document trail covers Kent, Southampton, Suffolk, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and in the early 1850's heads to Norfolk.
His children were born mostly in the 1840's and ended up all over the world including Canada, America, Italy and Germany from the early 1860's.

[Jebber]

Carmarthen and Bristol were both ports, so for a mariner to move from one to the other is not unusual or unexpected.

I agree with this, in fact people moved about far more than you would imagine, it is a mistake to think they didn’t.

Where does Mary say she was born in the census?

[rogerb]

Thanks Alpine Cottage.  I quickly googled Carmarthen Quay and there were a couple of sentences that were quite interesting

"The surviving quay walls were built in the 19th century. Trade through the port increased rapidly in the 1840s (the last decade before Carmarthen joined the railway network). In response, the Bristol Steam Navigation Company decided in 1846 to dedicate another steamer to its service between Carmarthen and Bristol."

So presumably there was a shipping route between Carmarthen and Bristol in the 1820s.  I read the last sentence to mean they already had a ship plying that route and in 1846 they put another one into service.

Looks like I will have a google around the shipping company.

Roger

[alpinecottage]

So presumably there was a shipping route between Carmarthen and Bristol in the 1820s.  I read the last sentence to mean they already had a ship plying that route and in 1846 they put another one into service.

Yes agree, quite possibly 

[rogerb]

Where does Mary say she was born in the census?
[/quote]

In the 1841, if it her, she is from outside the county (of Sussex)

In 1851 and 1861 she says she is from Bristol (Living in Brighton).  But in the 1871 and 1881 she is down as being from Brighton

[cristeen]

Hubby has an ancestor who lived in Berwick-upon-Tweed, his spouse was living in Newcastle (born in Suffolk) and they travelled to London to marry in St James in 1788. The family owned packet boats, were involved in the salmon trade and his older brother was a distiller in Soho so he had the opportunity but still a fair distance just to be trendy (I suspect)
Are there any likely births for Sarah around Carmarthen, although being a Jones there are likely to be several I imagine
I would mark the marriage as a strong possibility

[Wharfrat]

As others have said, there was plenty of passenger and packet shipping between South Wales and Bristol, before the railways. One of my ancestors used to travel regularly between Swansea and London in the early C19th (we have his diaries) and this was the regular route. Post on then via Bath and other stops along what is roughly now the A4/A40...