Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hello there,

I wonder if anyone has a better way of searching the 1841 census than I do?! I'm trying to find another piece of the jigsaw and tracking down what one Thomas Morris was up in 1841. I know he was born circa 1811 in Liverpool (so the Censuses tell me) and seems to have been a Joiner all his life pretty much (although he would have started off as an apprentice or cabinet maker perhaps at some point ??)

By 1851 he has a wife named Mary (can't find her MMN but born in Brompton Shropshire) and at least one child, as Son also called Thomas born 1844/5. They live in a court off Maddox Street, Liverpool by then.

By 1861 he seems to be in Eldon Street, a Joiner and his son Thomas with him who is a 'Joiners son!' No wife is listed??

By June 1871 on his daughter Mary Ann's marriage certificate, he is listed as a Joiner. I can't find him on the 1871 Census though either??? Mary Ann, his daughter, remarries in 1876 and Thomas is now listed as deceased on this marriage cert.


As a point of reference I noted on the 1851 Census listings under Lancashire for Thomas Morris's - Joiners and found entry dates for being born in 1811 (most likely my one) but also 1816 and 1819 and this worries me slightly that I might fall off the right track... I couldn't see the detail in them but I do know for certain that little Thomas at least would have been living in the house being born 44/45.


If anybody comes across anything useful I'd be very grateful.


Mx

In 1841 there's Thos Morris, joiner, in a court in Milton Street. Age (rounded down) 25, wife Mary 30, son William, 4 months.

born in Brompton Shropshire

That could be Broughton. There seems to be "g" in the middle

Thank you retiringtype.

Is there a link to this at all? I have ancestry but am such a novice at accurately searching!

I struggled to decipher the Brompton/Broughton but I think you could well be right. If it is him, didn't know of a William! If I'm right though this must be our 1816 born Thomas then? (see earlier reference to 1851 census search) Does the Mary in this record have Broughton listed?

Interested in the children to see if I can find a common MMN as his daughter Mary Ann is proving hard to track down with her birth records! There are a lot of Mary & Mary Ann Morris's born in Liverpool around 1850 - 1854!!!! So having hit the brick wall I thought I'd try a different track through Thomas Morris and find out as much about him as I can through the Census, which should help me with the children? Seems like he was widowed by 1871 though and dead by 1876.

M

Mary, born in County,

https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/s ... &h=5768753

Thank you Bert.

This seems the right Thomas for birth date but would give us a Mary from the county and not Shropshire... Interesting...

M

Having had another look at the 41 census and a few pages either side of the Morris's. It appears the enumerator didn't bother recording other counties, only countries. I would have thought someone would have been born in another county.

Hello
This post caught my eye as I have a Thomas Morris, joiner, in my tree, but not as a direct ancestor. Your other details do not match with mine so I am not much help except to say that I have found that joiners were often housebuilders, so your man might have advanced to that part of the industry.
D

Thanks daggers.

Out of interest, when was your Thomas Morris born? I'm fairly sure my man is 1811 but I note from the 1851 Census that there was 2 other Joiners of the same name born 1816 and 1819...

M

Sorry for delay.
'My' Thomas was born in 1783, in Liverpool. He married Rebecca Grant in 1806 and died in 1848.

D

Sorry Horsley 2016, I have not been on the Forum for a while so this input may have been overtaken by events.

In terms of Mothers Maidenanme for William Morris b. 1840/41 - Have yout tried searching the GRO Index database?
The continuing pilot service allows free look-up of the index, and lists Mothers Maiden Name on all records from 1837 start of Registration through to some time c 1917.
You need to register at the GRO site

Link https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/cert ... search.asp

The search process is a bit fiddly, but with a little thought and patience you could find what you are looking for.
From the info in your opening note you state that the son William MORRIS was 4 months old at time of 1841 Census, thus probably born in 4th quarter of 1840.
You can work with wider parameters - but start with this - and see what you find.

You can also specify the Registration District to narow the field more - but leaving it blank should give a manageable lilst to look at - from which you can identify any districts that might be more likely. Then with the MMN and the info you already have you can look for a Marriage in Free BMD at least as far back as Sept 1837.

Hope this helps a little.

J