I've found/read from several secondary sources that John Cooke and his wife were both brought to Virginia as endentured servents. The basic story is that they, with other young people, were dining on a ship in a London, and the ship set sail without their knowledge. Their passage was paid by landowners in Virginia thus becoming endentured servents. John is said to have worked not only his off but a couple years of his wife's also (perhaps when their first child was born?). Laura Guy www.bol.net/llguy -----Original Message----- From: LeeHash@aol.com [mailto:LeeHash@aol.com] Sent: Saturday, November 13, 1999 10:49 PM To: WVWYOMIN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [WVWYOMIN] COOKE Lt. Col. Henry T. Cook, got it right this time.. Rev Goode brings up something interesting about John Cooke. Seems records may be found at Christiansburg of his appointment as a JP. If that info resides in their archives, one should expect additional Cooke files there. It would worthwhile for a good search. I looked for early Cook marriages in my database and found MANY Cooks in the mid to late 1700. Nothing connected his wife. It was said he was in the Shenandoah as a dentured servant. I'm not far from Staunton, a potential source. Need to go there anyway. When visiting my Mother, I always stop in Christiansburg. Should be that way next month or so and will look for John Cooke then. Thanks again Lee