#52Ancestors, Week 31, Oldest

Oldest what ? or oldest who ?

I thought about “oldest child” but that would be me and didn’t feel right. So instead, I looked to see who was born the longest time ago – the “oldest” person in my tree.

The “actual” oldest person I found that I have added to the tree was Elizabeth Delebere 1338-1428 who is really only in my tree by association. Her husband was Oliver St John 1346-1437. Their grandson Oliver reputedly married Margaret Beauchamp when she was about 14. She later married John Beaufort and then Lionel de Welles. The only child from her second marriage was Margaret Beaufort; the Red Queen (if you are a Philippa Gregory fan) – mother to Henry VII.  Anyway, one of the descendants of the first marriage (to Oliver St John) is a direct ancestor of my mother’s first cousin on her mother’s line. Confused ?

The next eldest people are Christophe Du Prie 1570-1657 and his wife Marie Boutelie 1570-? I am fairly confident that they are my 11xgreat grandparents in my mother’s paternal line. I don’t know too much about them. But I am pretty sure they were Huguenot refugees who left France seeking refuge in Spitalfields, London and becoming part of the silk industry there.

They were from Valenciennes, in the north of France, close to what is now the Belgian border. Valenciennes was known for its wool, fine linens and lace. It was also a religious hotspot and for many years under Spanish rule. The 16^th century was a time of turmoil religiously. Protestantism was challenging the Catholic church in Europe and in Britain. Protestants attacked Catholics, and were massacred in retaliation; there were up to EIGHT civil wars between 1562-1598.  Some sources estimate that the Huguenot population in France fell from 2 million to 856, 000 between 1562 and the mid-1660’s.

Christophe and Marie left France in the early 1600s after the Edict of Nantes was issued in 1598. This edict reaffirmed Roman Catholicism as the state religion in France but granted Protestants equality and a degree of religious and political freedom. Although initially enforcement of the Edict alleviated the persecution and pressure to leave France, it became more irregular over time with life becoming so intolerable that many fled the country.

The “strangers” were welcomed to London and permitted to worship by thirteen year old Edward VI (coincidentally a descendant of Margaret Beaufort – above) who as a Protestant himself supported the reformation in Europe and saw the need to provide for the refugees fleeing to London. He granted a Royal Charter in 1550 giving them this freedom. Anyone who knows their English history will know that the pendulum swung back after Edward’s death and the persecution began again in their new homeland under the rule of Mary Tudor, until her sister Elizabeth I assumed the throne.

Christophe and Marie’s first child Daniel was born in Valenciennes in 1598, but their subsequent children all appear to have been born and baptised in London in one of the French Protestant Churches in Spitalfields.

Over time the spelling of their name changed, becoming Dupree by the mid-late 1600’s when their great grandson married. Many of their descendants were still recorded as weavers in the mid 1700’s and still living close to Spitalfields.

Maybe I should try my hand at lacemaking – it could still be in my DNA.

Remembrance Day

Private Thomas Cooke. Source: www.anzacday.org.au

Sunday was Armistice Day and I was reminded of the story I heard at the Dawn Service at ANZAC Day this year. It wasn't a new story to me, I knew a lot of the details myself - but I didnt know the person telling it that morning.

Thomas Cooke - Kiwi, Aussie, Hero - was born in Kaikoura, Marlborough, New Zealand on 5 March 1881. His mother Caroline was an elder sister of my great grandfather, and the sixth child; fourth daughter of John and Mary Cooper (nee Barratt) - you might remember Mary from an earlier post, she left her family in New Zealand and went to Australia and changed her name.

Thomas grew up in Kaikoura amongst a large extended family. His father was a builder, and Thomas followed him into the trade. Rumour has it my great grandfather, Thomas' uncle was apprenticed to Thomas' father as well. Thomas was the eldest of four children born to Caroline and Tom and sadly none would survive past 35 years.

Thomas moved to Wellington after finishing high school when he was 17, where he worked as a builder.  He was a keen musician and was a member of Jupp's band and the Garrison Band. He married a local Wellington girl, Maud Elliott in 1901 and they had three children. Around 1912 his family moved to Melbourne where he continued to practise as a builder, besides taking an active interest in brass bands and the Ancient Order of Foresters.

In February 1915 he became a member of the Australian Expeditionary Forces, enlisting with the 8th battalion. He sailed on 26 November 1915 with the 7th Australian Reinforcements arriving in Egypt on New Years Day. From there he went to France with a machine gun section and saw a lot of action. The first major action they saw in France was at Pozieres where 81 lives were lost. Thomas was killed in action on 25 July 1916 at Pozieres, France and posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. At some point he had been promoted to Acting Corporal, but was awarded the Victoria Cross for action at Pozieres, France whilst serving with 8 Battalion, 2 Brigade, 1 Division as a Private. The citation in the Supplement to the London Gazette September 9, 1916 reads

"No. 3055 Pte .Thomas Cooke, late Aus. Infy.
         For most conspicuous bravery. After a Lewis gun had been disabled, he was ordered to take his gun and gun-team to a dangerous part of the line. Here he did fine work, but came under very heavy fire, with the result that finally he was the only man left. He still stuck to his post, and continued to fire his gun.
        When assistance was sent he was found dead beside his gun. He set a splendid
example of  determination and devotion to duty."

There is extensive coverage about this on Trove,

The Argus (Melbourne Vic 1848-1956) Monday 11 September 1916 page 8 article1611874-3-001

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW 1842-1954) Friday 2 February 1917 page 6 article15734182-3-001

(complete with typos ! the Sydney Morning Herald article has Gallipoli instead of Pozieres - woops) and also in the New Zealand papers at PapersPast

The Evening Post (Wellington New Zealand) 15 September 1916, page 8

as well as on the Australian War Memorial site, New Zealand History online in the Australian Dictionary of Biography and many more. Google is a great help when researching.

It appears that his widow had drawn out negotiations with bureaucracy claiming her pension, from the correspondence I discovered on his file at National Archives of Australia , back and forth between Australian and New Zealand officials. His Victoria Cross is held in the collection at the National Army Museum in Waiouru.

The Army chaplin telling his story on ANZAC Day had visited Gallipoli and toured the battlefields to walk in the steps of his great uncle, I still dont know exactly where he fits into the family - I feel he is more likely related through the Elliott or Cooke families, since  we can account for most descendants on the Cooper side. I hunted him down at the breakfast between the dawn service and the citizens service at St Paul's cathedral but couldnt do much more than share our family connection and thank him for sharing the story.

I have wondered since discovering my other Cooper relations in Melbourne whether Thomas met them. From the electoral rolls they didnt live too far apart. Did his mother Caroline keep in contact with her mother - the mysterious Mary Cooper, nee Barratt also known as Nicholls ? or her younger siblings now married and starting their own families in Melbourne ? I might have to keep wondering about that for now.

Victoria Cross. Source: http;//medals.nzdf.mil.nz

So, there is the tale as it exists now of Thomas Cooke VC my 2nd cousin 1x removed who I feel wholly embodies the ANZAC spirit; being born a Kiwi and serving as an Aussie. Both countries can feel proud of this soldier.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Lest we forget

Laurence Binyon



This post forms part of Trove Tuesday as suggested by Amy, from Branches, Leaves & Pollen.