Hello my fellow Carrier researchers! For anyone
involved in the hunt for the real Thomas Morgan ap
Carrier, this will be of interest to you. As we all
know, it has been next to impossible in tracking this
man down in Wales and England. One of my fellow
researchers and cousins has been giving me some
interesting suggestions. I will take what is of MOST
interest, and insert my own thoughts here and there. I
am interested in what you think of these
theories/ideas...
So, in my mind, the controversy exists not only with
what Thomas did over seas, but what name he went by.
Thomas Morgan ap Carrier. Translated this means Thomas
Morgan son of Carrier. He was born circa 1626. Morgan
is a Welsh name, and Carrier is a French name. France
and Wales were not exactly close in those days, so how
did he get these names? The site below is just about
the Welsh naming system, so you can skip it if you
think it is redundant.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~wyside01/helps/patronym.htm#modern
> Among the most common Patronymic surnames found in
Wales today are:
> .
> .
> Morgan - from Morcant, an old Welsh name
This is what my cousin suggested...
2) Also, I just came up with what is probably the
wildest of ideas as to a possible explanation of why
you are having difficulty
finding any mention of
CARRIER in the 1600's and before in the UK. Carrier
family tradition says about Thomas, "It is stated that
the day before his death he walked 18 miles from
Colchester to Glastonbury with a sack of corn meal on
his shoulder, making only one stop. " Right??
> Ok, with that in mind, we all know that many
surnames are/were often based on the occupation of
whoever, eg. Smith, Carpenter, Miller, Taylor, Wright,
Bishop, Knight, etc. Now, consider this -- Thomas
must have been endowed with a reasonable IQ, and was
undoubtedly a rather clever and resourceful chap......
Also, his
various actions and behaviors after arriving in
Mass.,
certainly show that he was no 'dummy' and was
able to adapt quite successfully to the many
hardships, persecutions or prejudices he was faced
with!!!! In addition, his unusual size and strength
would make him particularly well suited for
transporting, ie. "carrying", heavy burdens long
distances -- as evidenced by the anecdote about his 18
mile journey shortly before his death. Perhaps while
still in England, either as a civilian or while, if
true, serving the Royal (or Revolutionary) Army, his
occupation was one that involved carrying
materials/equipment of some kind, in other words a
"CARRIER." (Maybe there was a body carrier? Thus tying
him in with the thought of his being on the scaffold)
Is it possible that he, himself, created the name
as an alias to help him escape England and become
'lost' once arriving in America????? Or, perhaps,
it's source was a nickname applied to him others, such
as in "Hey, carrier, get over here and move this...."
Now, as to my thought on this... the only thing wrong
with this is that he was known (from what I have seen)
as Thomas Morgan ap Carrier, again, translated into
Thomas Morgan son of Carrier. Perhaps his FATHERS
occupation was a carrier of sort, and the family name
is Morgan. The possibility of his thinking it up to
get out of England is a good idea. Perhaps to get on
the ship, he had to give a profession, or something.
Geri Carrier told me this story about Thomas
supposedly leading a mutiny in the streets one night
against Cromwell. Cromwell or someone sent out
warrants for the arrest/death of all involved.
Somehow, Thomas managed to escape. This was in or
about 1654. Then he was first arrived in MA in about
1655. This could also tie into a story on Neil's
website about this other guy who had managed to escape
and get to the colonies, and he was in seclusion
during which in his journal he wrote a list of those
who had been captured "and Morgan was not in the
tower" This also, I think coincides with the beginning
of the fall of Cromwell, though I need to check on
that. In which case Thomas would be needing to get out
if England, particularly if he has been involved with
the death of Charles I. Obviously, Thomas was NOT a
stupid person by any means.
and that is all for the moment. Hope this may give
some ideas?
Sincerely, Nicole Rosenberger
===
"I am sorry that life is cruel, that people suck, that things are hard, and
nothing -- and I mean nothing-- is like a fairy tale. Furthermore, the
choices we must make are seldom viewed as innately 'right;' people who so
deserve to be happy are not --an enclave of which we are hopelessly a part,
and our faces always seem to break out at the worst times. Is it fair? No.
Is it life? Yeah pretty much." Ramon Walker
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