The winner of WDWTYA 14 May 2009 is ....

[Elaine ..Spain]

Weeyin

Congratulations - hope we can help.

[borobabs]

Congratulations Weeyin hope you get lots of answers and few walls down ;;

[weeyin]

Made it I hope. This is what I know of my G/grandma. I first met her on the marriage certificate of my grandmother Ellen Finlayson. Being a Scottish cert it showed the names of the brides parents as Robert Finlayson and Louise Finlayson M/S wILSON. i NEXT FOUND HER AFTER MUCH SEARCHING ON Ellen fINLAYSON'S BIRTH CERT Middlesex England she gave her name as Finlayson M/S Cooksley. She had three children to Robert Finlayson, Archibald, Ellen and Alice all born in Middlesex and all certs showed the mother Louise as nee Cooksley. She was not married to Robert Finlayson until 1872 when I found them in Glasgow, Robert died in 1878 and Louise remained in Glasgow. She gave her fathers name as Thomas Cooksley a Royal Navy seaman, I have never found him.
Louise Finlayson died in 1896 in a poorshouse, Merryflats Govan now Glasgow. Her daughter Ellen/Helen McFeeters registered her death and gave Louise's fathers name as Joseph Cooksley a valet. The Mitchell Library Glasgow has found no trace of Louise Cooksley having applied for or receiving poor relief.
I have found Louise on the 1861,1871 census for England still living in Middlesex and giving her place of birth as Somerset. I found her on the 1881,1891 census for Glasgow Lanark still claiming to have been born in Somerset.
The final crunch to my mystery is seen on my Grandmother Ellen/Helen Finlayson McFeeters death certificate which was registered by my Uncle Robert McFeeters who gave Louise's name as previously Wilson. Uncle Robert must have had some document to show this but as he died in 1958 I have lost the thread.
I hope I have not caused too much confusion but I have such a lot of information on this lady you would think it would be easy to pin her down to some source but no she just seems to have materialized from nowhere.
thanks anyway if you can think of something from a new perspective.
weeyin

[Elaine ..Spain]

Just for reference, is this Louise in 1851 and 1861

1851

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=uki1851&so=2&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=finlayson&sx=&gsco=3251&s0RealGL=UKICen&f1=mid*&f2=&f5=&f18=&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&f14=somerset&f15=&_8000C002=&_80008002=&_80018002=&f7=&f8=&f9=&gskw=&prox=1&db=&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-c

1861

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=uki1851&so=2&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=finlayson&sx=&gsco=3251&s0RealGL=UKICen&f1=mid*&f2=&f5=&f18=&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&f14=somerset&f15=&_8000C002=&_80008002=&_80018002=&f7=&f8=&f9=&gskw=&prox=1&db=&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-c

- if so this could be her in 1841

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&rank=0&gsfn=louis*&gsln=cooksl*&sx=&f1=&f2=&f3=&f18=&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&_82004011=&_82004013=&f7=&f20=&f8=&f9=&gskw=&prox=1&db=uki1841&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&pcat=UKICEN&fh=0&h=8246762&recoff=1+2

[margaretmarch]

[QUOTE=Elaine ..Spain;1691166]Just for reference, is this Louise in 1851 and 1861

1861

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=uki1851&so=2&rank=0&gsfn=&gsln=finlayson&sx=&gsco=3251&s0RealGL=UKICen&f1=mid*&f2=&f5=&f18=&rg_81004011__date=&rs_81004011__date=0&f14=somerset&f15=&_8000C002=&_80008002=&_80018002=&f7=&f8=&f9=&gskw=&prox=1&db=&ti=5538&ti.si=0&gss=angs-c

Elaine,
This ref takes me to the 1851 again.
Margaret

[Elaine ..Spain]

Oops!

1861
- Ancestry.co.uk

[margaretmarch]

Made it I hope. This is what I know of my G/grandma. I first met her on the marriage certificate of my grandmother Ellen Finlayson. Being a Scottish cert it showed the names of the brides parents as Robert Finlayson and Louise Finlayson M/S wILSON.

The final crunch to my mystery is seen on my Grandmother Ellen/Helen Finlayson McFeeters death certificate which was registered by my Uncle Robert McFeeters who gave Louise's name as previously Wilson. Uncle Robert must have had some document to show this but as he died in 1958 I have lost the thread.

weeyin

Hi weeyin,
Both of these bits of information were given by someone other than Louisa herself so are more likely to be wrong than the information she has given such as that on the birth cert for Ellen/Helen(presuming she or the father registered the birth).

