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Hi all

Can you help?
I have traced back to a John Cook, Ag labourer, Church street in Cosford and sudbury district county of Suffolk in the 1841 census, living with a Young boy called George Cook, Born ~1829.

How can I get any further information on Georges mother and father or siblings?

Any leads, hints or tips greatly appreciated
Many Thanks

John

There are a number of George Cook's listed as baptised in Suffolk on the IGI (Familysearch.org) but as I'm not familiar with the area, its best if you had a look!

In 1841 they are living in Nayland Suffolk according to the census.

Name: George Cook
Age: 12
Estimated birth year: abt 1829
Gender: Male
Where born: Suffolk, England

Civil parish: Nayland
Hundred: Babergh
County/Island: Suffolk

John Cook 35
George Cook 12


in 1851 there is this George Cook who resembles him

Name: George Cook
Age: 21
Estimated birth year: abt 1830
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Susannah
Gender: Male
Where born: Nayland, Suffolk, England

Civil parish: Bures Hamlet
County/Island: Suffolk
Registration district: Sudbury

George Cook 21
Susannah Cook 27
Walter Leeks 24 lodger


while John Cook is living alone in Nayland in 1851

If you could identify George's marriage it would hopefully give his father's name.

The George Cook I was interested in is located in No 9 Prices street , Southwark London in the 1951 census.
His place of birth was stated as Sudbury, Suffolk.

(He is apparently alone working as a blacksmith with the Parry family, no sign of his father John)

I couldn't find his father John in the 1951 Census, so I assume George left for London after his father died or moved away. So I guess that any 1829 George Cooks left in Sudbury are not the one I'm after.

Where is John living?


I'd love to go to Sudbury parish records but living in Australia makes the trip to the UK quite a trek ;-)

Cheers

John

Oh I see I didn't realize you knew John was George's father, it sounded like you thought he wasn't.

I believe this is John in 1851

Name: John Cook
Age: 49
Estimated birth year: abt 1802
Relation: Head
Gender: Male
Where born: Stoke, Suffolk, England

Civil parish: Nayland
County/Island: Suffolk

Ag Lab in 1841 gardener in 1851


Is George the boiler maker in 1861 and 1871, widowed with son Charles in 1871 in St Nicholas Deptford? Not that it helps much to know, still wondering about his marriage certificate to confirm his father.

Yes ;-) George is a Boiler maker in 1861, 3a ravensbourne terrace, Deptford the interesting thing with George was he had a son aged ~7 (another George) who wasn't at home on census night 1861, he was staying with the widow Mary Parry in southwark who George senior worked for in the 1851 census, Mary relationship to George junior is described as her nephew...

1871 Mary Parry is living with George junior as her lodger in creek road deptford and subsequently as his lodger in later censuses.!!. they seem to have formed a bond, I not convinced if she is really is George seniors sister.

So I've hit a bit of a stumbling block with George seniors father John, with no date/wives name or even siblings it doest help with the search for marriage certificates, there are so many George in my family it makes my head spin. too many cooks etc LOL

I think I have found George snr Marriage record to Eliza Mason in Lambeth in 1852, I've ordered the certificate to see if I can find some dates to work with.
Hopefully with this I can get a better idea for the search for Georges birth cert.
wish me luck.

Hm, in 1851, Thomas Parry is born c1811 Ireland, Mary Ann Parry c1795 North Wales. I would not be convinced she was George Cook's sister either, lol.

Well, I got that backwards. Mary Ann is 40 in 1851, which makes her born 1811, in Ireland. Thomas is 56, which makes him born 1795, in North Wales. Oops. I still don't make her for George Cook's sister! Aunt, maybe.

This could maybe be them in 1841 in St George the Martyr Southwark?

Thomas Perry 50 but he's a builder
Marian Perry 45
Charles Perry 20

I lived for 9 years just outside Sudbury and travelled through Nayland to work. These places are on the Essex Suffolk boarders.

This could be the George born Nayland in 1871 but he is a Tailor.

