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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Topic started by: colee on Wednesday 17 April 24 20:08 BST (UK)
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I am looking for the death church register entry for Mary Ann Cohen (born Borrett, 1st marriage to Thomas Girtin).
I've attached the death certificate info from GRO but I am hoping that the church record might have even more info, and it would be great to know where she was buried. I have looked through quite a few church books but haven't been able to find it so far. Most of her life events seemed to happen in St Mary, Islington but I looked through many of those records and didn't find her.
Mary Ann was with her 2 sons George and William in the 1841 census in the City of London after her husband Edward died in 1840 (which I also haven't been able to confirm but his directory records go quiet after 1840 and in the census she is a widow - it would also be great to know where he was buried but he may have died abroad.) She then seems to go back to Islington near where she spent most of her life, variously, in Lower Road, Nelson Terrace and Suffolk Place.
Maybe I'm missing a trick on working out which parish church she might have been buried in. Any help would be very much appreciated!
Very many thanks, Colee
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...after her husband Edward died in 1840...it would also be great to know where he was buried but he may have died abroad...
Why do you think he may have died abroad? What was his occupation?
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Could be one of 4 churches which had cemeteries:
Holy Trinity, Islington
St John The Evangelist, Upper Holloway
St Mary the Virgin, Islington
St Paul, Canonbury
See also:
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/MDX/Islington/churches
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He was a merchant/banker, his father Jacob Cohen was born abroad (as per Edward's Freedom of the City certificate), in 'one of the hebrew nations'. I guess maybe the Netherlands or Germany. My ultimate aim is to find out where :)
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Is Mary Ann was also Jewish could she have been buried at Islington's Balls Pond Road Cemetery? It opened in 1843 and closed in 1951.
It's also known as Jewish (West London Reform) Cemetery, Kingsbury Road Cemetery, Balls Pond Burial Ground and The Jewish Burial Ground.
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So Mary Ann wasn't Jewish (born Borrett), and Edward converted and was married in St Mary, Islington and all their children were Christian. I think Edward's 2 brothers Judah and Godfrey Alexander may have retained more of their 'Jewishness'. Godfrey Alexander's daughter Esther for example married the Jewish printer Joseph Levy who started the Daily Telegraph. Judah was a treasurer in the Great Synagogue. But Edward doesn't figure in the Great Synagogue.
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To avoid duplication of research here is associated thread: https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=877960.0
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Did they live at Suffolk Place, Islington?
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yes they were there in 1818 when son William was born, by 1824 they were in Upper Street where son Francis was born (he died in Sept 1825 aged 9 months in Milton, Kent). Before Suffolk Place they were in Lower Street, so they seemed to move around quite a bit.
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There is this death, a bit earlier than you were thinking but noting the addresses.
That one was buried
Saffron Walden, St Mary The Virgin
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Yes brilliant that's him!
Newspapers are really an amazing source (I don't have a subscription at the moment but am planning on it). Thank you :)
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And more fascinating info on his death...
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From the Essex Standard:
On the 10th inst, an Inquest was held before CT Master, Esq, Coroner for the Town of Saffron Walden, on the body of Edward Cohen, Esq, of Great St. Helen's Bishopsgate-street. The deceased, who was proprietor of Brockells Farm, Radwinter, and had been staying there with his tenant Mr E Emson, was on the preceding day riding thence in a chaise with Mr E in order to take the coach at Walden the following morning, when sometime before he reached the latter place, he complained of severe indisposition, and was obliged to be left at a house near the common. Medical aid was immediately procured, but the unfortunate gentleman died in a few minutes. Verdict - Died by the visitation of God.
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Essex Monumental Inscriptions
Place - Saffron Walden
Description - St Mary the Virgin
Birth date - 1785
Burial date - 12 Nov 1835
Headstone. Limestone, east, with traces of black in the lettering.
Sacred to the memory of EDWARD COHEN Esq / Merchant of the City of London
Died November 9. 1835 / aged 50 years
There's an adult baptism for Edward in 1835, which you probably know about.
Edward Cohen
Place Harmondsworth
Birth date/age 17 Nov 1786
Baptism date 06 Oct 1835
Notes Father Deceased
Father's first name(s) James
Mother's first name(s) Esther
Occupation Merchant
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Index To Death Duty Registers 1796-1903
First name(s) Mary Ann
Last name Cohen
Residence 14 Clements Inn
Grant year 1843
Court Canterbury Prerogative Court
Archive The National Archives
Archive reference IR27/52
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No I hadn't come across that, a brilliant find thank you! Interesting that his father Jacob is translated as James. And I didn't have his exact date of birth, so that really is fantastic. Quite bizarre that he was baptised in Harmondsworth. He was married in a church in 1811, also strange that he could have done so without being baptised. But it's no doubt that it's him.
