John Cooke
| Ernest John Cooke | |
|---|---|
| John | |
| Born | 1878-04-21 |
| Died | 1950-05-18 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Occupation | Carpenter |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
| Children | |
Ernest John Cooke (21 April 1878 – 18 May 1950 (aged 72)) P6XX-F6T was an Englishman who married and then moved to Wales to mine coal, but following the October 1913 Senghenydd colliery disaster [1] moved to Transcona, Manitoba, which is now a suburb of Winnipeg. He had six children with his wife Rose.
Early life
When John Cooke was born on April 21, 1878, his father, George Cooke, was 34 and his mother, Mary Burgwyn, was 38.
By the 1901 census he was 22 and boarding at 8 South Parade, Maesteg, in the household of Henry True and Ann White, working at one of the Llynfi valley collieries. He married their daughter Rose True the following year.[1]
Career
In Canada, John Cooke worked for the CNR which had a large maintenance operation in Transcona. Bill Currie is not sure who he worked for in Wales but he thinks there was a rail operation in Maesteg. He was a carpenter by trade. He made a bunk bed for Doug and Bill which he later (or maybe it was a built in feature) modified to work as either separate or bunk beds. Ron ultimately took over one of them and Bill got his own (second hand) bed.
Marriage and Family
He married Rose True on August 4, 1902, in Maesteg, Glamorgan, Wales. They had five daughters and one son in 23 years.
The wedding photograph was taken at the side of Fonthill House, next to his father-in-law Henry True's greenhouse on the slope behind South Parade.[2]
He stayed close to his wife's family. When his mother-in-law Ann True died at 13 Harvey Street, Maesteg, on 4 November 1906, it was John Cooke who was present at the death and who registered it two days later, described on the certificate as her son-in-law.[3]
His children eventually gave him 12 biological and one adopted grandchildren.
Four of the six children were born in Maesteg and the youngest two in Transcona after the emigration; they are listed in the infobox, and their own children are set out below.
Grandchildren
John has 12 biological grandchildren and one adopted granddaughter.
He has 20 great grandchildren, not including any by Lloyd Cooke, which is currently unknown.
Eva Mary Cooke married Arthur T. Bate (died in 1947), and had two children:
- Arthur John "Jack" Bate (2 August 1923 in Winnipeg - 6 November 1944 KIA WWII)
- Thomas M. "Tom" Bate (1934 - 1989), who married Diane Mary Paulley (1940 - 2022)
Edna married Ronald Buxton and had:
- Vivian Mary (1929 - ) who married Don Shannon
- Elizabeth May "Betty" (1936 - 2023)
Ernie married Gladys Emily Whittington and had:
- Lloyd Stanley "Cookie" Cooke (1937 -)
- Marjorie Eleanor Cooke (23 April 1939 -)
- Robert John Cooke (1940 - 1980s)
Irene married Arthur Ogden and had one son:
- Bryan William Ogden (born 1 December 1936) (1 December 1936 – 7 December 2007) []
Lucy married Jack Currie and had three sons:
- Bill Currie (born 1941)
- Doug Currie (born 1943)
- Ron Currie (born 1947)
Rosalind married Dennis "Den" Foot and had one child:
- Donald Lawrence "Don" Foot (1953 - 2019)
Rosalind and Den also adopted a child:
- Joanne Elizabeth Foot (born 1957)
Later life
Sometime between 1910 and 1918, he moved with his family to the Dominion of Canada.
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You asked about John and Rose Cooke. Being so close in age to Rosalind, Grandma Cooke’s youngest daughter, I spent quite a bit of time with them. Rosalind played piano and I would play violin with her. At that time I think I was pretty awful.
Grandma Cooke would send us to the store and we always had to remember to bring exact change back. Grandma Cooke had borne 6 children and was a bit weary and unwell. She lived with Aunt Eva after Grandpa Cooke died. He died when Rosalind got married.
Grandpa Cooke was always pleasant, smiling, smoked a pipe. The Cooke family used to get together, often. There was music, singing, Uncle Ernie played the banjo really well, my Dad the violin, Aunt Eva, piano. She had a strong voice and sang in the church choir. (Anglican – Transcona) Her son Tom had a lovely boy soprano voice. He continued to sing, but had too much vibrato as an adult. :)
- Vivian Shannon, 2020
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He died on May 18, 1950, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the age of 72. His final address was 323 Victoria Avenue, East Transcona (now Winnipeg), Manitoba.
.PNG)
Sources
Bill Currie's personal memories and records
References
- ↑ "True family research notes on an 1876 Ordnance Survey extract of Maesteg."[record].Annotated map sheet and census abstracts for South Parade, Temple Street and Harvey Street, Maesteg.Link.(Rights: unknown | Access: open| Fingerprint:
efc3c6f6e85b0f85d0a9d8f29d464f085e03691ce6b8f42a33be7848657aa8d5) - ↑ Dan Griffiths."More Info: True family photographs, Llangynwyd burial notes and Maesteg pictures."[record].2026-10-04.Email from Dan Griffiths to Michael Currie, 4 October 2026, with five scanned pages.Link.(Rights: unknown | Access: open| Fingerprint:
329c4d9151eeb7958ac06604376e1d87b225b43b8d51a7b2b2b33db3678b2f11) - ↑ "Certified copy of an entry of death: Ann True, 4 November 1906."[record].1906-11-06.Bridgend registration district, Maesteg sub-district, county of Glamorgan; entry no. 486; certificate WHD 053968.General Register Office (England and Wales).Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open| Fingerprint:
efc3c6f6e85b0f85d0a9d8f29d464f085e03691ce6b8f42a33be7848657aa8d5)