MOST WANTED - William COOK I

WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW:

William Cook I was probably born about 1700 and married Anne Griffin (Griffith). Only known child was William Cook II, born about 1725 and died about 1784 Franklin Co., KY. He married Margaret Jones about 1750 in VA. There is speculation that William Cook II may have had a brother John Cook.

William Cook I may have been living in Pittsylvania Co., VA in 1770 when William Cook II was involved in a lawsuit there. We know that William Cook II started his married life in Lunenburg Co., VA in 1750, lived in Halifax Co., 1752-1767, lived in Pittsylvania Co., 1767-1777, lived in Franklin Co., 1777-1784 and died in Franklin Co., KY about 1784.

An account written on an old Bible fly leaf with the printed title, "Family Record", subtitled, "Miscellaneous", appears in a copy of Hitchcock's New and Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible [Roswell Dwight Hitchcock, 1872] which apparently belonged to Isaac and Nancy Sacra Cook and/or one of their children. Isaac Cook is the second son of William Cook III.

The first page of the Bible narrative reads: "William Cook, I, emigrated from England in the beginning of the Seventeenth Century . He married a Miss Griffin and reared one son William, II. He married Margaret Jones about 1750, and reared 5 sons and 3 daughters. William III Son William II and Margaret Cook, married Catharine Croucher about A.D. 1795, and reared Jesse II, Rachel II, Isaac I, Nancy I, Hosea II, William III, Abraham II Rhoda I, and Seth the II."

The name Margaret appears to have been written over the word Miss. The statement "beginning of the Seventeenth Century" obviously is an error intending to mean the beginning of the Eighteenth Century or 1700. The names Griffin and Griffith appear to be interchangeable in early public records. Catharine Croucher would be Keturah Catherine Crutcher.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW:

If William Cook I emigrated from England as stated on the fly leaf of an old bible, we do not know the ship that he traveled on or port of entry. We do not know his or his wife's ancestors. We are not sure of the county where he lived in VA.

A tradition heard in one branch of the Cook family has William Cook I emigrating to America from Northern Ireland to escape political harassment. This could be true, but it is likely and logical that he was a native of VA.

SEARCH: International Genealogical Index (IGI) - William Cook I does not appear in the database.

Sources:
"The Cook Book" by Eunice Cook Konold, 1970
"Our Ancestors", manuscript by Merlyn Joseph Cook
Scroggins-Cook Bible File
Scroggins2-Cook File
International Genealogical Index (IGI) Search, June 4, 1998

Chas. L. Cook, 4th grandson