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Could wife Mary Ann be buried with her husband? Also, see my Reply #14 re Mary Ann.
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Index To Death Duty Registers 1796-1903
First name(s) Mary Ann
Last name Cohen
Residence 14 Clements Inn
Grant year 1843
Court Canterbury Prerogative Court
Archive The National Archives
Archive reference IR27/52
Wow brilliant - I'll apply to have a look at the death duty entry, her son William at 14 Clements Inn was the administrator.
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And Mary Ann Administered Edwards
Edwd Cohen
The National Archives
Grant year 1835
Archive reference IR27/44
Event year 1835
Record set Index To Death Duty Registers 1796-1903
Court Canterbury Prerogative Court
Residence 1 Tewkes Buildings
But it looks more like Fowkes Buildings
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2612181
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Brilliant thank you! I'll definitely order the death duty records for both Edward and Mary Ann. Maybe it will give clues about the properties they owned, including the Saffron Walden farm and perhaps another in Harmondsworth.
Otherwise it is quite bizarre that Edward was baptised there at Harmondsworth (I'll try to see the register entry) in Oct 1835 in spite of presumably claiming at his marriage and at all his children's baptisms and his Freedom of the City of London acceptance that he was christian. Maybe he somehow 'foresaw' his approaching death - he died nearly exactly one month after his baptism.
His brother Judah also died suddenly at the age of 52 in 1834, and brother Godfrey (yet to find his death info but maybe like Judah he may have been buried at Bury St the Jewish cemetery) at the age of 55.
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Essex Monumental Inscriptions
Headstone. Limestone, east, with traces of black in the lettering.
Sacred to the memory of EDWARD COHEN Esq / Merchant of the City of London
Died November 9. 1835 / aged 50 years
I will also take a trip to the church to hopefully see the headstone (does the entry indicate whether it's inside or outside the church) - wonderful - and that will also answer the question as to whether Mary Ann is there too, but it seems doubtful.
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I have ordered the death duty for both Mary Ann and Edward (which sadly takes weeks and that's assuming I've done it correctly).
Meanwhile... more info on Edward and his sudden death at the seemingly mysterious location of Saffron Walden. So it turns out that Mary Ann's father Phineas Borrett invested in properties in Essex, including farms that his grandson Thomas Calvert Girtin then owned, also in Radwinter where Edward's farm was (Girtin painted some of them too, Turver's farm and Pinckney's Farm near/at Radwinter). I also intriguingly found another farm nearby, Godfrey's Farm, which had that name already in the early 1800s. Could this have belonged to Godfrey Alexander Cohen??? I have tried to find info on Phineas Borrett's death but no luck so far. It would be wonderful to find a will to see who inherited his Essex properties.
I am busily trying to find out more info on Godfrey Alexander. I looked up his death register info, which shows his nephew and present at death George Phillips of Little Alie Street. I don't think he's a nephew on his own side, so perhaps through his wife Frances Cohen (nee Jonas).
An 1853 newspaper article in Australia mentions a George and/or Samuel Phillips of Little Alie Street. But how are they related to Godfrey or Frances? I am pursuing all 3 brothers Judah, Edward and Godfrey Alexander as any of them may lead me to the holy grail of where they came from in Europe. Are the family names of Phillips and Jonas more Dutch than German for example?
Still many questions unanswered!! Huge big thanks for any further help, and I massively appreciate the help I've had so far :)
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I have tried to find info on Phineas Borrett's death but no luck so far.
Is this him? GRO has 1843 death registered in Brentwood.
Greater London Burial Index
Phineas Borratt
Birth year 1762
Age 81
Burial date 22 Jan 1843
Residence Acton
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ooh brilliant it may well be.. and it might explain why Edward was baptised in Harmondsworth, maybe it was even the same parish, I'll look it up. Thank you!
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This looks right...
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Quite a few records for GAC relating to bankruptcy in the early 1800s. You can find mentions of them in the London Gazette.
Just curious -- which Cohen brother is your ancestor?
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Yes they seemed to be bankrupt every 5 minutes and then start again :)
It's actually my neighbour who I am doing the research for, she's a direct descendant of Judah Cohen.
I have just found quite a lot of tantalising info in a book written by Jehanne Wake, who mentioned their father Jacob. I'm trying to get in touch with her too, she seems to have access to fascinating source material, such as Mary Ann being an eccentric who kept cherry stones in her shoes??!