Joseph Cook Registers a Land Purchase in Franklin Co NC(Sept. 1803)

I've found yet another mention of David T W Cook.  This one is as a witness to the sale of land to Joseph Cook with whom he frequently appears around the time period of the early 1800s. 

Franklin Co NC Deed Book 12 was microfilmed by North Carolina Dept. of Archives and History in 1964.  FamilySearch has it and the other deed books in their digital film collection as Franklin County, North Carolina, Deed records or real estate conveyances, 1779-1951, and index, grantor and grantee, 1776-1949.  Film #427052 contains Deeds, book 12-15 1783-1811.  I wanted to see Deed Book 12 page 96 which the index said contained the recorded deed for land conveyed from Robert & Bennett Duke to Joseph Cook.  That page was Image 137 of 797 hosted on FamilySearch. The land is "on the waters of the Tar River. " The deed mentions Kelly's line and Mill Creek along with more specific measurements to the land which contains 140 acres. The Dukes sold the land for 635 Spanish milled dollars.

See:  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L96M-W3DB?cat=181225

Signed sealed & delivered & acknowledged

In presence of
David T W Cook
John Hayes
J Cook 
By 
Robert Duke (seal)
B. Duke  (seal)
Franklin County(NC)
September Session 1803
The foregoing deed was exhibeted and
duly proved by the oath of John Cook
and on th Motion ordered to be Registered
This Deed is Duly Registered 
Test    G. Hill C C
Test    J Hill P R

 I have several other posts about David T W Cook some of which include several occasions where he was a witness for Joseph or Joseph was a witness for him.  You can find these by doing a search of posts using the search box in the upper left corner of this blog.

This is the first time that I have noticed another Cook other than Joseph listed along with David T W Cook.  Not sure if that means anything or not.

Another David T W Cook sighting

Went looking thru the land deeds for Franklin Co NC at FamilySearch.  I focused on the ones covering 1800-1825 for the most part.  Found more of David T W Cook's paper trail 

(you will want to log in to FamilySearch before clicking on links--it's free)

Franklin Co NC Deeds

https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/181225?availability=Family%20History%20Library

Cook indexed Entries start at 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-896S-Q9F8?i=154&cat=181225

David TW Cook to John Person deed identifies the land as land which David TW Cook bought from John Davis of South Carolina. (Description included in entry)

Amount of Land: 150 acres
Purchase Price: $310
Bargain made: Oct 12 1802
Recorded: Sept 1804 session
Witnesses: Francis Taylor and Joseph Cook

Direct links to images 461 & 462 (Franklin Co NC Deed Book 3 pg 259 & 260)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G96M-N9HK?i=460&cat=181225
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-996M-N9Q6?i=461&cat=181225


Joseph Cook Deed to John McLeroy Jr.(Franklin Co NC Deed Book 15 pg 5)
Amount of Land: 156 acres
Purchase Price: $936
Bargain Made: 17 Jan 1809
Recorded: June Session 1809
Witnesses: Richard Jones and J Person

Direct link to image 592 (Book 15 pg 5)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L96M-WQN5?i=591&cat=181225

In Franklin Co NC Deed Book 16 pg 211 there is an entry which is indexed as David Cook and Joseph Cook and their wives to Benj L Rainey. Looking at the document you can see it contains corrections using editing marks that show the surnames as Crook. The wives names are Rebecca and Eliza which doesn't come remotely close to being the names of either Joseph or David's wives(which were Tamor and Lydia.)
Direct link to the entry:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-896M-HHQF?i=147&cat=181225

Follow that man--David T. W. Cook

For those that haven't been following my search to find the identity of Joseph S. Cook who died in Williamson Co TN here is the short version of that.  I've located two Joseph Cooks in the 1820 census in areas where my families were and I want to know if either of these is the Joseph Cook who married Tamar Northern in 1803 Granville Co NC.  I believe he is the one who is in Simpson Co KY and is listed with Northern families near.  The other Joseph Cook is enumerated in Wilson Co TN near others who have Granville Co NC ties and who will in a few years end up in Williamson & Bedford County Tennessee area.  Our Cook Y DNA points to descendants of Shem Cooke(he died in 1796 in Granville Co NC and was from Amelia Co VA).  I also want to determine if either one of them is the Joseph S. Cook from Williamson Co TN.   To add to the confusion, the probate papers of 2 other Joseph Cooks(one of which IS Joseph S Cook) have been combined and labeled as the Joseph S. Cook in Williamson County TN records and as such, that is how it appears within the Ancestry database.  Joseph S. Cook died without a will and Wm C Cook(my 2nd Great Grandfather) was appointed admin of Joseph S. Cook's estate and reported an inventory and sale of the estate.  The other Joseph Cook in that file folder left a will and the majority of the papers in that folder are for his estate detailing the division of his property among his children.  He died a few years after Joseph S. Cook and lived in Davidson Co and I believe he was a resident of Dist 2 Williamson Co TN.

