1. JAMES JOHN2 COOK (UNKNOWN1)1 was born December 20, 1840 in Fayette County, Alabama2, and died January 08, 1910 in Morris County, Texas3. He married MARY LIVINGSTON4 April 16, 1865 in Monroe County, Mississippi5. She was born August 1845 in Alabama6, and died February 02, 1924 in In the home of J.E. Cook, near Dangerfield, Morris County, Texas7.
Notes for JAMES JOHN COOK:
He was known as Jasper Cook
On the 1860, U S Census, Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi, Jasper Cook, Ann Cook Tacket and her children were listed in the household of William Richie. The household was listed as follows:
William Richie, age 21, born in S.C.
Mary E Powell, age 20, born in MS
Ann Tacket, age 35, born in AL. She was listed as a prostitute.
Nathan Tacket, age 10, born in AL
George Tacket, age 8, born in AL
John Tacket, age 4, born in AL
Jasper Cook, age 18, born in AL.
According to the U S Census 1870, Mississippi, Calhoun County, Township #11, roll 722, book 1, page 327B, enumerated June 1, 1870, James John Cook, age 29, was listed as head of household containing the following individuals:
Mary, age 23
James, age 3
John, age 4 months
William Livingston, age 13, born in AL
Susan Livingston, age 19, born in AL
According to the U S Census 1880, Mississippi, Calhoun County, Jasper J Cook was head of household containing the following individuals:
Jasper, age 39, born in AL. Both parents born in TN
Mary, age 35, born in AL. Her parents were both born in AL.
James A., age 13, born in MS. Both parents born in AL
John E., age 10, born in MS. Both parents born in AL
Mary I., age 8, born in MS. Both parents born in AL
Alice R., age 7, born in MS. Both parents born in AL
William D., age 2, born in MS. Both parents born in AL
Elizabeth, age 7 months, born in MS. Both parents born in AL
Notes
James J Cook was a private in the 41st Reg. Inf., Co. G –a.k.a. The Buttahatchie Rifles
(Film Number: M232 roll 8).His wife, Mary LIVINGSTON Cook filed a widow's application for a Pension on November. 8, 1913 in Morris County, Texas.
. In a statement filed to support Mary's pension application, J.H. Floyd, age 75, of Coffeeville, Mississippi, stated that he knew Jasper since childhood when they both lived in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. However, I have not found any documentation that Jasper Cook live in Yalobusha. If he did, it would have been prior to 1850.
The 41st Infantry Regiment was assembled at Pontotoc, Mississippi, during the summer of 1862 and contained eleven companies. Its members were from the counties of Lee, Noxubee, Pontotoc, Monroe, and Chickasaw. The unit served in Mississippi, then was assigned to J.P. Anderson's, Henderson's, Tucker's, and Sharp's Brigade, Army of Tennessee.
It fought on many battlefields of the army from Murfreesboro to Atlanta, saw action in Tennessee with Hood, and was involved in the North Carolina operations.
It lost 25 killed, 164 wounded, and 9 missing of the 502 engaged at Chickamauga. In December, 1863, it totalled 321 men and 219 arms. The regiment surrendered on April 26, 1865. Its commanders were Colonels Lewis Ball, William F. Tucker, and J. Byrd Williams, and Lieutenant Colonels William C. Hearn and Lafayette Hodges.
Battles
Murfreesboro
Other Names: Wilkinson Pike, Cedars
Location: Rutherford County
Campaign: Franklin-Nashville Campaign (1864)
Date(s): December 5-7, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau and Brig. Gen. Robert Milroy [US]; Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest [CS]
Forces Engaged: District of Tennessee (forces in Murfreesboro area; approx. 8,000) [US]; Forrest’s Cavalry, Bate's Infantry Division, and Brig. Gen. Claudius Sears’s and Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Palmer’s Infantry Brigades (6,500-7,000) [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 422 total (US 225; CS 197)
Description: In a last, desperate attempt to force Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s army out of Georgia, Gen. John Bell Hood led the Army of Tennessee north toward Nashville in November 1864. Although he suffered a terrible loss at Franklin, he continued toward Nashville. In operating against Nashville, he decided that destruction of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad and disruption of the Union army supply depot at Murfreesboro would help his cause.
He sent Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, on December 4, with an expedition, composed of two cavalry divisions and Maj. Gen. William B. Bate’s infantry division, to Murfreesboro. On December 2, Hood had ordered Bate to destroy the railroad and blockhouses between Murfreesboro and Nashville and join Forrest for further operations; on December 4, Bate’s division attacked Blockhouse No. 7 protecting the railroad crossing at Overall Creek, but Union forces fought it off.
On the morning of the 5th, Forrest headed out toward Murfreesboro, splitting his force, one column to attack the fort on the hill and the other to take Blockhouse No. 4, both at La Vergne. Upon his demand for surrender at both locations, the Union garrisons did so. Outside La Vergne, Forrest hooked up with Bate’s division and the command advanced on to Murfreesboro along two roads, driving the Yankees into their Fortress Rosencrans fortifications, and encamped in the city outskirts for the night.
The next morning, on the 6th, Forrest ordered Bate’s division to “move upon the enemy’s works.” Fighting flared for a couple of hours, but the Yankees ceased firing and both sides glared at each other for the rest of the day. Brig. Gen. Claudius Sears’s and Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Palmer’s infantry brigades joined Forrest’s command in the evening, further swelling his numbers. On the morning of the 7th, Maj. Gen. Lovell Rousseau, commanding all of the forces at Murfreesboro, sent two brigades out under Brig. Gen. Robert Milroy on the Salem Pike to feel out the enemy.
These troops engaged the Confederates and fighting continued. At one point some of Forrest’s troops broke and ran causing disorder in the Rebel ranks; even entreaties from Forrest and Bate did not stem the rout of these units. The rest of Forrest’s command conducted an orderly retreat from the field and encamped for the night outside Murfreesboro. Forrest had destroyed railroad track, blockhouses, and some homes and generally disrupted Union operations in the area, but he did not accomplish much else. The raid on Murfreesboro was a minor irritation.
Result(s): Union victory
SOURCE
Atlanta
Other Names: None
Location: Fulton County
Campaign: Atlanta Campaign (1864)
Date(s): July 22, 1864
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman [US]; Gen. John Bell Hood [CS]
Forces Engaged: Military Division of the Mississippi [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 12,140 total (US 3,641; CS 8,499)
Description: Following the Battle of Peachtree Creek, Hood determined to attack Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson’s Army of the Tennessee. He withdrew his main army at night from Atlanta’ s outer line to the inner line, enticing Sherman to follow. In the meantime, he sent William J. Hardee with his corps on a fifteen-mile march to hit the unprotected Union left and rear, east of the city. Wheeler’s cavalry was to operate farther out on Sherman’s supply line, and Gen. Frank Cheatham’s corps were to attack the Union front. Hood, however, miscalculated the time necessary to make the march, and Hardee was unable to attack until afternoon. Although Hood had outmaneuvered Sherman for the time being, McPherson was concerned about his left flank and sent his reserves—Grenville Dodge’s XVI Army Corps—to that location. Two of Hood’s divisions ran into this reserve force and were repulsed. The Rebel attack stalled on the Union rear but began to roll up the left flank. Around the same time, a Confederate soldier shot and killed McPherson when he rode out to observe the fighting. Determined attacks continued, but the Union forces held. About 4:00 pm, Cheatham’s corps broke through the Union front at the Hurt House, but Sherman massed twenty artillery pieces on a knoll near his headquarters to shell these Confederates and halt their drive. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan’ s XV Army Corps then led a counterattack that restored the Union line. The Union troops held, and Hood suffered high casualties.
