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Thomas George COOKE (1825–1857)
His wife Mrs Louisa Agnes COOKE, née Buckingham (1829–1897)
Their son Thomas James COOKE (1851–1871)
St Mary Magdalen section: Row 17, Grave D55½

Thomas George Cooke was born in Oxford in 1825 and baptised at St Ebbe's Church on 25 September, the son of the college servant James George Cooke and his wife Elizabeth Anne (surname unknown). The James Cook who died at Church Street, St Ebbe's at the age of 31 and who was buried at St Ebbe's Church on 3 December 1835 was probably his father. At the time of the 1841 census Thomas (14) was at home in Paradise Square with his mother Elizabeth, who was a sempstress, and his five siblings: George Joseph Cooke (16), who was a printer's apprentice, and Elizabeth Cooke (15), Thomas Cooke (14), Richard Cooke (13), Ann Cooke (12), Sarah Cooke (11), and Ellen Harriet Cooke (7). By 1847 Thomas was a lawyer's clerk living in Paradise Square, Oxford.

Louisa Agnes Buckingham was born in Broad Street, Oxford in 1829 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 1 March. She was the daughter of John Buckingham and his wife Elizabeth (surname unknown). Her parents had one other child baptised there: Edwin Buckingham on 9 February 1831. Louisa's father was a college servant at the time of her baptism, a policeman at the time of her brother's baptism, and a painter by 1847.

On 12 July 1847 at St Ebbe's Church, Oxford, Thomas George Cooke (21) married Louisa Agnes Buckingham (18). They had the following children, the first born soon after the wedding, and all of them were registered with their surname spelt Cook:

• Florence Cooke (born at Gloucester Green in 1847 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 3 December)
• Agnes Louisa Cooke (born in Observatory Street, Oxford in 1849 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 14 October)
• Thomas James Cooke (born at Friars Wharf, Oxford in 1851 and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 5 October)
• George Frederick Cooke (born at Friars Wharf, Oxford in 1853 and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 10 July)
• Henry John Cooke (born at Gloucester Green, Oxford in 1855 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 7 May).

Thomas was a lawyer's clerk living with his wife at Gloucester Green when his eldest daughter Florence was christened in late 1847. By 1849 they were living in Observatory Street.

By the time of the 1851 census Thomas (25) was a butcher's clerk, living at 20 Friar's Wharf, St Ebbe's with his wife Louise (22) and their first two children Florence (3) and Agnes (1).

By the time their youngest son Henry was baptised in May 1855, they were living at Gloucester Green again and Thomas was a lawyer's clerk.

Thomas George Cooke died in 1857:

† Thomas George Cooke died at Gloucester Green at the age of 31 or 32 on 7 January 1857 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 14 January (burial recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church).

The early death of Thomas George Cooke caused his family to break up. At the time of the 1861 census his widow Louisa (31) was working as a nurse in the house of the curate at Middleton Stoney. Her three sons Thomas (9), George (8), and Henry (5) were all boarding at Gloucester Green with the clothes cleaner Thomas Cambray and his wife Ann Elizabeth Watkins, who also had seven children of their own at home. Their sisters Florence (13) and Agnes (10) were boarding with the Sisters of Mercy at their charity school at 10a St Giles's Street.

Thomas Cambray, with whom the boys were staying, was the the son of the clothes cleaner Richard Cambray and the brother of Emily Cambray who married William George Cooke (see their grave), so was probably a relation of their deceased father. Thomas Cambray died on 20 June 1866 at the age of 46, leaving his wife with eight children of her own, and the Cooke children then had to fend for themselves.

At the time of the 1871 census their mother Louisa Cooke (40) was working as a monthly nurse, and was currently in the home of the Rector of Shipton on Cherwell, where there was a newborn baby. Her eldest son Thomas James Cooke (19), who according to the headstone had been a pupil teacher at St Mary Magdalen School, was now a photographer's assistant and the head of the household in part of 11 Gloucester Green, and with him were his older sister Florence (22), who acted as his housekeeper, and his two younger brothers: George (17) was a whitesmith's apprentice, and Henry (15) was a cabinet maker's apprentice. They also had a lodger. Their sister Agnes (20) is hard to find.