So I had looked at the entry for the marriage of Joseph Cooke & Tamar Northern in Granville Co NC but never really looked at the marriage bond.  It was hard to find as it is incorrectly indexed as James Nothern instead of Tamar Northern.  I think part of that comes from an indexer who isn't familiar with the document that is being indexed and what to expect on it.  The first name on the bond is that of  James Turner who was Governor of North Carolina at that time.  The bondsman who signs with Joseph Cook is David T W Cook.

From Newspapers.com

Mississippi Free Trader(Natchez, MS) Jun 18, 1840 pg 3 Marriage to Miss Sarah Godley(Wilkinson)

Mississippi Free Trader(Natchez, MS) Nov 16, 1819 pg. 5 --an advertisement that he had placed in order to sell land. (appears to have run Nov 9-mid Dec)

• 10 Lots in the town of Woodville(including those I live on)
• 640 acres of land on the river Comite, Popular Springs improved 
• 350 acres of land well improved near the Mississippi 
• 4500 acres in West TN on Duck, Big Harper, and Elk Rivers.

Weekly Raleigh Register(Raleigh, NC) Dec 28, 1821, Pg. 4

A petition for divorce filed by Lydia Cook in Currituck Co. NC against David T W Cook.

(published for 3 months beginning Nov 8, 1821)

From Ancestry.com

Mississippi, Compiled Marriages, 1776-1935 marriage Elizabeth Collingsworth 13 Jan 1812(Wilkinson)

Mississippi, Compiled Marriages, 1800-1825 marriage Matilda Nelson 26 Oct 1815(Wilkinson)
Mississippi, Compiled Marriages, 1776-1935 marriage Matilda Nelson 2 Nov 1815(Wilkinson)
Louisiana, Compiled Marriages, 1718-1925 marriage Caroline M Nelson 14 Jan 1817(West Feliciana)

1813 Mississippi, State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866 Wilkinson Co. MS
1820 Mississippi, State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866 Wilkinson Co. MS
1820 United States Federal Census in Wilkinson Co. MS
1830 United States Federal Census in Tipton Co. TN
1840 United States Federal Census in Wilkinson Co. MS

U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 1798 May 17-1815 ----- "C"
6535 Cook David T W Capt Miss. Militia  Col Neilson

The Remarks column from that entry is shown in the image below

At FindAGrave.com

I found the entry for his wife Matilda Caroline Nelson Cook

This was a wonderful find as there are biographies for her, her siblings, and her father, John Nelson.  The bio entry has sources and while focusing on the Nelsons and their lives, has a bit about David Taylor Woodward Cook.  The story of where the Nelsons were from, why they came to Louisiana, Mississippi and for a time parts of Tennessee including, Williamson County, Tennessee is in the bios on the Nelsons memorial pages.  They are a great read separate and apart from this mystery.  Do yourself a favor and read them.

At Hathitrust.org

A dictionary of all officers, who have been commissioned, or have been appointed and served, in the army of the United States, since the inauguration of their first president in 1789, to the first January, 1853,--with every commission of each;--including the distinguished officers of the volunteers and militia of the states, and of the navy and marine corps, who have served with the land forces --Gardner, Charles K. (Charles Kitchell), 1787-1869. pg. 125

The Austin papers / edited by Eugene C. Barker. 1919 v.2 pt.2. Austin, Moses, 1761-1821. pg 1751

David T. W. Cook to Austin, July __, 1822.  Came to Texas to see you "in behalf of myself and many others."  Wants land.

The Austin papers / edited by Eugene C. Barker. 1919 v.2 pt.1. Austin, Moses, 1761-1821. pg 355
The above-mentioned letter dated July 1822 is as noted asking for land and was delivered by Austin's brother.  David T W Cook says he will be "on the  River Brassos 3 weeks" and asks him to direct any communication to Mr. Andrew Robertson.

American State Papers: Documents, legislative and executive, of the Congress of the United States ... / selected and edited under the authority of Congress.  pg 63  and pg. 774  Listed among the settlers with claims west of the Pearl River.  

At the Bureau of Land Management site 

I found David T W Cook among a long list of names for Land Holders in Louisiana.  Louisiana Meridian 020N - 002E Lot/Tract 1 Section 20 Union Co.

Do I have the answers or the connection? Not yet. I have a lot more questions and a great number of resources to check.  Would I love to find one of his direct male descendants?  You bet.  My brother has taken the YDNA test and I'd love to compare.  We are currently waiting on our upgrade from Y-67 to Y-111.