Clement Dickson Burgess Morton

Clement Dickson Burgess was baptised in Manchester on 6 August 1837.  There are 13 unexplained years between his appearance as a 13 year old errand boy in Manchester (Census 1851) and  at age 26,  for the birth of Clement’s apparent first daughter Clara Agnes Morton in Invercargill, New Zealand (Birth Cert 1863).  I am investigating the appearance in 1863 of Clement’s  appended surname, Morton.

Clement was my 3^rd great grandfather and together with Elizabeth Morton (maiden name Try), their child Clara Agnes Morton, my 2nd great grandmother, was registered as being born on 5 August 1863, in Invercargill, New Zealand.    The birth registration record has been transcribed with surname Marton for each family member.

Prior to this time our last reliable ‘sighting’ of Clement was as described in the England Census of 30 March 1851. In this census Clement a 13 year old errand boy, is living with mother Jane Burgess at 15 Bloom Street,  Manchester. The family group is consistent with the 1841 census, however it is noted alongside Jane’s entry that her “husband is in America”. 

I have not found Clement in subsequent English records, and he appears entirely absent from the England 1861 census.

Elizabeth Try, Clement’s partner has been identified as the daughter of William George Try and Elizabeth Try (maiden name Hill). Elizabeth was baptised in Hammersmith, Middlesex on 14 April 1839.   I have compiled consistent family groups for the Try family which involved the family moving from Middlesex to  Liverpool by 1841, where William remained until his death in 1884.

Of note, Elizabeth Try, future partner of Clement  was reported as being in the family residence at 21 Brownlow Street, Liverpool at 7 April 1861. (England Census).

The missing years

So at this point we have last known English records as

•  Clement Dickson Burgess, 30 March 1851, Bloom Street, Manchester, Lancashire
•  Elizabeth Try, 7 April 1861 21 Brownlow Street, Liverpool, Lancashire

Following this, both Clement and Elizabeth appear together, with surname Morton as Clara Agnes Morton’s parents in Invercargill, New Zealand on 5 August 1863. They subsequently had other children in New Zealand

We also know that Clement and Elizabeth married 20 years later,  on 25 August 1883, at Dunedin, New Zealand. At this time Clement’s father was described as Joseph Burgess Morton, timber merchant and his mother as Jane Morton (maiden name  Dickson).   The marriage certificate is interesting as the Morton surname ascribed to Joseph Burgess took two attempts, with the first struck out through some error.

We now have some clues and possible new theory to test, though insufficient to reach conclusion;

1. Between 30 March 1851 and 5 August 1863, Clement Dickson Burgess took the additional surname Morton
2. Between 7 April 1861 and 5 August 1863, Elizabeth Try took the surname Morton
3. Elizabeth conceived Clara Agnes at approximately the end of October 1862
4. Elizabeth, probably in the company of Clement travelled from Liverpool to New Zealand after 7 April 1861, arriving on or before 5 August 1863 , (during a a period of 2years 4 months)   
5. Given the name change, unsupported by evidence to date, I believe it is possible that Clement and Elizabeth eloped or sought a new life together without the knowledge of Elizabeth’s family. (We know that George Burgess, Clement’s brother also migrated to Invercargill in 1873, so it is probable that they had remained in contact).
6. Clement’s father Joseph Burgess was described as warehouse man (1837), book keeper (1841), in America with no occupation noted (1851) and as timber merchant (1883). 

Next Steps

I have commenced search for passenger records between 1861 and 1863 for Morton-Try-Burgess arriving in Invercargill/Bluff/New River, which were the port names used for Invercargill at that time.

I will search further for Joseph Burgess after 1851.

Input or comment from any interested people is most welcome.