William Cook (1803 - 1903)

Born 20 Jun 1803 in Deep River Mm, , North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Ruth (Small) Cook — married 16 Nov 1826 in West Grove Monthly Meeting, Wayne County, Indiana, United States

Descendants

Died 31 Dec 1903 at age 100 in Marion, Grant County, Indiana

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Glenn York [send private message]

Biography

William was born in 1803. He is the son of Joseph Cook and Lydia Wickersham. He passed away in 1902. ^[1]

Research Notes

Birth: Date: 20 Jun 1803 Place: Deep River Mm, , North Carolina^[2][3]

Death: Date: 31 Dec 1903 Place: Marion, , Indiana^[4]

Burial Place: IOOF Cemetery; Grant County, Indiana

• William Cook and Ruth Small lived in Wayne County, IN, until the Fall of 1848 when they moved to Grant Co., IN.

In 1911 Nathan Cook, their youngest son, published privately a book listing their descendants to approximately 1910.

Following is a copy of the marriage certificate, as quoted from Nathan W.Cook's family book:

"WHEREAS, William Cook, of the State of Indiana in the County of Wayne,son of Joseph Cook of the county and State aforesaid, and Lydia, his wife, and Ruth Small, daughter of Gideon Small and Sarah, his wife;Having declared their intentions of marriage with each other before a Monthly Meeting of the religious Society of Friends, held at West Grove,and having consent of parents, their said proposals of marriage were allowed by said meeting. These are to certify whom it may concern, that for the full accomplishment of their said intentions, this sixteenth day of the eleventh month, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and twenty-six, they, the said William Cook and Ruth Small appeared in a public meeting of the said people held at West Grove aforesaid, and the said William Cook taking the said Ruth Small by the hand, declared that he took her the said Ruth Small, to be his wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto her a loving and faithful husband until death should separate them. And moreover, they, the said William Cook and Ruth Small, (she according to the custom of marriage adopting the name of her husband) did, as a further confirmation thereof, then and there to these presents, set their hands.

(Signed) William Cook Ruth Cook

"And we whose names are also hereunto subscribed, being present at the solemnization of the said marriage, have as witnesses thereto, set our hands the day and year above written."

(Then follow the signatures of twenty-five witnesses.)

William Cook was a shoemaker and farmer living west of Centerville, Wayne County, Indiana, until on February 10, 1849 they moved from West Grove Monthly Meeting to Mississinewa Monthly Meeting and were received thereon April 18, 1849.

The farm of 120 acres was located in Section 32 of Franklin Township where he and his family cleared the land and built a log house, in Grant County, Indiana. It was here that they brought a hollow beech stump with a swarm of bees, which increased to a large apiary, and they had more than enough honey for over fifty years.

It was here too that on July 5, 1873, Ruth (Small) Cook was accidentally killed after an attack by a sheep, striking her in the stomach.

There were a number of reunions to celebrate William Cook's birthday; the first about 1870. The last, on June 20, 1902, was held at the home of his great-grandson, Joshua A. Ladd, in celebration of his 99th birthday. It was from these gatherings that the Cook-Small-Marshall reunions developed, being held at different times and places during the years, but for a long time being held on the third Sunday of the month of August, in Matter Park, Marion, Indiana. The last reunion was held on August 19,1973.

William Cook died December 31, 1902, aged 99 years, 6 months and 11 days. He was buried in IOOF Cemetery, Marion, Grant Co., Indiana.

"...At the end of a calm winter day, under the canopy of a beautiful star-lit twilight, and at the close of the last day of the year, our beloved friend and relative, who was in the eve of a century of useful,exalted life, passed from this earth as peacefully as the leaves are wafted downward by the gentle breeze at the close of an Autumn day...."(Obituary)

-------------

William was a shoemaker by trade. In 1848 he purchased 160 acres of land in section 32 of Franklin township in Grant county, IN. Here with the help of his boys they soon cleared a farm and built a log house where he and his family lived constantly for more than half a century.

William cast his first ballot for president in 1829, voting for Andrew Jackson, but since that time he regularly voted the Republican ticket.

In 1849 he went in company with Nathan Small, Gideon Small, Joshua Marshall and Eli Hunt, to the first election held in the territory including Sims and Franklin townships, about one mile northeast of Herbst, IN. It being a rainy day, the ballot box was placed in a hollow stump, there being about 20 voters present. In 1902 William was the only person living who cast his ballot in the old hollow stump that day.

He never brought suit against any one and only once has he been defendant, in which case the total costs were 10 cents. He never has been juror or a witness in court, having been summoned but once, and on that occasion his testimony was not called for.

