William Albert Cook (1896 - 1958)

Born 15 Mar 1896 in Eldon, Miller, Missouri, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Cecile Francis (Philpott) Cook — married 18 Aug 1928 in Russell, KS

Descendants

Died 26 Jul 1958 at age 62 in Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Savannah Pendleton [send private message]

Biography

William Cook served in the United States Army in World War I
Service started: Jan 25, 1917
Unit(s): Co C 130 Machine Gun BN
Service ended: Sep 10, 1919

This profile is part of the Cook Name Study.

Co C 130 Machine Gun BN My Grandfather Cook's family has always been a mystery to us. The only ones we ever heard about was Walter and Cecile. We still don't know why this is. So growing up, we were told that our true surname was Cox and not Cook. That at some point in time, the last name was changed from Cox to Cook. I used to joke that it had to do with my grandfather's initials of B.J. I know, very crude.

As I started my quest to find my grandmother's family, Billy Joe's ex-wife Elizabeth, my mother started her quest in tracking down her father's family. What we found was really remarkable, sometimes disappointing, but never failed to amaze us.

The controversy seemed to get larger as the past unfolded before us. Walter, indeed, was William A Cook. He was never a Cox. Seems that sometime after 1920 he went by Walter A Cox and by the time that his father-in-law, A.R. Philpott, passed away he had reverted back to being called William. We have no idea why the 19 year name difference. We have thoughts which lead us to believe that he might have done this because of Cecile's first child, Robert. He was born prior to her marriage to Walter and at least 10 years prior to Billy Joe's birth.

We know that he served in the military. It seems to be quite the family trend as his son was in the USMC as well as a grandson and a couple of his great-grandchildren entered the Air Force National Guard and one great-grandchild was in ROTC while in school.

Vitals

Birth:

Date: March 15, 1896^[1][2]

Place: Eldon, Missouri

Name:

Given: William Albert Cook

Alias: Walter A Cox

Marriage:

Spouse: Cecile Francis Philpott

Date: August 18, 1928^[3]

Place: Russell, Kansas

Death:

Date: July 26, 1958^[4][5]

Place: Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas

Burial:

Place: Osage City Cemetery, Osage, Osage County, Kansas^[6]

Family

Father: George Augustus Cook

Mother: Anice Amanda Adcock

Siblings:

1. Mary Cook
2. Rosa Cook Adams
3. Robert Cook

Spouse: Cecile Francis Philpott

Children:

1. Billy Joe Cook

Events

1900 US Census: Franklin Twsp, Miller, Missouri^[7]

1910 US Census: Franklin, Miller, Missouri^[8]

1940 US Census: Ellsworth, Ellsworth City, Kansas^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: Death Certificate Note: http://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Cook-12199-1
2. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #31645970 Name: William A Cook Birth: Mar. 15, 1896 Place: Eldon, Miller County, Missouri Death: Jul. 26, 1958 Place: Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas Burial: Osage City Cemetery, Osage, Osage County, Kansas Inscription: Co C 13O Machine Gun BN WW1
3. ↑ Source: Marriage License Note: http://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Cox-11218
4. ↑ Source: Death Certificate Note: http://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Cook-12199-1
5. ↑ Source: Find a Grave Note: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=31645970 Name: William A Cook Birth: Mar. 15, 1896 Place: Eldon, Miller County, Missouri Death: Jul. 26, 1958 Place: Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas Burial: Osage City Cemetery, Osage, Osage County, Kansas Inscription: Co C 13O Machine Gun BN WW1
6. ↑ Source: Find a Grave Note: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=31645970 Name: William A Cook Birth: Mar. 15, 1896 Place: Eldon, Miller County, Missouri Death: Jul. 26, 1958 Place: Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas Burial: Osage City Cemetery, Osage, Osage County, Kansas Inscription: Co C 13O Machine Gun BN WW1
7. ↑ Source: United States Census, 1900 Note: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3ZP-5Y4 Name: William A Cook Event Type: Census Event Year: 1900 Event Place: Franklin Township, Aurora Springs Village, Miller, Missouri Gender: Male Age: 4 Marital Status: Single Race: White Relationship to Head of Household: Son Birth Date: Mar 1896 Birthplace: Missouri Father's Birthplace: N Carolina Mother's Birthplace: Missouri
8. ↑ Source: United States Census, 1910 Note: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2BC-6PB Name: William A Cook Event Type: Census Event Date: 1910 Event Place: Franklin, Miller, Missouri Gender: Male Age: 14 Marital Status: Single Race: White Relationship to Head of Household: Son Birth Year (Estimated): 1896 Birthplace: Missouri Father's Birthplace: North Carolina Mother's Birthplace: Missouri
9. ↑ Source: United States Census, 1940 Note: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRKS-L8H Name: Wm A Cook Event Type: Census Event Date: 1940 Event Place: Ellsworth, Ellsworth City, Ellsworth, Kansas Gender: Male Age: 44 Marital Status: Married Race: White Relationship to Head of Household: Head Birthplace: Missouri Birth Year (Estimated): 1896

See Also

1. "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3R4-HQK : accessed 10 November 2015), William Albert Cook, 1917-1918; citing Audrain County, Missouri, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,683,090.