Morgan Lewis Williams family

[signgilder]

I am searching for further information about the family of Morgan Lewis Williams and his wife Catherine Elizabeth Thorne, who lived on Ireland Island, Bermuda, at least between 1910-1922. They may have also had residence in Portsmouth, England, before, during or after this period.

Morgan Williams was an engineer, apparently born in Turkey abt. 1873, but a British subject. His parents possibly were Welsh. He sometimes, with or without his family, made numerous crossings between Southhampton & New York, and between Bermuda & New York during the stated period. Children who appear on passenger lists include Mora Winifred & Vera Williams. 

My connection to the family is through Catherine, daughter of my 2nd great grandaunt.  Catherine was born in Portsmouth around 1879, her father Charles William Thorne a Royal Navy engineer, her mother Catherine Day Borrett a native of Greenwich.

I've learned that Ireland Island was home to a Royal Navy base, so perhaps there is a link.

According to information on LDS Family Search, Catherine (Thorne) Williams died in Reseda, California, and her husband in England six years later.  I am very interested in learning the story behind these relatives and perhaps communicating with  descendants, if they exist.

Any help much appreciated.

Wayne, Ohio, USA.

[ShaunJ]

Hi Wayne,

I found a Morgan Williams age 28, single, born Constantinople, in the 1901 census at 33 St Georges Square Portsmouth. He is a boarder with the family of Charles Baggs. No occupation is given. Let me know if you need any more information on this.

I checked the 1871-1875 GRO consular birth index and couldn't find him but I did find two possible siblings:

Ernest Williams b. Constantinople vol 5 page 1825
Frederick Edward Williams b. Constantinople vol 5 page 1829

[ShaunJ]

Here's another possible sibling in the GRO Consular Births index for 1871-1875:

Edith Williams Constantinople vol 5 page 1792

[ShaunJ]

Here is Edith Williams with her father in 1901. Do you know the name of Morgan's father?

16 Stockwell Park Road, Lambeth

William Williams 71 agent for "Waifs and Strays" Savoy St. Strand b. London Newington
 Sarah Williams 37 wife b. Hants Ramsey
 Arthur J Williams 32 son Commercial Clerk Doultons Pottery b. Constantinople
 Edith Williams 30  daur b. Constantinople
Robert H Williams 14  son b. London Stockwell
Albert E Williams 10  son born Hants Ramsey
  Charles E Williams 7  son b. Hants Ramsey
  Harold W Williams 7 months  b. Hants Ramsey

 
 
 RG13/423 Folio 8 Page 8.

[ShaunJ]

That same Williams family in 1891 at 16 Stockwell Park Road:

William Williams 60 Clerk b. Stockwell
Sarah Williams 27 wife b. Hant Ramsey
William H Williams 24 Clerk b. Constantinople
Arthur J Williams 22 Clerk b. Constantinople
Edith Williams 20 b. Constantinople
Robert H Williams 4  b. Stockwell
Albert E Williams 4 months b. Hants Ramsey 
 
 
 
RG12/ 405 Folio 60 Page 47

[ShaunJ]

Here is that Williams family in 1881 in Lambeth. No sign of Morgan so maybe this is not the right family:

Wm Williams 57     Superannuated b. Southwark Surrey
Martha Williams wife 45  b. Gillingham ( ?) Dorset
Wm.Henry Williams 14 b. Constantinople
Arthur James Williams 12  b. Constantinople
Edith Williams 10  b. Constantinople
Edwd.De Montijoice Rudolph (?) /Lodger (?) /28 / Clerk Home Office /Richmond Surrey
 

[ShaunJ]

There's also a Morgan family in Newington in 1881 with 4 children born in Constantinople in the early 1870's. The father was an engine fitter. I guess there were a lot of British engineers and fitters in Turkey in the early 1870's working on railway construction.

[signgilder]

Thank you, Shaun, for searching.  I don't have Morgan Williams' parents' names, so it's hard to say if these people connect to him.  However, in a 1913 passenger list for the SS Oceanic, arriving in New York from Southhampton, Morgan gives the name of a brother, H.W. Williams with an address (Merthys, Tydoil ? ...hard to read) in Wales, as a contact.  I see a Harold W. Williams in one of the 1901 returns you found, but he would have been only about 13-14 yrs.old by 1913, not a likely contact person.

I appreciate your interest and help.

Wayne, Ohio, USA.

[ShaunJ]

That address is probably Merthyr Tydfil in Wales - I'll have a rummage around in the Wales censuses