James Polk Cook was born on October 13, 1836, the son of William Clifford Cook and Elizabeth Putman Cook. The family was living in Bedford County, Tennessee at the time of his birth but were enumerated in Dyer County, Tennessee by the 1840 U.S. Federal Census. They were back in the middle Tennessee area by the following year, as shown in the school census, with James's older sister Minerva attending school in Williamson County, Tennessee, District 25. James was likely still living with his family at the time of the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, when he would have been around thirteen years old. We cannot confirm this with certainty, however, as the Bedford County, Tennessee District 10 enumerations have been lost.
Between 1858 and 1867, James entered into three distinct marriages. He first married Messina "Cenia" Ann Bailey on August 6, 1858, in Rutherford County. By the time of the 1860 census, James was enumerated living in his parents' home without his wife. When the Civil War began, he enlisted on August 24, 1861, in Company A, 24th Tennessee Confederate Infantry, serving as a wagoner. He was sick for much of his service and was eventually discharged in June of 1862 at Tupelo, Mississippi. In April of 1865 his union with Cenia was legally dissolved in Bedford County, with her desertion cited as the reason.
Only months after his divorce, James sought a fresh start, marrying Harriet Hamer on October 12, 1865, in Williamson County. This union remains something of a genealogical mystery. While it is widely believed that Harriet passed away shortly after the marriage, given the lack of children and James's remarriage within two years. However, the records do not explicitly state how this union ended. James' brother, Gideon had married Mary Hamer, a sister of Harriet, and she too had passed away not long after giving birth to their only child, a son named Robert Cook.
On December 20, 1867, James married Susan Carson Ferguson in Rutherford County. This union finally provided the stability James had long sought, lasting twenty-one years until his death and producing three children: Harriet Sophie (1869), Minerva Mae (1870), and William C. (1873). Susan's children from her first marriage, John R. Ferguson and Tennessee ("Tennie") Ferguson, became integral members of the household. However, their presence in historical records creates a fascinating puzzle for researchers. In both the 1870 and 1880 censuses, John R. and Tennie are listed with the surname Cook. To a casual researcher, it might appear they were James's biological children or had been legally adopted. Other records such as Tennie's marriage license clearly use the name Ferguson, however. This highlights a common nineteenth-century nuance: census takers often recorded everyone in a household under the head-of-household's surname for simplicity. It is a good reminder that the name on a census isn't always the legal reality.
Following the 1880 census, James and Susan, along with others of the Cook family, relocated to the Franklin County, Arkansas area. William Green Hight, a maternal first cousin of James's father had previously moved to the Washington & Madison Counties of Arkansas area and had also ended up in Franklin County, where he died in 1881(around the same time the Cooks were heading that way). We know the family had arrived by late 1881, as James's stepdaughter Tennie and Joseph Knox Cook's daughter Melzora both married on November 15, 1881. James appears on the Mulberry Township tax list for Franklin County in 1882. His brother Joseph Knox Cook is also on the same tax list for Mulberry Township that year, though his entry is noted as not paid. By 1884, James is listed on the White Oak Township tax list in Franklin County. Joseph does not appear on any further Arkansas tax lists. Whether John R. Ferguson accompanied the family to Arkansas remains unknown, as no records have been found that positively identify him there. Records for Tennie, Harriet, Minerva Mae, and William C. have been located.
James's mother had died in the fall of 1880, and when the family departed for Arkansas, it would be the last time James saw his father, William Clifford Cook, who passed away in January of 1882. James himself died in Franklin County, Arkansas, on August 19, 1888, and is buried in Highland Cemetery in Ozark.
Sources:
Williamson, Tennessee, School Census 1838-1939, District 25, William C Cook 1 child(Over 6<16); digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS1W-9QXZ-K?cat=823595 : accessed 9 April 2024), Image 1067 of 5811; citing Genealogical Society of Utah, 1998 Film 2115582 Item 2, DGS 8411324.
"1840 US Census" Dyer County, Tennessee, p. 104, Household of Wm C Kook(Wm C Cook); database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBJ-96TR : accessed 12 March 2026), IGN 5154899, Image 212 of 1013.
"Rutherford, Tennessee, United States records," 1856-1861, marriage register, p 54, James P Cook and Cenia Ann Bailey, 6 August 1858; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93F-MSLY : accessed 12 March 2026), IGN 5725214, .image 728 of 971.
Bedford County, Tennessee, Circuit Court Minutes, 1864-1865, IGN 8659576, Image 172-3 of 672, Bill of Divorce, James P. Cook vs. Messina Ann Cook, State Case #6331 & #6332 (April Term 1865), pp. 283-284; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-D3C6-49Z9-4 : accessed 7 April 2024).[This is James P Cook's divorce from Cenia Ann Bailey]
"Williamson, Tennessee, United States records," marriage bond, James P Cook and Miss Harriet G Hamer, 12 October 1865; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93F-SRXF : accessed 9 Apr 2024), image 1331 of 1649; IGN 5725450, Williamson County Archives (Franklin, Tennessee).[I believe that Harriet died not long after the marriage]
"Williamson, Tennessee, United States records," marriage license, James P Cook and Miss Harriet G Hamer, 12 October 1865; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93F-SRCY : Apr 10, 2024), image 1329 of 1649; IGN 5725450, Williamson County Archives (Franklin, Tennessee).
"Tennessee, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900, "database, J P Cook and Susan Ferguson, 20 December 1867, Rutherford County, Tennessee; citing database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/31525:4125 : accessed 10 April 2024);
Cook Family Bible Record, 1834–1857; "WC Cook Bible Family Records p 1," James P Cook's date of birth listed as Oct 13th, 1836;digital image, shared by Marie Cooke Beckman, 11 Mar 2026, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/77121678/person/46358454391/media/b3646cdd-dc1a-4e4b-af70-e3601a05099c : accessed 11 Mar 2026); privately held by [Insert Name of Current Owner, if known].
1860 U.S. census, Bedford County, Tennessee, population schedule, Western Division District 10, Rover Post Office, page 115(penned), dwelling 860, family 814, James Polk Cook living in Household of W C & Elizabeth Cook; imaged "United States Census, 1860", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSF-9M1B : accessed 7 April 2024).
1870 U.S. census, Bedford County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 10, pg 31(penned), dwelling 211, family 211, James and Susan Cook; imaged, "United States Census, 1870,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8F-ZLC : accessed 7 April 2024).
1878 Beers Map, J P Cook listed in Dist 10 of Bedford County TN, Library of Congress(https://www.loc.gov/item/2006626023/ : accessed 13 Mar 2026)
1880 U.S. census, Bedford County, Tennessee, population schedule, Enumeration District 10, pg 12(penned), dwelling 102, family 103, James and Susan Cook; imaged, "United States Census, 1880,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBH-YK1 : accessed 7 April 2024).
"Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LL9-653 : accessed 13 May 2024), Entry for Hugh Clawson(age 20) and Tennessee Ferguson(age 18), 15 November 1881.
Franklin Co Arkansas Ozark Tax Records 1882, 1884, 1886 & 1887, Mulberry Twp. , p 27, J K Cook(not marked paid) and J P Cook; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK7-RSNQ-M : accessed 12 March 2026),IGN 8139953 Image 32 of 621.
Franklin Co Arkansas Ozark Tax Records 1882, 1884, 1886 & 1887, White Oak Twp., p (none), J P Cook, ; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK7-RSJL-P : accessed 12 March 2026), IGN 8139953 Image 264 of 621.
"Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LL9-X6N : accessed 13 May 2024), Entry for H F Hill and Tennessee Ferguson, 1 September 1886.
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