Result(s): Union victory
SOURCE
Chickamauga
Other Names: None
Location: Catoosa County and Walker County
Campaign: Chickamauga Campaign (1863)
Date(s): September 18-20, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas [US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg and Lt. Gen. James Longstreet [CS]
Forces Engaged: The Army of the Cumberland [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 34,624 total (US 16,170; CS 18,454)
Description: After the Tullahoma Campaign, Rosecrans renewed his offensive, aiming to force the Confederates out of Chattanooga. The three army corps comprising Rosecrans’ s army split and set out for Chattanooga by separate routes. In early September, Rosecrans consolidated his forces scattered in Tennessee and Georgia and forced Bragg’s army out of Chattanooga, heading south.
The Union troops followed it and brushed with it at Davis’ Cross Roads. Bragg was determined to reoccupy Chattanooga and decided to meet a part of Rosecrans’s army, defeat them, and then move back into the city. On the 17th he headed north, intending to meet and beat the XXI Army Corps. As Bragg marched north on the 18th, his cavalry and infantry fought with Union cavalry and mounted infantry which were armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Fighting began in earnest on the morning of the 19th, and Bragg’s men hammered but did not break the Union line
The next day, Bragg continued his assault on the Union line on the left, and in late morning, Rosecrans was informed that he had a gap in his line. In moving units to shore up the supposed gap, Rosencrans created one, and James Longstreet’s men promptly exploited it, driving one-third of the Union army, including Rosecrans himself, from the field. George H. Thomas took over command and began consolidating forces on Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill. Although the Rebels launched determined assaults on these forces, they held until after dark. Thomas then led these men from the field leaving it to the Confederates. The Union retired to Chattanooga while the Rebels occupied the surrounding heights.
Result(s): Confederate victory
SOURCE
The 41st Mississippi Infantry consisted of the following companies, based on Dunbar Rowland’s "Military History of Mississippi, 1803-1898"
Company listing courtesy of H. Grady Howell’s "For Dixie Land, I’ll Take My Stand"
Company A-- Talibonella Rifles, aka Pope Walker Reserves [formerly Co. C, 5th Battalion MS Infantry (raised in Pontotoc County, MS)
Company B -- Southern Revengers, aka Southern Rejectors of Old Abe, & aka Abe’s Rejectors (raised in Pontotoc County, MS)
Company C -- Cole Guards (raised in Lauderdale County, MS)
Company D -- Noxubee Guards (raised in Noxubee County, MS)
Company E -- Verona Rifles (raised in Itawamba County, MS)
Company F -- Pontotoc Grays (raised in Pontotoc County, MS)
Company G -- Buttahatchie Rifles (raised in Monroe County, MS)
Company H -- "Company ‘C,’ Forty-first" [sic] (raised in Lafayette & Pontotoc Counties, MS)
Company I -- Capt. Williams’ Company (raised in Itawamba & Tippah Counties, MS)
Company K -- Mississippi Rip Raps (raised in Noxubee County, MS)
Company L -- Okolona Guards (raised in Chickasaw County, MS)
The above roster of companies is made up from the rolls at Knoxville after the Kentucky campaign, with some other information regarding some of the companies.
William F. Tucker raised the Chickasaw Guards and was with his company at Pensacola in January, 1861, afterward joining the Eleventh Regiment. He took part in the battle of Manassas in Virginia, after which he returned to Mississippi and organized a battalion which was filled to a regiment, the Forty-first. He was commissioned as Colonel in May, 1862. Major Williams had been Captain of an Okolona company in the Eleventh until elected Major in May, 1862.
After the evacuation of Corinth by General Beauregard's army, Tupelo was the headquarters of the Army of the Mississippi until it was moved in the latter part of July to Chattanooga, whence the army marched into Kentucky. June 30, 1862, the Forty-first, Thirtieth and Thirty-seventh were in the brigade of Gen. Patton Anderson, commanded by Brig.-Gen. John C. Brown after Anderson took division command.
The march of 600 miles and the battle of Perryville were the early war experience of the Forty-first. October 6 a portion of the Union army which had retreated to the Ohio River advanced and pressed upon Hardee at Perryville, and Gen. Leonidas Polk, then commanding the Army of Mississippi, sent Anderson's Division to his support, followed by Cleburne, and the battle was brought on upon the 8th. General Hardee wrote regarding the attack by his line that the brigades of John C. Brown and Thomas M. Jones, of Anderson's Division, had been detached to occupy the interval between the right of Buckner and the left of Cheatham. "Cheatham being hotly engaged the brigades of Johnson and Cleburne attacked the angle of the enemy's line with great impetuosity near the burnt barn, while those of Wood, Brown and Jones dashed against their line more to the right, on the left of Cheatham. Simultaneously the brigades of Adams and Powell assailed the enemy in front. The whole force thus united then advanced, aided by a crushing fire from the artillery, which partially enfiladed their lines. This combined attack was irresistible and drove the enemy in wild disorder from the position nearly a mile to the rear."
The loss in Hardee's two divisions, Anderson's and Buckner's, was 242 killed and 1,504 wounded. Colonel Tucker was among the wounded. The casualties of his regiment, computed from incomplete returns, were 18 killed, 72 wounded. Some were captured, some fell out in the arduous march back to Kentucky and some were left sick.
Before the close of October the regiment was in camp at Knoxville, whence they were transferred to Chattanooga. From the latter place they advanced to Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Forty-first was in Dilworth's Brigade (with two Florida regiments) of Patton Anderson's Division until December 12, when that division was broken up and the Forty-first assigned to Polk's Corps and placed in Walthall's Brigade, and transferred to Chalmer's Brigade December 26, with which it took part in the battle of Murfreesboro, beginning December 31, I862.
At Murfreesboro, Chalmers' Brigade was stationed at the right of Polk's Corps, the right of the brigade resting on Stone's River. Facing them were the brigades of Palmer's Division, extending from the river along the Round Forest and cane brakes. On December 31, Chalmers was ordered to attack at 11 o'clock. The charge was made with gallantry and devotion, but the storm of lead and iron that met the Mississippians at the burnt house struck down their General and shattered the line. The regiments fell back and reformed, and fought gallantly during the remainder of the battle, which raged about the Round Forest for three days. The casualties of the regiment were 25 killed, including Lieuts. F. M. Betts, W. G. Kennedy and P. H. McMahon; 123 wounded and 8 missing.
The names selected by the various companies for the Roll of Honor were: Sergt. John A. Moore, A; A. W. Bell, D; A. F. Anderson, E; A. Sanders, F; Samuel N. Richey, G; G. D. Nelson, H; P. Ledbetter, I; L. F. Constantine, K; W. M. Baker, L.
