This copy of this Cook Letter was sent to me by another genealogist, Loretta, and Carol Pack Urban suggested I send it on to your list. Hope it can help someone fill in some blanks. Melanie Robertson in Hinton, WV [email protected] LETTER WRITTEN BY GRANDSON OF DANIEL COOK DATED 1883 Adam Cook grew to manhood in Germany. He married and raised a family, but I can give you only a part of the names of the members of his family. I know of three sons; Daniel, Ephriam, and John. All three came to America. Daniel and Ephriam moved to West Virginia, and John to Kentucky. We are descendants of Daniel Cook and I will speak of him in particular. When he was a young man of 18, he joined the army of the Revolution under George Washington. We have every reason to believe that he was at the siege of Yorktown and Cornwallis surrender to Washington, and march out to the tune, "The World Is Upside Down" and hand his sword over to Washington. He was there to see our country freed from the Mother Country, and become the land of the free and the home of the brave. He helped fight the battles that gave us liberty and the right to worship God according to our own beliefs. I am glad to say our grandfather, Daniel Cook, was there and helped gain victory for liberty we now enjoy. Let us as a family stand by the Stars and Stripes, the Union and the Constitution. I believe we have the best government on Earth. I am glad I am an American. A few years after he retired from the battlefield to his home, Daniel Cook formed an acquaintance with a young German lady by the name of Roseanna Wilhoit, and they were married in 1792. He was 30 years of age and she was 18. We have no photographs of them, but I will try to draw you a picture in writing. Daniel Cook was just a little below average in height, had broad shoulders, and was muscular. He had black hair and blue eyes, and red whiskers. In his manner, he was loud and outspoken. In his dealings, he was honest and upright. His wife was somewhat the reversed. She was tall and large, had black hair and brown eyes. She was rather of a timid nature, was neat and clean in her home, and very domestic. She was always ready to feed the hungry and help the needy. She strictly attended to her own affairs, and said no harm of anyone, and it is said she died without an enemy. To this happy couple were born 13 children: 8 sons and 5 daughters. They were as follows, beginning with the oldest: Abram, Joel, Rhoda, Anna, David, Dinah, Cornilus, Jeannie, Ephriam, John, James and Madison. In 1823 Daniel Cook died from an injury he got from a fall. He was climbing, his hand slipped and he fell with his stomach across the fence, receiving internal injuries, and resulting in his death a few days later. His funeral took place at his home on the South bank of the New River, Summers County, W Va. The remains were taken about a mile up the river in a boat to the cemetery, which was on the opposite side of the river. The funeral procession walked to the ferry about 40 rods from the house, just below the falls. The transportation took considerable time, as the procession was about a mile long. As they proceeded to the North bank of the river, the remains of Daniel Cook floated in a boat on the broad, silvery surface of the New River to his last resting-place. He was lowered into the vault in the presence of his bereaved family and a large circle of friends. Thus ended the days of one of Washington's brave soldiers, and a good man. In 1833 most of the family emigrated to Indiana, and some of them became homesick for the mountains of West Virginia and returned home, leaving grandmother and 4 sons in Indiana. All of the family was buried in West Virginia except for Grandmother and the 4 sons; Abram, Joel, John, and Madison, who were buried in Indiana. Joel Cook was married June 2, 1820 to Nancy Farley, who was the daughter of Capt. Matt Farley. To this union 2 sons and 3 daughters were born. Four were born in West Virginia and one in Indiana. Joel Cook went to Indiana in 1830, where he lived the remainder of his life. His first wife died June 2, 1835. They lived together 15 years to the day. Joel Cook remarried three years save one day to Susanna Rodgers, the daughter of Nathan Rogers, who came from Davidson,County, North Carolina. To this union 10 children were born. All are living at the present time. In 1883 Brother Harrison and I visited our grandfather's home in West Virginia. On November 10, we took the train at New Castle, Indiana, and arrived in Columbus, Ohio at 11 o'clock the same day, again taking the train at 5 o'clock we arrived at Ashland, Kentucky at 9 pm. We remained there overnight. We then took the 7:30 morning train on the C & O Railroad. We next came to Huntington, West Virginia. At this point the traveler bids adieu to the Ohio River hills and after crossing the Guyandotte River we soon entered the valley of the great Kanawha. The train then accelerates its pace and we are rushing up the great canyons on the New River. On