James Cooke (abt. 1740 - abt. 1782)

Born about 1740 in Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Anna (Ford) Cooke — married 27 Sep 1764 in Amelia County, VA

Descendants

Died about 1782 at about age 42 in Cumberland Co, VA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jim Cooke [send private message] and Cathi Gross [send private message]

Biography

Before I elaborate on James......

MOTHER OF JAMES: Many!!! have listed her as "Mary Singleton", or, "Mary Singleton Chambers". THERE IS NO PROOF TO THIS. NONE.

The name "Mary Singleton Chambers" comes from an upload that I DID years ago when I submitted a tree to the "World Family Tree Project". She was listed in my software as "Mary Singleton? Chambers?", because I was theorizing on what her surname MAY be.

When I uploaded my tree to that Project, the "?" marks were removed and the results was that "John Cooke married Mary Singleton Chambers".

As of April 2020 her surname remains unknown, and, likely unknowable. The name "SINGLETON" was used as the name of a great grandson, "Jonathan Singleton Cooke", born abt 1830, So, it is possible she really was a Singleton. HOWEVER, NO ONE can as-yet provide proof to that fact.

And so, she remains "Mary Unknown".

FATHER OF JAMES: James' father was John Cooke of Cumberland (died 1775, Cumberland County, VA). James' mother was likely Mary, wife of John.

DNA testing (R-U106/S21>Z344>A300>A5890>A5893>A5897>A5891) has proved that John, Clayton (son of William Cooke, died ca 1752, Hanover), and Abraham Cooke, Jr were all related. So, we are 99.99% sure that all three were sons of Abraham Cooke & Martha Clayton.

Because I could not satisfactorily merge MY John & others posted in WikiTree, and in doing so make the connection to MY Abraham, I chose not to go any farther back on this WikiTree.

HOWEVER, we know that James was son of John Cooke, Sr, and that John Sr was a son of Abraham Cooke (ca1660-ca1730, "Verdon", Hanover Co, VA)

STEPHEN & HIS FATHER JAMES: We KNOW he (James) was father of Stephen Cooke (ca1774-1845) of Cumberland Co, VA, by an 1805 deed b/w Stephen Cooke "JR" of CumbCo., listed as "nephew", and Stephen Cooke of Buckingham, his "uncle".

Recent correspondence(2/1994) with Alice Algood of TN, desc. of Shem Cooke, seems to suggest that there were 2 James Cookes, ea. having a wife Anne/Anna.

Slave inventories show that Anne Cooke, in Amelia, 1782, had a slave Sillar. In Cumberland, 1783, Anna Cook had a slave Gilbert. The inventory of James Cooke, 1782, Cumberland, shows slaves Gilbert & Ned, while a 1774 deed or mortgage with John Ford, Jr shows slaves Jimboy & Sillar, as well as Harry, "Fellis", Harvey, Ned, & Jenny. Phyllis, Ned, & Jimboy are all in the Will of William Clement, 1760, grandfather of Anne/Anna Ford Cooke. Was the inventory in Cumberland ONE inventory for a man who had two estates, one in Cumberland & one in Amelia, or are these two different men? If so, why no inventory for the James Cooke of Amelia, when he obviously owned at least one slave, namely Sillar?

Stephen Cooke, who married Mary Marshall Booker, IS proved to be a grandson of John Cooke of Cumberland (died1775), but by which son of John?

>Not Stephen "the uncle" of Buckingham- he married Mary Sandefur & had a son Stephen who married Nellie Coleman, 1832;

>Not John Cooke, Jr of Prince Edward- his son Stephen [who WOULD have been a nephew of Stephen "the Uncle" of Buck'm] married Martha White Cooke in 1798, & removed to Halifax Co, Va by 1830;

THEREFORE, JAMES who married Anna Ford is the logical parent.

James Cooke married Anna Ford & had Stephen Cooke, ca1774. He died in 1782. Slaves Sillar & Gilbert, among others, are distributed; Anna ended up on the 1783 Pers Prop Tax List with one or the other in Cumberland & Amelia. She is listed in Cumberland from 1783 through early 1796, when she may have died or remarried, as she disappears from the Lists, and the slaves, horses, cattle held by her appear in possession of Stephen Cooke, her son.

It does seem odd that Anna & James would marry in 1764 & father only one child, Stephen, in 1774/5. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN OTHERS!

James was probably born about 1740-1746 in Cumberland.

He married Anna Ford in 1764 in Amelia; the couple bought 200 acres on Briery Creek at Venable's Branch in Prince Edward in late 1764, and lived there until 1770 when, due to impending foreclosure, Cooke and the Mortgage Trustee sold the property to Samuel Watson in a Deed in Lieu.

The couple then moved to Amelia to live at "Ford's Store", the estate of her father, the late Cpt. Hezekiah Ford.

Cooke died in 1782, probably between March and 10 April 1782, when his widow was listed alone on a Personal Property Tax list with slave "Sillar". His estate was Appraised and Settled in Cumberland, the settlement being finalized in Nov 1785.

Anna Cook continued to be listed by herself, sometimes with son Stephen, through 1796 in Cumberland. Her exact date of death is not known.

NOTE: There is a story about a man named James Cooke who was harassed by Tarleton's Dragoons in 1781 at Jenning's Ordinary. Perhaps this was the same James Cooke.

"Tarleton's dragoons captured old James Cooke at Jennings Ordinary. He lived there at the time and was perhaps the first resident of the Ordinary. A dragoon make Cooke mount behind him on the horse and carried him to Tarleton's headquarters, which were [was] then at the home of old Charles Knight, who lived at Burkeville. On the way, the soldier took Cooke's silver shoe and knee buckles. At headquarters, Tarleton made the man restore them and sent Cooke home. The soldier, however, waylaid him on the return and got the buckles."

