David Scott Cook, b 20 Feb 1825

REDDEN, PECKHAM, HAMMOND, MANDEVILLE, RANDALL

Posted By: Donna Moldt Walker (email)
Date: 2/27/2004 at 09:54:10

This old physician and resident of Monmouth made his advent into this county thirty-nine years ago in the fall of 1850. He located at Buck Horn, and entered upon the practice of his profession. The town at that time was about the size of Maquoketa, but while the latter has grown and flourished, the former has passed away with little to indicate that it even had an existence.

Our subject sojourned in Buck Horn a period of eight years, and was married, in the year 1853, to Miss Sarah Redden. He in the meantime also practiced in Monmouth and vicinity. In 1859, he went into Jackson County, Mo., and the following spring emigrated to Miami County, Kan., and changing his occupation somewhat, operated a stock farm while at the same time he continued practicing medicine as opportunity occurred. Upon the breaking out of the Civil War he enlisted in the Kansas State Militia, but in 1862, returning to this county settled in Monmouth Township where he lived until 1866; thence he removed to Wheatland, in Clinton County, and two years later purchased a stock farm which he operated six years.

At the expiration of this time Dr. Cook established himself in the drug business at Wheatland, but two years later his property consisting of a stone building was destroyed by fire. After that he resumed the practice of his profession regularly in connection with stock-raising, which he still follows, being associated in partnership with S. W. Wilcox. He makes a specialty of standard bred road horses, producing extra fine animals of the Almont and Bashaw stock.

The subject of this notice was born in Wyoming County, N.Y., Feb. 20, 1825, and is the son of Solomon and Charlotte (Scott) Cook. Solomon Cook was born in Middlebury, Vt., and traced his ancestry to England. The mother of our subject was born in the North of Ireland, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. She came with her parents to American when a mere child, and it is supposed they settled in Vermont, where she lived until her marriage. After this event Solomon Scott and his young wife emigrated to Western New York settling in what was then Genessee, but is now Wyoming County. There were among the earliest pioneers of that region which had only be invaded by white men thirteen years previously. The father of our subject was a man of good education, and located near where the town of Batavia afterward grew up. In due time he began the publication of a newspaper, and remained connected with it until after settling on his farm. His death took place in 1831, and the mother followed her husband to the silent land two years later, in 1833.

The five children born to Solomon and Charlotte Cook are recorded as follows: the eldest son Solomon, Jr., settled in Baraboo, Wis., where he engaged in the lumber trade, and died about 1860; Sarah became the wife of Allen Peckham, and died at Waukesha, Wis., in 1859; Charlotte married Stephen Hammond, and died in Palmyra, Wis.; Elizabeth, Mrs. John Mandeville, died in Nebraska in 1881; David S., our subject, was the youngest of the family; Solomon Cook had, by a prior marriage become the father of five children. The mother of our subject has been twice married before her union with him, and had become the mother of six children. He held an officer's commission in the Revolutionary War, and was one of those who accompanied Gen. Ethan Allen in the capture of Ft. Ticonderoga.

At the time of his father's death, our subject was only six years old, and two years later he was wholly orphaned by the death of his mother. He then with a half brother, Christopher Randall, emigrated to the vicinity of White Pigeon, Mich., where he lived until eleven years of age. The two then removed to Rockford, Ill., but as our subject did not like that part of the country he returned to White Pigeon, and remained in that locality until reaching his majority. He in the meantime pursued his studies for a time in a graded school at Ontario, Ind.

Our subject entered upon the study of medicine at Middlebury, in the office of Dr. Dunning, and later studied with Dr. Smith of Waukesha, Wis. He commenced the practice of his profession in Jefferson County, Wis., and from there in August of 1850, transferred the scene of his operations to the young State of Iowa, since which time has been a resident of this county. Politically, he votes independently, and has never aspired to public office. Socially he is identified with the Masonic fraternity. During the construction of the Michigan Central Railroad he entered upon the contract of clearing the timber to the extent of six miles, but before the contract was fulfilled disposed of it to other parties. Aside from this his time and attention have been closely given to the duties of his profession in connection with which he has built up a lucrative busines..

Mrs. Sarah A. (Redden) Cook, is the daughter of Edward and Amy (Wood) Redden, who were natives respectively of Maryland and Kentucky. She was born in Coles County, Ill., Dec. 20, 1838, and in 1847 came with her parents to this county. Later, however, they returned to the Prairie State, where they lived six months. The Doctor and his estimable wife are the parents of a son and daughter: Achilles W. and Edith M. They occupy a neat and comfortable home in the western part of town, and number their friends and associates among its best people.

("Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson County, Iowa", originally published in 1889, by the Chapman Brothers, of Chicago, Illinois.)