Untitled

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 841, 19 May 1910, Page 4

The following interesting paragraph regarding the death of an old woman with two hundred and eighty-three descendants, some of whom are in New Zealand, appears in the Lowestoft Journal of 12th March : “Mrs Frances Cooke (late of Southacre) has recently passed away at Ox wick, at the age of ninety-five. She claimed to have two hundred and eighty-three descendants, four of whom belong to the fifth generation. For the past nineteen years she has lived with her daughter, Mrs Greef, of Oxwick. She had two other daughters living in Norfolk, one in Lancashire, and one in New Zealand ; also three sons living at Saffron Walden, in South Wales, and New Zealand. She was left a widow thirty-five years ago, her husband being gamekeeper for many years in the employ of the late Mr Andrew Fountaine, of Narford Hall, a daughter of whom kindly allowed the old lady a pension of 5s per week for thirtyfour years, until she became entitled to the State old-age pension. She was grandmother to Mrs Westwood, of the Westwood Family from New Zealand, who visited this country last year with five of their family. One of the sons, named Wilfred, aged twelve years, weighed 21st 61b, and one of the daughters (Ruby) ( weighed An exhibition was held at King’s Lynn, Norwich, and other places last summer.