Surname Changes from Sanders to Cox

[heywood]

I just saw that - read Jim’s but not yours. Apologies.

[bfrance99]

Hi everyone, thanks for the responses.

I don't have a marriage certificate yet but I think I will have to order it in order to work out what's going on.

My guess is that his mother's maiden name is Sanders/Saunders, and then she married someone with the surname of Cox? However, I can't seem to find anything that fits this.

In relation to the military record -- it's certainly a possibility, although I'm not sure why he would desert the military under the name Cox and then continue using this name in his general life (he seems to only use Sanders for official records).

Thanks for the help

[J.R.Ellam]

Hi

Had a few minutes so had a look to see if I could find anything.

It looks like he could be the Thomas Cox in the 1861 census, son of Henry & Sarah Cox. Henry Cox (hawker) born 1811 London, Middlesex, Sarah Cox born 1826 Coventry and the are living at Leicester. Then in the 1871 census Thomas Cox born 1853 son of Henry Cox (pedlar) born 1811 Westminster, Middlesex & Sarah Cox born 1815, Canterbury, Kent and they are living in Melton Mowbary.

These are the only two thing I can find on Henry & Sarah Cox so the problem might be with his parents and not him.

John

[J.R.Ellam]

Hi

Is this just a coincidence!

Newgate calendar of Prisoners October 1842. Henry Cox 30, 15 years transportation for sealing also for stealing & embezzling, Sarah Saunders 17, 6 months for stealing.

The ages fit the Sarah & Henry Cox I mentioned earlier.

John

[heywood]

Has the military record been checked?
Has the marriage certificate been ordered?

There is one Thomas Cox born 1851-1860 in Leicester and that is:
Thomas Cox b 1853 with mother’s name Stacey
Parents here are William Cox and Sarah Stacey

There is also:
Thomas Sanders b 1856 with mmn Knight
Parents Thomas And Sarah Sanders

[bfrance99]

Hi John,

That surely seems too much of a coincidence! I will have a further look into this -- thank you for pointing it out.

Hi heywood,

I'm not sure how exactly to check the military record (I can only read the text from the one on Ancestry, which has already been posted)? I haven't ordered the marriage cert yet but I will do soon.

I have a feeling that the civil birth reg would be under the name Sanders/Saunders based on everything else.

[heywood]

Hi

Is this just a coincidence!

Newgate calendar of Prisoners October 1842. Henry Cox 30, 15 years transportation for sealing also for stealing & embezzling, Sarah Saunders 17, 6 months for stealing.

The ages fit the Sarah & Henry Cox I mentioned earlier.

John

Is there anything to connect these two, other than being on the same page of records?
Henry was a clerk and presumably transported.
Sarah, as you say, received a sentence of 6 months.

[Jomot]

The military record (Militia Volunteers) gives his address as 19 Orchard Street, and says he is 20 and a riveter (presumably shoe riveter).  Attested December 1877. No family mentioned.

I can see two Cox deaths in Orchard Street around that time, John aged 51 in November 1877, and William in July 1878, aged 24.  However, tracing them back through the census they are in Garden Street in 1861 and Bedford Street in 1871, but there is no son named Thomas, and the mother's maiden name appears to be Fielding.

[J.R.Ellam]

Hi Heywood

The connexion is the 1861 census with Henry & Sarah Cox born the same years as the 2 on the Newgate register. They had a son Thomas born 1857 Leicester.
Henry was given 15 years in 1842 so if he served the full sentence he would have been a freeman in 1859 giving him 2 years to get to Leicester.
Going by him using Thomas Saunders in marriage and death records I assume his birth is registered a Thomas Saunders but cannot find a suitable birth.

Just had a thought if Sarah Saunders committed another crime she could have been transported and therefore Thomas could have been born in Australia!
Just a thought

John