Viola Cooke 1852-1930

COOKE, SOULE, PORTERFIELD, SMITH

Posted By: Georgea Clinton (email)
Date: 5/10/2011 at 11:29:20

March 13, 1930 - Carroll Daily - ... (same as below) Older residents of Carroll have pleasant memories of J.B. Cooke family. Mrs. Cook was Miss Viola Soule, and when a young woman came with her step-father and mother, Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Smith from Jefferson and located in Carroll. She had two sisters, Minnie and Jessie, the later came with the family. Viola Soule was one of the pioneer school teachers of Carroll county and one of her pupils was Mrs. E.J. Pelsue, then Emma Gilley.

Viola Soule was married to J.B. Cook at Carroll, Mr Cook was a southern gentleman from the Carolinas and during the Civil War was colonel of a colored regiment. He was a well built man with a fine military carriage and was always prominent at celebrations, riding his horse at the head of the procession....

Mr. Cook died in a hospital in Chicago many years ago and was buried in the Carroll cemetery and his wife with her children carried on alone... For a number of years she has been quite deaf and lived a secluded life. Her youngest daughter, Miss Tolosa Cooke, will be remembered by Carroll residents for her wonderful voice. She is at present connected with the music department of Drake University.

March 17, 1930 - Carroll Daily - Short services were held at noon Saturday at the grave of Mrs. J.B. Cooke in the Carroll cemetery. They were conducted by the Rev. Miller, who is a brother-in-law of the late Mrs. C.A. Daniel, and he was assisted by the Rev H.C. Schneider of the First Presbyterian church of Carroll.

Mrs. Cooke died at her home in Des Moines Wednesday after a lingering illness of six months. Funeral services were held Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock in the White Undertaking parlors and the body was brought to Carroll Saturday morning to be laid to rest by the side of her husband.

Viola Soule was born in Canal Dover, O., June 2, 1852 and moved to Jefferson in 1871. From Jefferson she came with her stepfather and mother, Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Smith to Carroll, she was a teacher of Carroll county.

Dec. 23, 1872 she was married to John Benajah Cooke, a grain merchant and implement dealer, formerly of Raleigh, N.C. During the Civil War Mr. Cooke was colonel of the Fifth United States colored troops and after the war was state senator for North Carolina.

Five children were born to this union: Lulu Morse and John dying in infancy; Mrs Vava Porterfield and Miss Tolosa Cooke of Des Moines and John Cooke of Los Angeles, CA. She is also survived by three grandchildren: John Benajah Cooke, of Spokane, WA, Viola Cooke and Dorothy Cooke of Los Angeles, CA.

Mr. Cooke died thirty-seven years ago and Mrs. Cooke and her children made their home with their mother, Mrs. Susan E. Smith. For many years they lived in the house north of the Methodist church and later in the house now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Minchen, which at that time stood on the corner of Main and west Seventh streets. It was in that house that Miss Tolosa Cooke was born, from there the father was buried and to that house the daughters returned this morning to attend the last services for their mother.

Mrs. Cooke built the home now occupied by William Pierce and after living there a year or so moved with her daughters to Des Moines, which has been the residence since 1907. Miss Tolosa Cooke is music supervisor of the Greenwood school in Des Moines.

Those who came from Des Moines and attended the funeral at Carroll were Mrs. Vava Porterfield, Miss Tolosa Cooke, the Rev. Mr. Miller, Miss Ruth Pritchird, Dr. Helen Johnston, Miss Kate Kelly, and Miss Laura Matthews.