Who is Theodocia Cook?

[ElizabethHerts]

I have just transcribed the will of Edward Cook a coach builder, of Church Lane in the parish of Saint Mary Whitechapel in the County of Middlesex. His will was proved in 1827 and he was buried on 25th July 1826 at St Mary, Whitechapel. He was 46 at his death, so born c. 1780.

One of the witnesses was Theodocia (sic) Cook. I'd love to know who she was, as I have no parents for Edward, just his marriage to Ann Maria Dod and the baptisms of his 8 children.

[maggie_4_7]

There is a Theodosia Cook marrying a Francis Curtis in Chelsea in 1808. I would have thought it would have her married name on the will though.

I searched for any Theodocias marrying Cooks nothing came up in the LMA yet.

[ElizabethHerts]

Maggie, thanks for looking. I shall have to keep my eyes open for her.

Edward made his will just a couple of months before his death in 1826, so she was Theodocia Cook in 1826.

[Sue from Southend]

A Theodosia Cook died in 1827. Buried 7 Feb 1827 @ St Mary Whitechapel aged 82. So born abt 1745.

[Sue from Southend]

A Martha Cook d of John and Theodosia was baptised 20 May St George in the East. Father was a Taylor (sic). There is another word after his surname that I can't make out if someone else would like to look
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1624&iid=31281_A100408-00150&fn=Martha&ln=Cook&st=d&ssrc=&pid=4395426

[ElizabethHerts]

Sue, thanks, that is the right area. It could have been his mother, in that case!

[ElizabethHerts]

A Martha Cook d of John and Theodosia was baptised 20 May St George in the East. Father was a Taylor (sic). There is another word after his surname that I can't make out if someone else would like to look
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1624&iid=31281_A100408-00150&fn=Martha&ln=Cook&st=d&ssrc=&pid=4395426


What year was that, Sue?

[Sue from Southend]

Oops! Sorry Elizabeth, 1779. So she may have been a sister?

I can't find anything else yet. Apart from to say that the Theodosia Cook in the marriage that Maggie found was a Widow but not sure how that helps yet!

[ElizabethHerts]

The burial for Theodosia Cook is on FMP

First name(s): Theodosia
Last name: COOK
Date of burial: 7 February 1827
Place of burial: St Mary, Whitechapel
Age at death: 82
Approximate year of birth: 1745
Address at death: Road-Side
Record source: City of London Burials
Data provider: John Hanson and Monnica Stevens

Look at the baptisms I have!


Day: 09
Month: October
Year: 1808
Forename: Edward
Othernames: Adolphus
Surname: Cook
Fathers forenames: Edward
Fathers occupation:
Mothers forenames: Ann Maria
Birth date: 03/10/1806
Address: Roadside
Location of church: Whitechapel
Parish: St Mary
Church address: Whitechapel High Street
Entry No: 10680
Source Ref: X024/093

Edward Adolphus buried 14 May 1821 St Mary Whitechapel
aged 14 (address: Church Lane)

James birth 06 Apr 1808
bapt. 09 Oct 1808 (address: Roadside)

Eliza birth 13 May 1810
bapt. 20 May 1812 (address: Roadside)

Sophia birth 06 Apr 1812
bapt. 20 May 1812 (address: Roadside)

Emma bapt. 25 Dec 1813 (address: Roadside)
burial 1 Jun 1814
age 9 months (address Stepney)???

Thomas bapt. 05 Feb 1817 (address: Church Lane)

Emma birth 16 Sep 1820
bapt. 11 Oct 1820 (address: Church Lane)

[maggie_4_7]

The year is 1770.

The word/name looks like Humphrey!

Their address looks like Hermes Street.

[maggie_4_7]

Sorry I didn't put the marriage up because I dismissed it not concentrating much today I'm afraid.

Theodocia was a widow. I also didn't think because it's Chelsea and a long way from Whitechapel for those days. 1808 St Luke, Kensington and Chelsea she married a Francis Curtis also a widower.

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1623&iid=31280_194845-00101&fn=Theadosia&ln=Cook&st=r&ssrc=&pid=6401926

[Sue from Southend]

The year is 1770.

The word/name looks like Humphrey!

Their address looks like Hermes Street.

Maggie's right - definitely 1770 not 1779. :o

I thought it looked like Humphrey but couldn't work out why unless it's double barrelled?


I was looking at baptisms in this area yesterday and several of them said "by the Roadside" ! For a while I thought they were homeless but decided that there were too many women giving birth by the roadside for that!

[ElizabethHerts]

Sue, I found all these baptisms at the Guildhall Library when I went there, if I remember correctly.

I initially thought they were poor when I saw the address of Road-side, but in fact Edward Cook seems to have left a thriving coach building business when he died. His son Thomas seems to have done well for himself, and he was a minor when his father died.

[kiterunner]

Rootschat says that "Roadside", Whitechapel, was another way of referring to some parts of Whitechapel Road in the 18th and 19th centuries, persisting at least as late as the 1870s, though no date has been traced for any official abolition of the name.

Rootschat (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=5afi8otfkao221lajv2vsndh26&action=printpage;topic=303614.0)

[ElizabethHerts]

Rootschat says that "Roadside", Whitechapel, was another way of referring to some parts of Whitechapel Road in the 18th and 19th centuries, persisting at least as late as the 1870s, though no date has been traced for any official abolition of the name.

Rootschat (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=5afi8otfkao221lajv2vsndh26&action=printpage;topic=303614.0)

Thanks, Kate. That's helpful as it confused me when I first came across it.

[maggie_4_7]

How do we know Theodocia (sic) Cook is a woman?

[kiterunner]

It's a female name.

[maggie_4_7]

So Theodosius is a male name?

[Margaret in Burton]

It's a male name according to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_I

[Mary from Italy]

Theodosia's a woman's name, but it's normally spelled with an s.