James Alfred Cock(s) – grave tales

James Alfred Cock was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire in Wales on the 17th December 1850. He was the eldest son of Joseph Cock and Ann nee Wherry. In 1870, at aged 19yrs, he embarked from Plymouth Devon England on the ship the Colonial Empire to Victoria, arriving in Melbourne in October of 1870. He gave his occupation as a Miner.

Grave of James Alfred Cock – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock

He was to remain in Victoria for 24yrs before travelling to Western Australia. On the 21st Feb 1874 in Bendigo Victoria, he married Elizabeth Ann Jory at the home of the bride’s sister. Elizabeth was born in Cornwall England and came to Victoria in the same year as James. She was a year younger than him.

James Alfred Cock and Elizabeth Ann Jory on their wedding day in 1874 – Ancestry.com

The couple had twelve children during their marriage, all born in Victoria, six of whom died as children. The family arrived in Western Australia in 1895 and by 1898 they were living in Sydney Street, Brown Hill near Kalgoorlie.

Kalgoorlie Miner 28 December 1905, page 4

James died on Christmas day, 25th Dec 1905 in the Kalgoorlie Government Hospital which he was admitted to 6 days prior. His cause of death was given as Acute Mania and Heart Failure, he was 56yrs old.

Ancestry.com

The Cock Family – L-R:  Standing – Florence Mabel b 1890 – Elizabeth Ann b 1874 – Martha Louisa b 1884- Edith Maud b 1889 – Seated Alfred Ernest Cock b 1876, – Elizabeth Ann Cock – James Alfred Cock, Front: Frederick James Cock
b 1894.

Young Frederick in the front of the photograph above, was to later die aged 24yrs on the 4th December 1918 somewhere in France and is memorialised on his fathers headstonein the Kalgoorlie Cemetery.

James Alfred COCK – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock

Elizabeth stayed on at the home at 193 Sydney Street in Brownhill, in 1918 it was valued at £12. She never re married and moved to Leederville near Perth WA in 1919, possibly following the death of her youngest son in France in WW1. She died in Perth in 1928 and is buried in the Karrakatta Cemeterty.

Frederick James Cock(s) died France 1918 – Youngest son of Elizabeth & James Cock

NOTE: Various family members have added an ‘s’ to the surname at different times.

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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