Descendants of Captain Thomas Cook to the Anthony Cook family of Warren County, Ohio
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Biographies with Warren County Connections

Descendants of Captain Thomas Cook to the Anthony Cook family of Warren County, Ohio

Contributor:
John Walker on 30 September 2005
Source:
This was written, most likely, by Richard Yerkes Cook. He and his wife Lavina Borden Cook worked on Cook and Borden family history.
Embellished by John Cameron Walker
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CAPTAIN THOMAS COOKE

Thomas Cooke was born in 1603 at Karl's Colne, County of Essex, England. He came to America in 1635, landing in Boston. In 1639 he was living in Taunton, Massachusetts, and in 1643 finally removed to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where he died in June, 1677.

Thomas Cooke married in England in 1626. His wife, born in 1605, was named Mary (Lindall?), her family name I have as yet been unable to find. Captain Cooke was a member for Portsmouth in the General Assembly of Rhode Island in 1664. He had three sons, Thomas born 1626; John born 1631; George born 1633, and one daughter Sarah born 1632.His son, John Cooke was a large land owner in Rhode Island and elsewhere. He married, in 1649, Mary, daughter of Richard Bordon of Portsmouth and formerly of County Kent, England. In 1670, with his wife's brothers, the Bordens, the Claytons and other Rhode Islanders, he purchased land at Shrewsbury, New Jersey, but never lived there, remaining in Rhode Island where he died in 1677. His wife died in 1690, at the age of 57 years.

Thomas Cooke, Second

Son of Thomas Cooke, born 1628, married 1653, and had four sons, Thomas, Stephen, Ebenezer, Benjamin, and one daughter, Hannah. Of these, Thomas Cooke, 3rd, the oldest son, the first of the Cooke family to settle in New Jersey. He was born in 1654 and came to Shrewsbury in 1676. In that year he had warrents for land there issued to him. He added largely to his holdings and was a member of the House of Deputies of East New Jersey in 1693. In 1698 he resolved to visit England and was lost at sea. He left a widow and three children, William, Thomas 4th and Elizabeth.

William Cooke, Esq.

Eldest son of Thomas Cooke 3rd, was born at Shrewsbury.About 1730 he removed to Crosswicks, Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, and died there, intestate, and without issue, in 1760. Letters of administration were granted August 29th, 1760, to his widow Mary (Clayton) Cooke and to William Clayton. He had been married at Chesterfield Meeting in 1723.William Cooke was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Burlington County. He was elected a member of the General Assambly in 1738 and served with distinction until 1748.He introduced many bills, serving constantly on prominent Committees, and was often appointed to wait on the Governor, or Council in reference to pending legislation. He died intestate and without issue in 1760. Under the old English law of Prime Geniture then prevailing, his great estates, estimated at more than 5000 acres and a large personalty, went to William Cooke, Junior, the eldest son of his brother Thomas 4th.

THOMAS COOKE 4TH

Thomas Cooke 4th, was the second son of Thomas Cooke 3rd. He was born at Shrewsbury, New Jersey, 1695 and removed to New Hanover near Crosswicks about 1730, and died there in January 1742. He married Abigail Emley, widow of William Emley. Her maiden name was Abaigail Borden. She was the daughter of James Borden of Burlington NJ, and a great granddaughter of Richard Borden of Portsmouth RI.Thomas Cooke 4th, was grand nephew of John Cooke who as has already been stated, married Mary Borden, who was the daughter of Richard Borden. She was therefore the great aunt of Abaigail Borden, the before mentioned wife of Thomas Cooke. As Richard Y. Cooke married Lavinia Borden the 8th generation from Richard Borden of Portsmouth, RI these prior intermarriages between the two families are most interesting.

Thomas Cooke 4th left three children, William, born 1735; Benjamin and Elizabeth.

WILLIAM COOKE JR

Son of Thomas Cooke 4th was born 1735. He inherited a considerable landed Estate from his father at his death in 1742. In 1760, as has been before stated, his uncle William Cooke Sr. dying intestate and without heirs, William Cooke Jr. fell heir to all his great landed estates and became probably the largest land owner in Eastern New Jersey.He married in 1761, Achsah, daughter of John Middleton,and great granddaughter of Lord John Middleton and Martha Carew. (See marriage record St. Andrew's Church, Holborn, England, Dec. 16th, 1666).William Cooke Jr. held the following offices for the Township of New Hanover; Overseer of the Poor 1764; Assessor 1767; Constable 1771; Overseer of the Poor, 1774; Surveyor of Highways, 1775; Assessor, 1777; Freeholder, 1780; Assessor, 1777; Freeholder, 1780; Assessor 1781--1794. He then refused re-election.He was commissioned as Cornet in Captain Shreve's troop of Light Horse, of Burlington, in 1776. He was as ardent Whig and both tradition and the public records show that he and his sons took active part in the Revoltionary struggle He had by his first wife, who died about 1801, seven sons: William 3rd, Joel, Thomas, John Middleton, Apollo, George, and Charles. By his second wife, Cathrine, he had three sons.He died at Cookstown, October 1814.Of the sons by the first marriage; William Cooke 3rd was Cornet in Captain Thomas' troop of Light Horse, and was killed at Cedar Bridge, Dec. 27th, 1782. Thomas Cooke 5th was in the New Jersey Line Regular Army. Joel Cooke 1st. was also in the New Jersey Line and was of the party which captured Bacon, the Tory refugee, who had shot Cornet Wiliam Cooke 3rd. After Bacon's capture he attempted to escape and seizing a musket fired on the officer, Stewart, who was guarding the door. Stewart returned the fire, the ball going through Bacon's body, and wounding Joel Cooke 1st, who nevertheless closed with Bacon and killed him after a hand to hand struggle.