When about 25 years old he formed the tobacco habit which he continued till he was 72 years old. He then renounced the habit. He has always been a total abstainer from all kinds of alcoholic liquors.

Soon after moving to Grant county William and Ruth went hunting for bees.They found a swarm in a hollow beech stump. The stump was let down and sawed off on either side of the bees and taken home where it was set up.The bees increased and multiplied until they had a large Apiary, and plenty of honey and to spare. In 1902 there were yet two hives descended from the old beech stump.

In 1883 William went by way of Chicago and Kansas City to Baxter Springs,Cherokee county, Kansas to visit his daughter, Charity who lived there at that time. He remained with her from February till August of the same year. On his return home he stopped with his sister Rachel Jones, near Oskaloosa, Iowa and spent a week with her. This is the first time he has been out of the state of Indiana since he came from North Carolina in his early boyhood days.

There have been a number of reunions to celebrate the birthday of William Cook. The first was about 1870. The next was on June 20, 1879, on which occasion John Allen, an able minister of the Friends, delivered an excellent message to the company of more than 100 persons. June 20, 1893 there was a reunion at the home of his daughter Charity Marshall. The 4th reunion was held June 20, 1894. On this occasion more than 100 people assembled, most of them being relatives and descendants, including

those to the fifth generation. On the 20th of June 1895, the reunion was at the home of Joseph Cook. There was a small reunion in 1896, the attendance being reduced on account of rainy weather. June 20th 1897, no less than 123 persons assembled, among whom were six children, fifteen grand children, thirty-one great grand children and two great great grandchildren, and one nephew, Calvin Bond of Carmel, IN. There were reunions in 1898 and 1899, not so well attended on account of the busy

season and coming in the mid-week.

The 20th of June 1900 made William Cook 97 year old. Six children, ten grand children and twenty great grand children, assembled at the home of his son N. W. Cook. on September 4, 1900. He was taken to G. W. Pontius, artist of Swayzee, IN, where with Jacob G. Cook, a son, Rachel D.Marshall, a grand daughter, Anna Estella Babb, a great grand daughter,and Dwight Babb, a great great grand son, all met at the studio and pictures were taken of the five generations. On November 6, 1900 he was taken to the polls where he cast his vote for McKinley and Roosevelt in his 98th year.

The annual birthday reunion of William Cook was held at the home of his son, N.W. Cook, on Thursday, June 20, 1901, there being 88 persons present. Of this number, ten were not related to him. At noon a fine dinner was served. A bouquet of 98 varieties of flowers was placed on the table. Several beautiful cakes were presented to the grand father with his name and age on them. After dinner an able message was delivered by Rev. Jeremiah Hubbard of Miami, Indian Territory; his text being Psalm133: 'Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.' He was followed by excellent

remarks by Clarkson Shawley of South Marion; then a short talk by Calvin Bond of Carmel, IN, the young people singing songs between speeches.Brother Hubbard sang a song in the Indian tongue which was entertaining to us. At this reunion were present two sons, one daughter, three daughters-in-law, two nephews and one niece, eleven grandchildren, thirty great grand children and two great great grand children. There were ten old people present whose birthdays occur as follows: William

Cook, June 20, 1803, Jehiel Williams, a nephew, Aroma, IN, October 5,1821, Sarah Williams, a niece, December 12, 1823, Asenath Nixon, Kokomo,IN, January 2, 1821, Sarah Ann Cook, daughter, August 23, 1827, Joseph Cook, son, November 25, 1830, Calvin Bond, nephew, Carmel, IN, April 23,1830, Mary Hodson, Fairmount, IN, June 20, 1830,, Anna Jane Cook, Kokomo,IN, daughter-in-law, May 8, 1833, Jeremiah Hubbard, April 7, 1837.

On June 20, 1902, the relations and friends of William Cook gathered at the home of his great-grandson, Joshua A. Ladd, to celebrate his 99th birthday. There were present from Carmel, IN, Calvin Bond, a nephew, from Aroma, IN, Jehiel Williams and wife, nephew and niece, from Centerville, IN, Priscilla Harris, a niece, from White's Institute, Wabash County, IN,Wilson A. Harris and wife, two sons, one daughter, three daughters-in-law, and several grand and great grand children with quite a

number not related. An excellent dinner was served and all enjoyed the day pleasantly.

A Memorial of William Cook

by Nathan W. Cook

We go back in memory

To the state of North Carolina,

The year of eighteen hundred and three,

Were William Cook began life so free.

