Early NZ? birth help please Cooke/Cook

[mare]

Hi

Result probate file courtesy of Stephanie 
Walter Robert COOK

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=281989.new

9 children but unable to find births on index of first 4 have located later 5 starting with his namesake 1st qtr 1877 in Charleston, others followed 1879, 1880, 1883, 1884.

So now I have Walter Robert earliest record in NZ for birth of son 1877 so far and probably not the father of my William Robert Cook, just the cousin 

Mare

[Mk2_Zephyr]

Sometimes I think we stray a little too far. 

Anyway try these,

Frances Charlotte C   m       Evan Kaye     1887
Frances Kaye             m       Charles Allington  1899

Emma Cook    m   Michael Roache    1891
Ellen Cook      m   Andrew Stevens   1900
William Richard C   m    Ellen Mary Moffett     1896
Alice Emelia Cook  m     Oliver Fitzmaurice Stokes  1902
Rose Hannah C     m     Leonard Andrew Young     1920

[mare]

Agree not wanting to stray too much into Walter's family but interesting all the same finding he had 5 of his children born in Charlston. I haven't as yet ordered a death cert for Walter, which was partly to get him off the paternity hook for my stray William. It appears Walter probably wasn't in NZ until mid 1870's as I haven't any dates relating to his family before 1877. Family names also sorted for Buller Electorate postings Lu gave for 1896 and 1919. Didn't know of any family from NZ West Coast before all of this either so learning something there. 
 
William's grandchild who has contacted me also had no knowledge of extended family so have sorted a few relationship questions for both of us.

Thanks All 
mare


Thread moved to completed  16 November 08 .... any new contributions very welcome  mare

[Lizzie(ac)]

Mare,

This is very exciting.  Our branch of the family has been investigating the Cook whanau for a while, spurred by those "Who Do You Think You Are?" programmes.

A random Google search brought up your thread about William Robert Cooke.  I gather that William's parents were Aner and Charlotte Cook (nee Smart).  I had been investigating those very people, but apart from a reference to them in the 1861 England census they appeared to have been lost from English records.  I concluded that they had in fact emigrated, and was delighted to find that this was the case.  Thank you for posting!!!

In the 1861 England census, Aner is actually "Amos" in the records, born 1814 in Wilby, Suffolk and living in St Lukes, Middlesex with his wife Charlotte.  At that point they have no children (apparently).

As they do not appear in subsequent English census records, "Brighton" on William Robert's birth certificate is likely to in fact be Brighton, New Zealand.  I think it strongly likely, as Walter Robert Cook was born in Brighton, New Zealand in 1876.

Returning to the 1861 census records - Abraham Robert Cook and wife Anna Maria (nee Smart - the sister of Charlotte) are Aner and Charlotte's neighbours.  I suspect Abraham and Aner are brothers but have not been able to prove the link yet.  Charlotte and Anna are certainly sisters - their parents are William Smart and Frances (nee Gibbons/Gibbins).  They also had two brothers - George and Henry.

Abraham and Anna had seven children altogether, all of whom, apart from the first, were born in London.  I can give you their names if you like...  What you'll probably be interested to know is that Walter Robert is one of them - born 1847, St Lukes, London.  Walter Robert (or WR1 as we call him) came out to New Zealand in 1873 (we estimate).  He married Elizabeth (maiden name an issue - we have 5 different spellings) and had nine children (Maria Murphy, Frances Ellen etc, etc).

So.... Walter Robert and William Robert were in fact cousins (if Abraham and Aner are brothers which seems likely).  And it explains why Walter Robert settled his family on the West coast - makes sense if Aner and family are already here.

I can tell you as much as you want to know about Walter Robert (WR1) - he is my great, great grandfather.

As I said - delighted to find your post!!!  I think that makes us cousins umpteen times removed or something...  If you have any more info, or would like more info from me then get in touch.

[Lizzie(ac)]

Mare,

Forgot to mention - we have a researcher working in the UK with us.  She recently had a breakthrough regarding Abraham's (and therefore probably Aner's) parents.  Their father was William Cook, born about 1781 in Suffolk (probably Wilby), married to an Elizabeth, also born 1781 in Suffolk.  We have yet to track down how many children they had.

[mare]

Wow Lizzie and this will be a hundred thousand welcomes from me to Rootschat 

Take it you are in NZ then working with a UK researcher 

Like you I have assumed 2 brothers marrying 2 sisters but I know very little pre NZ emigration apart from the help I had on here re census UK so I didn't know about George and Henry Smart, though I had gathered Walter Robert had come to join his aunt and uncle in NZ.

We have mentioned Walter's descendants on here from his probate record but you will have that covered well in your line already no doubt.

Haven't made any advance on the Brighton birth actual record for William Robert... doesn't seem if there is actually a piece of paper to be had, though still pointing to a date of 1861 from his death cert, so believe his parents came after the 1861 census... again I have no actual record.

Exciting is an understatement ... I'm thrilled you have made contact

  mare

[mare]

oooh I missed a bit there ... Walter Robert was born in Brighton NZ 1876 ... I had assumed he was born in UK and came to join is aunt and uncle ...so did Abraham and Anna stay in NZ ?

ps  I decided, perhaps wrongly, to not order any of Walter's certs which would have given me that birth date NZ

[mare]

... Walter Robert was born in Brighton NZ 1876 ...

ok slight confusion there ... perhaps another Walter Robert  ( his son of course )

I knew I should have had more sleep last night ...
on rereading I see you say all Abraham and Anna's family born London

[Lizzie(ac)]

Hi Mare,

Thank you for the fast reply!  Yes, I agree, exicting is an understatement!

Walter Robert born 1876 in Brighton, NZ is the son of Walter Robert, born 1847 in London.  It's really confusing, hence why we've dubbed them WR1 and WR2.  

Abraham and Anna (WR1's parents) stayed in the UK.  Abraham died in Southwark, London in 1885.  We think Anna died about 1901.  The census records gradually give you more info - 1841 is useless, but records begin to list occupation and addresses.  Abraham was born in Wilby, Suffolk.  Anna was born 1818 in Cambridge.  Her sister Charlotte was born 1820 in Cambridge.

I gather you got the marriage record for Aner and Charlotte: 25 July 1841, St Mary's, Islington, London.  In the 1841 census I can only find Aner living in St Leonard's in London.  The next time they appear is in the 1861 England census.  Aner (or 'Amos') and Charlotte were living at 55 Galway Street (there was a Tailor's shop at 54).  Aner's profession is a "Farrier".  He is 47 (hence born in 1814) and born in Wilby, Suffolk.  Charlotte is simply listed as "wife", age 41 (hence born 1820), born in Cambridge.  After that they disappear... TO NEW ZEALAND!!  (Am over the moon to have solved the puzzle).


From WR1 down...

WR2 and family gradually moved North up New Zealand and eventually settled in Auckland which is where we are now.  I take it you're in Christchurch, is that right?  We knew that a branch of the family was in Chch, as Grandad had visited at some point, though of course he was a young unmarried man at that point so my father never met anybody.  Though Dad understands that Wm Richard (son of WR1) settled in Christchurch.  Grandad visited them at the Lancaster Park Hotel in Christchurch, of which they were the proprietors.  Seems it was in the blood - both WR1 and his daughter Alice Amelia were hotelliers.  Jack Henry came to Auckland and later settled in Melbourne where he died, we think sometime in the early 1960s.

How I fit in:
WR2 > John Harold Cook (grandad) > Peter John Cook (dad) > Elizabeth Anne (me)

Dad is actually jumping up and down beside me and struggling to contain himself.

I'd love to know your side of it ---

Lizzie