Mary Ann Freeman: Morgan connection or not? (General)

by wamorgan , USA, Tuesday, July 07, 2009, 04:09 (5692 days ago)

Hi everyone,

I stumbled upon something and now I am trying to find the connection.
I've searched the forum for "Freeman" and have read quite a number of threads. There was also a more specific thread on Morgans and Freemans, located here: http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=3954

So far, I have not found quite what I am looking for...
Edward Morgan married Betsy (Elizabeth) Waite 1 Sep 1867 at Holy Trinity.
They had Edward (b. 1864), George (b. 1866), William (b. 1868), Henry (b. 1871), Julia Bertha (b. 1874), Rosina (b. 1874), Alfred (b. 1876), and Arthur (b. 1879)

I've previously asked for help on the Morgan-Waite connection and it was determined that Edward/Edwin was probably married previously due to the age difference and the fact that there was a John (b. 1860) and a Mary Anne (b. 1861) on the 1871 census. I have the 1871 and 1881 census returns for this family (Edward as head). I have been unsuccessful locating Edward/Edwin prior to that time.

I decided to try to expand and look for the male members of the family in the 1901 census. I've been a little hesitant to jump in because it seems like such a huge task with a common name. Anyway, I decided to start with George, born 1866.

Record_ID: 9951
Entry_Number: 175
Year: 1894
Month: Apr
Day: 2
Grooms_Surname: MORGAN
Grooms_Forenames: George
Grooms_Age: 28
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Collier
Grooms_Residence: Cinderford
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: MORGAN
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Edwin
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Collier
Brides_Surname: FREEMAN
Brides_Forenames: Louisa
Brides_Age: 25
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Lydbrook
Brides_Fathers_Surname: FREEMAN
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Hezekiah Henry
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Collier
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: both sign
Witness_1: Albert Morgan Freeman
Witness_2: Mary Ann Freeman
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: H T Hoitt
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P208 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 88
Parish_Chapel: Lydbrook
Soundex_Groom: M625
Soundex_Bride: F655

Then I decided to look for Edward (b. 1864):
Record ID 20987
Entry Number 96
Year 1887
Month Apr
Day 2
Grooms Surname MORGAN
Grooms Forenames Edward
Grooms Age 24
Groom Condition Bachelor
Grooms Occupation Coal miner
Grooms Residence Bilson Green
Grooms Fathers Surname Morgan
Grooms Fathers Forenames Edward
Grooms Fathers Occupation Coal miner deceased
Brides Surname ROBERTS
Brides Forenames Annie
Brides Age 26
Brides Condition Spinster
Brides Occupation [not stated]
Brides Residence Bilson Green
Brides Fathers Surname Roberts
Brides Fathers Forenames George
Brides Fathers Occupation Miner
Licence or Banns Banns
Date of Banns [not stated]
Signature or Mark Both sign
Witness 1 Benjamin Freeman
Witness 2 Mary Ann Freeman
Other Witnesses
Officiating Minister William Barker Vicar
Event Marriage
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference P109 IN 1/8
Page Number 48
Parish Chapel Drybrook

And there she was - Mary Ann Freeman. She witnessed the Edward Morgan wedding before the George Morgan-Louisa Freeman wedding.

Then, again she is haunting me…

I noticed there was a Freeman inquest on the Inquest additions of 3 May 2009. John Morgan Freeman. Here we go again. I look up the inquest. John is the son of Hezekiah Freeman. OK, I make of note that and just for fun, I search on “Morgan”. I check out a few of the inquests and I get to page 287 – “Elizabeth Morgan”.

All evidence points that this is my Betsy Waite Morgan. Born in 1837, this woman dies in 1887 at the age of 50, widow. That checks. Verdict is “Syncope, the result of General disease of the heart, death having been accelerated by a family worry & anxiety”.

Edward’s possible death:
Record_ID: 55903
Entry_Number: 1265
Year: 1887
Month: Jan
Day: 11
Surname: MORGAN
Forenames: Edward
Residence: Cinderford
Age_at_death: 62 y[ea]rs
Officiating_Minister: D W Rees
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P85/1 IN 1/13
Page_No: 159
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St Johns
Soundex: M625

Guess who is a witness? “Mary Ann Freeman, Wife of Benjamin Freeman"!
Is Mary Ann the Mary Ann Morgan that I find on the 1871 Census returns for the Morgan family? That does not seem to fit just yet. In the FreeBMD, I found a marriage in Dec 1886 for a Benjamin Freeman and a Mary Ann Harris, District Westbury on Severn, Vol 6a, Page 451.

I was hoping I had found my Mary Ann as John and Mary Ann are still a mystery to me. Maybe she is just a Freeman relation and that is all.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration; any ideas are most certainly appreciated!

Wendy