To Indiana's county of Wayne,

Over hills, rivers and valleys they came,

About eighteen hundred and ten,

With Wagons, teams and men.

And when to manhood's estate he grew,

The shoemaker's trade he knew.

He also chooses the farmer's live

And takes unto himself a wife.

Ruth Small was her name,

From Grayson, Virginia she came

With Gideon and Sarah, her father and mother,

Brothers and sisters, we know of no other.

They were married in November,

In the Friends church each a member,

In the year eighteen hundred and twenty-six,

The place and date they had fixed.

They settled on a farm three miles or so

From the county town. See the family grow.

The forty acre farm they plan to sell

To buy a larger place, they could hardly tell.

But from the county of Wayne

Pioneers to Grant they came

Began their new home in 1848,

Having moved their family in state.

They settled in Franklin, then new

Selecting a site in section thirty-two.

With perseverance and hard labor,

And help from his boys and a neighbor,

A place is cleared in the wood,

And soon a house of logs there stood.

The place selected, a cosy nook,

For the home of William Cook.

Three daughters were there

And six sons to bear and share

The toil of clearing the forest away

For the fields of wheat, corn, and hay.

In this home the parents began to plan.

Off the corner of the farm a school began.

The children must be educated, too;

So a house was built, of logs all new.

In this home, a place of worship began;

But soon another place outran.

To the school house every Sabbath they came

Until demands were made for another change.

Then we see Maple Run rise in view;

An established church coming this way, too.

In the home of William Cook, this plan

Of church and school began.

Time is swiftly fleeing by,

In memory we heave a sigh.

From the family tie a link is broken;

Jonathan, a soldier boy, is taken.

Then in eighteen hundred and seventy-three

The mother met an accident, you see,

In a flock of sheep, one struck her down,

'Tis sad to relate. But she was ready for her crown.

He giveth, He taketh, He knoweth best;

The Lord, to whose home she has gone to rest.

God sendeth our troubles one at a time,

But our joys make haste in troops divine.

And now to Kansas' hills and valleys to see,

In February eighteen hundred and eighty-three,

Father William goes on the cars that whistle through

To Baxter Springs and Cherokee county too.

A visit to his daughter, Charity,

He had long planned to go to see;

And other relatives and friends out there,

His visit with them to share.

For seven months he took a rest

In those Kansas home out west,

And then to Iowa, on his return

To see his sister Rachel, was his concern.

A week with his sister was their delight,

To talk of past and present both day and night.

But time sped along and he must come away,

Although short had been the stay.

Then parting words were said;

Over hills, rivers and valleys he sped

To his home in Grant county. The trip ended.

The western visit in memory extended.

The twentieth of the beautiful month of June

When so many flowers are in bloom,

Was William Cook's birthday so fine;

The writer of this the youngest of nine.

Each year we celebrate his birthday

With a fine dinner, and all so gay,

They enjoy themselves for his sake;

Neighbors, friends, relatives from other States.

They came by dozens, till the number grew

To a hundred or so. You hardley knew

How many came, unless you counted the same.

Then the count was hardly correct without the name.

It was June twentheth, eighteen hundred and ninety-four,

At the home of grandfather Cook, an open door

For all relatives and neighbors to dine,

In the shade upon the lawn so fine.

A company of a hundred or more,

Bringing baskets filled with food in store;

In generations, they are five.

A picture is made, while all survive.

That picture did not represent

The parties by birth, to any extent.

So another was planned,

Made all together, while they stand.

It was nineteen hundred, the fourth of September;

The date and time I so well remember.

This time at Swayzee we all meet,

And the picture of five generations was complete.

June twentieth, nineteen hundred and one,

A preacher sang a song in the Indian tongue.

From Miami Indian nation he came;

Jeremiah Hubbard was his name.

He preached from Psalm 133, a sermon on unity,

The address being excellent for the community.

Then the Rev. Clarkson Shawley did respnd,

Followed by good remarks by Calvin Bond.

The young people singing songs between,

Now, this is true and just as it was seen.

The number of persons eighty-eight, as stated,

And only ten of the company not related.

Upon the table ninety-eight varieties of flowers in bloom,

For this is grandfather's birthday, in June.

And cakes with his name and age were there;

His age so great, it was very rare.

We see him lean upon his cane;

With tottering steps he walks the same,

Upon the lawn, on bright days so fine,

Hale and hearty, but past his time.

June twentieth, nineteen hundred and two

Makes grandfather ninety-nine. 'Tis so few

By nature, who live so long as he,

'Tis a lesson in his quiet life we see.