I imagine your Uncle Robert had Ellen's marriage certificate and took the details from there.
Margaret

[margaretmarch]

Thanks Elaine.
Margaret

[weeyin]

Thank you for all your help. I have further information which could help you help me.
1851 census Louisa Finlayson drapers assistant age 33 where born Paddington ?
1861 census. Robert Finlayson head M age 46 occupation barber born Glasgow
" Louisa Finlayson wife M age 46 " barbers wife born Somerset
" Archibald Finlayson son age 10 " scholar born Kensington
Ellen Finlayson daughter age 4 " scholar born Paddington

1871 census Louisa Finlayson head age 49 birth county Somerset census address
49 North Street Cottages Chelsea Middlesex
Archibald Finlayson son age 20 birth county Middlesex
Alice Finlayson dtr age 8 birth county Middlesex
Robert Finlayson was back in Glasgow for the 1871 census and I have him on his brothers census return for the laureston parish of Glasgow.
Louisa with Alice but not Archibald followed him to Glasgow where they were married on the 18th November 1872in Anderston Glasgow.
As I have already shown Robert died in 1879 in Glasgow Louisa was the informant.
I have Louisa on the 1881 census for Lanark Scotland where she was a visitor and accompanied by her daughter Alice, Ellen was already married by then to Edward McFeeters .
My next census record of Louisa was 1891 when she was living with her daughter Alice now married to Maxwell Lone. The census area was for the Parish of Govan. It is highly likely that she went from their home to the Govan poorhouse. The notification of her death was given by her daughter Ellen/Helen McFeeters.
Thank you Margaret yes it is very possible that uncle Robert had a copy of the relevant marriage certificate but he would also possibly have other records that would record the name Cooksley.This is my difficulty, was she Cooksley nee Wilson or Wilson nee Cooksley and the fact that she was not married to Robert Finlayson while living in London suggests either they could not marry until she was either divorced or widowed.
I am intrigued by this lady and would love to find her beginnings.
Thanks Elaine and Margaret
from the weeyin

[KiteRunner]

I can't get ancestry to load on the laptop at the moment, but do any of those censuses give the name of a town, village or parish in Somerset, or do they just say Somerset?

[margaretmarch]

I can't get ancestry to load on the laptop at the moment, but do any of those censuses give the name of a town, village or parish in Somerset, or do they just say Somerset?

They say Rhode Somerset.
Margaret

[margaretmarch]

"This is my difficulty, was she Cooksley nee Wilson or Wilson nee Cooksley and the fact that she was not married to Robert Finlayson while living in London suggests either they could not marry until she was either divorced or widowed."

The marriage record has her as spinster so unless she was lying she doesn't seem to have been married before.
I did wonder whether her mother might have married again to someone called Wilson and maybe Louisa was known by that surname or her daughter Ellen knew her grandmother as Wilson and assumed it was her mother's maiden name.
However your thought about the reason for the late marriage does make sense. I did look for a Cooksley/Wilson marriage and couldn't find anything.
Margaret

[margaretmarch]

"1851 census Louisa Finlayson drapers assistant age 33 where born Paddington ?"

The 1851 I have been looking at doesn't show any occupation for Louisa and she is with Robert as his wife. Her place of birth is given on that record as Somerset.
What is the reference for the one you have?
Margaret

[weeyin]

Louisa possibly was a bit of a tale teller. I have the birth certificates for her three children,Archibald,Ellen and Alice. She registered all three births and gave her name as Louisa Finlayson formerly Cooksley, not maiden surname or nee. yet in 1876 when her daughter Helen/Ellen was married she is shown as Louisa Finlayson M/S Wilson she was living in Glasgow at the time so could have been at the wedding. When Louisa married Robert Finlayson she declared her name as Cooksley and her parents Thomas and Margaret Cooksley.When Helen/Ellen registered her mothers death in 1896 she gave her parents names as Joseph and Sarah Cooksley. Names do get muddled especially first names but until I can sort Louisa's names out I cannot pin her down to anywhere. In all her census data I only have Somerset.
weeyin

[maudarby]

Quote
When Helen/Ellen registered her mothers death in 1896 she gave her parents names as Joseph and Sarah Cooksley.
Hi
This may be a coincidence but there is a baptism at Rode (can't find a place called Rhode) in Somerset for a LouisA COXLEY 20th June 1819 parents Joseph & Sarah. Father's occupation labourer and their abode was North Bradley.
Moggie

[JudithM]

Quote
When Helen/Ellen registered her mothers death in 1896 she gave her parents names as Joseph and Sarah Cooksley.
Hi
This may be a coincidence but there is a baptism at Rode (can't find a place called Rhode) in Somerset for a LouisA COXLEY 20th June 1819 parents Joseph & Sarah. Father's occupation labourer and their abode was North Bradley.
Moggie

This may be your Louisa Cooksley in St Paul Covent Garden, Middlesex, on the 1841 census:
HO107/741 Bk 5, Folio 9 ,Page 9
She appears aged 20, not born in County, a female servant in the household of William Wilkinson 25 a Licensed Vic(tualler?)

[weeyin]

thanks Moggie and Judith. I am noting both of those and will search further when I have time, domestic cares catching up. I am very interested in Louisa Cooksley St Paul Covent Garden as searches have thrown up that area up before.
I really do appreciate the interest shown by everyone and hope that my enigma may be resolved." Margaretmarch "the information I had was through 1837 Online which was also the source of the birth certificates for Archibald Ellen and Alice I found a Louisa Finlayson employed by a John Laurence Harvey Master Linen Draper she was one of 9 employees at 50 Chichester Place St Pancras Marleyborne.
weeyin