Joel Cooke 1st was the second son of William Cooke 3rd.

He was born about 1764 and died about 1795. His son Joel Cooke 2nd was born after the fathers death. Either Joel Cooke or William Cooke was Chairman of the Committee of Public Safty for Burlington County during the Revolutionary War. My Father, Joel Cooke 2nd had these records in his possession for many years, but were accidentally destroyed by fire. Joel Cooke 1st died from the effects of a wound recieved in a duel with General Lacey. His son,my father, told me that the duel was fought on Sunday in the Church yard at Crosswicks, and that the arrangments were made and his father called out from the service he was attending with his wife. The cause of the duel was Generay Lacey's connection with the attempt to remove General Washington from Command during the Revolutionary War, known as the "Conway Cabal". The Cookes were partisans of Washington, while Lacey had espoused the side of General Gates. This account my father had from his Mother.

Joel Cooke left a fair estate. My Father, however, was educated by his Grandfather. His mother having married a second time. He described him as having been most kind to him, and always spoke of him in the most affectionate terms. When his grandfather married his second wife, about 1806, my father, Joel Cooke 2nd. came to Philadelphia, living in that city the rest of his life. He purchased (old) No. 189 Chestnut Street about the year 1835 and lived there until 1855. On July 22nd, 1834, he married Mary Paul Yerkes, only daughter of Titus Yerkes 2nd. She bore him four sons-- Gustavus Benson b. July 1838, d. Jan. 6, 1867; Joel 3rd b. March 20, 1842; Richard Yerkes b. Feb. 25,1845; William, b. July 18, 1847, d. May 16, 1893. These four sons were all born at (old) no.189 Chestnut Street and almost directly opposite the entrance to Independence Hall. Joel Cooke was for many years, because of repeated re-elections Alderman of Chestnut Ward of the Old City of Philadelphia. When consolidations took place, he declined further elections and retired to private life. He was always prominent in Whig politics, and the associate of William B. Reed, Morton McMichael, George W. South, Thaddeus Stevens, and other leaders of that party in PA. He was a good citizen and an affectionate father. I count my greatest blessings that I had the benefit of his example and council in early manhood, and which he bore in the community, in which he lived nearly all his days. Of his sons, Gustavus Benson Cook died single. Joel cook 3rd married Mary Edmunds, Sept. 19, 1865, and had one son,George W. Childs Cook, B. April 21, 1868, and two daughters Annie E. Edmunds Cook b. Oct 5, 1866-d. July 11, 1867; and Mary Paul Cook, b. Feb. 16, 1872, Married Oct. 18, 1892 to Edmund Harris Kase.3rd son, Richard Yerkes Cook married Lavinia Borden, March 10, 1868 and had one son Gustavus Wynne Cook b. dec.12, 1868, who married Nancy Munford Bright, June 1896.4th son, William Cook b. July 18, 1848, d. May 16, 1893; Married Mary Earle, March 24, 1873, and had one son George 'Earle Cook.It is worthy to note that Mary Earle, decended from Ralph Earle, was the grandniece of Mary Earle, Granddaughter ofRalph Earle 1st who married John Borden in 1670. John Borden's sister, Mary, married John Cooke. John Cooke was grand uncle of William Cook.

JOEL COOKE 1st

Joel Cooke 1st was the second son of William Cooke,Jr. ( He married Kiturah Mars/Meirs. He had by her, one daughter and three sons, Mary, Anthony, John and Joel 2nd.

ANTHONY COOK

Anthony Cook was born about 1794. He married Nancy Taylor in 1822. He had by her 5 sons and three daughters; Joel 3rd Robert, Benjamin, John, Anthony Jr., Catharine(Snuff,aka Schnorf), Edna(Corwin) and Mary Ann(Bradstreet).

CATHARINE COOK

Catharine Cook was born on June 2, 1828,near Trenton,NJ married George Snuff on Dec. 14, 1848 in Warren Co.,Ohio,and moved to Berrien County Michigan abt 1864. They had one daughter and three sons. Nancy Jane born Dec. 7, 1849; Edgar Landis, born May 1, 1851; Granville C. born Jan. 23, 1853, John W. Born Oct. 18, 1857. Nancy Jane Snuff married Wilber F. Long, on July 1, 1869. Edgar Landis Snuff married Sarah Amelia Foster, on Feb. 1875 in Niles Twp.,Michigan. John W. Snuff married Julia Ann Wolfgang, May 1, 1895. of Niles,Michigan.Daughter of Edgar Landis Snuff, Edith Mae Snuff married David Nelson Walker,son of Solomon Walker and Mary Ann Cameron Walker.

The spelling of the family name was always Cooke to the time of John Cooke 2nd. about 1815. As he has himself told me, he dropped the final "E", and during the last sixty years of his life spelled his name "Cook". My own preference is for the old English spelling, and if my descendants shall see fit to adopt the family name it has been spelled for I do not know for how many years, but certainaly from the year 1600 to 1815, they may count my assent as having been given.


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