Cora Wyatt
1874 – 1945
Honiton, Devon
Cora Wyatt was born in 1873 in the picturesque Devon village of Ottery St Mary. She was the beloved daughter of John and Louisa Wyatt and one of seven children. The 1881 census records the young Cora, just eight years old, living with her family in Ottery St Mary—surrounded by her six siblings in a lively household that reflected rural English life in the late Victorian era.
At the tender age of ten, Cora’s intelligence and dedication shone through. In January 1884, the Devon and Somerset Weekly News reported that she had earned a prize for religious knowledge, a clear sign of her studious nature and the encouragement she received from her community and family.
By 1891, the twenty-one-year-old Cora had moved to Exeter, stepping into domestic service as a parlour maid to the Archdeacon and Canon of Exeter. Census records describe her among five female servants in the household—a role that required attentiveness, discretion, and grace .
A decade later, Cora was working again in domestic service—this time in Kensington, London, employed as a housemaid for the affluent Shattock family. Her move to London speaks volumes about her ambition and adaptability; she had risen from village life in Devon to working in the heart of Victorian London society.
By the time of the 1911 census, Cora had left formal service and returned closer to home. She was recorded as a single visitor residing with her brother William, his wife Ellen, and their two children, Joyce and William, in a five-room home. William’s work as a plumber and painter suggests a modest but stable family life .
In 1912, Cora made a bold and life-changing decision—at nearly 40 years old, she chose to emigrate to America. She boarded the SS Ivernia from Liverpool, traveling second class to Boston, Massachusetts. For a single woman of her age and background, this was an act of remarkable courage and vision.
In 1913, just one year after arriving in the United States, she became an American citizen, embracing a new identity in a new world.
On Christmas Day, 1913, Cora married Frank Dunn, a fellow English émigré and widower. Together, they moved to Yuba, California, beginning a life that blended love, hard work, and new beginnings.
By 1920, Cora was recorded as a homemaker while Frank worked as a labourer—a modest but stable life in rural northern California. Ten years later, in 1930, the couple had moved to Loomis, Placer County, where they owned their own farm. Both were literate, proud of their home, and deeply rooted in the land they worked.
In 1940, now in their later years, Cora and Frank were still living in Placer County. Frank, at 76, had likely retired, while Cora, now 68, continued as a homemaker. Their property was valued at $500, a modest home, but one full of hard-earned pride. Census records still list them as fruit farmers, suggesting they remained connected to the land and its rhythms to the very end.
Cora passed away on May 25, 1945, in Placer County, California. She was 72 years old.
Though she lived much of her adult life far from Devon, Cora remained close in spirit to her family. Her brother Charlie Wyatt named his daughter Joan Kathleen Cora Wyatt in her honour—a heartfelt tribute to the woman whose strength, kindness, and quiet influence left a lasting impression on those who knew and loved her.
Vogel Ancestry 