Thomas James Cooke, the young head of the household, died the following month:

† Thomas James Cooke died at Gloucester Green at the age of 19 in May 1871 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 12 May (burial recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church).

His brother George was married in 1877:

• On 31 March 1877 at St Stephen's Church, Shepherd's Bush, George Frederick Cooke (23), a whitesmith of 18 Caves Terrace, Shepherd's Bush, married Fanny Matilda Dendy (19), who was born in Brighton, the reputed daughter of the ironmonger William Charman, and lived at 50 Goldhawk Road, London.

At the time of the 1881 census Mrs Louisa Cooke (49) and her eldest child Florence (32) were working as laundresses and dairywomen and living at 67 George Street. Also living with Louisa was her youngest child Henry (24), who was a cabinet maker. A dairyman was boarding with them, and they had two servants: one female domestic servant, and a 14-year-old boy who was a milk seller.

Two of her children were married in the early 1880s:

• On 21 August 1883 at St Thomas's Church, Hammersmith, Florence Cook[e] (32) married the widower Robert Salter (35), who was born in Summertown and was the son of the bootmaker George William Salter: both were living at 55 Godolphin Road, Hammersmith prior to the wedding;
• On 20 September 1884 at St Mary Magdalen Church, Henry John Cooke (27), described as a painter of 68 George Street, married Lucy Williams (26), who was born in Woolaston, Gloucestershire in c.1858, the daughter of the labourer Edward Williams, and was living at Standlake prior to her marriage.

At the time of the 1891 census Louisa (60) was a laundress, living at 68 George Street with three young female servants, who probably helped her with the laundry. She died at that address in 1897:

† Mrs Louisa Agnes Cooke née Buckingham died at 68 George Street at the age of 66 in July 1897 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 22 July (burial recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church).

Children of Thomas George and Louisa Agnes Cooke

• Florence Cooke, Mrs Salter (born 1847) was living at 20 Woodland Road, Lambeth in 1891 with her husband Robert (39), who was a cabinet maker, and their children Margaret (6). By 1901 they had moved back to Oxford, and Florence (52) was living at 14 Beaumont Buildings with Robert (50) and their daughter Margaret (16), who was a milliner. In 1911 Forence and Robert Salter were living at 102 Marlborough Road, Grandpont. Florence Salter died at Banbury Road, Kidlington on 19 January 1923 at the age of 75. Her effects came to £450, and her executor was her daughter, Mrs Margaret Harriett Walker.
• Agnes Louisa Cooke (born 1849) is hard to trace after the 1861 census.
• George Frederick Cooke (born 1853) was working as a whitesmith in 1891, living in part of 57 Westville Road, Hammersmith with his wife Fanny. In 1901 George (48) was working as a gas fitter and living at 41 Overstone, Hammersmith with Fanny (42), who was a shopkeeper at home, their son Stanley (9), who was born in Oxford, and a servant.
• Henry John Cooke (born 1855) was a painter & decorator at the time of the 1891 census, living at 5 Tredwell's Yard off Cornmarket Street in St Michael's parish with his wife Lucy (32) and their children Tom (4), Norah (3), Dorothy (2), and Margaret (1). Lucy died at Tredwell's Yard at the age of 38 in 1897 and was buried on 20 March, probably in St Sepulchre's Cemetery. Near the end of that same year in the Headington registration district, Henry married his second wife Elizabeth Ann Jones (born in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire in c.1872). At the time of the 1901 census Henry (44), who was a painter and decorator, was living in Middle Way, Summertown (then called George Street) with his second wife Elizabeth (29) and their children Colin (2) and Florence (1), plus Norah (13), Maggie (11) and Ralph (5) from his first marriage. By 1911 Henry (53) was living at 5 South Parade, Summertown with Elizabeth (38) and their eight children Colin (13), Florence (10), Jack (9), Cordelia (8), Basil (4), Patty (3), Delwin (2), and Douglas (six months), plus his son Ralph (16) from his first marriage.