the Kanawha, the cliffs and Mountains are on one side of the road while on the other side of the road are frequent pastoral landscapes. Now the scene is changing. The mountains close in from a valley to a gap, contracts to a canyon and then the canyon becomes a mere defile. Hawk's Nest frowns a thousand feet above as indignant at such intrusion on its solitary majesty. The roadbed is cut into the solid face of the cliffs and over Adamantine Bets the trains speeds without a jar and swings the curves with the ease of a bird. Looking back you see the way closing behind you as you turn a bend forward and the engine seems to be rushing to certain destruction, attempting to hang on to the everlasting hills, but as the door behind you shuts, the one before you mysteriously opens. At four o'clock in the evening we arrive at Hinton, W. Va. And inquire for Uncle Martin Cadle. We cross the river on a ferry, hire a guide, and proceed to climb the mountain. We arrive at our Uncle's house at 10 pm. receive a hearty welcome, had a short conversation, and Uncle showed us to our room upstairs. In preparing for bed, I threw my clothes on a chair Uncle said my grandfather, Daniel Cook, had made 75 years ago. The next morning was clear and beautiful and we started for the Cook Community nine miles away, arriving at Uncle James Cook's and stayed the night. Next morning we visited Uncle Cornilus Cook, and were received joyfully. He entertained us in old Virginia style. The next morning, we with our Uncle began climbing Bend Mountain. When we got to the highest point, we saw sights I have never beheld. The beauty of it took my breath away. You could see for miles. One of the peaks was called Angel something or other, I can't recall what. Uncle said it was 50 miles away in the adjoining state. We could see the fog raising off of New River, with the beautiful mountains forming a stunning back drop. We could trace its course to the place it passes through the Allegheny Mountains. As I viewed this scene, I thought of Moses as he stood on the mountaintop and saw the Promised Land for the first time. We descended to the other side, picking up a few chestnuts under a large chestnut tree, and then we returned to Uncle's house. That evening we received considerable instructions concerning our ancestry. The next morning, we with our uncle, descended the steep side of the mountain for more than three miles. On reaching the bottom, we found ourselves in one of the most remarkable places I have ever seen. There was about three acres of level land hemmed in by tall mountains. It looked as if it had been let down into a great pit, more than a thousand feet up, with no way to escape. In this solitary place, there was the most profound silence, not even the song of a bird was to be heard. In the morning it was 9 o'clock before we could see the sun and at 2 o'clock in the afternoon it disappeared from sight. After visiting our Uncles and one Aunt, we made our way to the site of Grandfather's old home place. We went down to a small stream called Tom's Run to the place it empties into the New River. I thought it was the most lovely site I have ever seen, and could well understand the homesickness felt by the ones who returned to this Paradise. The river is straight for about 3 miles with high mountains on one side, the bottom being narrow. Grandfather's home was on West End of this valley. We passed over some of the fields where he had once grew his corn. Two of our Uncles were there to show us places of interest. We came to where once had stood our Grandfather's house. The house was gone, but the foundation and the remains of the fallen chimney were still there. I stood on the ruins of the house, amid scenes of beauty and grandeur. At my left, stood Stoackley's Mountain, where a man by that name had been killed and scalped by the Indians. About 40 feet away were the falls of the New River, the water plunging over a ledge of stone. Beyond us a mountain call Alum Roch stood the full width of the river. We crossed the river in a boat, landing at the base of a mountain, made our way up the river road to Captain Matt Farley's place, which is still standing. We went to the door and were introduced to the lads of the house, and asked permission to exam the house. The inside looked old. It is made of pine logs, hewed, and it is two story high. It had a large stone chimney at the north side. I went inside and the first room had a large stone fireplace, built in the old Virginia style. Upstairs I found another fireplace. A window in the West side gives me a nice view of the river. This is the oldest house I was ever in. We knew it stood there in 1820. It was probably there many years before that time. We then visited grandfather's grave, and crossing the river, we went to Aunt Anna Cook Farley's place. After a pleasant visit with her, we visited a few other places and returned home. Daniel Cook had 13 children; 133 grandchildren and 540 great-grandchildren that I know of.