Impossible Lost Cousin

I really thought I had everything covered on the Morris side of my family. My great great grandfather Philip Morris, born 1827 had five children, one of whom was my great grandmother Elizabeth. Another was Philip George Morris, and he married Emma Sharman and had a daughter Alice.

There they are all together in the census in 1881 in East Ham. Not quite sure what’s happening in 1891, because Alice is staying with her grandparents, and Philip George is staying with his brother Charles.

No problem, Philip George Morris married again on 19th March 1893 to Sarah Ann Mileham. On the marriage register he was a Bachelor and she was a Spinster. No trace of Emma Morris with Alice anywhere in 1901 census, but Philip George and Sarah, along with 5 children and Sarah’s father living in East Ham.

I managed to determine that Sarah was a widow when she married Philip George (her maiden name was Pilcher). I assumed that Emma had died sometime before 1891, hence Alice was with her grandparents and Philip George was with his brother.

Case closed. At least until about 2 years ago, when I was contacted through Genes Reunited by someone who informed me that they were the grandson of Philip George Morris and Emma Sharman. They had childhood memories of their great uncle Harry Sharman, Emma’s brother.

It transpires that Philip George and Emma had a son William Morris in 1887, and then their marriage broke up, Philip George left her. I did not find, and still can’t find Emma and her son William in the 1891 census, and was therefore unaware of William. I could never have found out about him.

Hang on, if Emma Morris had a son William, why didn’t I find them in the 1901 census. It turns out that after her husband left her and married bigamously, she fell into the arms of one Samuel Easter, and although she did not marry him, he recorded her as his wife with the name Emma Easter in the census, and her son as William Easter. Eventually they married in 1926, when she was 70 years old.

William Morris reverted to his lawful name when he married in 1909, and later in life he married again, and had two sons, one when he was 48, and one when he was 64. It was the older of the two who contacted me. Although we haven’t met other than by e-mail, I was able to help sort out the Sharman side of the family, based on his memories of Uncle Harry and others, but we haven’t found out what became of Alice.

 

Good grief how complicated and well done for sorting that all out. I have some 'missing relatives' and cant find any death details for them. I do find it hard when I sometimes find what could be a relative but they are a 'servant' in another household, and although the area they come from is close, the actual village of birth for example is not named so you cant be sure it is them! How exactly did you work out that this was your Emma and William as they had different surnames? It could give me something to try out myself!!!!

I am trying to go over my initial research at the moment and seeing what else I can find out about my ancestors. I want to be absolutely sure I have followed the mid 18th century relatives back correctly, especially with the Parish records. So many times I have thought I have the correct family and then I find I am wrong, or cant prove it conclusively. Too many related families used the same names for their children and I once found a whole trail of people who had obviously just copied some one else's research which turned out to be incorrect.

 

Oh Carla - how familiar that sounds - a whole trail of people who just copied someone else who had it wrong ! I must admit I do make some use of other folk's trees - but I NEVER (now) put anything on my tree without being able to verify it on BMD / census/ parish. Note the (now) in brackets, because in my early days at this I'm sorry to say I did transgress and assume that if 4 people had it, it must be right

I am also - like you - re-visiting early research in the light of newly available data and I've found several bloops - how do you work out which of three Thomas Cawtes married which of three Mary Ann's in the same district in the same 8 year period ? It doesn't help - does it - that the three Thomas are cousins all apparently aged 25

 

As an example there are 39 people with Shirley Filewod on their public ancestry tree, born in 1601 of parents who lived 1890-1975, and married to a man who wasn't born until 1836! In this case it's easy to spot errors, but sometimes it's just so confusing as it sounds so plausible. I'm like Carla & MaryK, and have now learned from my mistakes, and check all information before I add it.

 

Do the names of the witnesses give you clues to which family? What about children born soon after marriage?

Good Luck...

 

I must admit I hadn't considered that!

 

I didn't get certificates (they are not a direct line and I'm a pensioner ! ) I eventually sorted them out - in each case it was more luck than skill . One - oh joy ! - had a mother in law living with them - don't you just love those ? Another was a brick maker not farm labourer, so he stuck out like a sore thumb

I do find it very sad that folk think they've got their family found and yet have obviously not done any cross-referencing or checking.

 

I could never have worked this out. It was only because my living lost cousin contacted me, and he know enough about his family history to know that his grandmother had been abandoned by her husband and then lived with Samuel Easter as if she was his wife. It seems that when William married he was on the point of entering Samuel Easter on the certificate as his father, when his Uncle Harry corrected him.

There is not a shadow of doubt that these are my lost cousins, because the witnesses to the marriage between Emma Sharman and Philip George Morris were Jesse Butler and Elizabeth Morris, my great grandparents.

 

I think that goes to show how important the contact with our 'cousins' is. I learnt so much about my family from a second cousin i am in contact with. He is still doing research but is concentrating on the Irish link we have in our London side. I am researching a different section and we pool our results from time to time. He also told me lots of stories and sorted out a few myths which had been floated around. All in all it's good to talk!!