At the home of his great grandson, Joshua A. Ladd,

We gather on his last birthday; all seem glad

To meet, once more to remember his age.

You will see the date written on this page.

The day is enjoyed and well spent.

At noon they came with one consent,

To the table where dinner is spread.

By Rev. Clarkson Shawley, Grace is said.

With failing health and fast decline,

Grandfather, as we see him from time to time;

His feeble and tottering steps tell of a day,

That time, with him, will not longer delay.

It has been said, "Once a man and twice a child."

His life with us has been long and mild.

With relations, neighbors and friends surrounded,

He almost a century has rounded.

It is sad to record and tell of the date;

But his long life and history we relate.

It was December thirty-one, nineteen hundred and two,

That he passed from this old world to the new.

He died in the evening, with a star-lit sky,

With his children and grandchildren sitting by.

It was the end of the day, month and year.

When the call was made, he had no fear.

In the golden promises of God, his trust was true.

His Christian faith had carried him through,

To the celestial city in Heaven on high.

In this world we say good-bye.

Obituary of William Cook

Whereas it has pleased our Heavenly Father to remove from our home our beloved father, William Cook, be it resolved, that in the hour of our bereavement, when we still listen for his feeble footsteps, as we rest by the fireside where his chair is now vacant, we have the assurance that he died in the full acceptance of God and a complete victory over death. How firm a foundation! Children and grand children had gathered at the old homestead to witness the last moments, and when the last breath was gone,his oldest grand daughter lifted up praises to the Father. Now the vigil is over, his days ended. He has passed away in his old age, and left only the incense of his memory for us to cherish.

William Cook, oldest son of Joseph and Lydia Cook, was born June 20, 1803. Died December 31, 1902, aged 99 years, 6 months and 11 days.His birthplace was Guilford county, North Carolina, from which place he moved when quite young, being about ten years old, to Wayne county,Indiana, where he grew to manhood.

In 1826 he married Ruth Small, a native of Virginia. She was bornin 1804. They lived in Wayne county until 1848, when they moved thei =r family to Grant county. This union was blessed with 9 children, 3 girls and 6 boys. The mother and 5 of the children have gone to their reward. Charity, Joseph, Thomas and Nathan W. still survive. At the end of a calm winter day, under the canopy of a beautiful star-lit twilight, and at the close of the last day of the year, our beloved friend and relative, who was in the eve of a century of useful, exalted life, passed from this earth as peacefully as the leaves are wafted downward by the gentle breeze at the close of an Autumn day. May the example of his life be to us a model by which we may walk the path of life; so when we are called to join that innumerable caravan that moves to that mysterious realm, may we hear the words, "Well done; enter into the joys of thy Lord." He so lived on earth, that an enemy was unknown to him, and a falsehood was the sting of an adder. He had the patience and fortitude which could be borne only by a true disciple of Christ. His faith in God was

demonstrated in his every day walks of life. In his younger days he was a faithful student of the Bible, being a staunch member of the Friends church, which he attended twice a week until feeble health prevented.Peace be the memory of our aged one. Calm be his resting place. Sacred be the trusts which he has committed to our care, and may we so live that when we depart this life we may not hear the words, "Depart, I know ye not."

More About William Cook:

County: 1848, 160 acres, section 32 Franklin township

Lived: 1812, Moved to Wayne Co, IN

Lived: 1848, Moved to Grant Co, IN

Occupation: Shoemaker, farmer

Personality/Intrst: Republican

Residence: Wayne Co, IN, Grant Co, IN

Ethnicity/Relig.: Friends Church

SSN/Sndex: Family Group #26

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Janice Hardin, May 21, 2012
2. ↑ Source: #S17
3. ↑ Source: #S29
4. ↑ Source: #S29

Also see:

• 1850 U. S. census, Franklin Township, Grant County, Indiana, population schedule, p. 204 (stamped), dwelling 1, family 1, lines 1-8, William Cook and household; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QFQ-ZV6/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QFQ-ZV6 : 15 Aug 2021), United States Census, 1850 > Indiana > Grant > Sims, image 1 of 14; citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 147, image 429 of 567 (Film # 004191993).
• Repository: REPO4
• Source: S29 Repository: #REPO2 Title: One Ladd's Family; Ruth Kline Ladd, 1974 Note: Source Media Type: Book
• Repository: REPO2
• Source: S33 Title: Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol I
• Source: S34 Title: Indiana State Library Genealogy Division; Indiana Marriages to 1850
• In 1911 Nathan Cook, their youngest son, published privately a book listing their descendants to approximately 1910.
• Janice Hardin, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Janice and others.