Robert Payne Morris ¹⁰³⁶

  General Notes:

Peter Morris notes:
Robert was born in 1842 at Broadway (Broadwey) in Dorset, England to Joseph Morris and Elizabeth (nee Raishleigh). Robert was christened on October 2, 1842 and the Dorset parish registrar indicates that he was named Robert Payne Morris, however, most subsequent records omit the name Payne. He was the ninth and last issue of Joseph Morris, gardener, who was born in 1775 at Hartfoot Lane, Dorset and died 26^th September, 1863 at Broadway (Weymouth), Dorset. Robert's mother was Elizabeth Raishley (Raishleigh), born 1798 to Charles Raishley and Dorothy Jolliffe. They had been married on November 10, 1793.
Joseph had previously married Ann Fudge (born 1780) on April 22, 1802 and they had had four children. Martha, b.1806; Mary Ann, b.1809; Joseph, b.1814; Susanna, b.1817 … all at Broadwey, Dorset. Ann Morris (nee Fudge) died in the February of 1819.
On the 15^th December, 1861, Robert married Mary Ann Hounsell at the Poplar Church, London. At the time he was living at St. Mary, Southampton, Hampshire. Their marriage certificate lists Robert as being a shipwright at the time. Relatively soon after they moved back to Dorset because it was at Weymouth that son Frederick was born. There had been an elder daughter born but she had died in infancy. Robert, with Mary Ann and their son migrated to Australia at some time between Frederick's birth and the next child to be born, Kate Emma. So the family arrived in Queensland between about April 1864 and March 1865. And over the next 15 odd years, which they spent in Queensland, Robert and Mary Ann had a further nine children with the youngest, Percy, being born after they had moved to Sydney.
A family story is that Robert and Mary Ann were accompanied by her brother, George Hounsell who came to Queensland with his wife Sarah, nee Harris, and young son Frederick. This is not easy to substantiate as we don't know on which ship they arrived. And this is not unexpected as many of the early unassisted immigrants came as 'steerage' passengers. Whatever, the two families went separate ways at the beginning.
'That a march be made to Brisbane for the purpose of asserting their rights and to make terms.'
And it was at Helidon that their next child, Herbert Ambrose, was born on September
15, 1867. The entire section of this particular railway was completed in April, 1867. Certainly by 1876 the family had moved to Rockhampton and were living in Denham Street. At this time Robert was listed as a painter. Robert's brother-in-law George Hounsell had previously gone to Rockhampton and was also living in Denham Street, however, we don't know if the two families lived together at any time. In the intervening period Charles b. 1869, George b. 1872 had arrived and Joseph b. 1876 would have been born in Rockhampton.
It was in 1879 that the family, with the exception of daughter Kate Emma, moved to Sydney. The first couple of years they lived at 32 Sophia Street, Surry Hills and Robert worked as a bricklayer. In 1883 the family had moved to 73 Botany Street, Randwick when the youngest child Percy was born in 1883. Here Robert was working as a stonemason, a trade he continued in for his remaining days. It is, perhaps, likely that he learned this trade with his brother-in-law in George's North Rockhampton monumental masonry business, refer below. They settled, in 1886, in Marrickville where they remained for a number of years, a good part of the time in Emily Street before finally settling into Illawarra Road.
In the August of 1890 Robert, of Emily Street, Marrickville, was sworn in as a juror by the Metropolitan Quarter Sessions. On the 4^th of August 1896, 'a man named Robert Morris, employed at the Newington College sports ground, Stanmore, was, while engaged at his work, seen to fall. Dr. Abbot was summoned and he pronounced life extinct.' Apparently while working as a stone mason on some building renovations he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 55. Robert's death certificate (the informant was his eldest son, Frederick) lists Robert as being 14 years in Queensland and 17 years in NSW, which, more or less, lines up with our other information. He is buried in the Wesleyan section of Rookwood cemetery
Steerage passengers were those who travelled with the cheapest class of ticket, it offered only the most basic amenities, typically with limited toilet use, no privacy, and poor food. Many immigrants to Australia in the 19th century travelled in this area of the ships. The name "steerage" came from the fact that the control lines of the rudder ran on this level of the ship.
It seems that Robert obtained work soon after his arrival because when daughter Kate Emma was born, in March of 1865, he was working as a labourer on the construction of the first Queensland railway line between Ipswich and the foot of the Little Liverpool range. Robert was living in the navvy camp called Gibbons Camp and Mary Ann had the baby in nearby Grantham. Construction had begun on February 25, 1864 by the successful tenderer, Messrs. Peto, Brassy & Betts, a large English railway contractor. A local company, Cross & Fountain acted as overseers for the project. On the 3^rd of July 1865 the first section of the Southern & Western Railway was opened. But by August 1866 the position had become acute for the construction workers, who had been made unemployed and they were camping along the railway route, with many having wives and children. In desperation, a large number marched to the Helidon railway station, which was then the terminus and with reinforcements demanded free transit to Ipswich. On Sunday August 19 a meeting of some 300 navvies resolved and carried:-
'That the misery entailed upon the unemployed required instant relief.'
'That excessive immigrant numbers be immediately checked.'
'That a march be made to Brisbane for the purpose of asserting their rights and to make terms.'
And it was at Helidon that their next child, Herbert Ambrose, was born on September 15, 1867. The entire section of this particular railway was completed in April, 1867. Certainly by 1876 the family had moved to Rockhampton and were living in Denham Street. At this time Robert was listed as a painter. Robert's brother-in-law George Hounsell had previously gone to Rockhampton and was also living in Denham Street, however, we don't know if the two families lived together at any time. In the intervening period Charles b. 1869, George b. 1872 had arrived and Joseph b. 1876 would have been born in Rockhampton.
It was in 1879 that the family, with the exception of daughter Kate Emma, moved to Sydney. The first couple of years they lived at 32 Sophia Street, Surry Hills and Robert worked as a bricklayer. In 1883 the family had moved to 73 Botany Street, Randwick when the youngest child Percy was born in 1883. Here Robert was working as a stonemason, a trade he continued in for his remaining days. It is, perhaps, likely that he learned this trade with his brother-in-law in George's North Rockhampton monumental masonry business, refer below. They settled, in 1886, in Marrickville where they remained for a number of years, a good part of the time in Emily Street before finally settling into Illawarra Road.
In the August of 1890 Robert, of Emily Street, Marrickville, was sworn in as a juror by the Metropolitan Quarter Sessions. On the 4^th of August 1896, 'a man named Robert Morris, employed at the Newington College sports ground, Stanmore, was, while engaged at his work, seen to fall. Dr. Abbot was summoned and he pronounced life extinct.' Apparently while working as a stone mason on some building renovations he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 55. Robert's death certificate (the informant was his eldest son, Frederick) lists Robert as being 14 years in Queensland and 17 years in NSW, which, more or less, lines up with our other information. He is buried in the Wesleyan section of Rookwood cemetery

