COOK, THOMAS C.

COOK, UNTHANK, GRIGG, RISK, BUNDY, PATTEN, LINCOLN

Posted By: Doretta Pimlott Cowman (email)
Date: 4/15/2013 at 16:49:36

The 1880 History of Poweshiek County Iowa

Sugar Creek Township

Page 675-6

COOK, THOMAS C. - Farmer and stock-raiser, sectin 7, P.O. Lynnville. One of the most intelligent and interesting gentlemen whom we have met in this township is the subject of this sketch. He was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, on the 27th of March, 1814, where he continued to live until he was twenty-one years of age. While he lived in Ohio he was engaged in agricultural pursuits during the summer and attending school in winter. At the above mentioned age he removed to Henry county, Iowa, where he engaged in the mercantile business for about twelve years. He then became engaged in farming in the same county, which business he followed in one place for twenty-nine years, when he came West and settled on the place where he now lives, which is beautifully located on the Searsboro and Lynnville road, about equal distance from each place. He was married on the 26th of February, 1840, to Martha Unthank, who is a lady of refined taste and very intelligent and intersting. She is a woman of strong mind and has decided opinions of her own on all subjects of morality, and especially on the subject of temperance. She was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, on the 14th day of September, 1821. By this union they have five children living: Robert H., Elizabeth (now the wife of Prof. Grigg, of Muscatine; she was formerly the wife of John W. Risk, who was a soldier in the Thirty-sixth Indiana, and who died shortly after returning from the army), Eli Unthank Cook, (son of Thomas C., is a practicing attorney in the city of Muscatine, with a good practice), Ellen (who is now the wife of Daniel C. Bundy, and lives near her father's family), and Mary L. (now the wife of Robert W. Patten, of Rushville, Indiana). Mr. Cook was the first postmaster of Spiceland, Indiana, which position he held for about twelve years, to the entire satisfaction of his neighbors. Mr. Cook has a fine cabinet of geological and rare and valuable specimens from South America, which he took pleasure in showing, and which the historian took great pleasure in examining. These specimens were sent to Mr. Cook by Archillas Unthank, who was sent by President Lincoln, at the request of the government of South America, to survey a railroad over the mountains of South America, and consist of some of the finest and largest agates, of different varieties, which we ever seen, besides many relics of the Incas, a tribe who long since became extinct, leaving no one to tell the story of their history. These relics consist of water-pots of curious and ingenious patterns, a beautiful woven sling, supposed to be similar to the one which David used in his fight with Goliath, besides some beautiful pointed sticks, evidently used for spinning purposes, and a knotted cord, such as we read of in the history of South America, and evidently used to convey intelligence in the same way our cipher dispatches do in this age.