They fell back to Shelbyville and Tullahoma in January, 1863.
February 1, Col. W. F. Tucker was given command of Chalmers' Brigade as Senior Colonel. General Chalmers was assigned in April to military command of the District of Mississippi. In July, 1863, they crossed the Tennessee River, marched over Lookout Mountain and went in camp near Chattanooga. July 13 to August 23, at Bridgeport, Ala., on picket duty; withdrawn as Rosecrans advanced.
The brigade retreated from Chattanooga September 8, with Bragg's army, and encamped at Lee & Gordon's mill until the morning of the 10th, when they marched with Hindman's Division under orders to attack one of the Federal columns moving through the mountains south of Chattanooga into McLemore's Cove. After advancing toward Cooper's Gap it was found that the force there had moved to Stevens' Gap, toward which the Mississippians hastened across Chickamauga Creek, and came within range of a Federal battery, which opened upon the brigade, wounding two men of the Forty-first.
Then orders came to stop, and the brigade was withdrawn and marched to Lafayette, Ga., whence they moved to the field of battle with Rosecrans' united army, reaching Chickamauga Creek September 18, crossing at Hunt's Ford next day, and going into battle on Sunday, the 20th. In the arrangement .for battle, the brigades of Deas and Manigault, Alabamians mainly, and two regiments of South Carolinians, were the front line, the Mississippians under General Anderson supporting, with the Forty-first on the left, behind Manigault's right.
Thus they moved against the position of Sheridan's Division, near the Glenn house. In the first shock Manigault's Brigade was broken, the men retreating in disorder. Col. W. F. Tucker, commanding the regiment, reported: "The Forty-first Mississippi was advancing at a doublequick through the woods when it was met by Manigault's men, and for a moment was thrown into confusion as they burst through its ranks; but the men responded with a regular Mississippi yell to the command forward, and dashed at the enemy, who immediately fled
. Many prisoners surrendered at this point, but were merely ordered to the rear without guard." Tucker now found his line and part of the Ninth confronting the Federal line without any support on the left, whence there came a murderous artillery fire as well as the infantry volleys from the front. Here the regiment sustained its heaviest losses. But the advance of the regiment was not checked, and they pursued the forces in their front through an open wood, over a high wooded hill and through an open field beyond, capturing five pieces of artillery and eight wagons loaded with ordnance and supplies. Sergeant Jackson, Company A, captured a flag staff from which the flag had been torn. From this position they were withdrawn and sent to the support of Bushrod Johnson's Division, and went into battle against Granger's command, just brought on the field.
The Forty-first, Seventh and Ninth were held in reserve until the assault of the other regiments failed, when they charged and gained the top of the ridge. Colonel Tucker reported that he then found his regiment alone and was compelled to fall back, after which he reformed and charged another hilltop, where a like result followed. He desired "to call particular attention to the fact that at this time, so far as I know, the colors of the Forty-first Mississippi alone, of this brigade or any other, reached and passed over the crest of this hill." In the last of this struggle, the regiment was called from the reserve to hold a ridge in front of Granger, from which the first Confederate line had been driven.
As night came on and reinforcements arrived, they were withdrawn. The regiment went into action with 502 aggregate and lost 24 killed, 164 wounded and 9 missing. It was of this fight that General Granger wrote: "In fifteen minutes from the time when we appeared on the field, had it not been for our fortunate arrival, General Thomas' forces would have been terribly cut tip and captured. As rapidly as possible I formed Whitaker's and Mitchell's Brigades, to hurl them against this threatening force of the enemy, which proved to be General Hindman's Division...Our whole line was continually enveloped in smoke and fire.
The assaults of the enemy were made with an energy inspired by the bright prospect of a speedy victory, and by a consciousness that it was only necessary to carry this position and crush our forces to enable him to overthrow our army and drive it across the Tennessee River. Their forces were massed and hurled upon us for the purpose of terminating at once this great and bloody battle. But the stout hearts of the handful of men who stood before them as a wall of fire quailed not, They understood our perilous position and held their ground, determined to perish rather than yield it." Granger had 3,910 officers and men, and lost in the afternoon 235 killed, 935 wounded, 561 captured. Gen. James A. Garfield was with this command until dark, under cover of which that part of Rosecrans' army remaining on the field was withdrawn toward Chattanooga.
November 25, 1863, they participated in the battle of Missionary Ridge, Colonel Tucker commanding the brigade, and joined in the retreat to Dalton, where they went into winter quarters.
In January, 1864, Capt. R. E. V. Yates was commanding the regiment, as senior officer present. March 1, Colonel Tucker was commissioned as Brigadier-General, and he continued in the command of Tucker's Brigade, Hindman's Division. Lieutenant-Colonel Williams was promoted as Colonel.
At the opening of the Atlanta campaign they aided in the repulse of Sherman at Rocky Face Ridge, before Dalton, May 8, and next were in battle at Resaca, May 14. While his brigade was in reserve, General Tucker was observing the Federal movements from General Walthall's position, and was severely wounded, causing his retirement from active service. He was succeeded by Col. Jacob Sharp, of Blythe's Regiment.
The brigade served under General Hood in the constant fighting along the New Hope Church and Kenesaw Mountain lines in the latter part of May and until July 2. After crossing the Chattahoochee River, the Forty-first, under Col. J. Byrd Williams, was particularly distinguished in the battle of July 28, near Atlanta. Gen. John C. Brown, in command of the division, reported that "Sharp's and Brantly's Brigades acted with great gallantry." The brigade, which had been moved from the east to the west of the city the day before, was hurried out three miles to check the enemy, attempting to cross the Lickskillet road. Captain Nolan's company of the Forty-first was put on the skirmish line with the sharpshooters. The brigade moved under fire for a distance of 800 yards in the attack. General Sharp reported that he attempted to move the Forty-first from the left to the right of the brigade "but found it was so scattered that it was impossible to handle it as an organization. The battle was in dense woods. They had, however, driven the enemy from his barricade of rails and logs, capturing a few prisoners.
The attack by the rest of the brigade failed, and the regiment withdrew with Brantly's Brigade. Sharp's Brigade had 1,020 officers and men in the battle, and had 214 killed, wounded and missing. Capt. T. P. Hodges, a gallant soldier, fell while leading his company in the charge.
After this battle Gen. Patton Anderson took command of the division and intrenched a line along the hills, which was closely approached by the Federal line, with constant sharpshooting. On one occasion Sharp's pickets held their position against a line of battle after those on their right and left had given way. The works were finally quite elaborate, through the toil of the men, by the time they were compelled to evacuate them and move to Jonesboro, where they made a gallant attack upon the Federal line August 31. Here Colonel Williams was killed, within fifty paces of the enemy's line. He had been a long time in command of the regiment, and was a gallant officer.
September 20, 1864, Capt. James M. Hicks was in command of the regiment.
In General Hood's October, 1864, campaign on the Atlanta and Chattanooga Railroad, Lee's Corps invested Resaca, but did not assault, and held Snake Creek Gap against Sherman until the remainder of the army had moved toward Gadsden, Ala. Sharp's Brigade crossed the Tennessee late on October 30 and "encountered the enemy on the Florence and Huntsville road about dark. A spirited affair took place, in which the enemy were defeated." (Lee).
