Emma Cowell

Emma COWELL of Thaxted

Born Circa 1827

ESSEX

Emma COWELL was married to George FARROW, a blacksmith, in Thaxted in 1847 and in the 1861 census for Thaxted her age was shown as 34, that she was born in Thaxted and a widow, George died in 1854. In 1866 she married Henry Wright, in Thaxted.

I carried out an extensive search of the Thaxted baptism registers and could find no mention of Emma COWELL's baptism. In the 1841 census for Thaxted she is shown as living in Orange Street with Robert and Ann BARNARD and Mary FITCH. On the 24th July 1836 a Mary COWELL, widow, married Geroge FITCH. It would therfore be logical to assume that because Emma was living with Mary FITCH in 1841 that Mary was her mother. The 1841 Census does not detail relationships and therefore, as Robert Barnard was a Brewer, it could be possible that Mary FITCH was a housekeeper and Emma COWELL was a servant girl. From an examination of the Thaxted marriage register all the Mary's that had married COWELL's none could have been a widow in 1836.

On Emma's marriage certificate her father was shown as George and his occupation was a carpenter. In the 1841 census there is a George COWELL age 70 who is an Ag. Lab., however he was probably too old to be her father.

An examination of the Thaxted marriage register was carried out and in 1813 there was a marriage between George COWELL and Mary BOATMAN,(Widow) in Thaxted . I have assumed that this is the George (second child of George COWEL and Martha WALLER) that was baptised in 1779. This would make him at least 49 when Emma was born and his wife, who was a widow, when she married him, even older. Therefore it would be unlikely for these people to be her parents.

A more likely candidate was a George COWELL who was born in 1797 and who would have been too young to have married in 1813, unfortunately a Thaxted marriage entry for him was not found, but then neither was there a burial entry. George is not in the 1841 census for Thaxted and as there is no entry in the Thaxted Burial registers it may be that he has moved away or may possibly have been buried in a Non Conformist .graveyard.

In 1837 a James COWELL was baptised and his birth was given as 1822 and his parents were George and Mary COWELL. Does this child belong to George and Mary (Boatman), or to another George and Mary ?

The search for Emma's parents continues here