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Robert Cooke was born Cavan 1793+/- died 1840+/- in Brockville, Leeds County Upper Canada now Ontario.

He and brothers Richard, Joseph, and probably Thomas left Ireland for Canada 1825.

Just before he departed Robert eloped with Sarah Jane Griffith.d/o Sir Richard John and MAria Jane Waldie, age 16. S Jane was disowned for marrying beneath her class. THe couple lived right in Brockville, then a village, and they had 5 children Cooke with my GGM born 4 Feb 1836, Sarah Jane Cooke. ABout 1840 Robert died comparatively young and S Jane was left destitute, ignored by her wealthy father in Ireland. So she farmed out the children to Roabert's relatives around Brockville and took off with an American traveller, married him and lived in the USA with more children. Their name, location etc in the USA are a complete mystery!

This Cooke clan from somewhere in Cavan intermarried with a Storey family also of Cavan originally, John Storey and Kitty Hardcastle. John Storey jr married Mary Cooke, d/o Thomas Cooke who was living with the family in the 1851 census of Leeds, Elizabethtown, near Brockville. Old Thomas was 101 years of age in that census! He died a few months later. I suspect old Thomas is related to my GGF Robert Cooke, maybe an uncle? John Storey jr and Mary Cooke were probably married in Dublin but I have no evidence. The Storeys came to the Brockville area in 1825-6.

S Jane Cooke married my GGF John McGinn (see my message on the County Down board) 6 Dec 1854, Lansdowne Tp Leeds County near Brockville.

Looking for any clues to the location of these families in Cavan or where ever in Ireland!

jrmcginn1

Tuesday 9th Apr 2013, 12:22AM

Message Board Replies

  • Dear JR

    I googled Sir Richard & he is buried in Mount Jerome Cemetary in Dublin & the lists are on line, just in case his daughter ever returned & she may be buried there, if you wish to look.

    http://www.igp-web.com/igparchives/ire/dublin/photos/tombstones/1headst…

    Sir Richard would most likely have left a will & in it he may have disowned his daughter to be sure she got nothing, old wills went into great detail, perhaps contact the Nation Archives in  Dublin & they may be able to direct you.

    If the Cookes & Storeys were both from  Co. Cavan, search for names using the following they would not be the most common names so you should be lucky.

    Have you searched all the emigration lists like Ellis Island or Castle Garden for any of your people, a townland may be given, also if you get records of naturalisation, it may be listed also, together with obituaries etc, check all your records, births, deaths & marriages, alos look at headstones peoples like to connect with home & state place they came from..

    You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) if you haven't already. The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38): Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI)http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here:www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at.

    The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you, or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwide survey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest, for whom few other records survive. The information in the Tithes is quite basic, typically consisting of townland name, landholder's name, area of land and tithes payable. Many Books also record the landlord's name and an assessment of the economic productivity of the land. The tax payable was based on the average price of wheat and oats over the seven years up to 1823, and was levied at a different rate depending on the quality of land. For Parishes where the registers do not begin until after 1850, this information can be useful, as they are often the only surviving early records. They can provide valuable circumstantial evidence, especially where a holding passed from father to son in the period between the Tithe survey and Griffith's Valuation.

    Civil registration records are available from the General Register Office (GRO). These start from 1864. You can access the website here:http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm Or you might try Valuations office in Dublin (http://www.valoff.ie) which will have a record of the land registry from 1855 to modern times. This will assist in seeing what happened to any land the familymay have owned (as it usually passed on to a relation).

    Let me know how you got on & If I can help you further I will try.

    Bailieborough Cavan

    Wednesday 10th Apr 2013, 10:23PM

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