Gen. Edward Johnson was then in command of the division. As the army moved forward against General Thomas, Lee's Corps confronted Schofield at Columbia November 26-29, except Johnson's Division, which General Hood took for the flank attack begun by Forrest with Armstrong's and Chalmers' Mississippians at Spring Hill. Schofield retired safely to the intrenchments on the Harpeth River at Franklin, where Hood ordered another assault November 30. Johnson's Division came into the fight after dark, and the Mississippi brigades of Sharp and Brantly made a desperate assault, taking three battle-flags and leaving their dead and wounded in the trenches and upon the parapets.
The casualties of Sharp's Brigade were 30 killed, 81 wounded, 9 missing. Capt. J. M. Hicks, commanding the Forty-first, was among the wounded in this terrible disaster, where more than sixty brigade and regimental commanders were killed or wounded, and Cleburne died. Capt. A. D. Gatlin, acting Major, was dangerously wounded; Lieut. James L. Robertson was mortally wounded; in all 11 killed, 18 wounded.
From December 2 the brigade was on the line of siege around Nashville. When Thomas attacked, December 15, Sharp's Brigade was sent to the support of Walthall on the Granny White pike, but they could not check the tide. Next day, the 16th, the line was broken on their left, and the Confederate army broke in retreat. General Johnson was among the captured. At Brentwood, General Lee was given command of the rear guard, but next day he was wounded. The remnant of the army crossed the Tennessee River December 26, and moved to the prairies of Northeast Mississippi for winter quarters.
The brigade was furloughed until February 12, 1865. Under orders for the Carolinas 274 were assembled at Meridian February 14, and started east on the 18th. They were detained some time at Montgomery on account of the Mobile campaign, but were ordered to Augusta March 4, and thence to North Carolina. April 3, the aggregate present was 420 in the brigade.
The organization of the army near Smithfield, N. C., March 31, 1865, shows the Forty-first commanded by Capt. G. W. Spooner.
April 9, 1865, Sharp's Brigade -- the Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Forty-first and Forty-fourth Regiments and Ninth Battalion -- was consolidated as the Ninth Mississippi Regiment, Col. William C. Richards commanding. Sharp's Brigade, including this regiment, was part of the division of Gen. D. H. Hill, in S. D. Lee's Corps.
The army was surrendered April 26, and paroled at Greensboro, N. C.
Iron Bluff Cemetery is located at the intersection of US Hwy 259 and Tx Hwy 250 in Lone Star, TX.
.
On row 8 there are: Jasper J Cook, born 20Dec1840, died 8Jan1910. His marker has the inscription "TX Pvt Co D 11 Regt TX Inf CSA" translated means Texas Private Company D, 11th Regiment of the Texas Infantry, Confederate States of America.
.I am not sure why this inscription is on his marker, since he served in the 41st Reg. Inf., Co. G from Monroe County, Mississippi.
Next to Jasper is a grave that shows "Unknown, Funeral Home Marker unreadable" This is probably Mary, wife of Jasper.
More About JAMES JOHN COOK:
Alias: Jasper J Cook
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1860, Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi
Education: 1900, Jasper could read and write
Medical Information: Fair complexion, Brown hair, and grey eyes.
Military service: Bet. February 20, 1862 - May 29, 1865, Served in the Civil War from Mississippi, as a private in the 41st Reg. Inf., Co. G - Buttahatchie Rifles
Notes for MARY LIVINGSTON:
According to the 1900 U S Census, Mary had ten children and nine were living at the time of the census on June 2, 1900. I have found no documentation of another child. The child must have died as an infant, in between the census dates.
On November 8, 1913, Mary completed a Widow's Application for a Pension based on Jasper's service in the Civil War. The application was filed in Morris County, Texas. It was approved on December 1, 1913. She was allowed a pension from March 1, 1914. She was allowed the pension due to being a widow of a soldier who was in indigent circumstances.
More About MARY LIVINGSTON:
Burial: February 02, 1924, Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1870, Mississippi, Calhoun County, Township #11, roll 722, book 1, page 327B
Individual Note: November 08, 1913, Widow's Application for a Pension (#25006), filed in Morris County, TX by Mrs. Mary Cook
Residence: December 1899, Lee County, Texas
Residence#1: 1901, Resided in Morris County, TX from 1901 until her death
Residence#3: January 1920, Living with her son, Walter.
Children of JAMES COOK and MARY LIVINGSTON are:
2. i. JAMES AARON3 COOK, b. January 13, 1867, MS; d. July 18, 1924, Carter County, Wilson, OK.
3. ii. JOHN ELMORE COOK, b. November 17, 1869, Mississippi; d. February 04, 1953, Texas.
iii. MARY I COOK8, b. Abt. 1872, Mississippi9.
Notes for MARY I COOK
Did she marry a Johnson? She had some daughters.
More About MARY I COOK:
Census: 1880, Age 8, Mississippi, CALHOUN, District 15, Roll 642 Book 1, Page 583a
4. iv. ALICE R. COOK, b. Abt. 1873, Mississippi.
5. v. WILLIAM DOUGLAS COOK, b. May 1878, Mississippi; d. June 22, 1958, Morris County, Texas.
vi. ELIZABETH COOK10, b. Bet. 1879 - 1880, Mississippi11.
More About ELIZABETH COOK:
Census: 1880, Age 7 months, Mississippi, CALHOUN, District 15, Roll 642 Book 1, Page 583a
vii. LULA C COOK12, b. January 1883, Mississippi13; m. UNKNOWN PRECISE.
More About LULA C COOK:
Census: 1900, Age 17, Texas, Lee County, 7 J-PCT, Page 118
6. viii. SANFORD L. COOK, b. June 08, 1884, Mississippi; d. October 12, 1936, Morris County, Texas.
7. ix. WALTER R. COOK, b. August 30, 1889, Mississippi; d. September 23, 1926, Texas.
2. JAMES AARON3 COOK (JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)14 was born January 13, 1867 in MS15,16, and died July 18, 1924 in Carter County, Wilson, OK17. He married (1) MARY LANTRIP18,19,20 December 23, 1888 in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi21,22, daughter of LAWRENCE LANTRIP and MARY LOGAN. She was born Abt. 1869 in Mississippi23. He married (2) ALMA SULLIVAN24,25,26 August 09, 1898 in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi27. She was born August 10, 1876 in MS28,29, and died September 23, 1953 in Carter County, Wilson, OK30.
Notes for JAMES AARON COOK:
According to the 1870 U.S. Census, Mississippi, Calhoun County, Township #11, roll 722, book 1, page 327B,
James Cook was 3 years old and living in the household of his father, James John Cook, and his mother, Mary Livingston. Also in the household was John Cook, age 4 months and William Livingston, age 13, born in Alabama and Susan Livingston, age 19, born in Alabama.
According to the 1880 U.S. Census, Mississippi, Calhoun County,
James A. Cook was living in the household of his mother and father along with two brothers & three sisters. James was listed as 13 years old and born in Mississippi.
