My Great Grandmother Louisa Colman

Louisa Colman Cogman

Compiled and Edited by W. Craig Burrell

Key Points

Born: 9 November 1844

Parents: William Colman and Martha Weaving

Spouse and Marriage: John Cogman, 5 May 1862

Death: January 1915

            Louisa Colman was born to William Colman and Martha Weaving on 9 November 1844 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. She grew up in a family of seven children and was the second oldest. She was a lovely girl with dark hair and an olive complexion.

            She was working at an inn in Norwich for her aunt when she met John Cogman, who was working on construction with his uncles nearby. When her aunt became aware of the relationship that was developing, her aunt rushed her back to parents in Kings Lynn. John traveled the forty miles to her home and presented himself to her father in a proper fashion. Her father gave permission for them to marry. John was 21 and Louisa was only 16.

            Louis’s uncle, William Flowers was a prosperous carriage builder in Kings Lynn. He made sure that the young couple had a gala wedding. After the ceremony, the couple was carried to the railroad station in an elaborate carriage. It was drawn by a classy team of horses and a postilion in a red uniform was mounted on the near horse. As the train pulled out of the station, “Fog Signals” exploded to give them a royal send off.

            When they arrived at their home in Norwich, Louisa found the home furnished and comfortable. The big copper kettle was singing on the kitchen stove to greet them thanks to John’s sister Rachael.

            Louisa did not conceive for a year or more after she was married. She went to her mother crying because she didn’t have any children. Her mother gently told her, “Some day you will be crying because you have too many.” Louisa eventually had 15.

            John and Louisa were comfortable in Norwich; however, they found it necessary to move to London for a while. New babies arrived while they were living there. Small Pox and Typhus claimed the life of three of their little ones. Emma Louisa was born while they lived in London, and shortly after this they moved back to Norwich.

            In Norwich they settled in some of the property belonging to the Read family in what is known as Crooks Place. John Cogman’s granduncle, Charles Read, and his son William Reed lived in one of the cottages. John Cogman and his growing family moved into the other cottage. John latter built a larger home where Emma Louisa remembers growing up with her family. She told her children about the apple tree and the private hedge that separated the cottages from the larger home at the top of the yard. William Read built another larger home on the property and the John Cogman family moved into it later on.

            Louisa was very domestic and did beautiful sewing. She made many clothes for her own children and also many clothes for the babies of her first daughter-in-law, Polly. In those days baby’s clothes were decorated with tucks and laces and required much hand work. On one occasion Emma Louisa saw her mother making diapers and surmised that they were for Polly. “Don’t you think you should give up sewing for Polly and let her do it herself?”

            Her mother replied, “I wish they were for Polly, these are for me.” They were for Kitty the last of the 15 children. Emma Louisa was annoyed when she realized that her mother was pregnant again. 

            Louisa spent much of her time sewing. Emma Louisa was hard to sew for and it took a lot of tucks to make her dresses fit. However, she made them fit. She spent a major part of her time sewing while the older girls took care of the younger children and cleaned house. Louisa spent her life in her home with her family. She rarely went out of the house for anything.

            After John Cogman died, no one in the family was interested in managing the business or maintaining the property. Louisa was quite heavy and had problems with her legs. She retained water and there was no way to deal with the problem back then. As she grew more helpless, she remained in a single room. Her daughter Louie came by to help her on a regular basis.

            Herbert Burrell, one of Louisa’s grandsons told of this experience. “When I was 13 years old, I was living with my family on Vincent road and I grew flowers…. I had fostered a Chrysanthemum plant and on this particular fall it burst out in very full bloom.”

            “When I discovered what a lovely burst of yellow Chrysanthemums were on my bush, I decided to pick them all and take them to Grandmother Cogman. They were beautiful when I started out, but were somewhat bedraggled by the time I got there.”

            “We usually walked everywhere in those days, although there was an Electric Tramway which ran on rails with electric wire overhead. I never thought of taking the tram. It may have been at least a 30 minute walk to Grandma’s home. We measured our distance in walking time never in miles. This is the only time I remember visiting her.”

            “I was very shocked to find her situation. As I recall, the steps up to her second floor room were plain unpainted wood and the floor of the room was also plain and unpainted without rugs. Grandma sat helpless in a plain wooden chair with a curved back and arm rests, no padding. She was so very heavy and helpless. I put the flowers in some container with water that I got from the sink myself. I can’t remember what conversation may have taken place, but I know I went home wondering just who would look after her. I knew that Aunt Louie lived nearby, but I did not stop by to see her. Grandmother, Louisa Cogman suffered from dropsy and died in January 1915.”

Source: This material was compiled from the diaries and writings of Herbert Burrell and Doris Burrell St Jeor.