Thread: A regiment lost at sea?

ironsun

Hi everyone,

I've previoulsy posted this to another forum and thought it might help to post it here as well.


I have a bit of an old family mystery I’ve been attempting to solve, but my lack of knowledge and the vast amount of information available is pushing me up against a brick wall.


I recently discovered an old letter written to my great-grandmother from her sister-in-law. The letter, dated May 1909, give a bit of family history and discuss an old estate that supposedly was in the family at one time. The letter also discusses how my third great grandfather was orphaned, just after birth when his entire family drowned in an ill-fated ship disaster.

So here is a transcript of the letter, followed by facts I know and facts I’ve tried to find. Any help or clues as to where I could look would be greatly appreciated. I’ve added square bracketed comments to make things a little easier to follow, (I hope).

May 1909

Eastam, [probably Eastham], England, Mr. Whitehead's daughter married John Williams. Williams' daughter married Surgeon Cockburn, officer of the 91st regiment. They had 9 sons, no daughters. Father [John Williams] was youngest son, the regiment was ordered to India, where father [John Williams] was born. They returned to England and were again ordered to India. Took all sons but father [John Williams] and a young brother named James. They left them with an Aunt named Johnstone.

The ship sank with the regiment and all were drowned. Father [John Williams] and uncle James were farmers and I presume knew nothing about the estate. The last father [John Williams] heard about the estate was that a Squire was living on the estate and paying rent for it. Some years ago Father [John Williams] put it into a lawyer’s hands -- he got the will. Father [John Williams] had it and knew he was the heir. The lawyer wanted 300 hundred dollars to pay the expenses to go over and settle the will for us. When father [John Williams] died [11 Dec 1909] we knew that Emmanuel was the heir after Emmanuel comes your son Ned.

After father [John Williams] died Bill, my brother took the will and private papers, the marriages and births are registered in England and does not matter. It would be easy to find out about a British Surgeon of the 91st Regiment and also the fact about the drowning

[Address] Chancery Court for British heirs London, England A Suburb of London.

First, Sir & Lady Whitehead of Eastam, England had 2 daughters - both got married. One of the daughters married John Williams [This John Williams is the surgeons father] against her parents wishes and they cut her off the family estate with a shilling as was the custom in England in those days. Mrs. John Williams had a daughter who married Dr. Cockburn, a surgeon in the 91st Regiment of the British Army. My father was youngest son and was named John Williams after his grandfather. Uncle James was an Artist.

Father [John Williams] learned shoe making because the surgeon, Dr. Cockburn, his wife and other sons were drowned either going to or coming from India. The daughter to whom he left everything died without sons therefore according to English Law the other daughter, who married John Williams (against there wishes and was cut off the family) having a daughter inherited the estate and fortune and their daughter Mrs. Williams was my fathers mother – {unreadable passage} the parent being drowned the matter was allowed to drop and nothing was ever done but it is there.

Chancery will never look for the heirs and it is worth looking up because after one hundred years it must be a big fortune [The genealogical pot-of-gold] - once Uncle James spoke to father about claiming it then he said no let him keep his fortune and so there was no person to look after it. I hope I have made it plain. The estate fell to the last living son and his heirs and that was father [John Williams] so Emmanuel his eldest son comes first if he does not claim it before he dies then Bill will and it will pass into Bill's family and right out of Emmanuel’s. Father was born and baptized John Williams after his mother’s father, his mother was a Miss Williams a Welsh lady.

Your Affectionate
Sister Kate

John Williams Cockburn died 25th March, 1879 at age 71 years, 10 months and 18 days according to the newspaper obit I discovered. This would place his birthday at May 7, 1807, (If all information is factual). This would mean that the ship sank about a year or so later, 1808-1810 maybe.

I’ve not found any information about a Surgeon named Cockburn in the 91st regiment. (Could aunt Kate have remembered the wrong regiment?) I’ve not found any information about the 91st regiment, or any regiment, suffering such a great loss in this time period (1808-1810).

I do not have first name for the Surgeon Cockburn, or where they lived in Engand. The Obit states John Williams was from Yorkshire and two of his sons were born in Kirkdale, Liverpool England.

Ed R.
Ottawa, Canada

ironsun

This tree might make the previous post easier to follow.

cottage

Hi Ed

I saw your posting and I thought you might like to see the following.

A John Cockburne was a member of the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders in 1784. Could this be John Williams Cockburn father?
However your dating of the loss at sea does not tie up with my research. I quote the following extract -

THE WRECK OF THE BIRKENHEAD
During the Second Kaffir War in South Africa, 1846-47, a draft of the 91st was going out to join the regiment which, together with drafts from ten other regiments, all young soldiers, was performed that most gallant and self-sacrificing act during the wreck of the Birkenhead, which showed a disciplined heroism even greater than that which has won battle honours. The ship struck a submerged rock off Simon's Town. Most of the boats were broken by the masts and funnels falling overboard. The men were fallen in on the quarterdeck. There they remained on parade, while the women and children were got off in such boats that were left, till the ship broke in two, and those who could saved themselves by swimming. Of 631 souls on board, only 103 were saved. Not a woman or child was lost. The German Emperor at that time was making an army out of the Prussians, ordered an account of this act to be posted up in every Prussian barrack room as an example of what could be achieved by discipline.

If you have any further queries let me know
Regards
Jeff
.

ironsun

Hi Cottage,

Thank for doing the lookup. You are right the dates don't quite work. The information in the letter could have some truth in it or the whole thing could be fictious. What I do know for a fact is that I have yet to find a parent for my John Williams Cockburn. His obit indicates he was born about 1807. The 1841 Census states he was 30 putting his birth date to 1811.

If he lost his parents (whatever the cause) it would have happened within a few years of these dates, possible between 1807-1813. So far I've found no positive proof that backs up the letter. But I never dismiss anything until other information proves it wrong.

As for John Williams to date the first document information I have on him is from St Nicholas, 13 June 1830, marriage Banns between John COCKBURN, cordwainer [shoemaker] & Ann CLAYTON, spinster, both of St Nicholas parish.

1832, 1839 and 1841 Liverpool directory list him as boot & shoemaker, which was his trade in Canada as well.

I beleive he emmigrated in 1850 for Canada.