Hi,
You note that you have 2 children living when William Lauther MORRIS died in December 1859, and his obit mentions he left a widow and 5 children.
His first wife, Bridget died in 1853, and he re-married.
From his first marriage, there were at least FOUR children still alive when he died:
His eldest daughter was Jessy SEWELL, formerly Mrs CONNELL and it was Jessy who in took her brother William (aged 8 ) to the orphanage ...
William’s sister Margaret (aged 9) was admitted to the orphanage and on her admission papers it shows a) Jessy had moved to New Zealand and b) Margaret’s parents were William and Bridget and both were deceased. Bridget was noted there as Roman Catholic. I mention that denomination as it may well be that William was already in the Army when he married, and perhaps the marriage was not registered in GRO.
So, there’s at least FOUR alive in 1860 in Tasmania whose parents were William Lauther MORRIS and Bridget DWYER:
Jessy (eldest daughter) SEWELL, formerly CONNELL, nee Morris See replies #5, #19, #25
Mary DONNELLY nee Morris See replies# 4, #5, #25
Margaret MORRIS See replies #19, #26
William MORRIS See replies #5, #18, #19, #21, #23
Also Anne born 1849 See reply # 12 died 1850 See reply # 15
Bridget’s death 1853, and so William remarried, likely the younger children by Bridget stayed with Jessy ... so perhaps the fifth living child noted in the obit was from the second marriage …
JM
