Ancestor #95

Margaret Cook (Kock, Koch) (1783-Aft 1871)

Margaret Cook was born in New York about 1783 and died in Williamsburg, Dundas, Ontario after 1871. Her parentage is unknown. She married Mathias Barkley on 7 January 1804 in Albany County, New York. He was born about 1783 in Albany County, New York and died on 12 May 1848 in Matilda, Dundas, Ontario.

            Not much is known about Margaret but there is a lot of speculation evident on the Internet. Birth dates for Margaret range from 1772 to 1782 and death dates from 1851 to 1876. Here is the information I have been able to collect for her.

            Margaret was living with her daughter Amy and her husband Isaac Mill when the 1851 census[1] was taken as of 12 January 1852. She is enumerated as Margaret Barkley, born in the US, Presbyterian, widowed, age 69. I am unable to locate her in the 1861 census, but she is no longer living with Amy and Isaac. In 1871, Margaret Barkley is enumerated with her daughter Eliza and her husband John Beckstead[2] in Williamsburg. She is listed as Margaret Barkley, age 88, born in the US, Methodist, widowed.  She may have been living with Eliza’s family in 1861 also but I have not been able to find the John Beckstead family in the 1861 census. Because she was alive in 1871, we can eliminate any death date before this date. Therefore, the Find a Grave Memorial[3] for her is incorrect. This has an 1851 death date.

            I have chosen a 1783 birth year for Margaret. In 1852 it is stated that she is 69 which equates to a 1783 birth year and in 1871 it is stated that she is 88 which also equates to a 1783 birth year. This also equates well with the birth years of her children. Her first child was born in 1804 and the youngest in 1828. If she was born in 1783, she would have had her youngest at 21 and her oldest at 45. If we consider the 1772 birth year which is found on several trees, she would have been 32 when her first child was born and 56 when the youngest was born. Fifty-six is a possible but unlikely age to have children. A birth year of 1778 falls in the middle and is more likely giving her a reproductive span of 26 to 50. But since her age is consistent for both census returns, I have chosen 1783.

            Margaret’s parents are unknown. Several Internet trees claim she is the daughter of Johann Koch, born in Palatine, Montgomery, New York in 1740 and died in 1804 in Mohawk, Herkimer, New York and Elizabeth Delaney. There is a German Koch family who baptized children in the Stone Arabia Reformed Church from 1752 to 1772. One of them is named John, born 2 November 1740 but he is married to Helena or Lena but not Elizabeth. He was born in 2 Nov 1740 and died 23 March 1804. He is the son of Caspar and Verena (Muller) Koch and the husband of Magdalena Dillenback. There is no evidence that he had a daughter named Margaret. I do not think this John Koch is the father of Margaret Cook.

            I searched the 1790 US Census for Cook or Koch families living in Montgomery County. In 1790 Montgomery County was very large and the area would be broken into several daughter counties starting in 1791. I found 2 Cook or Koch families living in the area. One was Joseph Koch living in Herkimer and the second is John Cook living in Otsego. I should look also at candidates in the Albany or Schoharie areas since that is where husband Nicholas’ family was living.

Children of Mathias and Margaret (Cook) Barkley:

            i.  Jacob Barkley, b. 24 Oct 1804 in Guilderland, Albany, New York, d. 3 Mar 1863 in Matilda, Dundas, Ontario, Canada, m. 13 Jul 1826 Catherine Strader, b. 1808 in Matilda, d. after 1891 in Matilda.

       ii.   John M. Barkley, b. 3 Jan 1807 in Albany County, d. 2 Jan 1869 in Matilda, m. 1835 Elizabeth Ann Knapp, b. 1809 in Ontario, d. 5 Nov 1894 in Matilda.

      iii.   Anna Maria Barkley, b. 18 Dec 1808 in Albany County, bap. 12 Mar 1809 in Berne, Albany, New York, d. 6 May 1865 in Oxford County, Ontario, m. 1) 16 Aug 1824 in New York John Winegard, b. 10 Oct 1801 in Albany County, d. 3 Sep 1858 in Mountain, Dundas, Ontario and 2) William Taylor on 4 Jun 1860 in Mountain, b. 1808 in Ireland.

      iv.   Henry M. Barkley, b. 15 Jan 1811 in Williamsburg, Dundas, Ontario, d. 20 Feb 1898 in Mountain, m. 19 Jul 1831 in Williamsburg, Margaret McIntosh, born 31 Aug 1809 in Morewood, Dundas, Ontario and d. 3 Sep 1882 in Canada.

       v.   Francis Everett Barkley, b. 12 Oct 1812 in Matilda and d. 9 Apr 1887 in Matilda, m. 28 Sep 1836 in Mountain, Mary Ann McIntosh, b. 4 Jan 1813 in Ontario and d. 28 Sep 1908 in Ontario.

      vi.   Thomas Barkley, b. 30 Mar 1814 in Matilda, d. 26 May 1903 in Dundas County,  m. in 1836 in Dundas County, Margaret Dillabough, b. 1812 in Matilda and d. 1901 in Ontario.

     vii.   Eliza Barkley, b. 29 Mar 1815 in Matilda, d. 1 Sep 1885 in Williamsburg, m. on 7 Aug 1836 in Dundas County, John J. Beckstead, b. 13 Apr 1811 in Williamsburg and d. 1 Jul 1891 in Williamsburg.

    viii.   Gideon Barkley, b. 3 Dec 1818 in Matilda, d. 1893 in Osgoode, Carleton, Ontario, m. 1) 1839 in Williamsburg, Jane Ault, b.1821 and d. before 1874. And 2) Elizabeth A. Meyers on 10 Oct 1874 in Chesterville, Dundas, Ontario, b. 1827

    ix.  Michael Henry Barkley, b. 1822 in Matilda, d. Apr 1881, m. 1843 in Dundas County, Janet McKay, b. 1823 in Scotland, d. 8 Jul 1891 in Dundas County.

                 x.  Amy Margaret Barkley, b. 17 Aug 1823 in Matilda, d. 6 Oct 1896 in Schaller, Sac, Iowa, m, 30 Mar 1843 in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence, New York, Isaac Mill, b. 10 Mar 1817 in Iroquois, Dundas, Ontario and d. 7 Jan 1903 in Schaller.

                 xi. Matthew Barkley, b. 17 Aug 1823 in Matilda, d. Feb 1905 in Wall Lake, Sac, Iowa, m. 24 Dec 1843 Rachel Foster, b. 26 Nov 1822 in Canada and d. 4 Mar 1901 in Wall Lake.

                xii. Simon Peter Barkley, b. 16 Sep 1825 in Matilda, d. 27 Oct 1873 in Matilda, m. 1847 in Dundas County Lucinda Strader, b. 6 Dec 1826 in Dundas County and d, 28 Apr 1913 in Dundas County.

               xiii. Daniel Barkley, b. 8 Sep 1828 in Matilda, d. 7 Dec 1906 in Morris, Huron North, Ontario, m. 1849 Lucy Parker, b. 3 Apr 1832 in Cornwall, Stormont, Ontario, d. 1914 in Morris,

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[1] 1851 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada West, Dundas, Mountain, district 5, sub-district 36, p. 31, Isaac Mill; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jan 2017), citing Library and Archives Canada, roll C_11717.

[2] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, Williamsburg, district 71, sub-district C-4, p. 51, dwelling 160, family 174, John Bedsted; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 Feb 2019), citing Library and Archives Canada, roll C-10006.

[3] Find A Grave, database and images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 18 May 2019), Memorial # 187843588, Margaret Cook Barkley.