Family Nibbles

It seems impossible that Elizabeth could have managed on her own, with two kids in a cabin in the Pennsylvania frontier.

No surprise that Elizabeth re-married. In the fall of 1684, Elizabeth married Joseph Cookson.

Elizabeth married Joseph Cookson

What is a surprise is the wedding “announcement”. Her husband Joseph Cookson was taken to court for marrying “Contrary to the good and Wholsome Lawes of this Province.” The courts followed English laws, but in practice the Quakers added another layer of control.

Cookson was ordered to pay £10, but no further action was recorded. He probably didn’t pay.

It’s interesting that Elizabeth married “outside” the Quaker ways. But apparently quite a few Quakers found the marriage process time consuming and onerous, and married “outside”.

Did Elizabeth know Joseph Cookson in Britain? I don’t think so, because we didn’t come across any Cooksons in our search of Cheshire area.

Joseph Cookson

In 1682, William Penn purchased the area that is now Delaware, and he and his sons distributed land in Delaware just as in Pennsylvania.

Joseph Cookson had been granted a land warrant in Newcastle County, Delaware, about 15 miles southwest of Chester. But he probably attended Quaker meeting in Chester, and obviously was governed by Chester court jurisdiction.

We haven’t found any past family records for Joseph. Was he married? Children? Don’t know.

Joseph moved to Elizabeth’s land. We don’t know what became of his land warrant. But for the next several years, Joseph Cookson is the name on the property and tax lists for Elizabeth’s land.

The map below is by Thomas Holme, Penn’s surveyor general. The map shows the extent of settlement around 1685, three years after the counties were chartered. It shows Elizabeth and Joseph Cookson’s land, labeled “Jos Coxson”.

Children

Joseph and Elizabeth had three children. Daniel was the elder, probably born within a year or so after the 1684 marriage. Then two daughters were born, Hannah and Mary.

So by early 1690s there were six offspring in the household:

• Joseph Jervis, about age 19
• Ruth Jervis, age 11
• Daniel Cookson, age 6
• Hannah Cookson, age 4
• Mary Cookson, age 2

Despite their age differences and different fathers, the Jervises and Cooksons would live and work and move together for the rest of their lives.

Joseph Cookson died

Joseph Cookson died in the early 1690s.

Poor Elizabeth. Another tough break. But several of her children were old enough to help out. And Joseph was an adult, perhaps not living in Elizabeth’s household.

Timeline

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Sources

• Joseph Cookson – Court of Chester County – December 1684 – Chester County Archives – Chester, Pennsylvania – https://www.chesco.org/192/Archives-Records
• Quaker marriage protocol – Early Church Records of Delaware County Pennsylvania – Volume 1 – Peden and Launey – Intro – P 008 viii
• Carved Quaker figures – https://www.chairish.com/product/1191448/pine-hand-carved-quaker-couple-figurines-a-pair
• Thomas Holme’s map of Pennsylvania – Library of Congress – https://www.loc.gov/item/88695890/
• Image of farmer – WikiMedia
• Survey of Cookson’s Hope – Joseph Cookson – 1684 – Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA