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I discovered a deed on which W C Cook(my 2nd Gr Grpa) was a witness. It had to do with lands for the Union Ridge Church. Record loss for the period of 1850ish to the early 1860s makes that era difficult to research, so anytime I find something covering that time period it really helps. There was an attempt made to record lost deeds in a notebook by the county clerk. Another great help is a book published on that effort by Helen and Tim Marsh.
Marsh, Helen C., and Tim R. Marsh. "The Burned Deed Index of Bedford County, Tennessee 1852-1861". Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1999.
The deed book entry(Deed Book NNN pg 69) on which I found W C Cook as witness is written in very faint ink but it appears that it is an attempt to make sure that the original bargain of 1854 is on record. I've listed notes below on the dates and persons mentioned.
Thomason & John Jordan
To
Deacons of Union Ridge:
Wm Elmore and R A Gantt
Witnessed on 6 Nov 1854 by
William C Cook
William C Cook
D A Elmore
William Floyd
Signed:
W T Thomason
John Jordan
Noted on 7 Nov 1854 in Notebook #2 pg 32
Recorded the same day in Book VV pg 404-405
Act of 1865 Ch 28
Registered 28 April 1877
Recorded 30 April 1877
Source:
"Bedford, Tennessee, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QY-K92B-L : accessed Mar 24, 2024), image 61 of 638; IGN 008567899; citing, Bedford Co. TN Deed Book NNN, p 69, Deed from W T Thomason & John Jordan to Wm Elmore & R. A Gantt-- Deacons of Union Ridge Baptist Church part of the Duck River Association