Thomas Rook 2

Thomas Rook

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Thanks for this. Thanks also for asking for more details. I have tried to look
at the photograph in more depth but cannot take it out of the album and I am
afraid of damaging both to try any further.

However, today, for the first time, I have found that the photograph appears to
have been mounted on card at some stage after it was taken rather than it being
on the board which photographs tended to be mounted on. I want to be as accurate
as possible and have tried to look via the Internet as well as in library books
to check that this kind of photograph was being produced in his lifetime but
have not managed to do so. If you think the photograph could not possibly have
been taken then, we will only be able to state it was a member of the Rook
family but for all of my life my mother and her relatives have always said it is
a picture of Thomas Rook(e).

I have several pictures of his son Thomas (my great, great grandfather) who is
much slimmer and looks decidedly different (see next photo to be sent to you).
Pictures of his son are with other people making it certain that it was him.

The picture I sent to you is sepia and faded and it appears to be older than
the ones of Thomas Rook junior.

Thomas Rook was born in about 1784. I do not know where he was born or the names
of his parents but would love to do so. It is likely he was born in the Forest
of Dean. However the rest of the dates and places are likely to be very accurate
I have checked some via several sources (his marriage, death etc. are recorded
in the remaining pages I have of the family Bible which he and his wife bought
in 1829. I am sure that they bought it then as their names and the date have
been engraved professionally on the back of the hard cover of the front of the
Bible in gold lettering on a red background.) The Bible itself has gone all but
a few pages but it was published in 1816.

Thomas Rook(e) was married to Elizabeth Mary Stead on 21st and 22nd February
1813. You might wonder why I say they were married on two consecutive dates?!
The reason is they were of the RC faith and their RC marriage was not considered
legal, so they married in the C of E as well. Their Anglican marriage was on
22nd February at Newland, Gloucestershire and the vicar was Rev. Josiah Allport.
Witnesses at the wedding were Susannah Rook (I have not managed to find out who
she was and would love to know!) and Thomas Bond (he crops up several times at
weddings and baptisms I've noticed). At the RC wedding (Monmouth) the priest was
Rev Gildart. Elizabeth Stead/Steade [sometimes wrongly referred to in records as
Steele] was his wife, born 20th Jan 1786 in Hotwells, Bristol. Family oral
history is that her mother was French and spoke broken English but I have found
a record stating she too was born in Hotwells. Thomas died on 15th March 1844 at
Lane End, Coleford. I even have the time of his death as midnight. Buried 19th
March. His wife died 26th May 1866 in Coalway, Lane End, Coleford.

They had five children, that I know of: four boys and a girl. The girl was
called Mary born 21/5/1816. I am not sure what happened to her but she is likely
to be the Mary Rook buried in Coleford at the age of 3 years in 1819. Their
sons were:

Joseph Rook, born 5/2/1814 died 23/1/1856 (Died at Lane End, Coleford)
Thomas Rook(e) my great, great, grandfather 17-6-1818 to December 1883 in
Sheffield (he moved to Sheffield in the 1870s to work at Osborn Mushett's steel
works).

Charles J. Rook, born 1824 died (in Poughkeepsie, New York) 1/10/1854

Paul Rook born about 1831 died 11/4/1871 (buried at Parkend Cemetery, Forest of
Dean).

Note how old they were when the last two children were born. This is definitely
true as my mother used to talk of how old they were (oral history connecting
with written records) and how old their son Thomas was when some of his children
were born.

I have an even older photograph of who my mother said was Henry Morgan who she
said was an Oxford don. It is on glass and looks almost like a negative and he's
wearing a mortorboard and gown. I have been unable to find out anything else
about him or how he was related to the Rooks but he was a close relative.

Photo and details supplied by Helen Best