Biography

ALICE MORRISON c1880 – 1924

Alice Morrison was the daughter of Louisa Wilson/Cuttress (nee Reeves) and Louisa’s second husband Charles Cuttress, or possibly Louisa’s first husband, William Wilson.

Louisa and William Wilson came over to New Zealand from Brighton, England, as a young married couple. She was 17, he 18. Louisa was born in the poorest part of Brighton- Orange Row. Her father was a fish hawker, but throughout her life she tried to cover this up. William was a bit of a lad and a sailor who had a string of arrests for drunk and disorderly and using foul language. He also spent a brief time in Gaol for desertion of his family.

In about 1881 Charles Cuttress comes into the picture, he may have been a friend of both William and Louisa, or he may have been drawn to Louisa because of her coming from the same city. Charles’ father was a ladies’ shoe maker and he came from a large family. I am not sure at this stage why he came to New Zealand or how he met Louisa. Alice is the forth child of Louisa and bears the name Cuttriss as a middle name, so she could be the child of either William or Charles.

Alice married William Robert Morrison on 30th September 1903. She died as a result of complications after giving birth to their only child Henry Charles William Morrison (named for all three parents – his and both of her fathers; maybe even she didn’t know which was her actual father). William was a Compositor, and remained so throughout his life. He remarried Florence Louise (surname unknown) and did not have any other children. He died 24th Jun 1935 and is buried in Anderson’s Bay Cemetery along with his second wife Florence.

Charles never knew of his grandchild as he had disappeared by this time and he died in Tasmania on 14th of April 1903 of Nephritis of his kidneys. He was also a twin and his brother George died an early death as well, possibly from the same condition. It is unknown why he left Louisa as no older family members will talk about it or they claim that he suddenly left. Then William Wilson came back and Louisa had another child in 1895 named William. William senior died in Talboys home in 1934 without his family but was given a decent burial by his son Charles Thomas William Wilson who was a builder/ developer and devoted son to his Mother Louisa. They died within months of each other.

Alice’s son Harry died at the age of 66 in 1971 in Dunedin with no known descendants. Alice was only 24 when she died in July 1904 and she had such a brief time as a married woman (marriage was in 30th Sept of 1903) her grave has never had anything placed there. But she is not completely forgotten.