History of Clark County, Wisconsin (1918

CHARLES W. COOK, who is numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Worden Township, is a native of Canada, having been born in the province of New Brunswick, March 15, 1850, son of George and Ann (Coffee) Cook. The father, a farmer by occupation was a native of England, and the mother of Ireland. The former died in 1901 at the age of 78 years, and in the year following his wife also passed away, at the age of 63. They were parents of seven children: George, who was lost at sea John, a, sailor, who died at home Andrew, who, like his brother George, lost his life on the ocean Charles W., subject of this sketch, who has adopted the safer and more profitable occupation of farming Edmund, a sailor, who is now dead and William and Robert, who are farmers in Canada.,

Charles W. Cook, born in a maritime province, was, like his four sailor brothers, attracted by the ocean, and at the age of 25 went to sea
before the mast, being thus occupied for three years in the coastwise trade. He went through some bad storms and once suffered shipwreck, and as the work was both dangerous and not particularly remunerative, he finally decided to stick to the land, and so engaged in farming, carrying on that occupation in Canada for 12 years. In 1888 he came to Chippewa County, Wis., locating at Stanley, where he became proprietor of a hotel, which he conducted for five years. At the end of that time he traded his hotel property for his present farm of 105 acres, then a tract of 960 acres, which was then but little improved. This defect he has since remedied by hard labor and now has a good and profitable farm, all the land belonging to which is cleared but thirty-five acres. He raises graded Durham cattle, milking seventeen cows. All the buildings on the farm were erected by him, and include a. two-story house and a modern barn, 32 by 60 feet in size, with stone basement, finished with concrete.

Mr. Cook has experienced the joys and sorrows of domestic life for forty years, having been married Jan. 2, 1877, to Martha Doo, who was born in Canada, daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Kay) Doo. Her parents were both natives of Scotland who emigrated to Canada when young, coming from there to Chippewa County, Canada, in 1885, where they engaged in farming. Mr. Doo died in August, 1896, at'the age of 80 years, and was followed to the grave by his wife in October of the same year, her age being 67. There were nine children in the family, whose names, respectively, were Mary, Martha, Charles, Annie, Margaret, Alice, Ellen, Addie, and Cassie. Ellen and Addie are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Cook have had four children, one of whom, Emma, is now deceased. The others are: Anna, now Mrs. John McMillan, of Minneapolis, who has a son, Urban Alexander, who married Hattie Moore, resides in Clark County, and has two children, Florence and Leona and Edmund, who married Ula Graham, also. resides in Clark County, and has two children, Floyd and Inez.