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I thought I would run it past you all anyway. I am trying to help a friend who is at the very early stages of doing her family tree with no previous experience at all. We are stuck right at the beginning. Her parents Wilson Cotton and Amy Penketh residents of Sunderland married in Sunderland in 1925. She has aunts and uncles on the Penketh side but has never known aunts and uncles on her father's side because they emigrated to Australia prior to William and Amy's marriage in 1925. William had a brother Thomas, brother Alfred, brother Edward, and twin sisters Nora and Edna. We have no idea exactly when they went, what ship they sailed on and which town was their destination. We are unable to establish the names of the parents who presumably accompanied this little family and until we can find some trace of them either as passengers or on census returns for Australia, we cannot progress further. If we had the names of the parents we could trace the tree back through census returns etc. for this country. Anyone any ideas on how we begin to solve this mystery? Thank you for your time. Sorry this has been so long and I hope it is clear.

I'm a bit confused as to whose parents you are looking for - Wilson Cottons? If so, you will need to get his birth certificate which will give full names of both parents.

If you don't know when he was born, you need to get the marriage certificate, which will tell you his fathers name plus how old he was at the time of his marriage.

Sam x

Sunderland 10a 767

June qtr 1909 birth of Nora Cotton

Edna L Cotton could be Edna Lambton Cotton born 1902
Sunderland 10a 648 Dec qtr

Sorry Sam from Stoke. It is Wilson Cottons parents and siblings I am trying to trace as they emigrated to Australia prior to Wilson and Amy marrying in 1925. Apparently Amy and Wilson were 'courting' and Wilson opted not to emigrate with his family.

West Country Lass - thank you. I will make a note of that but I was somehow expecting the whole family ie Thomas, Alfred, Edward and twins Nora and Edna to be listed somewhere together - the parents as well. Thanks anyway.

Hi Janice - thank you for that. My friend was under the impression that Nora and Edna were twins but I shall make a note of this in case the twin information is incorrect.

There's a Wilson Cotton birth in 1903 in Sunderland.

June qtr Sunderland 10a 729

Also a Wilson Cotton marriage in 1894.

I'll check the census to see which wife is his.

Janice

Hi Margaret,

This Wilson Cotton was born in 1891 but there's probably a connection given the unusual name.

1901:
Wilson Cotton
Age: 9
Estimated birth year: abt 1892
Relation: Son
Father's name: Thomas W
Mother's name: Ann M
Gender: Male
Where born: Sunderland, Durham, England

Civil parish: Sunderland
Ecclesiastical parish: St Andrew
County/Island: Durham
Country: England

Registration district: Sunderland
Sub-registration district: North Bishopwearmouth

Alfred Cotton 6
Ann M Cotton 37
Norman Cotton 2
Thomas W Cotton 34
Thomas W Cotton 11
Wilson Cotton 9

Sophie,

How old is the mother?

Janice

Thank you Sophie, thank you Janice for trying. have

If Edna is Edna Lambton Cotton then this marriage is connected somehow:

Sept qtr 1888

Thomas William Cotton and Ann Marr Lambton
Durham 10a 508

OK just realised - these are the people on the census above.

Here's Thomas William's birth:

March qtr 1867
Thomas William Cotton
Sunderland 10a 546

And the next generation back

1871 census:

Thomas W Cotton
Age: 4
Estimated birth year: abt 1867
Relation: Son
Father's name: John
Mother's name: Margaret
Gender: Male
Where born: Sunderland, Durham, England

Civil parish: Sunderland
Ecclesiastical parish: Trinity
Town: Sunderland
County/Island: Durham
Country: England

Registration district: Sunderland
Sub-registration district: West Sunderland

Dorothy Cotton 8
James Cotton 2
John Cotton 42
John G Cotton 11
Margaret Cotton 39
Thomas W Cotton 4
Wilson Cotton 6 months

Thank you both - you've been a great help. Plenty to think about. My minds a bit addled at the moment. Will study this and then see if I can find out when and where they went in Australia. Thanks again.

1861

John Cotton
Age: 32
Estimated birth year: abt 1829
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Margaret
Gender: Male
Where born: Sunderland, Durham, England

Civil parish: Sunderland
Town: Sunderland
County/Island: Durham
Country: England

Registration district: Sunderland
Sub-registration district: West Sunderland

John Cotton 32
John George Cotton 1
Margaret Cotton 30
Margaret J Cotton 12

1851

John Cotton
Age: 22
Estimated birth year: abt 1829
Relation: Head
Spouse's name: Margret
Gender: Male
Where born: Bishop Wearmouth, Durham, England

Civil parish: Bishopwearmouth
Ecclesiastical parish: St Thomas
County/Island: Durham
Country: England

Registration district: Sunderland
Sub-registration district: North Bishop Wearmouth
Elizebeth Cotton 4 Mo
John Cotton 22
Margret Cotton 20
Margret Jane Cotton 2

Love the name Mr Cotton for a master tailor!

Janice - this is wonderful. I really have something to study now. As I said the next big hurdle is finding the Aussie link so that we can determine exactly who is Wilsons father. I'll sleep on it I think !!!

Sophie - thanks for that. It ties in with a birth:

Ann M Lambton
Septqtr 1866
Durham 10a 333

Margaret - this means that Wilson's parents are Thomas William Cotton and Ann Marr Lambton.

Janice

How do these deaths tie in?

Wilson Cotton born 2 Mar 1903 died Jul 1990 87 Sunderland Durham

Wilson Cotton born 22 Nov 1926 died Dec 1992 66 Coventry Warwickshire

This is now confusing lol! Are there 2 Wilson Cottons in the same generation?

Janice, not the same generation.

Death in 1990 was born approx 1903.

Death in 1992 was born approx 1926.

Ozi.