At 09:59 AM 12/25/98 +0700, Walter Harwood wrote: >Good morning to the COOK list members, > In my collateral database, I have a MARY COOK born July 15, 1678, in >Salem, MA, who I show as having married JEREMIAH HOW(E) September 7, >1708. MARY was the daughter of HENRY and MARY (HALL) COOK. The only >problem is that I also show that she married NATHANIEL REXFORD July 7, >1708. I find it a bit hard to believe that MARY would have married so >soon after the death of a first husband, and suspect that if indeed she >did marry NATHANIEL, the marriage date is incorrect. Since she was >about thirty when she married JEREMIAH, she may easily have had a prior >husband. > JEREMIAH had previously married April 30, 1704, JUDITH COOK born >February 28, 1678/79, in Wallingford, CT, died March 20, 1707/08. >JUDITH was the daughter of SAMUEL and HOPE (PARKER) COOK, and I believe >a cousin of MARY. > If anyone on the list has any information on MARY's prior marriage, >and is willing to share the information, it would be appreciated. >Thanks in advance. > A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. > >Rick in Thailand > Hello, Rick My records which come from the LDS database only add to your confusion re MARY COOK's marriages in 1708. They show her marriage to NATHANIEL REXFORD in 1708 (no date). Also they show her marriage to JEREMIAH HAW on 7 Jan 1708, and to JEREMIAH HOW on 7 Jul 1708. It would seem to be a good bet that she married somebody on the 7th of some month in 1708. Another interesting point is the marriage of HENRY COOK and MARY HALL is listed as 30 Sept, 1678, a couple of months after MARY COOK's birthdate. The LDS records do seem to agree with your data on JUDITH COOK. Yes, indeed, JUDITH and MARY were 1st cousins. HENRY and SAMUEL COOK were sons of HENRY COOK, b. 1615 and JUDITH BIRDSALL, b. 1618, both in Salem. If you are descended from these folks, then we're distant cousins. My family is descended through 4 generations of HENRY COOKs. I am sending a Cc of this to my brother, Peter, who is our family historian; he may be able to clear up some of the confusion regarding MARY COOK's marriages. The LDS records trace the COOK and BIRDSALL history back a few more generations. Do you have it? Mojave John