Esther Crump (1805-?), the daughter of Edward Callow Crump and his wife, Mary, was born at Childswickham, Gloucestershire, in 1805, and baptised there on 21st July.
On 13th May 1832 Esther married Edward Cook at St Mary’s, Cheltenham. They had two sons, both born at Whittington, Gloucestershire: John (1833) and Edward (1834). Edward was described as a yeoman at the time of the baptism of his sons. It’s not known where they were at the time of the 1841 census but, by 1851, Esther and Edward were living at what is now known as The Wheatsheaf Inn. Edward was a baker and grocer.
Just a few months after the census, Edward died. The following year, on 10th November 1852 at Badsey, Esther married widower, Joseph Knight, and became step-mother to his four young children: Ann Elizabeth (1843-1922), Joseph (1845-1921), Sarah Sophia (1847-1895), Charles Frederic (1849-1929) . Esther was described as a grocer on the marriage certificate. Esther’s son, John Cook, a baker, also lived there. It is probable that John had gone to live in Badsey in the latter part of 1851 after the death of his father, a baker and grocer. Esther could take care of the grocery business but would have needed the help of her son to continue with the bakery.
At some stage in the 1850s, Joseph and Esther and family emigrated to Canada where Joseph took up farming. Shipping records for this period are not available but 20th century census returns have a column for emigration date – Joseph’s son, Charles, stated 1854; his son, Joseph, stated 1859. Esther’s son, John, and his wife, Mary, and two young children, Mary and Edward, also emigrated to Canada. This was in 1858, so whether the Knight and Cook families emigrated together or one family went out first and the other followed is not known.
At the time of the Canadian census of 1871, which took place on 2nd April, Joseph and Esther were living in Gosfield Township, Essex County, Ontario. Just over a month later, Joseph died on 6th May 1871. It is not known when Esther died, but it is assumed it was some time between 1871 and 1881 as she is not to be found in the 1881 census.