Wales of Old
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The MORGAN Family
of Bargoed, Gelligaer, Glamorgan
Photographs and commentary provided by Leon Morgan of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England
Leon's grandfather was George MORGAN, born 16 Oct 1861 in Whittington, Shropshire, the son of William MORGAN and Elizabeth DAVIES. On 2 Aug 1887, George married Esther, daughter of Joseph WILLIAMS, at Brimfield parish church in Herefordshire.
George and Esther had six children, all born in Glamorgan, including William John Morgan, Leon's father. The photograph below was taken on the wedding day of George and Esther's daughter Lily Maud MORGAN of 33 John Street, Bargoed, and John Lawrence WILLIAMS of Gilfach (possibly Maes-y-graig Street) on 25 Aug 1920 at St Catwg's, the parish church of Gelligaer. The photo was taken in a back garden in Bargoed, perhaps at 22 John Street, and shows members of the bride's and groom's families, but so far Leon has only been able to identify seven of them.
The bride and groom are in the centre, while the Morgan family is on the right of the photo and includes the bride's mother, Esther; her brother Albert Edward; her sister Esther; and her brother William John (Leon's father). On the groom's right is his father Thomas Rees Williams. For some reason, the bride's father, George Morgan is missing from the photo, although the wedding was three years before his death. Lily's brother George has not been identified on the photograph. |
 
Lily Maud MORGAN, photographed about 18 years before her wedding, when she was 3 or 4 years old. Lily was born 17 Dec 1899 at 7 Jenkins Row, Deri, Gelligaer. The left-hand picture, showing a number 22 chalked on the door behind Lily, confirms the picture was taken at the rear of 22 John Street, Bargoed. The enlargement (right) shows Lily's wonderful Victorian pedal tricycle and the family's pet dog. |
A damaged, but priceless old photograph of George Morgan's shop in Bargoed, taken in the early 1900s. The inscription in the window says, "G. Morgan, General Dealer ...... & Tobacco". Leon is sure it is the Morgan family standing outside, but he has no conclusive proof. |
 
Lily Maud MORGAN. Her husband, John Lawrence Williams, was born 22 Aug 1895 at Pontlottyn, Gelligaer. They had two daughters: Edith, born 1921 in Bargoed, and Doreen, born 1928 in New South Wales, Australia. |
Esther MORGAN (Lily's sister) born 10 Jan 1895, and over four years older than Lily. Notice the uncanny similarity between the girls' clothing, hairstyles, and poses in these two studio photographs, possibly taken on the same day. |
 
Myra MORGAN (Lily's sister). Born in the 1890s, she married Albert Barrett and had two children in the late 1920s while living at 57 Moorland Road, Bargoed. |
Albert Edward MORGAN (Lily's brother) born 1897 in Bedlinog, Gelligaer. Albert was a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery. |
Leon Morgan says, "This undated postcard was sent by Albert Morgan to my grandparents, presumably about 1920 because the RGA (Royal Garrison Artillery) was disbanded in 1922. The message was written in pencil. I don't know why Llantrisant is written on the postcard unless it is the name of the sorting office."
The message on the front says, To Mother & Father and all
From Gunner Albert Morgan
Scotton Camp,
Catterick, Yorks. On the back of the postcard (below) he wrote, Just another P.C. to let you
know that I have not forgot
you dear old Mother. You are
always in my mind & Father.
With Fondest Love from Your Loving Son
Albert XXXXX |
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The history of the photographs
Leon Morgan says, "All of the above pictures come from my new-found cousins Edith and Doreen, Lily Maud's two daughters in Australia. The contact came about through a photograph of Lily Maud's grave, sent in the 1930s to her brother (my late father) William John Morgan. Through the Glamorgan Rootsweb genealogy mailing list I made contact with some extremely helpful genealogists in New South Wales. I remembered an address my parents used to write to in Australia, and from this they traced the nearest cemetery and pinpointed the actual grave. From the cemetery records they made contact with some of the Williams family still residing at the address stated in April 1932 at the time of Lily Maud's death. I am now in regular contact with Edith and Doreen, both in their 70s."
You can join the Glamorgan Rootsweb mailing list by sending an e-mail to Glamorgan-L-request@rootsweb.com with just the one word SUBSCRIBE in the body of the e-mail.
Update (Jan 15, 2001)
Leon Morgan says, "Since supplying the original information for this webpage, within the last week I've found the following, prior to Esther jnr's birth in 1895 in Bedlinog:
Arthur Morgan, born 1888, Dowlais; George Morgan, born 1890, Dowlais; and Jane Morgan, whose birth certificate I have just applied for from Merthyr Tydfil Register Office.
I now think I have all my dad's brothers and sisters."
Recently, Leon also acquired this photograph (right) of the Morgan family which he believes was taken in 1902 on the occasion of his father's christening. He says, "All of the other children appear of the correct ages; only one, Myra Morgan, is missing and she was born 1907."
Back row (centre): Grandfather George Morgan
Second row (left to right): George Jnr; Arthur Morgan
Third row (left to right): Unknown (possibly George's sister Jane); Esther Jnr; Jane; Grandmother Esther
Fourth row: Lily Maud; baby William John (Leon's father)
Front (seated on stool): Albert Edward
Leon adds, "Up to now I have found two grandchildren of George Morgan jnr who had ten children so there must be a lot more, also four grandchildren of Arthur Morgan, one of whom (Tyrone Morgan) supplied the photograph. Four of these grandchildren are still living in the Bargoed, Tir-y-berth areas." |
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Acknowledgement
Many thanks to Leon Morgan for allowing me to use his family photographs.
To contact Leon send him an e-mail.
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