Whatever happened to the Cooks?

[Stafford]

Maria (H) Hickson b Frisby on the Wreake, Leicestershire in 1835 married Henry Cook, an agricultural labourer, b 1837 in Peatling Magna. They married in 1863.

Maria and Henry had at least 6 children.

• Elizabeth H Cook b. 1866 in Peatling Magna.
• Ann, Annie or Anna Maria/Marina H Cook b. 1868 in Great Peatling
• William Hickson Cook b. 1869 Peatling Magna
• Henry Thomas Cook b 1871 Great Peatling. Henry married Kate Elizabeth Upton in Derbyshire. All ensus records found.
• Sarah Cook b 1877 in Great Peatling
• Frederick Cook b 1880 in Great Peatling
  
  With the exception of Henry Thomas I cannot find family members after 1881.

1871 RG10/3223/f3/p2
1881 RG11/3118/f56/3
1881 RG11/3180/f 121/19 Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic Asylum Maria H. Cook?
Death: Maria Hickson Cook 1902? No death found for Henry Cook or children. No birth records found for Frederick or Sarah.

 

[Flook]

Is this William Hickson Cooke?
Living in Pilsley, Derbyshire in 1901 with 2 sons ( George Henry - 5 & John Edward? - 3). RG13 / 3244 / 34 / 19.

[I found this by searching for Walt Vardy on FMP].

 

[Huncamunca]

http://www.
royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/have-you-a-tiger/record/14363/

is about one Henry Cooke born in Lutterworth workhouse in 1885, illegitimate son of Elizabeth Cooke. Elizabeth went on to marry Simeon Hubbard. Henry was killed in the First World War.

From the 1891 census (RG 12/2490, f.107, p.2) Elizabeth wife of Simeon Hubbard was born in 'Peatling Mag' - presumably an abbreviation for Peatling Magna / Great Peatling - and was about the right age to be your missing Elizabeth.

 

[Flook]

Re my previous post : this same family (with wife Mary age 38 + son William age 18) are in the 1911 Census in Pilsley. RG14 PN21072 RG 78 PN 1256 RD 438 SD1 ED18 SN207.

William Cooke, Head, age 41, married, Miner, born Leicestershire.

 

[Flook]

I'm slightly losing confidence in my find, but if it is right the marriage appears to have been in Chesterfield RD Apr-Jun Quarter, 1891. Spouse: Mary Coope.

 

[Stafford]

[I found this by searching for Walt Vardy on FMP].

Who or what was Walt Vardy, Flook?

 

[Stafford]

I'm slightly losing confidence in my find, but if it is right the marriage appears to have been in Chesterfield RD Apr-Jun Quarter, 1891. Spouse: Mary Coope.

I'm still searching, however, William's brother married in Derbyshire. Could their father have moved there?

 

[Flook]

Who or what was Walt Vardy, Flook?

Sorry it's a red herring. I often find something on The Genealogist but can't easily get a census reference off that site and so I search for someone else on the same page on FMP and find the correct census reference from that. Does that make sense?

 

[Stafford]

http://www.
royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/have-you-a-tiger/record/14363/

is about one Henry Cooke born in Lutterworth workhouse in 1885, illegitimate son of Elizabeth Cooke. Elizabeth went on to marry Simeon Hubbard. Henry was killed in the First World War.

From the 1891 census (RG 12/2490, f.107, p.2) Elizabeth wife of Simeon Hubbard was born in 'Peatling Mag' - presumably an abbreviation for Peatling Magna / Great Peatling - and was about the right age to be your missing Elizabeth.

Thank you Huncamunca. Checking records, Simeon died in 1891. In 1901 Elizabeth was a 'patient' in the workhouse with three of her five children.

Edit: if Simeon died in 1891, the two younger Hubbard's with Elizabeth would have been illegitimate.

 

[Stafford]

Thank you Huncamunca. Checking records, Simeon died in 1891. In 1901 Elizabeth was a 'patient' in the workhouse with three of her five children.

Edit: if Simeon died in 1891, the two younger Hubbard's with Elizabeth would have been illegitimate.

Senior moment! He died in 1896.

 

[Flook]

You'll think me terribly skittish and unprofessional but I see that Maria doesn't appear on the 1881 Census> 1881 RG11/3118/f56/3. I do see, however, a Sophia? [?] Clark, 23, housekeeper, listed just below Frederick (1 year old) on the following page. The only reason I mention this is that there is a birth of a "Frederick Cook Clarke" in Lutterworth RD, 3rd Quarter 1879. A pure coincidence?

 

[Stafford]

You'll think me terribly skittish and unprofessional but I see that Maria doesn't appear on the 1881 Census> 1881 RG11/3118/f56/3. I do see, however, a Sophia? [?] Clark, 23, housekeeper, listed just below Frederick (1 year old) on the following page. The only reason I mention this is that there is a birth of a "Frederick Cook Clarke" in Lutterworth RD, 3rd Quarter 1879. A pure coincidence?

Flook, that would explain why I couldn't find the birth record for Frederick - certainly not unprofessional at all. I had the same idea but didn't find any evidence.