According to the 1900 U.S. Census , Texas, Lee County, Justice Precinct 7, page 120a,
James A. Cook was born January, 1867 in Mississippi. He was age 33 at the time of the census which was taken on the 6th day of June in 1900. The census showed that he had been married to Alma for 2 years. It also states that his mother and father were both from Alabama. He was a farmer at the time of the census. He rented 49 acres of land in Texas. James A. Cook was able to read, write and speak English.
At the time of the census James and Alma had the following children:
James H. Cook,son, born October 1889 ( age 10) in Mississippi
Viola E. Cook,daughter, born September 1894 ( age 5) in Mississippi
Beatrice Cook,daughter, born February 1896 ( age 4) in Mississippi
U. S. Census 1910_Oklahoma_Pontotoc County, Ada City, Ward 2, Roll 1270, Book 2, page 19,
James Aaron Cook was head of household with no wife listed. His age is listed as 43 years old. His marital status listed as Wd He is shown to be born in Mississippi. Both his parents are shown as being from Mississippi instead of Alabama as was stated on the previous census. The following children are listed as members of the household:
Viola Cook,daughter, age 15, born in Mississippi
Beatrice Cook, daughter, age 14, born in Mississippi
Elbert Cook, son, age 8, born in Texas
Cecil Cook, son, age 3, born in Oklahoma
*Apparently, James Aaron Cook was counted twice in the 1910 census. There is a different entry for him at U. S. Census 1910_Oklahoma_Pontotoc County, Ada City, Ward 1, Roll 1270, Book 2, page 4B.
The census shown on page 4B must have been taken at his place of business. The only differences between the two sets of census data is that his parents are listed as both being from Alabama, which matches the previous census and on this page he is listed as being a grocery merchant. He is also listed with a marital status of M2 and it shows his present marriage has a duration of ten years. But there is no listing of his wife on this page either.
An onsite visit of Hewitt Cemetery by Danny & Linda (Turner) Cook documents that Lillie B Cook is buried between James A. Cook and Alma Cook. Her tombstone inscription reads "daughter". The tombstone inscriptions for James and Alma read "father" "mother", respectively.
More About JAMES AARON COOK:
Burial: Hewitt Cemetery, Wilson Ok
Census: 1910, age 43,widower, Oklahoma, Pontotoc County, Ada City, Book 2, page 19a
Occupation: 1910, Grocery merchant in Ada, OK
More About MARY LANTRIP:
Census: 1870, age 1, Mississippi, CALHOUN, Banner, Roll 722 Book 1, Page 403a
Notes for ALMA SULLIVAN:
According to the U.S. Census 1900, Texas, Lee County, Justice Precinct 7, page 120a,
Alma was born August of 1896 or 1897 in Mississippi. She had been married to James A Cook for approximately two years at the time of the census. Her parents were both from Mississippi. Alma was able to read, write and speak English. The census states that she was the mother of two children, but now of them were living at the time of the census. Given this and the fact that James Henry Cook was 10 years old at the time of the census, Alma was not the mother of Viola Cook, Beatrice Cook and James Henry Cook. She was 23 years old at the time of the census and would have been 13 years old at the birth of James Henry Cook.
More About ALMA SULLIVAN:
Burial: Hewitt Cemetery, Wilson Ok
Census: 1900, U.S. Census 1900, Texas, Lee County, Justice Precinct 7, page 120a
Children of JAMES COOK and MARY LANTRIP are:
8. i. JAMES HENRY4 COOK b. October 08, 1889, Mississippi; d. August 16, 1922, OK.
9. ii. VIOLA E. COOK b. September 09, 1894, MS; d. October 23, 1987, Ardmore, Oklahoma.
10. iii. BEATRICE COOK, b. Abt. 1896, MS.
Children of JAMES COOK and ALMA SULLIVAN are:
iv. LILLIE B.4 COOK31, b. February 02, 189632; d. November 20, 193133.
v. ELBERT COOK34, b. Bet. 1902 - 1903, TX35,36,37,38; d. March 09, 1987.
Notes for ELBERT COOK:
1920 U.S. Census,Texas, RUNNELS, Roll 1841 Book 2, Page 232a
There is an Elbert R. Cook, age 19 working as a laborer.
More About ELBERT COOK:
Census: 1910, age 8, Oklahoma_Pontotoc County, Ada City, Ward 2, Roll 1270, Book 2, page 19
vi. CECIL COOK39, b. Abt. 1907, OK40.
More About CECIL COOK:
Census: 1910, age 3, Oklahoma_Pontotoc County, Ada City, Ward 2, Roll 1270, Book 2, page 19
3. JOHN ELMORE3 COOK (JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)41 was born November 17, 1869 in Mississippi42, and died February 04, 1953 in Texas. He married CLYDE HATTIE UNKNOWN Abt. 1903, daughter of UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN. She was born October 23, 1885 in Texas, and died December 19, 1970 in Texas.
More About JOHN ELMORE COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1870, Mississippi, Calhoun County, Township #11, roll 722, book 1, page 327B
Individual Note: 1900, He was single and living with parents
More About CLYDE HATTIE UNKNOWN:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1920, age 34, Morris County, TX-Justice Precint #2
Child of JOHN COOK and CLYDE UNKNOWN is:
i. GERTIE M.4 COOK, b. Abt. 1903.
More About GERTIE M. COOK:
Census: 1920, age 17, Morris County, TX-Justice Precint #2
4. ALICE R.3 COOK (JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)43 was born Abt. 1873 in Mississippi44. She married (1) COLUMBUS M. POLLAN. He was born Abt. 1850 in Tennessee. She married (2) J.T. WALTERS October 14, 1889 in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. He was born in Alabama.
Notes for ALICE R. COOK:
Spouse: J. T. Walters
Marriage Date: Oct 14, 1889
Location: Yalobusha, Mississippi
More About ALICE R. COOK:
Census: 1880, Age 7, Mississippi, CALHOUN, District 15, Roll 642 Book 1, Page 583a
Individual Note: Middle name may have been Rosa
More About COLUMBUS M. POLLAN:
Census: 1910, Age 60, Texas, Morris County,2 J-PCT, Roll 1579 Book 2, Page 229a
Child of ALICE COOK and J.T. WALTERS is:
i. MARY4 WALTERS, b. Abt. 1896, Mississippi.
More About MARY WALTERS:
Census: 1910, Age 14, Texas, Morris County,2 J-PCT, Roll 1579 Book 2, Page 229a
5. WILLIAM DOUGLAS3 COOK (JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)45 was born May 1878 in Mississippi46, and died June 22, 1958 in Morris County, Texas. He married NANNIE MILLER Bet. 1902 - 1904, daughter of UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN. She was born Abt. 1884 in Mississippi.
More About WILLIAM DOUGLAS COOK:
Burial: Clark Cemetery, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1880, age 2, Mississippi, CALHOUN,District 15, Roll 642 Book 1, Page 583a
Notes for NANNIE MILLER: Is Nannie the same person as Nancy Angeline Cook who died January 4, 1956?
More About NANNIE MILLER: Census: 1930, age 46, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
Children of WILLIAM COOK and NANNIE MILLER are:
i. JIM C4 COOK, b. Abt. 1902, Mississippi.
Notes for JIM C COOK: William Douglas Cook had a son named Clinton. Could this be James Clinton Cook?
