Parents of William Harries b1817 Pembrokeshire.

[SamnJoan]

Hi osprey

Thankyou so much for all that information.   It has taken me a while to digest it all!   I'm pretty sure you have found me the right marriage between William and Mary.   It must have taken hours of digging.

No, I don't have a birth cert. for William and I have been unable, so far, to find dates of death for him or Mary.   Their last child, Henry Thomas, was born 1861 so maybe his mother died in childbirth, or soon after.   This would account for him being in an orphanage, poor little thing, particularly if his father was at sea.   I wonder what happened to his siblings, especially Mary b1852 and her sister Elizabeth b1858.

William James Harries was born 03.10.1847, which fits with the baptism you have found, and his sister Mary was born 1852.   Also, I have William as a joiner.   The marriage between William Harries and Mary Morgan in 1846 seems to fit and the baptism in Llandeilo Fawr, Camarthenshire 12.10.1819 also sounds a possibility.

So it seems that Mary came from Llandeilo and William from not far away, possibly in Pembrokeshire as my husband's Aunt told me.   Living at Pembroke Docks, aged 24, would also make sense of him ending up in Liverpool.

I can't thank you enough for all your help.

Joan

[SamnJoan]

Hi again osprey

Have just found 1861 census with the whole family living at Havelock Street. Everton, Liverpool:

William 44 Head
Mary  41
William J 13
Mary 9
Elizabeth 3
Henry Thomas 5months.

So it wasn't my Henry Thomas in the orphanage after all.

Thanks again for your help.

Joan

[osprey]

it's the birth cert for William James that you should get if possible, that's the one I was referring to. It would confirm Mary's maiden name. William born c. 1817 wouldn't have a birth cert as civil registration didn't start until 1837.

I'm reasonably sure about Mary's maiden name as I found Catherine Morgan's marriage to Joseph S Cordin on the Lancashire bmd site.

http://www.lancashirebmd.org.uk/

The marriage took place in St Bride with St Saviour.

But as I said, I'm a bit worried about the difference in occupation, so sight of the marriage cert or parish entry may help. The William Morgan in the family I found was variously a victualler, druggist, shopkeeper and boarding (house) master, not a glover as in the marriage transcription.

Henry Thomas was 5 months on the 1861 census, so Mary didn't die at his birth. In 1871, he was in the Muller Orphanage  in Bristol census ref RG10/2550 folio 47 pg 13. He could have been in far worse places, but it does mean that both his parents had died.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orphan_Houses,_Ashley_Down,_Bristol
By the 1881 census, he was a Chemist's assistant in Barrow in Furness RG11/4286 folio 55 pg 11, birthplace given as Everton both times.

There's a possible entry in 1871 for Mary as a draper's assistant, but Harri(e)s is a common name and there are several possible marriage entries for the name after 1871. Several possible marriage entries for Elizabeth as well.

Vaguely possible baptism for William, but I haven't access to the parish entry to check occupation
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X1TH-CLW 

By the way, it's Pembroke Dock, not Docks, but a very likely place for a joiner/shipwright/ship's carpenter to be working.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembroke_Dock

 

[SamnJoan]

Hi osprey

Thankyou for those websites.   The one about the Muller Ashley Down orphanage, in particular, was fascinating.   Also, thankyou for putting me right about Pembroke Dock.

I'm sorry, but I misread your previous posting about Henry Thomas being in the orphanage as being on the 1861 census, so he was there after all.   It seems that it gave him an excellent start in life.   He emigrated to the US in 1885 - his occupation given as Druggist - where he married.   Sometime between 1891 and 1914 the family moved to Vancouver, Canada, where Henry Thomas died in 1928.

Once again, thankyou for all your help.

Joan

[osprey]

looks like he's the right one then, as his occupation later ties in. Grandfather William Morgan was a druggist on some of his children's baptisms as well.

Info on accessing the orphanage records here, there could be something about deaths of the parents as he would have had to have lost both parents to be admitted.
http://www.childrenscottagehomes.org.uk/muller_orphanage_bristol.html

[SamnJoan]

Many thanks for the link to the orphanage records.   I shall get in touch with them and try to arrange a visit to Bristol when the weather improves in the spring.

Joan

[GMCT_archivist]

Many thanks for the link to the orphanage records.   I shall get in touch with them and try to arrange a visit to Bristol when the weather improves in the spring.

Joan

Hi Joan

I've just found this thread - did you ever get in touch with us?  I haven't got a record of Henry Thomas Harries, but do have a Henry Thomas Harris, son of William (a joiner) and Mary who married in Liverpool.  Harris is the name on the wedding, birth and death certificates (although on Mary's it is spelt Harries).

[eburdett]

Re: Additional information about Wm and Mary Harries:

I can't answer the original question about the parents, have not located them.
I do have information about their deaths.
William Harries and wife Mary Harries and child Elizabeth all died in 1864 from diptheria. Pretty well wiped out the family.
Sons William James Harries and Henry Thomas Harries were orphaned, and eventually went to live with an uncle and were raised by him.  Don't know how long before orphan status and living with uncle but that might explain any orphanage records.
Sister Mary (aka Polly) was also orphaned but to date have not found addition information about what happened to her.
My source: Oral history from grandmother and great-aunt.  Henry Thomas Harries (mentioned in your original inquiry) was my great-grandfather. My grandmother married Edward William Harries (son of Henry Thomas Harries). The great-aunt was Frances Ruth Harries (daughter of Henry Thomas Harries).  I don't have a lot of Harries information, but sat down with both on several occasions to ask them what they knew/remembered/had been told - and took notes.
My notes from conversation w grandmother and great-aunt state that both parents (Wm and Mary) and 4 children died in 1864 from diptheria - I don't know if there was an outbreak/epidemic at the time.  Have not located death records - if it was widespread perhaps that would explain lack of documentation?  I cannot verify 3 of the 4 children who died - only that the parents and child Elizabeth died, and 3 children survived (orphans William, Mary aka Polly, and Henry). To date, have not found names/dates of any other siblings. 

To date I have not verified the parents of William and Mary - lots of people with same names.
Lots of information in this string, glad I happened across it today, and will study further to hopefully fill in some blanks.
Perhaps this will help some others searching the same family.
Kind regards,
eburdett



Can anyone help me to trace the parents of William Harries b1817 Pembrokeshire.   I believe he was married to someone called Mary.

He had children: William James Harries 1847-1906, who married Harriet Churton 1850-1917.
                        Mary Harries b1852
                        Elizabeth Harries b1858
                        Henry Thomas Harries b1861, who married Frances Myrtle Kinnear b1868 USA
                                                                                      d1944 BC Canada.

[osprey]

Welcome to Rootschat!

Hope you find something useful in this thread. There will have been death registrations even during a possible epidemic. One problem is that 1864 is before ages are given on the GRO Death index & there's more than one possible death reg for William, a possible for Elizabeth in jun qtr 1864 & a possible in Dec qtr 1864 for Mary.