I found Maria in the 'Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic Asylum' in 1881. (See #1) The date and place of birth are wrong (1841 and born in Peatling instead of Frisby on the Wreake) but I'm certain it is her. I've checked census records and the only Maria Cook missing in 1881 is mine. I'm currently searching for records.

 

[Stafford]

Is this William Hickson Cooke?
Living in Pilsley, Derbyshire in 1901 with 2 sons ( George Henry - 5 & John Edward? - 3). RG13 / 3244 / 34 / 19.

[I found this by searching for Walt Vardy on FMP].

William is living in the same area as Henry Thomas his brother, they are both coal miners. Whilst Henry was easy to trace on A***, William was poorly transcribed on Ancestry. Interesting that both brothers added an 'e' to their surname by 1911.

One of William's sons died in WW1. He joined in Leicestershire.

 

[Flook]

Looking at Sarah Cook, there's a suspicious gap between her birth in 1877 and Henry Thomas in 1871. I'm wondering if she was Sophia Clarke's daughter as well? There is a birth of a Sarah Clarke in Lutterworth RD 1st Quarter 1877 but I've failed to find her in the 1881 Census under Clarke.

 

[Stafford]

Looking at Sarah Cook, there's a suspicious gap between her birth in 1877 and Henry Thomas in 1871. I'm wondering if she was Sophia Clarke's daughter as well? There is a birth of a Sarah Clarke in Lutterworth RD 1st Quarter 1877 but I've failed to find her in the 1881 Census under Clarke.

I spent today searching for Sophia 'Surphire' Clarke and Sarah and Frederick in 1891. The closest match I could find was the 'Clarke' family living in Leicester. RG13/2994/f46/p9 in 1901. No sign of Frederick Cooke/Clarke. However, Sophia Clarke b 1860 in Willoughby Waterless and Sarah Clarke b in 1878 in Peatling Magma fit the profile of Sarah Cooke and Sophia Surphire Clarke found in 1881. (See post #1) I'm wondering whether John is Sophia's brother rather then husband. I haven't found a marriage so far nor the family in 1891 or 1911. Searching birth and census records, Sophia and John may have been the children of Joseph Clarke. RG9/2248/f29/5. All assumptions of course.

 

[Flook]

The closest match I could find was the 'Clarke' family living in Leicester. RG13/2994/f46/p9 in 1901. No sign of Frederick Cooke/Clarke. However, Sophia Clarke b 1860 in Willoughby Waterless and Sarah Clarke b in 1878 in Peatling Magma fit the profile of Sarah Cooke and Sophia Surphire Clarke found in 1881. (See post #1) I'm wondering whether John is Sophia's brother rather then husband. Searching birth and census records, Sophia and John may have been the children of Joseph Clarke. RG9/2248/f29/5. All assumptions of course.

That's a good find and a very reasonable assumption.

 

[Flook]

The 1911 Census is interesting.34 Duncan Road Leicester. RG14PN19266 RG78PN1152A RD407 SD3 ED2 SN63

John Clarke, Head, married, 61,General Labourer, born Willoughby Waterless, Leicestershire
Sophia Clarke, wife, married, 58, born Leicester, Leicestershire
Amos Elias William Poulson, son-in-law, married, 27, Tailor maker, born Derby
Sarah Poulson, Daughter of wife, married, 28, born Peatling Magna, Leicestershire
Douglas Clarke Poulson, son, single, 2 years, born Leicester, Leicestershire.

Sophia has been married 28 years and has had 2 children only one of whom is living.
Sarah has been married 3 years and has had just 1 living child.


The way that the length of marriage and number of children have been entered and then crossed through in John's entry (and they seem to have been written by John Clarke), implies that John and Sophie were married.

 

[Flook]

The way that the length of marriage and number of children have been entered and then crossed through in John's entry (and they seem to have been written by John Clarke), implies that John and Sophie were married.

Of course it may just be a pointer to when Sophia married. It's interesting that it's such an exact date (i.e.28 years).

 

[Stafford]

Of course it may just be a pointer to when Sophia married. It's interesting that it's such an exact date (i.e.28 years).

The only marriage between a John Frank Clarke and Sophia Turner found so far in Leicestershire took place in 1880. The couple were together in 1911 so can be eliminated.

Interestingly, Sarah gives her age as 28, only a year older then her husband. (Sophia claims to be married for 28 years). On the 1901 census her date of birth is 1877. This corresponds with the birth found by Flook for Sarah Clarke and the birth given for Sarah Cooke in 1881. I haven't found a birth for Sarah Clark/e registered in Lutterworth circa 1883.

I'm not sure where to go from here. If I purchase Sarah's marriage certificate, John Clarke will most likely be given as her father. Similarly, her birth certificate will not provide the link I need to connect Sophia and Sarah to the duo in the 1901 and 1911 census.

The elusive 1891 census may provide some answers. I love puzzles but am beginning to feel I am going around in circles with the Cook/es and Clark/es and Ancestry transcription errors!

 

[Stafford]

Sarah Poulson died in Leicester in 1970. Date of birth: 1st Jan 1877