FAMILY HISTORY SUMMARY
BY JOHN RICHARD GRAVE MORRIS 1920 - 2007
The Ancestral lines, from 1600
The direct lines that have been researched and recorded by JRGM are the
Morris line and the Husband/Nanney line.
THE HUSBAND/NANNEY LINE
The Husband family, in a direct line taken from Cornish parish records:
John Husband
1710 – 1770
William Husband
1735 – 1790
William Husband
1755 – 1846 married Susanna Richards
James Husband
1794 – 1859 (Lloyds Assessor, Falmouth, Cornwall)
William Husband
1822 – 1887 married Anne Nanney
William Husband 1822 – 1887 Falmouth, Cornwall.
James Husband wanted his son to go into the navy and gave him a good
education. Instead of the navy, William chose to leave home at 16 and join
Harvey’s of Hale, a well known manufacturer of mining pumps that were used in
the Cornish tin and silver mines. He worked with Harvey’s most of his life. Aged
about 18 he went to Holland on a project draining and restoring polders - farming
land. He became a famous engineer and was accepted by the Institute of Civil
Engineers (ICE).
When William finished the job in Holland he was still a bachelor with a good
reputation as a water engineer, but quite a sick man, suffering from “Swamp
Fever” caused by the damp climate. He then took a job in Manchester, and met
up with Mr William H. Ginn and Mrs Ellen Ginn (nee Nanney), friends of his
parents, and their adopted niece, Anne Nanney. William married Anne and
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returned to St Erth, Cornwall. William and Anne had six children and Mary
Eleanor 1851 - 1919 (who married Frank Morris) was the eldest.
THE NANNEY LINE
The Nanney ancestors (as researched and recorded by Anne Nanney) go back
to Rice Nanney who married Mary Edward at Llanabar, Merioneth, Wales, in
1780. Their son Edward Nanney had three wives, the third being Mary Bagshaw,
the mother of Anne.
Edward Nanney and Mary Bagshaw were killed in a traffic accident in 1832 when
Anne was three years old. Anne was adopted by her aunt, Ellen Ginn (nee
Nanney, married to William Husband Ginn).
THE MORRIS LINE
Records of the Morris family first appear around 1650 as indicated by matching
entries in the Family bible and Oswestry parish records (See Grave Morris
Family Bible). No earlier matches were found. The direct line is as follows:
Elizabeth Morris
1625 – 1694
Grave Morris 1
1650 – 1703
William Morris
1682 – 1757
Grave Morris 111
1712 – 1759
Richard Morris
1746 – 1812
Joshua Morris
1779 – 1852
William Richard Morris
1808 – 1874
William Morris
1836 -- 1915
Edward Gilbert Morris
1884 – 1943
John Richard Grave Morris
1920 – 2007
Clive Michael Grave Morris
1959 –
Samuel Alexander Morris
1992 -
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There were five generations of Morrises (some Grave Morrises) between 1650
and 1750, covering about 100 individuals. The men were mainly tailors.
The last birth entry found was that of Richard Morris in 1747; after this the family
disappeared from the Oswestry records. Richard married Anna Bright and, from
the research and writings of Hilda Grave Morris (Aunt of JRGM) we can assume,
settled in Sevenoaks, Kent. In the census of 1841, the household of Joshua
Morris of Deptford, Kent is recorded. (See Book 3, Grave Morris Family in Kent)
Richard Morris (1746 – 1812) had two sons, one went overseas (New
Zealand?) and the other was Joshua Morris (1779 – 1852).
A silver goblet
from Palmer, France and Palmer (solicitors) and still in the hands of the Morris
family bears the inscription:
1850
Presented to
JOSHUA MORRIS
by Palmer, France and Palmer
on his retirement from office,
in token of their estimation
of his faithful services
for a period of
29 years.
Joshua was also an entrepreneur who helped raise money to revive the Kent
Water Works, which had been defunct due to lack of water. Joshua prepared his
son William Richard with good schooling and several engineering
apprenticeships.
Thus William Richard (1808 – 1874), became a qualified and experienced
engineer, and was appointed manager of the Kent Water Works after he married
Mary Anne Shove. Mary was the daughter of Ambrose Shove (who has family
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records going back to nearly 1600), one of the main investors in the water works.
After the marriage in 1835 William and Mary moved into the Old Mill House,
Deptford - the residence of the resident manager. He had a distinguished career
as manager.
William Richard ordered many steam pumps from Harvey’s of Hale for the Kent
Water Works. In the process he met William Husband and they became friends.
William Husband, William Morris and his sons all were members of the Institute
of Civil Engineers (ICE).
