William Morgan (bef. 1788 - bef. 1851)

Born before 23 Mar 1788 in Willenhall, Staffordshire, England

Husband of Rachael Wilkes — married 30 Oct 1820 in Darlaston, Staffordshire, England

Descendants

Died before 1851 at about age 62 in Sedgley, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: M. Lohmeyer [send private message]

Biography

William Morgan was born in March 1788 and baptised at St. Giles, Willenhall, Staffordshire on 23 March that year. He was the son of Ephraim Morgan and Jane Cam.^[1][2][3][4]

In July 1820, William and Rachel Wilkes, the daughter of Mark Wilkes and Mary Asprey of Sedgley, announced their intention to get married. Banns were read for the first time on 16 July at St Lawrence, Darlaston, Staffordshire.^[5][6]

Darlaston is a village with a number of long-established Wilkes families and is located just 3 km south east of Willenhall where William was born. Rachel Wilkes was born in Sedgley, which lies just 8 km east of Darlaston.

On 30 Oct 1820, William Morgan, aged 32, married Rachel Wilkes, aged 24, at St. Lawrence, Darlaston.^[7][8]

WIlliam and Rachel settled in Sedgley where they had at least eight documented children:

• Jane Morgan (1822-)
• Mary Ann (Morgan) Hill (1824-abt.1890)
• Sarah Morgan (1826-)
• Mark Ephraim Morgan (1829-)
• Henry Morgan (1831-)
• William Morgan (1834-bef.1841)
• Ellen Morgan (1836-1837)
• Eliza Morgan (1839-)

The family is listed in the 1841 England Census as Willliam, aged 50 (actually 53) and Rachael, aged 40 (actually 44). William was a Labourer. Mary (17), Sarah (14), Mark E. (11), Henry (9) and Eliza (2) are also recorded in the Census.^[9]

WIlliam died prior to 1851, but due to the lack of detail in the available records, the actual date / year of his death has yet to be identified.

In the 1851 Census, his wife Rachael is recorded as a widow and living with her youngest surviving children Henry and Eliza in High Street, Sedgley.^[10]

Research Notes & Red Herrings

Many people on Ancestry.com and other online services have recorded Rachael Nickolds/Nicholls (born ca.1800) as the spouse of William Morgan based on a marriage record in Harbourne, Staffordshire on 2 Aug 1819.^[11][12]

I believe this association to be incorrect for a number of reasons:

• The location of the marriage in Harbourne is not local to where William Morgan was born (Willenhall) or where the couple eventually settled (Sedgley). The villages of Willenhall and Sedgley are 8 km apart. Harbourne is 16 km from Sedgley and 21 km from Willenhall. William was an agricultural labourer and thus much more likely to be finding a spouse locally.
• There is an alternative that fits much better. Ancestry does not hold the data (which may be part of the problem) but records on FamilySearch include a marriage of a Rachael WILKES to a William MORGAN in Darlaston on 16 Jul 1820. Darlaston is 3km from Willenhall and 8km from Sedgley, which would fit the geography much better. Compellingly, the couple name their first son "Mark Ephraim", a combination of two comparatively rare names. The names appear to honour the son's grandparents Mark Wilkes and Ephraim Morgan.

If your family is related to Rachael Nickolds/Nicholls (born ca.1800) and the William Morgan who married in Harbourne, Staffordshire on 2 Aug 1819, please contact me, as I am happy to share my research notes on that couple.

I have created Rachael's profile from where you can begin to reconstruct the true family of the Harbourne MORGAN-NICKOLDS clan.

Sources

1. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL3R-GVY3 : 8 July 2020), Ephraim Morgan in entry for William Morgan, 23 Mar 1788; citing Baptism, Willenhall, Staffordshire, England, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service, Stafford; FHL microfilm 101,163,138.
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7NX-HRD : 20 September 2020), Ephraim Morgan in entry for William Morgan, 1788.
3. ↑ 1841 England Census, Staffordshire, Sedgley, District 3, page 13-14 as viewed on Ancestry.com
4. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL3R-P6H2 : 8 July 2020), Ephraim Morgan in entry for William Morgan, 23 Mar 1788; citing Baptism, Willenhall, Staffordshire, England, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service, Stafford; FHL microfilm 7,567,151.
5. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL7D-57MY : 8 July 2020), William Morgan and Rachel Wilkes, 16 Jul 1820; citing Marriage Banns, Darlaston, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service, Stafford; FHL microfilm DARLASTON.
6. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL7D-579N : 8 July 2020), Rachel Wilkes and William Morgan, 16 Jul 1820; citing Marriage Banns, Darlaston, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service, Stafford; FHL microfilm DARLASTON.
7. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLQZ-XS2T : 8 July 2020), Rachel Wilkes and William Morgan, 1820.
8. ↑ "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLQZ-XS2H : 8 July 2020), William Morgan and Rachel Wilkes, 1820.
9. ↑ 1841 England Census, Staffordshire, Sedgley, District 3, page 13-14 as viewed on Ancestry.com
10. ↑ 1851 England Census, Staffordshire, Sedgley, District 4, page 5 as viewed on Ancestry.com
11. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKZ6-53N : 13 March 2020), William Morgan, 1819.
12. ↑ Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937 for Harborne, St Peter, 1819, p.175, No. 525 as viewed on Ancestry.com (20Jun21).