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Trying to locate a Thomas Cook (born 16th March 1898, place unknown, died 13th August 1952). Married Ellen Hunt in Birmingham 1919. Had a sister called Leah who married Edwin Murray also in 1919. His father was also called Thomas Cook and was listed as a plasterer's labourer.

England or Wales birth??

As he was Married and Died in Birmingham i would suggest this is the right Birth.....



Births Mar 1898 (>99%)
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Cook Thomas Ticehurst 2b 107
Cook Thomas W. Derby 8b 259
Cook Thomas Leigh 8c 320
Cook Thomas James Pontypridd 11a 577
Cook Thomas Joseph W Mutford 4a 1017
Cook Thomas Leader Preston 8e 552
>>>>>>>Cook Thomas William Birmingham 6d 136

Possibly Thomas in 1901?

1901 England Census

Name: Thomas Cook
Age: 2
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1899
Relation: Son
Father's Name: John
Mother's Name: Annie
Gender: Male
Where born: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Civil Parish: Aston
Ecclesiastical parish: St Matthew
County/Island: Warwickshire
Country: England

Registration district: Aston
Sub-registration district: Duddeston

Alfred J Cook 10
Annie Cook 33
Edith Cook 5
John Cook 36
Thomas Cook 2
William Cook 7

He was born in Birmingham but appears not to have been registered. I have the marriage certificate (4th August 1919 aged 21) which states that his father was Thomas Cook, plaster's labourer. His death certificate states that he was 54 when he died 13th August 1952.
Another puzzler is that on the birth certificate of first child Ellen Rose, his name is stated as Thomas Edward. This name doesn't appear anywhere else, even on electoral registers. I've found a Thomas Edward Cook in Hull but the details were wrong.
He doesn't appear on the electoral lists until around 1926 (I thought voting age for men was 21)

Added information:

Baptism records exist for him:
Thomas Edward Cook
Born 16/03/1898, Baptised at St James the Less, Ashted (part of Aston, B'ham) 06/04/1898. Parents Thomas and Esther Cook.
So he was born in what is now Birmingham after all. Couldn't have been registered.

Have found younger sisters who were registered at birth:
Harriett Cook (b. 1913) and Esther Cook (b. 1917).
Found Esther (mother) Cook's maiden name was Jenkins.

This Leah cooks father is a plasterers labourer

Thomas and esther both in the household
Plus a few others.
But no young thomas?

1911 census

HOUSEHOLD COOK LEAH F 1900 11 West Bromwich Staffordshire
HOUSEHOLD COOK MR THOMAS M 1874 37 West Bromwich Staffordshire
HOUSEHOLD COOK ESTHER F 1870 41 West Bromwich Staffordshire

one possible

Births Dec 1897 (>99%)
Cook Thomas Edward Coventry 6d 565

and another
as spellings and dates are not an exact science in this game.

Births Jun 1901 (>99%)
Cooke Thomas Edward Birmingham 6d 24

A strange thing of sorts. The Harriett and Esther Cooks that I've got birth certificates for are the daughers of another Thomas and Esther Cook, living in the same area of Birmingham. The crucial part was when I traced them in the electoral rolls and the elder Esther (mother) doesn't appear until 1922 meaning she was born around 1894 - not old enough to be my granddad's mother.
I have got a certificate which I accquired a couple of years ago, before I got the baptism record. I ignored it because so much of it is wrong.

Thomas Ralph Cooke
Born 23/03/1898
Father: Thomas Cooke
Esther Cooke nee Loveday
Address: 42 Cheston Road, Aston

Compare this to my baptism record

Thomas Edward Cook
Born 16/03/1898
Parents: Thomas and Esther Cook
Address: 42 Cromwell Street, Aston

Cromwell St and Cheston Road are in the same neighbourhood (I mean, they are near to eah other).
The spelling of the surname (my name is Cook (no e))

Despite the differences, is there any chance they could refer to the same child?

I wouldnt have thought they were the same child,but that is only my opinion of course.

Are you sure that his mother was called Esther?
And do you have Leahs birth or marriage cert?

viv

This birth is in the right time ,right place.
Edward could have been added at baptism if you are certain that the baptism you have is his.

Births Jun 1898 (>99%)
Cook Thomas Birmingham 6d 94

Leah's baptism is something I would like to find - just running out of church records to look in. I remember asking at the register office when I first applied for the certificate with the 16/03/1898 birthdate and they said they don't have any records that match. It may be that he was never registered.

I would suggest that as you have got nowhere really, following thomas, that you follow leah cook as you seem certain she is his sister.
Do you have her marriage in 1919 for her age?
Or do you have her birth cert for both parents names?

Marriages Sep 1919 (>99%)
Cook Leah Murray Birmingham 6d 520

I already have her marriage certificate as well as that of my grandad

Thomas Cook (21) and Ellen Hunt (21)
Married 4th August 1919 St Georges Church, Birmingham
Addresses: 9 Ct 9 Hospital Street and 9 Hospital Street
Fathers: Thomas Cook and Charles Hunt
Witnesses: Thomas Cook and Leah Cook

Edwin Murray (28) and Leah Cook (21)
Married 19th August 1919 St Georges Church, Birmingham
Addresses: Both 9 Ct 9 Hospital Street
Fathers: James Murray and Thomas Cook
Witnesses: Thomas Cook and Martha Loftus (I think)

The things of note are the addresses - 9 Ct 9 Hospital Street on both. Leah signs as witness on my grandfathers certificate.

The only problem is that the electoral roll says otherwise - no Cooks or Hunts lived in Hospital Street. Charles Hunt lived at 10 Oxygen Street until the street was practically bulldozed in 1937.
The Murrays lived at 39, 41 and 43 Hospital Street in the late 30's (strangely, all those houses neighbour Court 9)

As for the ages, Leah is lying as she could not have been born either side of my grandad and be 21 also. My grandad was 5 months into his 22nd year at the time. She wasn't his twin as she would have been baptised with him.

Apparently, the Hunts and Cooks didn't mingle, despite the marriage that connected them. They were parted practically for good when my grandparents were forced to move to the suburbs before the war (due to an increasing family - my gran was expecting twins with 5 kids already)
My dad was the last of the children, arriving in 1942. He was just 10 when my grandad died so he barely knew him. My oldest uncle won't talk good of him as he was all too often at the local, spending his wages. My gran died almost 20 years later, to the day. I knew neither as I came along in 1978

I would send for this birth,using father thomas as a checking ref.

Births Sep 1899 (>99%)
Cooke Leah Aston 6d 395

I know it has an E on the end but with a name like cook you need to look under both spellings.


And maybe none of them registered to vote,not everyone did or does.

Did you send for this using fathers name thomas as checking ref?

Births Jun 1898 (>99%)
Cook Thomas Birmingham 6d 94.

When Thomas Edward was baptised in 1898, what was shown as the occupation of his father?

Gwyn