Curious circumstances – the marriage of Hannah Miller and William Cooksey 1838

That a couple should marry far from home, their marriage possibly witnessed by strangers, is not unknown. We may never know the particular circumstances but the marriage in 1838 of Hannah Miller (née Mallin) and William Cooksey raises questions about some curious circumstances.

Why did they marry nearly 100 miles away from home? Who were their witnesses?

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Who was William Cooksey?

Christmas is a time for family games and puzzles. Mine centred on William Cooksey, the second husband of Hannah Miller (nee Mallin), who was himself a widower. Having trawled trade directories for Staffordshire (concentrating on West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Tipton), I had begun to develop a theory about William’s business activity as, at first, a Nail Ironmonger and, later, a Grocer and Tea Dealer.  There were other Cooksey businesses, too: Samuel Cooksey and Joseph Cooksey. Were they all three related? Continue reading