Why did Harris become Morris?

[Bob Spiers]

I have a niggle, nothing more but can be summed up by the subject heading. Here is matter set out and the research is to help a family friend who has lost track of her childhood friend.

I have been looking for a female HARRIS (she had two quite distinctive first names but cannot reveal these as she is believed still living). I know she was born 1938 in Birmingham and am certain HARRIS was her birth surname and found a birth registration to confirm this and noted her mother's maiden name.

I am told she married a BROWN in the early 1960’s in Birmingham. Had 4 children born circa 1961-1971 (two believed twins). The family may have set up home in Worcestershire,

That is the end of my knowledge base so I out to find a marriage of a Harris to a Brown in the 1956-1969 era within a Warwickshire/Worcestershire catchment and counties beyond and FAILED. But not for the want of trying.

BUT I did find a MORRIS (same two first names) marrying a BROWN in 1961, and yes 4 children within the dates and two children had the same birth year. C HARRIS seems to have become C MORRIS by accident or design.

Possible reasons:

#1: Prior to the marriage (1956-1960) she had a relationship with a Morris and used this surname when the relationship ended to later marry in 1961. (NB Found no marriage of a Harris to a Morris that fitted in any way).

#2: She changed her surname by Deed Poll.

#3: There was a mistake in the marriage record and MORRIS should have been HARRIS?

#4: Other reason(s)

Note: the children are all recorded with the mother’s maiden name of Morris?

I favour #3 but could such a mistake have been made? What do others think?


Edit: Not particularly relevant but my Harris lady had an older sister, same mother and another set of distinctive names. I found her marriage easily enough and she is recorded as Harris!

 

[Bob Spiers]

I puzzled over the children showing their mother's maiden name as Morris which seems to upset everything, and made this clear to my contact. She has since responded by saying -she believes (again on the grapevine) - that her friend's parents (and they went to the same school) separated sometime after they left school. She knows the mother lived with someone prior to her daughters marriage, and may have been a 'Morris'. If this was so it is not inconceivable to believe that her younger daughter chose to adopt the step-father's surname when she married.

I had mentioned the older sister was a Harris when she married and she thought this was because their parents were still together at the time of that marriage.

My further research has uncovered a Morris/Harris marriage (so using her marriage surname not reverting to her maiden name) in 1965 and in Worcestershire. This is 4 years after her younger daughter's marriage in Birmingham but, as mentioned they had been cohabiting some years prior. The only slight doubtful element (research wise) is the mother seems to have an additional initial to the one she had when she married a Harris.

As my contact has managed to locate a niece of her friend (her older sister's daughter) she now knows her friend is indeed still living and hopes to make contact soon. She has thanked me for my help and to stop researching, which I gladly do, and close the case in the Forum. If contact is made she says she will try to dot the 'i's' and cross the 't's' and let me know if our joint assumptions were correct.