1871 England Census
about George Cook
Name: George Cook
Age: 41
Estimated birth year: abt 1830
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Susanna
Gender: Male
Where born: Nayland, Suffolk, England
Civil parish: Bures St Mary
County/Island: Suffolk
Country: England
Registration district: Sudbury
Sub-registration district: Bures
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Household schedule number: 171
Household Members: Name Age
George Cook 41
Susanna Cook 49 1822 Bures, Suffolk
George Cook 13 1858 Bures, Suffolk

Have ypu tried contacting the Suffolk Family History Society. They have a number of Parish records on CD for sale, or may be have some one that can search the Parish records for you. Try their web site

http://www.suffolkfhs.co.uk

I think your George was born Sudbury 1831 and it is not the George born Nayland 1829/30. Nayland is quite a way from Subury and is nearer Colchester Essex.

Your George's father could be a William Cook and on the 1901 census he has a initial W for his second name.

1901 England Census
about George W Cook
Name: George W Cook
Age: 70
Estimated birth year: abt 1831
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Eliza
Gender: Male
Where born: Sudbury, Suffolk, England

Civil parish: Milton
Ecclesiastical parish: Denton St Mary, St Paul and St Peter
County/Island: Kent
Country: England

Street Address:4 Albion Row Gravesend Kent

Occupation:



Registration district: Gravesend
Sub-registration district: Gravesend
ED, institution, or vessel: 10
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 211
Household Members: Name Age
George W Cook 70
Eliza Cook 68

Mel your 1871 Nayland George is the one I identified in 1851 and I do think it is likely that is the 1841 George that John has been looking at, and not his George the boiler maker at all.

Hopefully the marriage certificate will give some useful info about his father!

On the 1861 census for your George and Wife Eliza they have a child Charles Cook and George's brother Alfred is with them born Sudbury Suffolk. He is a Silk Velvet Weaver.

1861 England Census
about George Cook
Name: George Cook
Age: 31
Estimated birth year: abt 1830
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Eliza
Gender: Male
Where born: Suffolk, England

Civil parish: Deptford St Paul
Ecclesiastical parish: St Paul
Town: Deptford
County/Island: Kent
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage: View image

Registration district: Greenwich
Sub-registration district: St Paul Deptford
ED, institution, or vessel: 26
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 166
Household Members: Name Age
George Cook 31 1830 Sudbury, Suffolk
Eliza Cook 27 1834 Southwark, Surrey
Charles Cook 4 1857 Deptford, Kent
Alfred Cook 24 1837 Sudbury, Suffolk

This could be the birth of Alfred.

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
about Alfred Cook
Name: Alfred Cook
Year of Registration: 1838
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Cosford
County: Suffolk
Volume: 12
Page: 319

Alfred is a bit of a mystery to me at the moment, Can't find any record of him and George together other than the 1861 census!.

Regarding Mary Parry she states in one of the earlier censuses that she was born in Ireland later ones she claims southwark, unless there are multiple Mary Parrys living with the Cook family. she is a link with the Cooks during the 1851-1871 period.

So I will definatley look at her relationship with the family, I think that the no 9 prices street in southwark where George became a blacksmith with the Parrys has a metalwork museum on that street, I wonder if theres a link there?. I am just going to have to visit the UK!!.

Thanks for all your help, I have so many leads to follow up, I'll post any update when I get it, thanks again.
John

Hi all

I have received the Marriage certificate and it states that Georges Father is William Cook (Mel mention him previously), his occupation is (If I can read it correctly )a silk Dyer.

And guess who is one of the witnesses.. Tomas Parry!.

So my original thought that 'John from Nayland' was his father was wrong, it does now give me much more scope to find relatives.

Thanks for your help so far, so whats my next step - finding Williams birth in parish records?

Thanks from downunder

John

For general information following a comment by a researcher : Nayland may be nearer to Colchester than Sudbury (7 rather than 12 miles), but it IS in Suffolk and the registration district for Nayland is SUDBURY, not Colchester. The same mistake is often made when looking at addresses in census records as Nayland has a postal address of Colchester because it is the nearest main post office, but otherwise has nothing to do with Colchester in Essex so far as records are concerned. As a result, for example, sometimes army records and war graves site sometimes state that someone was born in Colchester, but that could have been merely the postal address. Colchester has been a garrison town since Roman times, so lads over the border in Suffolk often joined up there. You always have to be more careful with places that are close to county boundaries so it is always worth looking either side of the border for records.

Mary thats just what I was trying to explain at the time. Thank you Mel.