Amy Blanch (Rumney) Cook (1865 - abt. 1934)

Born 26 Mar 1865 in Richmond, Tasmania

Ancestors

Wife of Robert Hugh Cook — married 1892 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Died about 31 Jan 1934 at about age 68 in Stockton, New South Wales, Australia [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jason Rumney [send private message]

Biography

Married Robert Hugh Cook in Sydney on 29 July 1893 (possibly 1892 - see NSW record below)^[1].

Research notes

From her son Bruce's wartime record, there is a note in the mother's signature column "deceased", with what appears to be a date 29/5/08 next to it. But there is no record of such a death in NSW. There is a death for an Amy B Cook, apparently in 1911, with ref 9394/1911, but there is also a Birth for an Amy B Cook in 1911 with ref 26048/1911 with matching parent details, so this appears to be the death of an infant. There is also another Amy Cook with ref 5102/1911, with parents matching the birth of Amy I Cook ref 43510/1910, so she also appears to be an infant death.

A newspaper article in 1925 dealing with a dispute over the will of her father has her represented by "Mr Beedham for the New South Wales Master in Lunacy"^[2], so she may have in fact not been deceased, but committed on that date, and still alive in 1925. Using this information, a death is found in 1934 for Amy B Cook, annotated with "67 years, Mental H. Stockton". It is perhaps likely that the death of three consecutive daughters between 1900 and 1903 contributed to her mental health issues, and as Bruce was a young child at the time, he was told she had died, or perhaps he knew her fate, but preferred not to explain to the army recruiters.

Sources

1. ↑ Family Notices (1893, August 26). The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), p. 4
2. ↑ THE PRACTICE COURT. (1925, March 4). The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), p. 5.

• Tasmania birth RGD33/1/43 no 1466
• NSW marriage 1106/1892
• NSW death 3004/1934