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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Derbyshire => Topic started by: sp1jpe on Wednesday 29 May 13 19:20 BST (UK)
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I was recently given very good leads on this forum, and would like to ask for further help. William Cooke (Bapt Whittington 1822) appears in the censuses 1851-1881 as married, but no wife is present. There is a possible marriage (William Cooke/Hannah Mettam, Whittington, 1847), but I failed today on Ancestry to find a possible Hannah Cook(e) in the censuses; there was at least one of that name, but she was with her husband. The Ancestry site crashed several times (accessed via public library), and I may have missed some possibilities. In 1871 William was living with Rebecca Thorley in Newbold, and they had a daughter who is the ancestor I am investigating (Rebecca led a complicated life). If anyone can find the missing wife (who may not have been called Hannah), I would be delighted; or alternatively, does anyone have suggestions as to where she could have been for over 30 years?
Many thanks
JohnE
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Hi watching football, but their were also marriages at St Mary & All Saints Chesterfield
1844 William Cooke to Phillis Walker
1847 William Cooke to Caroline Bostock
1849 William Cooke to Ann Reddish
Just throwing these in as alternatives ok!
Keyboard86
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Where is William living in 1851-81 and does he have [his] children living with him? If so, perhaps the baptismal register might have the mother's name in.
Just a thort.
STG
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A Tree has the William who Married Hannah Mettam dying in NSW, Australia 1875 age 61
Christenings for William/Hannah in Whittington are on Familysearch.
1861 in Whittington we have;
William COOKE, 46
Hannah, 35
Henry, 9
Thomas, 3
Jane, 3mths
They had a Hannah 1850, buried same year/Hannah 1854 buried same year/Richard 1855 buried 1859
1871 William/Hannah/Thomas/Jane are still in Whittington. William is born c 1815 Staveley.
1851 William/Hannah are with his Father RICHARD in Whittington.
Is your William down as Mar, Coal Miner, with Parents THOMAS/ ELIZABETH born c 1824 Whittington. Living in Newbold in 1851?
Trish :)
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Marriage;
16 March 1847, Chesterfield, Derbyshire;
William COOKE, Father THOMAS Cooke
Caroline BOSTOCK, Father ..ERVASE Bostock
Both Single
That would likely be Gervase, Source of Record Familysearch.Org
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1841 Census Caroline Bostock is born c 1828 and is living with Parents GERVASE/ELIZABETH in Chesterfield.
????
Caroline COOK, born c 1828 Wittington, Derbyshire, Mar, Housekeeper, Labourers Wife.
In the Household of John Spotswood.
Living in Handsworth, Yorkshire
With her Children;
Halfortina Cook, 4, born Wittington, Derbyshire***
Jemima Cook, 2, born Worsperdale, Yorkshire
EDIT***;
Probable Birth Reg;
Sept 1847
COOKE, Albertina, Chesterfield, 19 439
Also in 1841 Census Caroline has a Sister Jemima.
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.....and in 1841 Caroline Bostock is living next door but one to Thomas & Elizabeth Cooke!
Suz
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;D
didnt notice that!
I cant find any of them after 1851 Census, Caroline/Albertina/Jemima or John Spotswood.
Maybe immigrated?
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I wondered that too.
Suz
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I think they moved to Staffordshire.
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Have you found them on Census? Under what name etc?
Trish :)
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1871
Walsall Wood
John Spotwood 44
Caroline 45
Jemima 21
+ bunch of extra kids
RG10 2967 98
(sorry, slow typist :) )
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I'm slow too typing!
Excellent find :)
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Here are all the names
1871
Walsall Wood
John Spotwood m 44 hawker Yorks Sheffield
Caroline wife 45 Derbys Chesterfield?
Jemima dau unm 21 hawker Yorks Barnsley
Ruth dau unm 18? Hawker Yorks Attercliffe
Anna dau 13 Worcs Dudley
Mary dau 5 Staffs Walsall Wood
Estaline 3 ditto
Samuel son 1 ditto
1881
Walsall Foreign, Birmingham Rd
John Spotwood head m 54 earthenware dealer Sheffield Yorks
Caroline wife m 54 Chesterfield Derbys
Mary Jane dau unm 18 Ogley Hay Staffs
Caroline dau 11 scholar Walsall Wood Staffs
Samuel son 10 ditto ditto
Rose dau 8 ditto ditto
RG11 2831 102
There is a Hannah C(larinda?) Spotwood birth in 1859 Kingswinford subdist, Dudley
That could be "Anna" perhaps in 1871. I can't see any of them in 1861.
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Thank-you for all these replies; I have just got back from a day out, and am trying to take in the wealth of information. William Cook(e)'s parents were Thomas and Elizabeth, and he was a coal miner. In 1851 he was living at Newbold Moor; in 1861, Alsop's Place, Newbold; in 1871, 7 Alsop's Houses; and 1881, 7 Alsop's Row. He probably died 1882. His status is given as married throughout, and he did not marry Rebecca Thorley, with whom he had a daughter in 1871, as she married another miner in 1875. The Caroline Bostock/Cook/Spotswood you have traced looks a strong candidate for the missing wife. I had guessed that the missing wife was in an institution, as William continues to describe himself as married; if Caroline did marry John Spotswood, it must have been bigamous, though perhaps William did not know about this. I clearly need to have a good look at the censuses and then order some certificates. I keep writing up chunks of family history, but it appears that this branch of the family needs a novelist rather than an amateur historian!
Anyway, many thanks for your help. If you have the interest/energy to come up with any more information, please do; and if you can use your experience to come up with better interpretations than mine, then again I would love to hear them.
Repeated thanks
JohnE
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Hi JohnE,
Divorce was out of the question for poorer people in those times, maybe they decided to just go their own ways.
It is surprising that William still put himself down as Mar though in Census.
1891 Caroline is in Aston, Warwickshire, down as born c 1838, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
With her is;
Rose 19
Samuel 21
Caroline 23
+ Challis 1 and Jemima 8 (desc. as her Children but bit of a confused entry when you look at actual image)
She is hard to find in 1901 but may be under Caroline Spotswood, Pauper, Widow, born c 1827, Sheffield, Yorkshire, in the Workhouse in Yorks.
If so this is her Death Reg;
Caroline SPOTSWOOD, March 1902, Eccleshall, 9c 271, age 74 (Birth c 1828)
Trish :)
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I think the young Jemima is the daughter of Jemima from the 1871 census
1891
Caroline Spotwood wid 53
Rose ditto dau s 19
Samuel ditto son m 21
Caroline ditto dau m 23
Charles Ashford lodger m 21
John Pool lodger s 54
Charles Ashford s 1
Jemima Lees dau 8 b Walsall Wood
1881
James Lees m 30 earthenware dealer Blythe Bridge Staffs
Jemmimah ditto m 28 Barnsley Yorks
Hannah ditto dau 8 Wellington Shropshire
James ditto son 7 Walsall Wood Staffs
Thomas ditto son 5 ditto
John ditto son 1m ditto
1901
Jemima Leese Spotwood head m 46 earthenware dealer Barnsley, Yorks
James Leese son s 26
John ditto 20
Jimima dau 18
Thomas son 14
children born Walsall Woods
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Just a point as to why William Cooke would continue to describe himself as married - in 1861 he is living next door to his sister in law Jemima White nee Bostock.
The Bostocks were travellers with strong gypsy connections wives and husbands decamping with others was quite common.
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Aah that is interesting, Thank you :)