Title
WM. HENRY COOKE FAMILY
Creator
Florence M. (Cooke) May
Coverage
TOWNSHIP 139N RANGE 94W
Text
WM. HENRY COOKE FAMILY
Wm. Henry Cooke and Ola E. Saunders were married by and at the home of his father, Rev. William Cooke, Sept. 27, 1888 near Gladstone, N.D. He was the oldest of seven children of William and Susanna Cooke who had come to the U.S., 1870 from Ireland. He was born in County Cork in southern Ireland Jan. 4, 1865. The Rev. Cookes’ first settled in Wisconsin where he served several Methodist charges, then later moved to the Dakota Territory where he had charge of the Dickinson, Gladstone and Richardton churches.
Ola E. Saunders was the oldest of six children of James Goob Saunders and Mattie K. Dudley of Franklin County, Virginia who had arrived by train to settle on a claim near Gladstone, 1886. Captain Saunders had served four years in the Confederate Army and was a surveyor by trade, so he was hired to do extensive work along that line in the Territory. He and the family also farmed and raised sheep and saw many early-day hardships of life on the prairie. They moved to Dickinson 1896, where he had become Stark Co. Clerk of Court, a position which he held until 1913 when he and his wife decided to move back to Virginia to live out their few remaining years.
Wm. Henry and Ola Cooke settled on a farm five miles southwest of Gladstone. In every way it became a large production — cattle, horses, hogs, poultry, land, farm machinery and last, but not least, children. Of these 14 were born, namely: Albert, Bertha, Victor, Harold, Edgar, Fern and Fay (twins), Lorin, Marjorie, Florence, Keith and Kenneth (twins), Ardis and Herbert.
Most of what was needed to sustain life was found on the farm or grown there. Father was able to sell butter, cheese and butchered meats to town people and thus could buy those things which could not be had or raised on the farm. Mother baked dozens of loaves of bread each week, in addition to her many other chores. With cattle being sold on the market and crops bringing in some money there was no poverty, but luxuries were few. 1910 the family moved to a new home three miles from Dickinson where a dairy was operated, milk being delivered daily to customers in town. Albert and Harold remained to operate the Gladstone farm.
Wm. and Ola Cooke celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, 1938, with an “open house” at the Methodist Church, preceded by a family dinner. All of the children were still living at that time and most of them got back for that occasion. The dairy farm had been sold sometime before this and retirement in town was being enjoyed by the honored couple. After several years, with gradually failing health, Father Cooke passed away June 4, 1942, age 77. Mother Cooke lived on in her home and later with some of her family until Aug. 24, 1957 when she passed on at age 87, to well-earned rest. Hard work and much child-bearing apparently did not lessen her vitality.
Five of the Cooke boys were in the U.S. service during World Wars I and II; and one, Victor, served in France in 1917-1918. At present (1977) eight of the 14 in the family still survive; Victor, Harold, Edgar, Fern, Fay, Marjorie, Florence and Ardis. The descendants of Wm. Henry and Ola Cooke, now living, would number at about 125, and they are pretty much scattered over the U.S., but a few still make North Dakota their haven and home. These include children and some grandchildren of Albert and Herbert in Fargo, Bismarck and Dickinson.
By Florence M. (Cooke) May
Wm. Henry Cooke and Ola E. Saunders were married by and at the home of his father, Rev. William Cooke, Sept. 27, 1888 near Gladstone, N.D. He was the oldest of seven children of William and Susanna Cooke who had come to the U.S., 1870 from Ireland. He was born in County Cork in southern Ireland Jan. 4, 1865. The Rev. Cookes’ first settled in Wisconsin where he served several Methodist charges, then later moved to the Dakota Territory where he had charge of the Dickinson, Gladstone and Richardton churches.
Ola E. Saunders was the oldest of six children of James Goob Saunders and Mattie K. Dudley of Franklin County, Virginia who had arrived by train to settle on a claim near Gladstone, 1886. Captain Saunders had served four years in the Confederate Army and was a surveyor by trade, so he was hired to do extensive work along that line in the Territory. He and the family also farmed and raised sheep and saw many early-day hardships of life on the prairie. They moved to Dickinson 1896, where he had become Stark Co. Clerk of Court, a position which he held until 1913 when he and his wife decided to move back to Virginia to live out their few remaining years.
Wm. Henry and Ola Cooke settled on a farm five miles southwest of Gladstone. In every way it became a large production — cattle, horses, hogs, poultry, land, farm machinery and last, but not least, children. Of these 14 were born, namely: Albert, Bertha, Victor, Harold, Edgar, Fern and Fay (twins), Lorin, Marjorie, Florence, Keith and Kenneth (twins), Ardis and Herbert.
Most of what was needed to sustain life was found on the farm or grown there. Father was able to sell butter, cheese and butchered meats to town people and thus could buy those things which could not be had or raised on the farm. Mother baked dozens of loaves of bread each week, in addition to her many other chores. With cattle being sold on the market and crops bringing in some money there was no poverty, but luxuries were few. 1910 the family moved to a new home three miles from Dickinson where a dairy was operated, milk being delivered daily to customers in town. Albert and Harold remained to operate the Gladstone farm.
Wm. and Ola Cooke celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, 1938, with an “open house” at the Methodist Church, preceded by a family dinner. All of the children were still living at that time and most of them got back for that occasion. The dairy farm had been sold sometime before this and retirement in town was being enjoyed by the honored couple. After several years, with gradually failing health, Father Cooke passed away June 4, 1942, age 77. Mother Cooke lived on in her home and later with some of her family until Aug. 24, 1957 when she passed on at age 87, to well-earned rest. Hard work and much child-bearing apparently did not lessen her vitality.
Five of the Cooke boys were in the U.S. service during World Wars I and II; and one, Victor, served in France in 1917-1918. At present (1977) eight of the 14 in the family still survive; Victor, Harold, Edgar, Fern, Fay, Marjorie, Florence and Ardis. The descendants of Wm. Henry and Ola Cooke, now living, would number at about 125, and they are pretty much scattered over the U.S., but a few still make North Dakota their haven and home. These include children and some grandchildren of Albert and Herbert in Fargo, Bismarck and Dickinson.
By Florence M. (Cooke) May