More About JIM C COOK:
Census: 1930, age 28, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
Individual Note: 1930, divorced
ii. WILLIAM HOYT COOK, b. April 01, 1913, Morris County, Texas; d. November 18, 1994, Morris County, Texas; m. MENOTIA UNKNOWN; b. November 29, 1921; d. May 22, 1984, Morris County, Texas.
More About WILLIAM HOYT COOK:
Burial: Clark Cemetery, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1930, age 17, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
Individual Note: Did not have children
More About MENOTIA UNKNOWN:
Burial: Clark Cemetery, Morris County, Texas
Individual Note: Did not have children
iii. AUDIE CLOUD COOK, b. May 20, 1915, Morris County, Texas.
iv. DAYMOND WINDELL COOK, b. September 19, 1919, Morris County, Texas.
More About DAYMOND WINDELL COOK:
Census: 1930, age 10, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
v. WILLIAM JENKINS COOK, b. April 05, 1922, Morris County, Texas; d. Aft. 1970, Morris County, Texas.
vi. JAMES VALTON COOK, b. Abt. 1927, Morris County, Texas; d. Morris County, Texas.
More About JAMES VALTON COOK:
Burial: Clark Cemetery, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1930, age 3, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
Individual Note: Did not have children
. vii. CLARA COOK.
. viii. BERTHA COOK.
6. SANFORD L.3 COOK (JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)47 was born June 08, 1884 in Mississippi48, and died October 12, 1936 in Morris County, Texas. He married GEORGIA JAPONICA UNKNOWN Abt. 1907, daughter of UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN. She was born August 10, 1887 in Texas, and died February 01, 1972 in Morris County, Texas.
More About SANFORD L. COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1910, age 26, Upshur County, TX
Occupation: 1910, Teamster at the Saw Mill
Occupation#2: 1920, Farmer
More About GEORGIA JAPONICA UNKNOWN:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1910, age 22, Upshur County, TX
Children of SANFORD COOK and GEORGIA UNKNOWN are:
i. MAMIE4 COOK, b. Abt. 1908, Texas.
Notes for MAMIE COOK:
Is this the Maudie Fletcher Cook who died 9-16-1970?
More About MAMIE COOK:
Census: 1910, age 2, Upshur County, TX
ii. INFANT COOK, b. July 20, 1909, Texas; d. Texas.
More About INFANT COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
iii. ELMER ROSS COOK, b. July 21, 1914, Texas; d. June 07, 1931, Texas.
More About ELMER ROSS COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1920, age 5, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
iv. CLOVIS DURENE COOK, b. June 23, 1919, Texas; d. February 03, 1980, Texas; m. UNKNOWN ASBILL.
More About CLOVIS DURENE COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1920, age 6 months, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
v. HAROLD WILLIAM COOK, b. November 07, 1928, Morris County, Texas.
More About HAROLD WILLIAM COOK:
Census: 1930, age 1 yr., 6mos, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
7. WALTER R.3 COOK (JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)49 was born August 30, 1889 in Mississippi50, and died September 23, 1926 in Texas. He married LOU ZELIA HUGHES Bet. 1910 - 1918 in probably Texas, daughter of UNKNOWN and UNKNOWN. She was born July 15, 1895 in Alabama, and died February 26, 1995 in Texas.
More About WALTER R. COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Cause of Death: Killed at Pollan's sawmill when a tree fell on him
Census: 1910, Age 20, Texas, MORRIS,2 J-PCT, Roll 1579 Book 2, Page 231b
More About LOU ZELIA HUGHES:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1920, age 24, Texas, Morris County,Sup. Dist.1, Enumeration Dist. 139, Sheet 5A
Children of WALTER COOK and LOU HUGHES are:
i. J.W.4 COOK, b. May 24, 1918, Texas; d. May 04, 1972, Texas.
More About J.W. COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Census: 1920, age 1 yr. 7 months, Texas, Morris County, 5 J-PCT, Sup. Dist.1, Enumeration Dist. 139, Sheet 5A
Military service: TX PFC AAF WWII
ii. RUTH COOK, m. SAM JONES; d. October 24, 2003.
More About RUTH COOK:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
More About SAM JONES:
Burial: Iron Bluff Cemetery, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
8. JAMES HENRY4 COOK (JAMES AARON3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)51 was born October 08, 1889 in Mississippi52,53, and died August 16, 1922 in OK54. He married (1) ADA KENDALL, daughter of GEORGE KENDALL and ELLA/EDLA UNKNOWN. She was born Abt. 1893 in Tennessee. He married (2) ORA NETTIE PROCTER January 15, 1917, daughter of THOMAS PROCTOR and SARAH ROBERSON. She was born March 15, 1896 in Jack County, Texas, and died October 17, 1977 in Searcy, White County, AR.
Notes for JAMES HENRY COOK:
According to the U.S. Census 1900, Texas, Lee County, Justice Precinct 7, page 120a
James A. Cook was born January, 1867 in Mississippi. He was age 33 at the time of the census which was taken on the 6th day of June in 1900. The census showed that he had been married to Alma for 2 years. It also states that his mother and father were both from Alabama. He was a farmer at the time of the census. He rented 49 acres of land in Texas. James A. Cook was able to read, write and speak English. At the time of the census James and Alma had the following children:
James H. Cook,son, born October 1889 ( age 10) in Mississippi
Viola E. Cook,daughter, born September 1894 ( age 5) in Mississippi
Beatrice Cook,daughter, born February 1896 ( age 4) in Mississippi
The 1920 U S Census, Ok, Carter County, Hewitt Twsp was taken on the 9th of February in 1920 and it listed James Henry Cook as Henry Cook being the head of the household, who was 30 years old. The census form showed that he was born in Mississippi. His father and mother were both listed as born in the United States.
J.H. Cook was working as an oil field laborer at the time of the census. Ora (Proctor) Cook was listed as his wife, age 23, born in Texas. Her mother and father were both listed as being from Tennessee.
One child, Lowell, was listed as a son who was four months old. His father was listed as being born in Mississippi and his mother was born in Texas.
According to Opal Lee Cook Holt, James Henry Cook & Ada Kendal divorced when she was a young child. She apparently lived with her mother, Ada (Kendal) Cook. She said that Mary Lantrip died when James Henry Cook was young. She said that Elbert Cook had 4 children.
More About JAMES HENRY COOK:
Burial: Hewitt Cemetery, Wilson Ok
Census: 1920, age 30, Oklahoma, CARTER,Hewitt Twp., Roll 1455 Book 1, Page 141a
Military service: June 25, 1918, inducted into army at Ardmore, Oklahoma
More About ADA KENDALL:
Census: 1910, age 17, Oklahoma, Johnston County,Ratliff Twp., Roll 1254 Book 2, Page 292a
More About ORA NETTIE PROCTER:
Burial: White County Memorial Gardens, Searcy, AR
Census: 1930, age 34 , Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Maud, Ward 3,
Children of JAMES COOK and ADA KENDALL are:
. i. OPAL LEE5 COOK, b. March 05, 1913, Madill, Oklahoma; d. July 16, 1999, New Mexico.
ii. EDWARD COOK.