In 1873 -1874 William Richard kept working after a slight stroke, and died from a
fall on Blackheath Common. His widow lived to 1889, residing with their son
Henry.
William Richard Morris was the grandfather of both parents of JRGM.
THE HUSBAND/MORRIS LINE
William Richard Morris and Mary Anne Shove had six children, three boys and
three girls. The sons were William Morris 1836 – 1915, Henry Grave Morris 1839
– 1900 (about whom little is known) and Frank Morris 1840 – 1907.
William Morris (1836 – 1915) Civil Engineer (ICE),
1856-1861, Assistant Engineer to his father at Kent Water Works.
1861-1874, Resident Engineer at Plumstead for the Northern District of the
expanded Kent Water Works. In1874 he became the manager after the death of
his father and moved into the Old Mill House, Deptford. He was also a Major in
the Territorial Artillery.
A large silver cup is still in the hands of the Morris family and bears this
inscription:
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Royal Blackheath Golf club
CORONATION CUP
PRESENTED BY RICHARD WINCH ESQUIRE
TO BE PLAYED FOR
BY PAST CAPTAINS
WON BY MAJOR W. MORRIS
18th July 1911
William married Norah Charles. They lived at the Old Mill House and had eight
children, including one set of twins, Frank (who fathered Mellops ) and Edward
Gilbert (who fathered .
Edward Gilbert (John) – father of JRGM, was No. 6.
Frank Morris (1840 – 1907) Civil Engineer (ICE),
From 1861 Frank had a distinguished career as an engineer at Brentford Gas
Works, which he expanded, and the Southall plant which he built.
He married
Mary Eleanor, daughter of William Husband and Ann Nanney in 1873 and lived
at 368 High St, Ealing. Between 1873 and 1886 they had eight children.
Frank was a weak character compared with his wife Mary Eleanor who was a
great amateur dramatist and was always dressed in the height of fashion. She
spent a lot of her time away from home. In 1886 Frank rented a large house
called Style House in Lyme Regis and Mary Eleanor lived there while Frank
stayed in London.
Mary Eleanor converted to Roman Catholicism and tried to convert her children.
Only Mary (Mellops) agreed.
Mary Grave (Mellops) – Mother of JRGM, was No.7
Frank died as Manager and Director in 1907. After this the London Gas Board
acquired the Gas Works.
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Edward Gilbert Morris (John) 15 Jul 1884 – 15 May 1943 Educated at
Bedford School. A well built young man who excelled at Rugby, became
captain of the school then proceeded to Oxford University in 1902. He
studied mathematics and attained a second class degree and Diploma of
Education. He earned an Oxford ‘Blue’ for rugby and another for water
polo.
He joined the British Colonial Service in 1908 and was sent to Uganda.
He died 15 May 1943, Tropical Diseases Hospital, London, while on sick
leave from Nigeria. Lung cancer was the actual killer, not a mysterious
disease as first suspected. Buried about 20th May by Edgar Moberly
Vicar at Westhampnett Parish Church, near Chichester, W. Sussex. His
grave is at the northern border of Westhampnett cemetery looking towards
the South Downs. Edgar Moberly and his wife Annie Husband Grave
Morris are buried nearby.
Mary Grave Morris 1885 – 1956 (Mellops, also called Snag as a child
because of practical jokes on elder siblings, and Mouse by her children)
When Mellops was three years old her mother was converted to Roman
Catholicism. The other children refused to convert but Mellops was
brought up a Catholic. Her right hand was badly scalded at age three,
when the maid turned boiling bath water on it. She was taken to Rome
for a skin graft by a charlatan doctor and this failed, resulting in
septicaemia and virtual loss of all fingers and a deformed hand. Her
mother left her in a Blue Nun’s convent and returned to England. The nuns
saved her life but not her hand.
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A story from Mellops’ childhood related how she and her younger brother
Edward (‘John John’) played so many jokes on the elder brothers and
sisters that they were tied in sacks and strung up in a tree.
Mellops was handicapped at school because of her deformed hand. She
went to Sherborne Convent and afterwards another Convent in which she
was taught to write and taught art.
Mary Eleanor decided to run an intellectual “Salon” and sent the eldest
daughter Hilda to Girton College, Cambridge, one of the first female
students. Annie (Nancy) was sent to the Slade school of Art. Mellops
followed Nancy into the Slade School about 1904.
Mary Eleanor travelled a lot in Europe, accompanied by Hilda and Nancy.
This resulted in their being interned in Switzerland for the duration of WW1
1914 - 1918.
Meanwhile Mellops stayed in England and met her cousin John (EG)
Morris after his first tour of duty in Uganda. They were married in St
Georges Chapel, Hanover Square, London in 1911. This was at short
notice as John had to return to Uganda.
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