David Morse, John Evans

[prairielily]

My ancestor, David Morse, was born April 6, 1771, in Pembrokshire, Wales, and was raised by his uncle, John Evans, in Wales. He came to Crooked Lake, New York, USA, with John Lyman Beddoe, a cousin, in 1798. In 1802 he bought 300 acres of land and named it "Trerose," saying it was named after Morse land in Wales. I've found a small place called "Trerhos farm" near a place named "Tyrhos" on a map. I have no further information. Is there any way to find out more about this family, and whether or not I've located the correct place? Thank you for any help.
The Morse genealogy society in America doesn't follow the Welsh Morses, and has no information.

[Coromandel]

Hello prairielily and welcome to the forum:)

Without knowing whereabouts in Pembrokeshire David was from, it is difficult to narrow down the possibilities on this.

I tried searching for Trerose in the online catalogue of The National Library of Wales (www.llgc.org.uk), and it came up with one match, a 1776 inventory relating to a John David of Trerose, Pembroke St Lawrence. So this is one possibility. But if Trerose is just an anglicisation of Ty Rhos (which I think means Rose Cottage or something like that?) there could have been many places with this name in Pembrokeshire.

Do try other searches (Beddoe, Morse, etc.) in the National Library of Wales catalogue: you can even see digital images of some documents online there (including the above-mentioned inventory). For some other ideas about where to look for Pembrokeshire archives, see this advice from the Dyfed Family History Society: http://www. dyfedfhs.org.uk/pemrec.html

Your best bet might be to focus on the most unusual name in your previous post, i.e. John Lyman Beddoe, in the hope that you can find a Morse family connected with him. Do you have any more information about John L. Beddoe?

[Orielbenfro]

David Morse, was born April 6, 1771, in Pembrokshire

Given me the parents (never mind the maiden name) and I can probably be of assistance to you.

In the mean time I suggest you make use of the following link ;
http://cat.llgc.org.uk/cgi-bin/gw/chameleon?skin=profeb&lng=en

In the 1st instance select the E.C.C. of St Davids from the drop down menu under Diocese.

There are a number of Morse and Beddoe wills that will be worth looking at, hopefully perhaps the forenames of your interest will appear in a relevant will and we can live in hope in the same parish.

Beware Beddoe it also is corrupted to Bedo, Beddow, Bedoe, Beddowe.

I have had a qiuck look around the parish of St Lawrence and there are no Bedo's mrd in that parish which could equate to your interests, there are 2 mrge's but they are early 1800's and therefore of no interest at this time.

Turning to the Morse surname I note one mrge in the period of your interest ;
Joshua Morse mrd Sarah Evan at St Lawrence in 1780

Joshua's will was probated 1805 reference 1805/34

The lightly hood is that Joshua's wife died soon after and her will was probated in 1807 reference nbr 1807/055

All the will mentioned can be seen in there original formats on the NLoW link given above.

Given the type of forename used I would also look at the will of Joseph Morse of St Lawrence probated 1780 reference nbr 1780/026.

I look forward to seeing what the parents names are and should then be able to follow more info for you.

Rgds
Orielbenfro
ORIEL a welsh window on a surname

[prairielily]

Thank you, Coromandel, for your help and suggestions.
I do have some additional information about John Beddoe. He was born in 1771 in Hertford, Wales, according to a history of upstate New York where he settled. He was a brother-in-law of a Charles Johnstone who was a first cousin to Sir William Johnstone-Pulteney. John Beddoe went to work for the East India Company on the ship "Sullivan." He named his first son Johnstone. His wife's name was Catharine.
Thanks!

[prairielily]

Thank you for your advice, Orielbenfro,
I don't know the names of David Morse's parents. He named his sons John, Joshua Lee, David Jr. and Joseph. John Evans was his uncle and mentor, and John Beddoe was his cousin, so the first son having been named John may not be an indication of David's father's name.
I'll follow your suggestions as to further research.
Thank you.

[Coromandel]

It is certainly worth you looking at the wills on the National Library of Wales site, as recommended by Orielbenfro. I have looked at some of the Morse ones and found some that mention Trerose (but catalogued as Tre-rose, which is why it didn't come up in my previous search). It is shown as being in Pembroke St Lawrence.

St Lawrence is described in an 1870s directory as 'a parish in Haverfordwest district, Pembroke; on the river Cleddau, 7 miles NW of Clarbeston Road r. station, and 8 N by W of Haverfordwest'.

One of the above probate documents is a 1782 grant of administration for Joseph Morse, husbandman of Trerose, St Laurence, Pembrokeshire. The last image in the set is the best! It has the addresses and signatures of 'the sons and daughters of the late Joseph Morse of Trerose husbandman deceased', approving his last will and testament, 25 March 1780.

St Laurence -- Joshua Morse
Hays Castle -- John Morse
(the above two bracketed together and labelled as the executors)
Hays Castle -- Thomas Morse
St Edrens -- David Morse
Brandy(?) -- Elenor Ux. [i.e. wife of] Henry Charls
St Lawrence -- Ann Ux. Timothy Charles


Ann Charles
Eleanor Charles
No Widow

------
There is also a will of Joshua Morse of Trerose 1805, evidently part of the same family. I'm sure if you study this and others carefully you will be able to piece together some of the family connections. Also look out for the other names and places mentioned above: there are other probate documents relating to Morses of Hayscastle and St Edrins.

It should also now be easier to choose whereabouts to start looking for references to the family in parish registers.