Children of JAMES COOK and ORA PROCTER are:
iii. LOWELL HENRY5 COOK, b. October 17, 1918, Healdton, Carter County, Oklahoma; d. August 09, 1965, Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
iv. LEON WESLEY COOK, b. April 11, 1920, OK; d. July 10, 1943, World War II off the coast of Sicily55; m. MARYLEE FECHER56, March 22, 1943, White County, AR; b. March 05, 1920, White County, AR.
Notes for LEON WESLEY COOK:
ID: 03468843
Entered the Service From: Arkansas
Rank: Radioman, Second Class
Service: U.S. Navy, United States Navy
Died: Tuesday, July 11, 1944
Memorialized at: Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
Location: Nettuno, Italy
Awards: Purple Heart
National Archives & Record Administration
Radioman 2c Leon Wesley Cook
Branch of Service: U.S. Navy
Hometown: Beebe, AR
Status: KIA
More About LEON WESLEY COOK:
Census: 1930, age 10, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Maud, Ward 3,
Individual Note: Married by Melbourn Dugger
Military service: Served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman and was lost at sea when the USS Maddox was sank.
More About MARYLEE FECHER:
Census: 1930, age 10, Union Twsp., White County, AR, enum. dist. #73-57, sheet #5A, line 39
9. VIOLA E.4 COOK (JAMES AARON3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)57 was born September 09, 1894 in MS58, and died October 23, 1987 in Ardmore, Oklahoma. She married SAMUEL W. MARSH, son of UNKNOWN MARSH and UNKNOWN. He was born August 08, 1886 in Texas, and died October 20, 1963 in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
More About VIOLA E. COOK:
Burial: Rosehill Cemetery, South of Ardmore
Census: 1900, Age 5, Texas, Lee County, Justice Precinct 7, page 120a
More About SAMUEL W. MARSH:
Burial: Rosehill Cemetery, South of Ardmore
Census: 1920, Age 34, Oklahoma, Johnston County, Thomas Twp., Roll 1464 Book 2, Page 240b
Children of VIOLA COOK and SAMUEL MARSH are:
i. DOROTHY / CARMEL5 MARSH59, b. Oklahoma.
Notes for DOROTHY / CARMEL MARSH:
1920 U.S. Census, Oklahoma, Johnston County, Thomas Twp., Roll 1464 Book 2, Page 240b
Sam and Viola have a child named Carmel. Is this the middle name for Dorothy?
More About DOROTHY / CARMEL MARSH:
Census: 1920, Age 5 months, Oklahoma, Johnston County, Thomas Twp., Roll 1464 Book 2, Page 240b
ii. AARON MARSH60, b. Oklahoma.
More About AARON MARSH:
Census: 1930, age 8, Oklahoma, Carter County, Morgan Twp., Roll 1896 Book 2, Page 104a
iii. AUDRIE M. MARSH61, b. Abt. 1924, Oklahoma.
More About AUDRIE M. MARSH:
Census: 1930, age 6, Oklahoma, Carter County, Morgan Twp., Roll 1896 Book 2, Page 104a
iv. MARIL MARSH62, b. Oklahoma.
More About MARIL MARSH:
Census: 1930, age 2, Oklahoma, Carter County, Morgan Twp., Roll 1896 Book 2, Page 104a
10. BEATRICE4 COOK (JAMES AARON3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1)63 was born Abt. 1896 in MS64. She married JOHN H. MCKEEHYN65. He was born Abt. 1891 in Tennessee.
More About BEATRICE COOK:
Census: 1900, age 4, Texas, Lee County, Justice Precinct 7, page 120a
More About JOHN H. MCKEEHYN:
Census: 1920, age 29, Oklahoma, Marshall County, Madill Twp., Roll 1472 Book 2, Page 56a
Child of BEATRICE COOK and JOHN MCKEEHYN is:
i. ZELMA5 MCKEEHYN, b. Abt. 1915, Oklahoma; m. UNKNOWN JARVIS.
Notes for ZELMA MCKEEHYN:
Said to have resided in Las Vegas for many years.
More About ZELMA MCKEEHYN:
Census: 1920, age 4 yrs. 11 months, Oklahoma, Marshall County, Madill Twp., Roll 1472 Book 2, Page 56a
11. AUDIE CLOUD4 COOK (WILLIAM DOUGLAS3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1) was born May 20, 1915 in Morris County, Texas. He married RENIE WALKER.
More About AUDIE CLOUD COOK:
Census: 1930, age 14, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
Residence: Longview, Texas
Children of AUDIE COOK and RENIE WALKER are:
i. CARRELL AUDINE5 COOK, b. Morris County, Texas.
ii. UNKNOWN MALE COOK.
12. WILLIAM JENKINS4 COOK (WILLIAM DOUGLAS3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1) was born April 05, 1922 in Morris County, Texas, and died Aft. 1970 in Morris County, Texas. He married AILEEN POLLAN.
More About WILLIAM JENKINS COOK:
Burial: Morris County, Texas
Census: 1930, age 8, Morris County, TX-Justice Precinct #2
Children of WILLIAM COOK and AILEEN POLLAN are:
i. STEVE5 COOK, b. Morris County, Texas.
ii. RANDY COOK, b. Morris County, Texas; d. Aft. 1990, Morris County, Texas.
13. OPAL LEE5 COOK (JAMES HENRY4, JAMES AARON3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1) was born March 05, 1913 in Madill, Oklahoma, and died July 16, 1999 in New Mexico. She married CECIL LEE HOLT September 20, 1930 in Mangum, Oklahoma. He died March 21, 1995.
More About OPAL LEE COOK:
Burial: July 19, 1999, Woodbine Cemetery in Artesia, N.M.
Emigration: 1928, Came to Artesia, N. M. from Oklahoma
Religion: Assembly of God
Children of OPAL COOK and CECIL HOLT are:
i. WESLEY6 HOLT, d. 198666.
ii. DONALD LEE HOLT.
iii. RUSSELL HOLT.
iv. NADINE HOLT, m. UNKNOWN BABBITT.
14. LOWELL HENRY5 COOK (JAMES HENRY4, JAMES AARON3, JAMES JOHN2, UNKNOWN1) was born October 17, 1918 in Healdton, Carter County, Oklahoma, and died August 09, 1965 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas67. He married LULA IRENE FECHER68,69 April 15, 1938 in Lonoke County, AR70, daughter of LLOYD FECHER and MARY DUGGER. She was born in Beebe, White County, AR71.
Notes for LOWELL HENRY COOK:
Birth certificate from Carter County, OK has name as Henry Cook, but his name was Lowell Henry Cook.
Oklahoma State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics Register # 239
His father, James Henry Cook, was 29 years of age at the birth of Lowell Henry Cook. His mother, Ora Nettie Proctor, was 22 years of age at his birth.
The 1920 U S Census, Ok, Carter County, Hewitt Twsp was taken on the 9th of February in 1920 and it listed James Henry Cook as Henry Cook being the head of the household, who was 30 years old.
The census form showed that he was born in Mississippi. His father and mother were both listed as born in the United States.
