RootsChat.Com

Hi Dom,

John COX and Sarah WILLIS are my 3 x Great Grandparents. I have good DNA matches to other children of Henry COCK or COX and Ann ANNIN/G or HANNIN/G so am relatively happy at the moment that they are the parents of John.

There is a marriage for Henry COX to Ann HANNIN 16 Jul 1834, St Leonard Shoreditch

There is a baptism for John COX son of Henry COX & Ann on 25 Jul 1837 (born 4 Dec 1837) at St Luke, Finsbury.

I have Henry & Ann and family in the 1851 census living in Sturch Alley (?) St Luke, Finsbury with 5 children Henry, John, Ann, Betsey & Thomas. This gives Henry's birthplace as Postwick, Norfolk (I think, it is hard to read!). The name in the census looks much more like COOK so has possibly been mis-transcribed.

There is a baptism of a Henry COCK 23 Mar 1811 in Postwick, Norfolk to John & Charlotte COCK.

There is a marriage of John COCK to Charlotte REYNOLDS in Easton, Norwich, Norfolk 3 Dec 1805.

I found no specific baptism for John COCK but there is a couple (Edward COCK or COX and Jemima) having children in Postwick at the right time and there is a "gap" in the children at the right time for John. For the time being they are my hypothetical parents for John.

There is a marriage for Edward COX to Jemima KETTERINGHAM in Postwick, Norfolk 19 Apr 1756

I have not gone any further back on this COX/COCK line as yet.

A lot of my tree is a research work in progress so I would certainly suggest that you double check anything I have here for yourself to make sure you are happy that this is all correct but I hope it might give you some pointers.

I will reply separately regarding Sarah Willis and what I have in terms of her parents.

Two of the girls Martha & Elizabeth Jane Cox married and they can later be found living/died in Bath Somerset - do you have these details?

Yes, Ladyhawk, thank you, I have those details. Elizabeth Jane is my 2 x GGM

For info, regarding the other children:

Son John COX (b 1867) married Clara STRAIN
Son Joseph Daniel COX (b 1870) married Bertha Mary OSMAN
Son Robert COX (b 1878) married (1) Edith Elizabeth CADGE & (2) Augusta FURBER
Son Arthur Herbert COX (b 1887) married (1) Ethel DANSIE & (2) Clarrie Moss FRANCIS

I have nothing for daughter Ann COX (b.1862) past the 1871 census
I have nothing for son Thomas COX (b 1869) past the 1871 census
I have nothing for son Frederick William COX (b 1875) past the 1891 census

With the early deaths of Edmund and Sarah, perhaps these three make up the five children that have apparently died by 1911 but where is the 12th child? Given that they have turned up on no records so far, I would be inclined to say that "missing" child might be one of the five dead??

I definitely need to spend some more time on the deaths and burials to try and confirm.

A+D register says John Cox discharged to Colney Hatch, 9 Oct 1907

Patients in the Lunatic Wards of the Workhouse, Bancroft Road
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1557/images/31952_a015060-00065

Reception Order for John Cox, of 165 Skidmore Street, Mile End, Wood Chopper
Sent to Colney Hatch
Wife Sarah in Forest Gate
Gives a description of his symptoms
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1557/images/31952_a013998-00391

That reception order does make for sad reading but thank you so much for finding it - it really fills in the blanks and directly answers why "religious mania".

Just as another thought - might be nothing though.

I found an entry for an Ann COX in the Islington Workhouse Records 30 Jan 1881, this Ann is age 19 and had given birth to an illegitimate son William Percy COX. She is listed as a Servant. There are so many Ann COX, servant records in London in the 1881 census that I got a bit overwhelmed yesterday. I will revisit this, though.

I spent quite a bit of time looking at John COX (the father) in the Stepney Board of Guardians Records on Ancestry yesterday as he seems to have been in and out of the Mile End Old Town Workhouse between 1903 and 1907. He was moved to the infirmary a couple of times and in 1907 is moved to the Insane ward, for "Religious Mania". On one of the records he is suddenly described as Baptist where he had been CofE before - does anyone have any insight into whether just claiming to be a Baptist (possibly loudly) would have led authorities to say that someone had "religious mania"?? I am trying to "follow" his life to find the death/burial record. There is a John COX, similar age, in the Stepney Union Workhouse in 1911 but he is described as a General Labourer, rather than a Wood Cutter. I wondered if this might make sense if he had been in the Workhouse since 1907?

Apologies - I feel like I have gone off at a tangent here! My head is spinning with information...