  Noted events in his life were:

• connection. My connections to Kate Emma Morris (1865) are as follows:
Kate Emma Morris (1865) father was Robert Morris (1842) & he also had Frederick Morris (1864) who married Vida Alderson (1867)
Her father was William Alderson (1828) who married Charlotte Gosper (1830)
Her father was James Gosper (1805)
James Gosper (1805)
His father was Thomas Gosper (1768) & he also had John Gosper (1801)
He had Archibald Gosper (1842)
He had Amy Gosper (1872) who married William Shrimpton (1869)
His father was Richard Shrimpton (1826) & he also had Richard 3rd Shrimpton (1855) who married Susannah Jeffery (1857)
Her father was John Jeffery (1834)
His father was John Jeffery (1808)
His father was James Jeffery (1781) & he also had William Jeffery (1803)
He had James Jeffery (1837)
He had Mary Jeffery (1860) who married William South (1854)
They had Annie South (1891) who married Leslie Rice (1885)
They had Hazel Rice (1913) who married Emmett Whyte (1899)
They had Sandra Whyte (1943) who married Colin Parker (1936)
His father was Arthur Parker (1894)
His mother was Martha Parker (1872)
Her mother was Elizabeth Roser (1844)
Her father was John Roser & he also had John Roser (1838)
He had George Roser (1868)
He had Charles Roser (1897)
He had George Roser (1923) who married Olive Elliot (1924)
Her mother was Doris Emery (1903)
Her mother was Phoebe Davies (1876)
Her father was Joseph Davies (1852) & he also had G. A. Davies (1894)
He had Colin Davies (1925)
He had me Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Robert married Mary Ann (T) Hounsell, daughter of Thomas Hounsell and Sarah Amor, on 15 Dec 1861 in Poplar, London, Middlesex England. (Mary Ann (T) Hounsell was born on 5 Nov 1840 in Dorchester, Dorset England,¹⁰³⁷ died on 2 Dec 1889 and was buried on 4 Dec 1899 in Rookwood Cemetery, Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW Australia Wesleyan Section.). The cause of her death was angina.