Lorenzo D. Cook, a well-known and progressive farmer of Brown township, this county, proprietor of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty acres in the Wilkinson neighborhood, is a native son of Hancock county and has lived here all his life. He was born on a farm in Brown township, in the vicinity of his present home, Apri.l; 27, 1851, son of Joel and Susanna (Rogers) Cook.

Joel Cook was a Virginian, born in that portion of the Old Dominion now comprised in West Virginia, on October 5, 1795; son of Daniel and Rosann (Wilhoit) Cook, the former of whom was a son of Adam Cook, who was born at sea, while his parents were en route to this country from Germany. Daniel Cook was born in Madison county, Virginia, his family having a plantation on the same side of the Rappahamock River as the Washington family, and when eighteen years of age he threw in his lot with those of the patriots who were fighting for freedom from British rule and served in General Washington's army during the concluding years of the Revolutionary War, being present at the surrender of Cornwallis. In 1792, he was united in marriage to Rosann Wilhoit of German birth, and to that union thirteen children were born, of whom nine grew to maturity, as follow: Adam, born on June 8, 1793, who died on December 17, 1868; Joel, October 5, 1795, died on March 12 1870; Rhoda, August 22, 1799, died on April 15, 1878; Anna, October 11, 1801, died on December 14, 1895; David, September 10, 1802, died on July 17, 1877; Dinah, September 15, 1803, died on November 2, 1882; Cornelius, September 15, 1805, died on August 24, 1884; Jemima, May 15, 1808, died on July 27, 1883; and Ephraim, January 11, 1810, died on February 10, 1894. The progeny of these several children of Daniel Cook, the Revolutionary soldier, numbered one hundred and thirteen and the progeny of the later generation numbers five hundred and forty, great-grandchildren of the old Revolutionary patriot.

Joel Cook as reared on the old home plantation in Virginia and received an excellent education. On June 2, 1820, he married Nancy Farley, who was born in Virginia, a daughter of Capt. Matthew Farley, and in 1830 emigrated to Indiana with his family, four children having been born to him and his wife in the meantime. The family settled in Rush county, where another child was born, and two years later moved to a farm north of Lewisville, in Henry county, where Mrs. Nancy Cook died on June 2, 1835, exactly fifteen years after her wedding day, leaving five children, as follow: Matthew F., born on April 1, 1821; Angeline, October 15, 1823; Daniel, July 29, 1826; John F., July 15, 1829, and Jane, August 29, 1832. Later, Joel Cook left his Henry county farm and moved to Hancock county, settling on a homestead tract of eighty acres in Brown township. On June 1, 1838, he having then been a widower one day less than three years, he married, secondly, Susanna Rogers, daughter of Nathan Rogers, and to that union ten children were born, namely: Sarah, born on March 20, 1839; Nancy, December 27, 1840; Harrison, December 9, 1843; Joel, April 15, 1847; Martha, February 26, 1849; Lorenzo D., the subject of this biographical sketch; Emily, July 26, 1853; Eli, September 18, 1855; Cassinda, Decembr 30, 1858, and Mary, January 15, 1862. Joel Cook remained on the Brown township homestead the rest of his life, his death occurring on March 12, 1870.

Lorenzo D. Cook was reared on the paternal farm in Brown township and received his education in district school No. 1. He early began farming on his own account and is now the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty acres, which is well improved and profitably operated. He has erected all the improvements on his place and has an excellent farm house, with a good barn and other farm buildings in keeping with the same. Mr. Cook married Elizabeth Reger, daughter of Manley and Geretta (Surber) Reger, and to this union three children have been born, Milo B., who married Pearl Morris, and has two children, Myrtle and Russell; Porter, who married Mary F. Larkin and has two children, Ruth Virginia and Norman, and Arva Victor, who married Blanche Green. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are members of the Friends church and take an earnest interest in all movements looking to community betterment. Mr. Cook is a Democrat, but has never been an aspirant for public office.

Transcribed from History of Hancock County, Indiana, Its People, Industries and Institutions by George J. Richman, B. L., Federal Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916. Pages 881-882.

Submitted by Sylvia (Rose) Duda, Laingsburg, MI September 20, 2001.

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