J.H. Cook was orking as an oil field laborer at the time of the census. Ora (Proctor) Cook was listed as his wife, age 23, born in Texas. Her mother and father were both listed as being from Tennessee. One child, Lowell, was listed as a son who was four months old. His father was listed as being born in Mississippi and his mother was born in Texas.
Lowell Henry Cook was killed at Titan II misile site #4, 12 miles north of Search, Arkansas in White County. It was reported that a welder's torch started a fire at 1:30 p.m. and the exits out of the silo were locked, preventing the workers a means of escape. 52 men died in this accident.
Gary Lay was one of only two men who made it out alive.
Silo fire survivor tells his story
From 1962 to 1987, Arkansas hosted 18 Titan II missile sites, six in White County. The missiles stood 110 feet tall and each could travel some 6,000 miles at a speed of 18,000 mph. Each Titan contained 9-megaton nuclear warheads, the largest in the U.S. military. All were on alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They were dismantled in the mid-1980s, all except Site 571-7 in Green Valley, AZ, just south of Tucson which is now a museum.
By LINDA HICKS
Searcy Daily Citizen, May 7, 2000
"It sounded like whoosh, kind of like when a gas stove lights," said Gary Lay of Little Rock, describing the last couple of minutes prior to 53 men being killed in a Titan II missile silo fire that occurred 35 years ago, seven miles north of Searcy on Highway 16.
Lay, who was one of the only two survivors of the accident, said he hasn’t told his story in 33 years to anyone except friends. It may be different from many other accounts, he told an audience of about 100 attending a recent meeting of the White County Historical Society.
"Every fatality was from smoke inhalation. One thing I would like to tell family members and friends is that it was instantaneous. Every bit of oxygen was just sucked out of there," Lay said. Yet, he told of hearing the cries of the men as they attempted to escape.
At age 17, Lay was working there to earn money for college. After the fire, he was hospitalized for 21 days with third degree burns on his hands and second degree burns on his face. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Searcy.
Hubert A. Saunders of Conway was also taken to the hospital. Saunders was painting a door on the topmost level inside the "gun barrel," a concrete and steel-plated tub that sheathes the missile. The two were the only survivors.
"It (the ambulance ride) was the longest ride of my life because of the pain," Lay recalled.
He fully recovered and now owns and manages an advertising agency, GWL Advertising Inc. of Little Rock. At the time of the accident, Lay said, he was working on level two when the fire flashed only a few feet from him. He recalled first attempting to go down a ladder. He said he made his way down about eight or 10 feet prior to crawling back up.
"The smoke was absolutely horrible," he said. He made his way through the pitch black, smoke-filled darkness to escape through the "cableway." The severe burns on his body, he said, were from the flash fire and also from his falling into some hot metal. When he came out of the cableway, he collapsed, he said. He recalled being placed in a contamination area and showered prior to being transported by ambulance.
"There have been several accounts of what happened," he said. "I have heard and read accounts that said the fire was caused when a flame from a welder’s torch touched a nearby hose and ignited hydraulic fluid. There was no one welding down there. There was no explosion."
After a year of court proceedings, he said, it was finally determined the apparent cause of the accident was from a ruptured hydraulic line spraying diesel fluid on a wire – igniting it.
Lay had only been working in the silo for two days when the accident occurred. He recalled a sign at the site reading "206 days without an accident." He said he was anxious to go back to work there because he had spent most of the summer operating a jackhammer at another construction site at a hospital in Clinton.
He was also friends with many of the small army of workers at the site because he had worked with them the past summer. His father was a business agent for the local union in Little Rock and had 13 workers at that particular site that day who were killed. "One thing, working behind that jackhammer, I was in the best physical condition of my life," he offered. He weighed about 212 pounds. He was preparing to enter college the next month, and he had aspirations to play ball at the University of Arkansas. When the accident occurred, Lay had just re-entered the silo with a group of men who had been outside on a lunch break. He recalled his last conversations with some of the men including a friend, Jack Milam, who was a sheet metal worker. They had known each other for about three years.
"We did a lot of talking on that break," he said. "I was with five other guys. When we got to the end of the cableway, Jack got on the elevator."
The other men were making their way around to their work areas when the accident happened at about 1:07.
The silo had been completed in the early ‘60s, not many years before the accident occurred in August, 1965.
Contrary to some reports, Lay said, the missile was unarmed, and the warhead was located in Jacksonville. The missile was assigned to the 308th Strategic Missile Wing, based at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. At the time of the accident, the project was in the remodification stage, Lay said. Arkansas was a "hot bed" for construction, he said, and it was inundated with carpenters, painters, millwrights, electricians and pipefitters.
Those working at the site were civilian employees of Peter Kiewit and Son Company and also Newbery Electric Corporation, both out-of-state companies.
He described the silo as a "big underground city with two ways in and two ways out." They were covered by a 490-ton steel and concrete door with walls that ranged from four to eight feet thick.
The complex was built with three chambers, the launch tube which had nine levels, an access unit, and a control center. Lay also talked about the security procedures at the operation. However, he said security was "lax" compared to the year prior when persons were not permitted to enter without a security escort.
"There were security escorts playing gin that day," he said.
Lay was involved with the trial proceedings that went on for a year which resulted in families receiving a small amount of compensation for their loved ones’ lives, Lay said.
He said one of the hardest things he had to do after the accident was face families and attempt to answer questions.
"Why did all those men get killed and I didn’t?" he questioned. "I don’t know."
Lowell was a member of the 3548th Ord. Med. Automotive Maint. Co. during WWII
His Army serial number was 18166044 and his grade was Tec 5. He received honorable discharge at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas on September 20, 1945.
His address at the time was Rt. 2 Beebe, White County, AR. He had enlisted at Little Rock, Arkansas on November 1, 1942.
During WWII, he participated in Europe (Rhineland GO 40 WD 45). He received a Good Conduct Medal, EAME Service Ribbon, and a Bronze Service Star. His VA certificate of eligibility #7888373
According to his marriage certificate, issued in Lonoke County, AR, he was 19 years old when he married Lula Irene Fecher, who was 18 years old at the time. They were married on the 15th of April in 1938 by L.S. Gartrell, Justice of the Peace. Marriage certificate is recorded in book 33 page 314 and was filed on April 22, 1938
More About LOWELL HENRY COOK:
Burial: August 12, 1965, North Hills Memorial Gardens, Pulaski County, AR
Cause of Death: suffocation
Census: 1920, age 15 months, Oklahoma, CARTER, Hewitt Twp., Roll 1455 Book 1, Page 141a
Military service: Bet. 1942 - 1945, 3548th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance
More About LULA IRENE FECHER:
Census: 1930, Age 11, Genealogy.com U. S. Census_1930_AR_White_Roll98_Book 2_page 96b
Education: 1930, Attending school and could read and write. Later left school in 10th grade
Children of LOWELL COOK and LULA FECHER are:
. i. LOWELL LEON6 COOK, b. Beebe, White County, AR.
ii. JERRY LYNN COOK, b. Beebe, White County, AR.
. iii. DANNY CARROLL COOK, b. Beebe, White County, Arkansas.
iv. GARY LEE COOK, b. Beebe, White County, AR.
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| Last updated on January 4, 2009 |
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