William Morwood & Catherine Casey

William Clotworthy Morwood was born July 29, 1863 to William Morwood and Agnes Kelso in Baltimore, Maryland.  He grew up in Baltimore’s 8th Ward, nicknamed “Old Limerick” for the large Irish population that inhabited the area.  William received an education as a child taking a job as a clerk after he finished school.  On November 26, 1884, William married Catherine Casey at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Baltimore.

Catherine Teresa Casey was born on February 24, 1861 in Baltimore to Irish immigrants John Casey and Ann Skelley.  She moved around several times as a child before also settling in the 8th Ward.  Like William, Catherine was educated in the local schools and worked as a seamstress when she was old enough.

After their marriage, William and Catherine moved in with William’s family on Forrest Avenue and the property was transferred from William’s father to William in 1895 after the death of William’s mother Agnes.  Together William and Catherine raised eight children: Annie, Mary Ellen (Ella), William, Elizabeth (Lizzie), Catherine, Agnes, Margaret, and Charles.  A ninth child was born but died in early childhood.  The children all attended local schools and took jobs when they were old enough.  

William worked as a clerk/receiving clerk for Old Bayline, a steamship company.  Old Bayline was a passenger and freight shipping company that ran between Baltimore and Norfolk, VA.  As a receiving clerk, William would have been responsible for receiving and inspecting shipments that would have come in from Norfolk.  William was with the company for many years, retiring in the 1930s.  

The house was always open to extended family.  For the first ten years of their marriage, William and Catherine lived with William’s family.  By 1900, William’s parents had passed away, William and Catherine had moved, and Catherine’s mother, brother, and two sisters were living with them.  In 1920, Catherine’s two sisters were with the family, in addition to their son-in-law James Bernard Kerby who had married their daughter Catherine, along with their children.  A few years later, William and Catherine purchased the newly constructed rowhouse at 1504 Caroline Street located just a few doors up from St. Joseph’s Hospital.  Although the hospital is gone, the house still stands today.

Catherine passed away in 1932 at the age of 69 after a short bout of pneumonia and William passed away in 1939 at the age of 76.  Both are buried in Cathedral Cemetery.