William Morgan was the second son of John and Mary Morgan of Hill Farm.

He was born on 9th April 1837 at Glascoed, christened on the 9th of July 1837 at Monkswood.

He lived at Hill Farm for the first portion of his life. We see him on the 1841 to 1861 censuses as a “farmer’s son”. After his father died in 1864, it appears that William took over the farm.

William married Emma Rachel Price, the daughter of a clergyman, John Price and his wife Rachel. Emma was born at Llansoy. They married at the church where her father was now the Rector - Llanfihangel Torymynydd on 27th June 1865.

They had four children at Hill Farm:

William Henry Gwyn Morgan (born c. 1866, baptised 8th April 1866 at either Usk or Glascoed).

John Endel Morgan (born c. 1867, bap 14th October 1867 at either Usk or Glascoed). John died at Llanfihangel Torymynydd in 1879, aged 11, being buried on 15th April 1879 at that church - apparently he must have been living with his grandfather, John Price, the Rector of Llanfihangel.

Alfred Hedley Morgan was born c. 1869 and was baptised at Glascoed on 6th Jan 1869. He was living with John Price, his grandfather at the time of the 1881 census.

Emma Rachel Gertrude Morgan was born in around 19th March 1871 (she was said to be 14 days old on the census of 1871) and baptised on 21st September 1871 at either Usk or Glascoed.

William appears on the Electoral Registers at Hill Farm, from 1868 to 1872, qualifying through “occupation of house and land” - his brother, Arthur was also entitled to vote by having a “share of freehold farm” (both relating to Hill Farm). The first register I could access after his father’s death was the 1868 register. The 1874 register shows a change - by this time William was no longer at the farm, although Arthur still held a share of the ownership of the farm.

It appears that Emma must have died in the early 1870s, since we see William on the 1881 census at Grays, in Essex, now working as a Cement factory labourer, with a new wife (Susan). I have not yet managed to trace their marriage.

On the 1881 census, William and Susan had both William Henry Gwyn and Emma Rachel Gertrude living with them. As previously noted, John Endel had died. Alfred Hedley was staying (or possibly living?) with his maternal grandfather, John Price.

William and Sarah by now had 5 additional children: The first three were born at St. Brides, Monmouthshire - May (aged 7), Annie (aged 5) and Winifred (aged 4). Augustus (aged 3) was born at Usk, and Bertha J. was born at “Gogha, Monmouthshire” according to the transcription. Could this be Glascoed? Susan’s birthplace was equally unclear (Hansay, Monmouthshire - could be Llansoy?).

I am not sure what happened to the family after this point. Can anyone help to fill in the gaps? I am also intrigued as to why William left what was one of the largest farms in the Glascoed to go to work as a labourer in a cement factory ...

RECORDS

Census: 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881

Marriage: to Emma Rachel Price, 1865

Baptisms of children (see above)

Registers of Electors: 1868-70, 1870, 1871, 1872

Burial of son: John Endel Morgan