Finding Nancy--Answers and More Questions

Yesterday I took a break from writing my article about my Jakes/Frizzell Great Grandparents and started "Framing out" Part 4 of my 6 post blog series about 1836-1840 Williamson Co TN Dist. 25 folks which include my Putmans(this portion covers surnames M-P).  As I was gathering my Putman information, I wondered why Nancy Putman(widow of Jabel Putman) is not enumerated in 1840.  She's known to be still living and was on the tax list in previous years.  Where is Nancy Putman in 1840?

My plan was to look for her in one of her children's households if I couldn't find a separate listing in another county(she was not showing up in Williamson).  I started in on that and noticed that there was a Noah Putman in Dyer Co TN.  Hmmm not where I'd expect him to be.  Let's check this out! No older female in Noah's household but the person listed right before him on the 1840 US Federal census of Dyer Co TN is Wm C Kook  👀

Could this be Wm C Cook, my 2nd Great Grandfather that I've never been able to find in the 1840 Census?  The ages for all the folks that should be in his household line up perfectly....except there are two extras--an older female who is most likely his Mother in Law, Nancy Putman and a yet unidentified female (15-20).  

While I realize that Cook is a common name, evidence seems to suggest this is most likely him.  

• He is next door to his Brother in law, Noah Putman
• Household composition matches
• Familiar surnames(Call, Hendrix/Hendricks, Harrison, and others) from Williamson Co TN District 25 around him. 
• DNA:  The descendants of Wm C Cook & Elizabeth Putman have a cluster they are in with descendants of a Lightfoot family who is in Dyer Co during the same time period.

I checked the USGW's 1840 Dyer Co TN Census Transcription (pg 104)  just to see how his entry was transcribed.  It was listed as HOOK there.

So now I have my answer to my original question: "Where is Nancy Putman in 1840?"  Nancy is most likely the older female living within the household of Wm C Cook(listed as Wm C Kook) in Dyer Co TN in 1840.  With every answer comes new questions and hopefully answers, documents, and evidence. The circle of research.