TIMELINE: Amelia, Cumberland, Pr Edward Counties
'''''1764: AMELIA: Sep 1764, marries James Cooke in Amelia; John Mann surety'
1764: CUMBERLAND: “James Cook, Jr” mentioned in Order OB6/p123

1765: CUMBERLAND: Sep 1765, James Cook witness for John Cook

• James paid 629 lbs tobacco for travelling 42 miles “coming & going” (OB6/p193)

1764: PR EDWARD: Dec 1764, James Cooke "of Cumberland" buys 200 acres on Briery Cr in Pr Edward Co DB3/p4

1768 PR EDWARD: May 17, James Cooke of Prince Edward, D/T, 200 acres Bryery Creek, DB3/p249

1770: PR EDWARD: Sep 17, Deed in Lieu of FORECLOSURE:

• Jos Calland, Tr; James Cooke of Prince Edward to Sam'l Watson, 200 acres Bryery Creek, DB4/p216

1770: PR EDWARD: Oct 15 Dower Relinquished by ANN, WIFE OF JAMES COOKE.

1773: AMELIA: BILL OF SALE to John Ford, Jr dated 31 Jul 1773, recorded 24 Feb 1774.

• Mentions slave Ned, Gilbert, Sillar, et als (See Below) DB12/p211

1782 AMELIA: James Cooke granted license for an Ordinary at his home. Court Order Book(COB) 15/p132

• Month & Day??

1782: AMELIA: 23 AUG 1782, Younger Hardwick, Plt vs James Cooke, deft, COB 15/p183

• “The deft having departed this life since the commencement of this suit, therefore the same abates”
• When did suit commence??

1782: AMELIA: Personal Property Tax List of Christopher Ford, taken 10 Apr 1782,

• "Anna Cook" with slave Sillar, 1 tithable, 1 horse, 5 cattle NOTE: in my notes I have written “March 1782”

1782: CUMBERLAND: MOTION for PAPERS of James Cooke, Decd, April 1782 OB12/p180 by John Ford, Jr

• Bartlett Thompson & Stephen Cooke, securities

1782: CUMBERLAND: INVENTORY & APPRAISAL dated 17 Apr 1782, recorded 25 Nov 1782 for Estate of James Cooke, Decd,

• Listing Negroes Ned & Gilbert. WB2/p303
• By Henry Martin, Archer Allen, Jno Burton

1782: CUMBERLAND: ACCT of SALES of James Cooke, dec'd WB2/p372,

• By JOHN FORD, ADMR.
• Mentions Anna Cook, Stephen Cook, John Mann, slaves Ned & Gilbert
• By John Lee, Archer Allen, Robert Anderson
• All Accounts closed 7 Dec 1782
• Oldest Account dated 24 Jul 1768 of Richard Burks
• Accounts include Burk’s, Overton’s, Curd’s & Smith’s bonds; Accts of Stephen Cooke, John Burton, Wm Davenport, Thos Charlton, Henry Cox, Anna Cooke, Wm Mayes, etc

1783: CUMBERLAND: PP Tax, "Anna Cook" with slave Gilbert

1784: CUMBERLAND, "Anna Cook"

1785: CUMBERLAND: SETTLEMENT of ACCOUNTS of James Cooke, Decd, by John Ford, Admin, Taken 27 Jun 1785

• By John Lee, Archer Allen, Robert Anderson

1785: CUMBERLAND PPTax: "Anna Cook"

1786: CUMBERLAND, "Anna Cook"

1787: CUMBERLAND: “Anna Cook” listed as "not tithable" on a List of Tithables for Cumberland

• Along with Stephen Cooke

1787: CUMBERLAND: On John Holman's list, "Anna Cook" with 2 blacks under 16 and 3 cows

1788: CUMBERLAND: "Anna Cook"

1789: CUMBERLAND: Anna Cook one slave 12+, taken 22 Apr 1789

1790-96: DITTO

Deed Book 12, page 211, Amelia, BILL OF SALE
James Cooke of Amelia to John Ford, Jr of same, for 500 lbs
Dated 31 Jul 1773
Recorded 24 Feb 1774
Wits: Paulin Anderson, Jr, Joshua Chaffin, Moses Morris

• 5 Negroes:

1. Jenny
2. Phyllis
3. Harry
4. Ned
5. Harry

• Household items
• Sorrel Mare called “Janus Colt” (2 years old)
• Sorrel Colt abt 3 yrs old
• Black Horse branded “GC” 7 yrs old
• Pyde cow bought of John Moon of PECo
• Interest in Negro Ned in possession of John Ford Jr “which right I hold by will of Hezekiah Ford. Decd”
• Interest in negroes Jimboy & Sillar in possession of Gerrard Ellyson of New Kent Co “which right I hold by will of William Clement, decd”
• Right to land and buildings “whereon I now live”…”known by the name of Ford’s Store.”

BILL OF SALE, dated 1774, Amelia
James Cooke to Paulin Anderson, Jr

• Wagon & harnesses
  

Wit: Francis Oliver, Churchill Anderson, John Frazer

Sources

Death date based on Estate Settlement, Cumberland; Marriages, Amelia; Deeds, Cumberland, Pr Edward, & Amelia Cos, VA.; FTDNA & Y-SEQ DNA testing.

Footnotes

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Jim Cooke for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Jim and others.

• Virginia Marriage Records, 1700-1850, Amelia County, VA Groom: James Cooke Bride: Anne Ford