With assistance from family in the UK (you know who you are!), I sent away for copies of the Smithers articles that I found in the online indexes to ‘The Cambrian’ newspaper. Unfortunately the text contains little more information than … Continue reading →
John Van Cooten, eldest son of Hendrik, married Martha Keane Smithers. Ida Gorsuch wrote in 1893: He [John] married a London merchant’s daughter (rather to the disgust of his father & his royal mother). She his wife was a “Miss … Continue reading →
John Van Cooten was possibly the eldest son, or the eldest legitimate son, of Hendrik Van Cooten. By inference from English censuses, and from his death certificate, he was born in about 1775-1781, most likely 1780, in Demerara. This is … Continue reading →
I ordered the birth certificates for John Hughes born in Reading in March 1853 (ref 2c 351) checking that the mother’s forename was Emma, and June 1855 (ref 2c 326) again checking the mother’s forename. Both drew a blank. Fortunately, … Continue reading →
The birth certificates I ordered for the birth of John Hughes registered in Reading in the September quarter of 1856, and the birth of Margaret Hughes registered in the March quarter of 1859 turned up in the mail today. The … Continue reading →
John Hughes Van Cooten arrived in Australia on 20 Dec 1874 – almost 133 years ago. But it is highly likely that he wasn’t the first of Hendrik Van Cooten’s descendants to arrive in Australia! Three seemingly unconnected pieces of … Continue reading →
I’ve now checked the 1851 census for a Hewes family in Colchester. At a household at 14 Eld Lane we find: Margaret Greggs, Head, Widow, Female, 62, Nurse. Almswoman, Essex West Bergholt Emma Hewes, Daughter, Married, Female, 30, Bakery Wife, … Continue reading →
I think I’ve worked out who John Hughes Van Cooten’s mother was. The story so far is that John Lucius Van Cooten married firstly Frances Mary Theresa Kent, and secondly a Mary Hughes (according to one old family letter) or … Continue reading →
I’ve been trying to think about what is knowable about Hendrik Van Cooten’s early years. I know that he was christened in Doorn Reformed Church on 5 Jul 1750. He was the son of a carpenter, and had six living … Continue reading →
When I started family history research I just wanted to find out as much as I could, in a fairly vague sense. As time went on, three main goals materialised. They were: Finding Hendrik Van Cootens origin in the Netherlands … Continue reading →