State of North Carolina listed on 1836 tax list in Wilson Co. Tennessee

In the 1836 Early TN Tax List Records for Wilson Co TN's Dist 17, it appears that the State of North Carolina owns 317 acres valued at $1000 for which they paid $70 tax.  I did not find a 1837 tax list but checked the 1838 tax list for Dist 17 and didn't see the State of North Carolina listed as owing tax.

Benjamin Woodward---Money Maker--Counterfeiter

While researching the Cook line I came across the story of Benjamin Woodward a money maker-- but not the legal way.  He was a counterfeiter.  I developed a timeline of events using the articles that I was able to find at the Newspaper.com site.   The Cookes named in the first incident are likely cousins of mine.   Our Y DNA links to Shem Cooke(who married Ann Rucker) out of Virginia and Granville Co. North Carolina.  I can't positively identify them as there are many who carry the same name in the Cooke family and who live in the same area but given the Rucker name is also mentioned I'd consider it highly likely that there is a connection. Keep in mind while you read this that the punishment for counterfeiting was death.  This could be a movie plot.

Timeline
1773 25 Feb (Thur) --- The Virginia Gazette(Williamsburg, VA) Page 3
Capt. John Lightfoot returns from a trip to Pittsylvania on order of Gov. to apprehend and bring Benjamin Cooke, Joseph Cooke, James Cooke, Benjamin Woodward and Peter Medley in for questioning.  John Short, a former under Sheriff had reason to believe they were involved in counterfeiting and passing counterfeit notes.  At the time they were taken in, they had been at their shop where tools used in the producing counterfeit notes and coins were found.  All subjects with the exception of James Cooke(he did not appear to have done anything criminal) were taken on to jail and will go to York for further examination next Tuesday.  Several others also committed to jail on suspicion of being involved with the counterfeiting.  Gideon Rucker and Shem Cooke of Pittsylvania and John Hightower and William Hightower of Lunenburg have fled and the Governor is offering a reward.

1773 22 Apr (Thu)---The Virginia Gazette  (Williamsburg, Virginia) Page 3
Benjamin Cook, Benjamin Woodward, Joseph Cook, and Peter Medley, from Pittsylvania, for counterfeiting Gold and Silver Coins, and passing Counterfeit Treasury Notes:  Acquitted.  "The Testimony of John Short, the principal evidence against the prisoners, was invalidated by sundry evidences in their behalf, who proved him a most atrocious Villain;  and their counsel even made a motion in court to have him indicted for perjury.   He is since gone off; and has left behind him in this city, a wife and six helpless children in most pitiful circumstances."

1775 14 Sep (Thu) ---Rind's Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg, VA)  Page 3

Benjamin Woodward publishes denial of claims that he is involved in counterfeiting.


1776  19 Jul  (Fri) --- Purdie's Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg, VA) Page 2
Benjamin Woodward brought to town with 4 other suspected accomplices.

1776  30 Aug  (Fri) Purdie's Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg, Virginia) Page 3
(https://www.newspapers.com/image/40580121/)

1790 18 Jun (Fri)---The State Gazette of North-Carolina (New Bern, NC) Page 3

(https://www.newspapers.com/image/55585181/)

Terrance Thynne is brought in on charges of passing counterfeit bills.  He claims no knowledge that the bills not being authentic.  He obtained them from Benjamin Woodward.  Thynne's witness is also found to have been guilty of passing counterfeit.  James Arthur is also brought in and more information on Benjamin Woodward's operation is obtained.

1792 25 Jul (Wed)---The Pennsylvania Gazette(Philadelphia, PA) pg 3


Statement from Baltimore on July 18th. Beware of counterfeits of Virginia Military Certificates. believed to be passed by the brother of Benjamin Woodward of Dinwiddie Co. near Petersburgh, Virginia. While it doesn't give the first name of Woodward's brother it is likely the Jesse Woodward mentioned in the previous article. Description about 5' 7" or 8" well set, about 40 years old with short black hair, little grey ruddy complexion, dark eyes, with a small piece of his nose bit off(near upper part of right nostril) Last seen wearing black hat and cloth coat, nankeen waistcoat and breeches.

The following article from The Progress-Index(Petersburg, VA) tells a little more about Benjamin Woodward. The Dinwiddie Counterfeiter article by Tamara Eastman

Google Books also have a few that mention counterfeiter, Benjamin Woodward. I'm sure there was a lot more to the story.

Unionville TN residents subscribe to The Kansas Herald

This bit of information from The Kansas Herald peaks my curiosity as to why there were so many new subscribers from Unionville TN.  Was Mr. T.J. Fain THAT good of a salesman?  Were there folks from Unionville considering moving there or who had family there?

Kansas Weekly Herald  Leavenworth, Kansas  Fri, Dec 29, 1854 – Page 2

Newspapers.com (accessed Dec 5, 2017)

Research Ramblings

The atDNA kit for my Dad's only living sister arrived today and will go out in tomorrow's mail.  Also noticed that my brother's YDNA upgrade to 67 markers had a batch number.  My daughter should get her swab kit for the mtFull Sequence soon and then we can all hurry up and wait together.   I uploaded a tree to my Aunt's account so that is already in place.  Hopefully I will remember to add the processing times at TheDNAGeek.com's DNA Test processing times page.