[Orielbenfro]

[QUOTE=prairielily;457608]Thank you for your advice, Orielbenfro,
I don't know the names of David Morse's parents. He named his sons John, Joshua Lee, David Jr. and Joseph. QUOTE]
Given the names of the children of David you show, one would be surprised if the wills previously mentioned are not in some way related to the David of your interest. One can only live in hope and keep searching.
I will have a look at the original St Lawrence Parish Registers on my next visit to the Rec Office this coming week to see if the baptism of David Morse is shown and at a long shot any Bedo’s (various spelling)
I just wonder if “Hertford Wales” could be interpreted or corrupted as Haveford for Haverfordwest where we find Owen Bedoe mrd Mary Davies at Haverfordwest St Mary in 1761.
To seek further information on Johnstone-Pulteney and the Sullivan I would consult ;
http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indiaofficerecords/indiaofficehub.html
or
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/catalogues-and-online-records.htm

Rgds
Orielbenfro
ORIEL a welsh window on a surname

[Coromandel]

I do have some additional information about John Beddoe. He was born in 1771 in Hertford, Wales, according to a history of upstate New York where he settled. He was a brother-in-law of a Charles Johnstone who was a first cousin to Sir William Johnstone-Pulteney. John Beddoe went to work for the East India Company on the ship "Sullivan." He named his first son Johnstone. His wife's name was Catharine.
Thanks!

From Burke's Landed gentry of Great Britain... (on Google Books): the pedigree of the Johnstones of Westerhall includes a mention of Charles John Johnstone of Ludlow (b.1736, married in 1778 Mary, daughter of John Beddoe). Charles died 1805 and Mary in 1809.

There is a PCC will for Charles Johnstone of Ludlow, proved 1806, and one for Mary Johnstone, widow of Ludlow, proved 1809. You can download these wills from the Documents Online website at http://www. nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp for £3.50 each.

[Coromandel]

Among those National Library of Wales wills online, there is one for a John Beddoe of Haverfordwest St Martin, dated 1774. He mentions his eldest daughter by his first wife (who is to have £100 and five houses near St Thomas' church), and four children by his present wife, but frustratingly he doesn't name the wives or children. It is only from the grant of probate that we learn his widow was called Mary.

[Coromandel]

I bit of Googling suggests that John L. Beddoe's middle name was not Lyman but Lynham; and according to http://www. yatescounty.org/upload/12/historian/Jerusalem/BEDDOE.htm he died in 1834 aged 72. If this is correct his date of birth is about 1762.

[Orielbenfro]

Its all rather pointless 2 of us duplicating each others work to assist your Beddow/Morse research, so I will leave Coromandel to continue their assistance and hopefully find the parish register entries of your interest.
Rgds
Orielbenfro
ORIEL a welsh window on a surname

[Coromandel]

Sorry, Orielbenfro, I didn't mean to tread on your toes. I'm far away from Wales and won't be able to help Prairielily with research in parish registers, except any that may be online. I am sure any research you can do in original archives, or elsewhere, will be most appreciated.

[prairielily]

Thank you, again, Coromandel. I think these Morses must be the family I've been searching for. I spent last night in the wills until I couldn't see straight! I've begun to piece together the relationships. Iwould never have found the right places to look without your help. Thank you.

[prairielily]

Dear Orielbenfro,
You have been such a great help! Thank you. I cannot imagine having stumbled upon the information you have provided by myself.
Looking at the Morse wills has been fascinating, and I've really just started. I'm unfamiliar with the handwriting, so the going is slow but very interesting. I'll continue to follow your lead in looking for all the family connections.
I've Googled some photographs of the Haverfordwest and Trerose area. It's very pretty.
David Morse's sons in the US were all farmers, and so were the grandsons. The intimacy of the Wales countryside is such a contrast to the raw, rough, and harsh wide-open prairie here. David Morse would be amazed, I think that his descendents ended up in Illinois.
Thank you for all your help. It looks very promising. A record of David's baptism would be, as the kids say, "awesome!"

[Orielbenfro]

St Lawrence (searched 1767 to 1780)
30th Dec 1770 Thos to David & Martha Morse baptised

H'west St Mary(search 1767 to 1780)
26 July 1769 John ye son of Owen Beddow and Mary his wife baptised

I have original jpegs if required, but will need an email address to send them to
Rgds
Orielbenfro
ORIEL a welsh window on a surname

[prairielily]

Hello Orienbenfro, and thank you again.
I've continued to look through the wills, and I have another question concerning a place name. Where is St. Edrens or St. Edrins? A David Morse, son of Joseph Morse, is signed in Joseph's will as a resident of St. Edrens. I'm not sure this David is the David I'm looking for, even though he is the right age, because "my" David was raised by his uncle John Evans, and one of this David's brothers, Joshua, married a Sarah Evan at St. Lawrence in 1780. This would make a brother of Sarah a brother-in-law to the David in the will rather than an uncle. Maybe I'm looking for a son of one of Joseph's sons that signed his will--there were four sons that signed--Joshua, John, Thomas and David. Maybe there is a David there among the brother's children the right age to have been a young man when he came to America.
An 1805 will of Joshua Morse, having a wife Sarah, bequeathed to David Morse the lease to the Trerose property, so this David stayed and farmed at Trerose, and must not have come to America. The David who came to America named the land he bought "Trerose," which, according to a New York history, pleased his uncle, John Evans, because it was the name of the Morse land in Wales.
I know the answer to this puzzle is here somewhere!
Thank you for the additional information you've given me. I truly appreciate that you have taken your time to look it up for me.

[Orielbenfro]

Hello Orienbenfro, and thank you again.
Where is St. Edrens or St. Edrins? A David Morse, son of Joseph Morse, is signed in Joseph's will as a resident of St. Edrens.
See ;
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/StEdrins/
Rgds
Orielbenfro
ORIEL a welsh window on a surname

[prairielily]

Thank you. It's a little place, and the records go back to 1770 only, but very close to Trerose. I think I'll try the Evans line, too. Thanks!