Any suggestions welcome.....

Gran · Post by **Gran** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:58 pm

I was surprised when I found my gg grandparents on the 1861 English census and their birthplace given as Scotland. There had been no talk of this in the family, so it came as a surprise and gave me the desire to find where their birthplace was. I sent for their marriage certificate and gained very little new information other than that James Morrisons father was Malcolm a weaver and Mary Strains father was called Neal.

Both James and Mary were born around 1826 according to ages on the census and there is only one John Morrison I can find on IGI with a father Malcolm. I have spent a small fortune on the gro site, but non of the records show any connection to my James Morrison that I can accept as a definate proof of a connection. Just because there is only the one record on IGI doesn't mean that is proof.

Has anyone any suggestions of how to proceed from this point?

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:04 pm

Hi there,

Where did you find James and Mary Morrison? Is it the 38 year old Baker in North Leeds? Or the 39 year old Coach bulider in West Ham?

Gran · Post by **Gran** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:09 pm

Hi Andy, it is the 38 year old Baker in North Leeds.

Gran · Post by **Gran** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:32 am

Back to square one again.

The only likely birth on IGI is the wrong one according to information from the 1841 census.

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:54 am

Couldn't find any of the children's births in the IGI but Free BMD has a possible Dec 1846 for James, June 1850 John, Mar 1859 Jane.

Think I found son James and wife, Widow Margaret McCann in 1881 in Manchester:

Dwelling 3 Union St
Census Place Manchester, Lancashire, England
Family History Library Film 1341950
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 3979 / 24
Page Number 1

James MORRISON Head M Male 34 Leeds, York, England Baker
Mary Jane MORRISON Wife M Female 37 Oldham, Lancashire, England Baker
Joseph Hy. MC CANN Son U Male 16 Manchester Bakers Assistant ((Baker...))
Martha Ellen MC CANN Daughter U Female 8 Manchester Scholar
John Wm. MORRISON Son U Male 2 Manchester
Ann FINNEY Servant U Female 28 Tiperary County Domestic Servant
John MORRISON Visitor U Male 30 Leeds, York, England Labourer Ironworks

Did you notice the 1826 birth in Greenock of James Morison, parents Malcolm and Janet Mitchell. At least 7 children were born to this couple, they are not the same Malcolm and Janet in Barony in 1841.

The children to this couple were born between 1814 and 1833 in Greenock but don't appear in the Free 1841 census.

Niel Morrison born 1814 married Henrietta Latta in 1837 in Greenock they had a son, Malcolm in 1838 who appears in Lancashire in 1871 with wife Mary Cook.

There are a couple of other possible brothers of James around in 1861 in England.

When I get the chance I check at the Watt Library but we know that a Malcolm had a son James about the right time and that some of the family did travel to England.

I've managed to track down offspring of a few of the brothers in 1881 to look for clues but nothing yet.

By the way where and when were James and Mary married?

Gran · Post by **Gran** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:19 pm

Hello Andy to answer your last question first.
James Morrison and Mary Strain were married at Leeds Parish Church on July 2nd 1845 after banns and both had the residence of Marsh Lane. I know this is the correct couple because I have their daughter Janes birth certificate and the details tally with the marriage certificate apart from the spelling of Strain. By 1881 Jane was married to Nathan Heyes.

Malcolm Morrison and Janet Mitchell were the couple I found on IGI and who I was hoping were the correct parents for my gg grandfather.

Thank you for the hard work on my behalf it is really appreciated.

Gran

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:52 pm

Hi again,

What information from the 1841 census led you to believe this was the wrong birth cert? Just don't want to go too far investigating if these are the wrong people.

Also Ann Morrison was married to William Dunn and had three children by 1881 they were staying at the same house as Jane and Nathan. I think Nathan's parents were next door.

Gran · Post by **Gran** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:37 pm

Hi Andy, the reason I thought Malcolm and Janet Morrison were the wrong parents for my James Morrison was that James stated his father was a weaver on his marriage certificate and Malcolm Morrison was obviously a carpenter on the 1841 census. Also James his son was an apprentice draper in 1841 and was a baker on his marriage certificate and the 1861/71 census.

Gran

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:59 pm

I'm not ready to write this lot off just yet. I've come across dozens, if not hundreds of farmers, weavers and fishermen who became joiners or carpenters upon reaching Greenock. One of James elder brothers WAS a draper so James may have started in that line.

Just a few weeks ago there was a trainee cooper in Greenock who also became a baker.

I didn't have a lot of time today but many of this family moved away, Andrew died in Canada, another, Robert (who became a Customs Surveyor) died in Australia and it was Neil's son who moved to Liverpool, he came back to Greenock and died here at his brother-in-laws house.

Couldn't find Andrew or James in the 1851 census. This lots' deaths are fairly well covered in the Greenock newspapers from before Malcolm's death in 1858. Admittedly there is no sign of James death but most of the brothers died young, perhaps nobody was around to report it.

I may look into this a bit more.

Gran · Post by **Gran** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:16 pm

Hi again Andy, I will try and find Malcolm in Liverpool to see if there is a clue there. My Morrisons seem to do a lot of visiting as John, James son was visiting his brother James in Manchester at the time of the 1871 census and one of Ann's sons John Dunn was visiting his uncle James in Manchester for the 1881 census.

My gg grandfather died in 1874 in Leeds and there is no sign of his widow in 1881, but I have been unable to find a notice of her death. You were right the James Heyes living at 1, Back Beckett Street was the father of Nathan husband to Jane. They later moved and Ann and her family continued to live in the house and were still there in the 1901 census.

My hopes are raised again as I think you may be right about the change of professions and I gave up too soon on the Greenock family.

Gran