I found a "vanity' bio for Roland J Cooke 1839-1913, a 2nd Great Grandson of Shem Cooke & Ann Rucker.  He was the grandson of Roland Cooke(West TN Primitive Baptist).  His family had moved from Gibson Co TN on to Yalobusha Co., Mississippi and then to Phillips Co. Arkansas.  Couldn't find a marriage record for his parents in the Mississippi county records but there was one that listed the marriage for the couple given as his parents about 10 years later than what it should have been considering Roland J was the oldest. I'm not sure if he was from an earlier marriage or if there is an error in the source only gave the year which doesn't sound like one from court records and I didn't care for the description of the source which is an Ancestry Database of compiled Mississippi Marriages(see source info below) with no digital images.

Source Information
Hunting For Bears, comp.. Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Original data: Mississippi marriage information taken from county courthouse records. Many of these records were extracted from copies of the original records in microfilm, microfiche, or book format, located at the Family History Library.

So really still not sure and I'm taking this info with a boulder size grain of salt until I see original source info.  The bio continued the theme and also was 10 years off on his mother's year of death.  Still it gave me info on where descendants from this line may live and should help in identifying them should they show up among my DNA matches.

A mtDNA full sequence, upgrade to Y67 and atDNA test for my only remaining paternal aunt

Family Tree DNA has their Holiday sale on with a variety of test packages and upgrades available.  I took advantage of the sale over the Black Friday Weekend.  I purchased an upgrade of my brother's YDNA-37 test to 67 markers, a Family Finder(FTDNA's autosomal test) for my Dad's only living sibling and a mtDNA Full sequence for my daughter. For the tests that I manage,  I have more Promo codes than I can possibly use so I am posting the ones from this week here if anyone needs them feel free to see if they are still active.

FTDNA Coupon Codes Expires Dec. 3, 2017

R29G306PJY3Y $30 off Y-DNA67 ($229 before coupon)

R292SNRLTF2F $30 off Y-DNA67

R24NNLLESIQJ $30 off Y-DNA67

R24NPHFTQ29P $20 off Y-DNA111($299 before coupon)

R29I62CN9KJ4 $30 off Y-DNA111

R24MV668ZWLC $25 off Big Y

R243MEFJ3C4O $10 off Y37, Y67, or Y111($129--$229--$299 before coupon)

R29IQPH8SF6E $10 off Y37, Y67, or Y111  **

R290PL8LF5XQ $20 off Y37, Y67, or Y111  **

R29OVXD7IEE5 $30 off mtFull Sequence($169 before coupon)

R29RF52ROJOC $30 off mtFull Sequence

R298XY65U1OO $20 off any purchase of $150 or more

R29FEFEP6LGM $20 off any purchase of $150 or more

I will post the ones for this next week as soon as I get them.  I'm already really excited about seeing the results of the tests I purchased as well as seeing a bunch of new matches show up from all the sales at FTDNA and AncestryDNA.

If these coupons do not work they have probably been used by another one of my readers.  I offer them on a first come first serve basis.  

** Some people have reported that they were able to use the Y 37/67/111 coupons on upgrades.

Rowland Cook, you had mail.

In my study of the lines of Shem Cooke (brought about by the results of my brother's YDNA test) I've noticed several names which are used frequently by his descendants.  Shem/Shemuel/Isham, Rowland and Claiborne are very common in his line so I've been collecting and studying each of those including all of the spelling variations of both the given and surname.   I found mention of a Rowland Cook in a listing of persons with letters remaining at PO in Cedar Bluff Alabama(Cherokee Co.)  This would be Rowland B Cook, son of Shem Cooke and Temperance Blackwell. Why was his mail not picked up?  Maybe he was away on business in 1841 or had just lapsed on picking up his mail.  He was enumerated in Cherokee Co Alabama in the 1840 AND 1850 Federal Census. This branch is covered in Many Cookes and their Broth (see Ancestry Message board post about book) published in 1967 by Charles G Cooke, which is a self described  "genealogical outline of the Cooke Family of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama."  The author mentioned that he had been unable to place where Rowland B. Cook was during the 1870 census. According to records within the churches where he attended and preached, he had removed to Giles Co TN and been there during that time.  Improved search and indexing in recent years has allowed us to see that he was enumerated  in Madison County Alabama with his wife(30 yrs his junior) and their children.  Amazingly in this entry he is only 5 years older than she. Given the names and ages of his children and wife I can tell this is him.

Sources:

Jacksonville Republican (Jacksonville, Alabama) 01 Dec 1841, Wed • Page 4  (https://www.newspapers.com)

Year: 1830; Census Place: Fayette, Georgia; Series: M19; Roll: 17; Page: 196; Family History Library Film: 0007037.  Search on Rowland B Cook (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8058)

Year: 1840; Census Place: Cherokee, Alabama; Roll: 3; Page: 132; Family History Library Film: 0002332.  Search on R. B. Cook (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8057)

Year: 1850; Census Place: District 26, Cherokee, Alabama; Roll: M432_3; Page: 53B; Image: 112.  Search on R. B. Cook (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8054)

Year: 1860; Census Place: Bowdon, Carroll, Georgia; Roll: M653_113; Page: 552; Family History Library Film: 803113. Search on R. B. Cook (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7667)

Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 3 Range 1 Subdivision 53, Madison, Alabama; Roll: M593_27; Page: 102A; Family History Library Film: 545526.  Search on Bryant Cook (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163)