Mary Cotten death in March quarter 1844 Stepney (Middlesex) per GRO death index on Ancestry. The GRO's own site now enables you to check mothers maiden names on births and ages on death from 1837. Took me a few minutes to find it but on their own site GRO have the surname listed as 'Colten' rather than Cotton. Mary shown as aged 32.
On daughter Pamela's birth entry as Pamela Cotten Mar.qtr.1840 West Ham mmn is shown as Daw - however, on daughter Emma's birth entry as Cotton Mar.qtr.1842 Poplar mmn is Dyer! I think that Mary may have died as a result of childbirth as in the same quarter as when she died at Stepney (Mar.1844) there was a birth of an Albert Josiah Cotten - there is no further trace of this name anywhere but a Henry Cotton aged 0 yrs. has death recorded in Sept.qtr.1844 Stepney (with no corresponding birth for a Henry Cotton/Cotton) and I'm wondering whether they called Albert Josiah 'Henry' after birth registration (Henry's father was named Josiah).
Henry Cotton swiftly remarried after Mary's death to an Elizabeth Hore Jun.qtr.1844 Stepney (births of their son Henry and daughter Caroline Elizabeth confirm mmn as Hore). At the time of Mary's death Henry was left with Mary aged 11, Pamela 4, Emma 2 and a new born baby so he desperately needed a new wife. I'm guessing the marriage wasn't a happy one as certainly by 1871 Henry is back in London living in Marylebone. In 1881 he is still in Marylebone, shown as widower, which is untrue, as wife Elizabeth was alive and kicking living with married daughter Caroline (now Wood) in Devon. Can't find Henry in 1861.
Found a tree on Ancestry which has incorrect information - it shows Henry supposedly has just one wife - Elizabeth Brown, married 1829 Lambeth. However, I suspect the owner of the tree just looked for a marriage of a Henry to an Elizabeth and picked this one. Wrong! As births of last 2 children show, mmn was Hore and Henry married Elizabeth Hore in 1844 Stepney, shortly after death of 1st wife Mary.
I note in 1841 that Mary and daughter Mary are shown as born in 'Foreign Parts' i.e. not in UK. I suspect the mmn Daw given on Pamela's birth entry is probably an error and should read Dyer as given on next 2 childrens births. So, Henry Cotten/Cotton probably married Mary Dyer somewhere overseas where daughter Mary also born. Can't see Mary junior after 1841 census unfortunately - a shame because finding her on a later census would show where exactly she was born and where no doubt Mary Dyer was born also. From the births of children, family were continually on the move every year or so between 1840 and 1851 (Plaistow, West Ham, Bromley, Stepney, Teignmouth (Devon) and Deptford (Kent). I noted the tree I found on Ancestry shows dau. Emma born Bromley, Kent when she was actually born Bromley, Middlesex.
By the way, obtaining the death certificate of Mary Cotten won't show you what her maiden name was. All it will show is her name when she died and who the informant was (besides the usual date of death, place, and cause). That is all death certificates showed at that time.
Annette
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Topic: Cotten Death essex Geography (Read 1791 times)