Thomas Morton & Eliza Lucretia HARPER, FoD => Yorkshire (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Sunday, October 14, 2012, 23:51 (4429 days ago) @ Jefff

I cannot find Eliza's birth/baptism for certain (ie Lucretia as second name) on FoD,FreeBMD or GlosBMD ?. Similarly, albeit only via LDS, I cannot find her for certain in the census's, but Elizabeth is clearly a very popular Williams name of the period. I wonder if she adopted the Lucretia name "unofficially" and was just baptised Elizabth as so many William's girls were ?.
She's described as a spinster in the marriage, and I can see no evidence Williams isn't her original maiden name.

I see from their marriage her father is James Williams & witnesses are Frank & Matilda Williams, Thomas & Eliza's daughter in 1911 is Eliza Harriet Morton.
I think these names suggest this is her in LDS 1881 Census:

"England and Wales Census, 1881,"
name: Lucretia Williams
age: 9
gender: Female
birth year: 1872
birthplace: Bradley Hill, Gloucestershire, England
relationship to head of household: Daughter
marital condition: Single
profession/occupation: Scholar
address: Mill Hill
census place: West Dean (Gloucs), Monmouthshire, England
disability:
record type: Household
family history library film: 1342259
the national archives reference: RG11
piece/folio: 5224 / 107
page number: 14

Household Gender Age Birthplace
head James Williams M 43 Longhope, Herefordshire, England
wife Harriet Williams F 42 Bradley Hill E Dean, Gloucestershire, England
son Wm Thomas Williams M 22 Bradley Hill, Gloucestershire, England
son James Thomas Williams M 21 Bradley Hill, Gloucestershire, England
son John Williams M 15 Bradley Hill, Gloucestershire, England
daughter Bertha Williams F 12 Bradley Hill, Gloucestershire, England
daughter Lucretia Williams F 9 Bradley Hill, Gloucestershire, England
daughter Matilda Williams F 7 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England
son Tom Williams M 5 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England
son Amos Williams M 2 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England

This Census transcription shows father James as a "ry lbr" = railway labourer perhaps ??, but the three oldest sons are clearly shown as coal miners. They appear to now be residing at "Mill Hill West Dean".

So maybe she was Baptised as Lucretia, and it's the more likely and traditional Elizabeth she's adopted ?. She grewup in a household full of coal miners, perhaps "leading" her to meet Thomas Morton ?. She then gets marrried to a man baptised at... "Mill Hill" (see above), altho by then he's resident at Broadwell near their place of marriage.

From GlosBMD:

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
WILLIAMS Lucretia WILLIAMS WILLIAMS CARTER 1871 Forest of Dean Monmouth, Coleford 28 69

and on FreeBMD:
Surname Given Name District Volume Page Transcribers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1871
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Williams Lucretia Monmouth 11a 27 BillHo
WILLIAMS Lucretia Monmouth 11a 27 vat

To my surprise I see a LOT of Lucretia Williams in South Wales thri the 1800s, so ??

That said still not easier to find as Lucretia, so back to Eliza and in 1901 as posted earlier:
"England and Wales Census, 1901,"
name: Eliza J Harper
event: Census
event date: 31 Mar 1901
gender:
age: 29
relationship to head of household: Wife
birthplace: Whitecroft, Gloucestershire
record type: Household
registration district: Rotherham
sub-district: Rawmarsh
ecclesiastical parish: Christ Church Parkgate
civil parish: Rawmarsh
county: Yorkshire (West Riding)
(Sorry cannot see whole household yet)

This looks like the same & correct houshold as per Paul's post above, altho it would be good to know for sure from the actual Census image whether the "J" could in fact be actually an "L" for Lucretia, or the "F" to in fact be "M" for Morton.

???
As stated originally, the 1911 Census clearly shows the couple were married 6 years, hopefully this link works(??)
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=view&r=5538&dbid=2352&iid=RG14_28139...
So in conflict with the 1891 Marriage Record at Coleford Chapel, ie 20 years !.
Could the FoD PR be incorrectly transcribed, possibly but unlikely ?.

HOWEVER the above 1901 Census clearly shows Eliza as "wife" & "Harper", so indicating a clear error on the later 1911 Census form, there are a few other form errors altho this seems an odd one to make.

Further searching FreeBMD I find:

Surname Given Name Age District Volume Page Transcriber
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deaths Jun 1935
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harper Eliza L. 63yrs Rotherham 9c 773 sarahsmum
(giving birth abt 1872 !)

and:

Deaths Jun 1944
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harper Thomas M. 72 Rotherham 9c 627 smt
(again dates fit)

SO it seems this is indeed this couple's timeline.

I suspect this may be their child, correct Districts, sadly evading the 1901 & 1911 Census's :

Births Dec 1902 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARPER Thomas Mercer Northallerton 9d 673

Deaths Sep 1913 (>99%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harper Thomas M 10 York 9d 2

CONCLUSION:
altho I would like clarification, please, wrt second name initials on 1901 Census form, I think the "6 yrs marriage" on the 1911 Census was an error on the form (perhaps even deliberate ??) and that yes it is one and the same Thomas Morton Harper throughout this timeline. I see no reason why a Dean coalminer couldn't move to Yorkshire coalfields to work.

Re the reasons for this long migration, perhaps there are criminal records (Ancestry ?) or other public issues that MAY have been reported in local newspapers (search this forum for info) at the time. Have either of them got family in Yorkshire which could influence their choice of safe haven ?.