Hi Karen: One of my ancestors, James Pentland (1820-1902) who was from County Down, Ireland was a florist in Baltimore City with a relatively large business. Because of this I have done a little research on florists in 19th-century Baltimore. I have one publication, The Maryland Florist, Number 57, December 1958 which was devoted to the History of Florists in Maryland. It is entitled Floriculture in Maryland, a History of the Florist Industry. It was written by James B. Shanks of the University of Maryland and was published by the Grower Divisions of the Allied Florists of Baltimore and Washington DC. Anyway, I found it quite useful because it mentions Pentland several times. I re-read it tonite and found the following mentions for the surname Cook: P. 2, "In 1873, the French breeder Pernet sent out to Madam Bellon. This [some flower or another] was imported by Anthony Cook of Baltimore who in turn sold several plants to Mr. Bancroft." P. 5, "We read that the Anthony Cook "Dean of Floricultural Trade" came to the US in 1840, was a specialist in roses and settled in Baltimore." P. 5, "Baltimore's beloved rosarian, John Cook, born in Germany in 1833, came to this country in 1853 and was employed first in New York City. Coming to Baltimore several years later, he worked first for the Hallidays [another florist] and then for several estates. He later purchased 30 acres near Catonsville and went in business for himself. His most famous rose introduction was the variety Radiance." P. 6, [quoting someone else] "We take great pride in the roster that bears the names of our Feasts, Cooks, Hallidays and Pentlands and of that great and learned man ... William D. Brackenridge." [apparently they were all big name florists in 19th century Baltimore]. The remainder of the 17 page report goes on to describe more recent events ... there were no more mentions of the name Cook. The author, frequently cites articles and advertisements from The American Florist vols 2, 3 & 5 as well as Proceedings of the Society of American Florists. I have never actually searched out these journals but suspect you could find more about the Cooks (and Pentlands) in those publications. Hope this provides you with some useful clues. Gary 31 May 2002 Baltimore http://home.att.net/~g.ruppert PS. If you want to read a little more about James Pentland, vist my web site at the following address: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ruppert/Pentland > Hello, > > I am searching for information on any Cooks or Kochs who were florists in > Baltimore circa 1860-1915. My GGGrandfather Mathew [Mathias] Cook [Koch] > (1849-1932) came from Bad Durkheim, Germany to New Orleans (around age 21) > via Baltimore. It's possible he spent a few years in Baltimore before > arriving in New Orleans in 1870. His marriage license shows an Adolph Koch > (possibly father or brother?) as a witness. A newspaper clipping > celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary indicates his father was a florist > in Baltimore. Mathew was a florist in New Orleans. The text of the > clipping appears below: > > ************* > Excerpted from the Daily Picayune, New Orleans, LA, July 1912 > > Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Cook on Thursday night at their home, 502 Millaudon > street, celebrated the fortieth anniversary of their marriage. More than > 100 guests, many of them relatives of the family, were at the dinner and the > dance that followed. > > Mr. Cook is a leading florist of Carrollton. He came here from Germany > forty-two years ago, and has been in the flower business since that time. > His father and grandfather were florists in Baltimore and Germany. Mrs. > Cook, before her marriage was Miss Carrie Rehm. They have four children, > two sons and two daughters, and five grandchildren. > ************** > > Any help is much appreciated. I will be happy to help anyone looking for > New Orleans-related information in exchange. > > Thank you, > > Karen Cook Giurintano > New Orleans LA > > > > ==== BALTGEN Mailing List ==== > Check Out the USGenWeb/MDGenWeb page for Baltimore Co. > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdbaltim >