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Surnames: Cook, Mills & Miles
Classification: Biography
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/gh.2ADI/5244
Message Board Post:
"History of Huntington County, Indiana"1914 By Frank S. Bash pg. 571-72
William H. Cook. A fine representative, not only of the prosperous and progressive
agriculturists of Jefferson township, Huntington county, but of the native born citizens
of that place, William H. Cook is eminently worthy of honorable mention in a work of this
character. A son of Nathan Cook, he was born, October 31, 1863, on a farm lying in section
nine, Jefferson township, his birthplace being situated fives miles west, and two miles
north, of Warren.
Nathan Cook was born in Wayne county, Indiana, and there grew to manhood. In 1849 he came
to Huntington county, and having purchased land in Jefferson township there carried on
farming until his death. He married, in Ohio, Martha Mills, who was born in Hamilton
county, Indiana, and died on the home farm, in Huntington county, Indiana. They reared two
children, as follows: William H., the special subject of this sketch; and Anna, wife of
Oliver P. Miles.
A life-long resident of Jefferson township, William H. Cook, obtained his education in the
district schools, attending regularly all of the terms until attaining his majority.
Choosing for his life work the free and independent occupation of a farmer, he first
rented land, and after his marriage settled on the Cook homestead, where he has since
resided. Mr. Cook has a good farm of seventy-one acres, and in its management is in every
respect up-to-date, using the most modern machinery and appliances in his work. He is a
natural mechanic, handy with tools of all description, and in addition to owning and
operating two sawmills has three threshing outfits, and an automobile, it being a
five-passenger Maxwell. Mr. Cook also has an Emerson engine gang plow, the first one
introduced into the township. It has four 16-inch bottoms, capable of plowing ten acres in
ten hours, and he is going to put on two more bottoms, which will enable him to plow from
ten to fifteen acres per day.
Mr. Cook married, February 27, 1890, Ella Miles, who was born, February 8, 1869, in Polk
township, Huntington county, a daughter of Thomas and Anna (Keener) Miles. Seven children
have blessed their union, namely: Everett, Ernest, Iva, Glenn, May, Ralph, and Goldie. In
politics Mr. Cook is a sound republican, and in addition to having served five years as
supervisor has been an important factor in the movement to facilitate the making of good
roads throughout this section of the state.