WILLIAMS to COOK (General)

by Jim Moore , California, Sunday, April 09, 2006, 08:36 (6803 days ago) @ slowhands

Slowhands, I think your name change theory is very plausible. It appears from the IGI marriage information you found, and James (Williams) Cook's birth year of 1816, that he was born to Sarah Williams prior to her marriage to James Cook Sr. (1782 - ).

The four other children of Sarah Williams (Cook) were born after her 1819 marriage to James Cook and retained the family name of Cook. Only James, born in 1816, later changed his name from Williams to Cook, likely for the reason that you postulated: his desire to continue the family Blacksmith Trade under the name of Cook.

James Cook Sr. died between 1851 and 1861, and Sarah Williams Cook died between 1861 and 1871. Sometime between 1861 and 1866, James Williams changed the family name to Cook as his daugher, Louisa, was married in 1866 with the family name of Cook.

I have not yet found James and Ann Williams (Cook) and their daughter, Eliza (born 1837) in the 1841 Census -- I have the non-indexed CD version. Additionally, I am wondering if either James Cook Sr. and/or Sarah Williams (Cook) had been married previously since James Cook Sr. was age 37 and Sarah Williams (Cook) was age 30 when they married in 1819.

Thanks for responding so quickly to my e-mail inquiry, and for providing such a plausible and consistent theory on the name change from Williams to Cook.