Susan (Cockram) Porter (1858 - 1925)

Born 3 Sep 1858 in West Anstey, Devon, England

Ancestors

Wife of James Porter — married 23 Jun 1877 in St. Paul's, Bristol, Somerset, England

Descendants

Died 30 Dec 1925 at age 67 in Norwich, Norfolk, England

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Susie (Cockram) Porter was born in Devon, England.

Biography

Susan Cockram was born on September 3, 1858 at Woodlands Farm, West Anstey, Devonshire, England. ^[1] She was baptised on June 29, 1859.^[2] She was the eighth child of John Cockram and Ann Catford. On June 23, 1877 she married James Porter at St. Paul's Church, Bristol.^[3] She had known him since 1873, when he went as a teacher to West Anstey, where Susan was a pupil teacher. A marriage announcement was published in The Western Times Newspaper^[4] It would appear that they had a celebration of their marriage in Exeter, probably a gathering for their family and friends in Devon. Susan became an 'Article 68' teacher^[5] and when James was appointed headmaster of the school at Mansell Lacy, Herefordshire in 1879, Susan also became a teacher there. Their only daughter Amy Florence, was born in the schoolhouse in 1885 and the family lived there until 1898 when they moved to the schoolhouse at Pencombe, Worcestershire.

James and Susan ran the school at Pencombe for three years until James was appointed headmaster of Bodham School in Norfolk. Shortly before they moved to Bodham Susan gave birth to their only son, James Douglas, on August 3, 1901. She was nearly 43 at the time and showed amazement at this birth, at a time when she felt she was too old to care for a young baby, His sister who was 16 the day after he was born took on the care of baby Douglas. Soon the family of four settled into the schoolhouse at Bodham and Susan took up teaching again.

Susan, with her family at Bodham School

The family are listed there in the 1911 census.^[6]

When James retired in 1917 they moved to Onley Street in Norwich, on the opposite side of Unthank Road from Lincoln Street, where their daughter, now married, was living. In 1919 they made their final move to Bury Street which was the next road up from Onley Street. It was in Bury Street that Susan died on December 30. 1925. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ FS England and Wales Birth Registration Index Name Susan Cockram Event Type Birth Registration Registration Quarter Oct-Nov-Dec Registration Year 1858 Registration District South Molton County Devon Event Place South Molton, Devon, England Volume 5B Page 417 Line Number 36 Citing this Record "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26BN-C8T : 1 October 2014), Susan Cockram, 1858; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, South Molton, Devon, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ Baptism The Baptism Register at West Anstey records Susan's baptism on June 29, 1859. I saw this myself in the register kept in the sacristy of West Anstey Church.
3. ↑ FS England, Bristol Parish Registers Marriage Name James Porterhttps://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Categorization Event Type Marriage Event Date 23 Jun 1877 Event Place Bristol, St Paul, Portland Square, Gloucestershire, England Gender Male Marital Status Single Father's Name John Porter Spouse's Name Susan Cockram Spouse's Residence Place Bristol, St Paul, Portland Square, Gloucestershire Spouse's Gender Female Spouse's Marital Status Single Spouse's Father's Name John Cockram Citing this Record "England, Bristol Parish Registers, 1538-1900", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT3K-SCR : 12 December 2014), James Porter and Susan Cockram, 1877.
4. ↑ BNA Marriage Notice Name Mr James Porter Sex Male Marriage Date 23 Jun 1877 Spouse's Name Miss Susan Cockram Spouse's Sex Female Spouse's Marriage Date 23 Jun 1877 Event Type Marriage Notice Event Date 9 Jul 1877 Event Place Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom Event Place (Original) Exeter, Devon, England Event Place Note 113-9133 Newspaper Western Times Page Number 2 Name: Miss Susan Cockram Sex: F Mr James Porter Husband M Digital Folder Number: 102117892 Image Number: 00159 Citing this Record "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCK-T71K : 18 April 2019), Miss Susan Cockram in entry for Mr James Porter, Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom, 9 Jul 1877, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .
5. ↑ Re, School teachers in the 19th century: The elementary schools, board and voluntary, were manned by four classes of teachers: 1. Adults who have gone through all the grades of training, and are classed as fully certificated. 2. Teachers who have been apprenticed as pupil teachers, but have not completed the course for the teacher's certificate. These are styled expupil teachers. 3. Young women over eighteen years of age—technically known as "Article 68's,"—who have no professional qualification whatever except that, in the opinion of the Inspector, they are presentable young persons, and can give evidence that they have been successfully vaccinated. (4.) juvenile apprentices to the art of teaching, known as pupil teachers.
6. ↑ FS England and Wales Census, 1911 Name: Susan Porter Event Place: Bodham, Bodham Holt, Norfolk, England County: Norfolk Parish: Bodham Sub-District: Sheringham Sub-District Number: 2 District Number: 222 Enumeration District: 3 Registration District: Erpingham Gender: Female Age: 52 Marital Status: MARRIED Occupation: SUPPLEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER Industry: NORFOLK C COUNCIL Number in Family: 4 Institution: Birth Year (Estimated): 1859 Birthplace: West Anstey Nth, Devonshire Relationship to Head of Household: Wife Record Type: Household Schedule Type: 124 Page Number: 1 Line Number: 2 Registration Number: RG14 Piece/Folio: 249 Affiliate Record Identifier: GBC/1911/RG14/11184/0249/2 Household Role Sex Age Birthplace James Porter Head M 59 Hertland Ross Hereford, Herefordshire Susan Porter Wife F 52 West Anstey Nth, Devonshire Amy Porter Daughter F 25 Mansel Lacy Hereford, Herefordshire Douglas Porter Son M 9 Pencombe Hereford, Herefordshire Citing this Record "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X75L-NSS : 21 December 2018), DOUGLAS in household of James Porter, Bodham, Bodham Holt, Norfolk, England; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
7. ↑ FS England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007 Name Susan Porter Event Type Death Registration Quarter Oct-Nov-Dec Registration Year 1925 Registration District Norwich County Norfolk Event Place Norwich, Norfolk, England Age (available after 1866) 67 Birth Year (Estimated) 1858 Volume 4B Page 203 Line Number 37
   Citing this Record: "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVHC-NFMS : 4 September 2014), Susan Porter, 1925; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Norwich, Norfolk, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. England, Bristol Parish Registers, 1538-1900 Digital Folder Number 004225689 Image Number 00015

See Images for the 1881 and 1901 census

The biography includes first-hand information as remembered by Christine Hills, from conversations with her grandmother Amy Florence (Porter) Larner.