Other Events:

• FamilySearch ID: K48M-JX9
• Confirmation: 17 Sep 1786, Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut

Notes:

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/K48M-JX9

Died:
According to Harriet Bulkley Latimer's autobiography (pp 10-11), her father died at sea when she was 12 years old:

"At the early age of twelve, I was deprived of the care and protection of a father, whom I almost idolized. I well remember with what pride I looked upon his manly form... Never shall I forget the morning of that day which brought the sad intelligence, that my mother was a widow,-- that I was fatherless. He died far from home, from friends and sympathy, and his body was committed to ocean's waves to rest amid its waters, 'till the morning of the resurrections... A passing barque that had spoken his ship, was greeted with the intelligence of the death of its captain, but the ship itself was never heard of more. Undoubtedly it foundered at sea, and none survived to tell the story of his death or of their own calamity..."

Robert married Hannah Burnham on 31 May 1784 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut. Hannah was born on 17 Mar 1762 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut; died on 5 Feb 1836 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut; was buried after 5 Feb 1836 in Mortimer Cemetery, Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• FamilySearch ID: MMKQ-925
• Alt. Birth: 23 May 1785, New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut
• 1800 Census: 1800, Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut
• Removed to: 1802, Vermont
• Removed to: 1805, Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont
• Removed to: 25 Dec 1819, Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia
• Removed to: May 1823, Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont
• Occupation: 1825, Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont; Teacher
• Occupation: Dec 1829, Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont; Teacher
• 1830 Census: 1830; not located.
• Occupation: 1833, Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont; Teacher
• Removed to: 1835, New York, New York County, New York
• Occupation: From Jul 1836 to 1858, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey; Principal of Bloomfield Female Seminary
• 1840 Census: 1840, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1850 Census: 16 Sep 1850, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1860 Census: 21 Jul 1860, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• Newspaper Article: Mar 2002, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey; The New Town Crier
• Book Article: 18 Oct 2012, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey

Notes:

Christened:
Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920
Name:      Harriot Bulkley Latimer
Father's Name:      Robert Latimer
Mother's Name:      Hannah Latimer
Baptism Date:      14 Aug 1785
Baptism Place:      Middletown, Connecticut, USA
Volume Title:      Volume 069 Part 1 Middletown

Harriot Bulkley, inf. dau. of Robert & Hannah, bp. Aug. 14, 1785

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MMKQ-925

1800 Census:
p. 449
Hannah Burnham   01000 - 12111 - 00

Census Analysis:
Female   > 45 : Hannah Sage Burnham, b. 1739
Female 26-45 : Hannah Burnham Latimer, b. 1762
Female 16-26 : ?
Female 10-16 : Harriet Bulkley Latimer, b. 1785
Female 10-16 : Maria Sage Latimer, b. 1787
Male     10-16 : Michael Burnham Latimer, b. bef 1791
Female   < 10 : Eliza Sinclair Latimer, b. 1798

Removed to:
From Harriet B Cooke's autobiography, p. 14:

"I was induced, in the year 1802, to exile myself from my early home and take up my residence in the Green Mountain State."

Removed to:
From Harriet B Cooke's autobiography, p. 17:

"My removal to Middlebury, in 1805, to join my mother, who had previously removed from Connecticut, and thus once more to complete the family circle, was an important era in my life."

Removed to:
According to her autobiography, her husband Milo went first to Augusta about 1817, and then in 1819, she followed with the children.

Removed to:
According to her autobiography, two years after the death of her husband, she left Augusta to return north. She stopped in Charleston, South Carolina on the way. There she visited her brother's grave. As her mother had re-married, they went via New York to Middletown and by September reached Middlebury.

Occupation:
According to her autobiography, she decided to take up teaching and in 1825 commenced a school in Vergennes, Vermont.

Occupation:
According to her autobiography, she commenced her school in Middlebury in December 1829.

1830 Census:
According to her autobiography, she was living in Middlebury in 1830, but I have not located her in the census.

Removed to:
According to her autobigraphy (p. 171):

"I remained in Woodstock only one year, having been induced, by the urgent entreaties of a suffering sister [Eliza Sinclair (Latimer) Patton], to consent to make my home with her during the ensuing winter. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1835, I again changed my address, feeling that truly 'Here I have no continuing city,' and took up temporary abode in New York.

"The nine months I spent in that city were employed in relieving my sister from her family cares and burdens, in teaching her children, and in seeking to find my place among the benevolent operations of the day."

1840 Census:
p. 373
Robert L. Cooke     201 111 000 0000 - 11(11) (12) 42 120 0000

1850 Census:
p. 191
Robert L. Cook      40  M   Teacher  $9000   Vermont
Carolyn E.  "         40   F                            New Jersey
Sarah L.     "         16   F                             Virginia         school
Cornellius L.  "       14  M                                 "                  "
William H.     "       12  M                             New Jersey       "
Harriet B.      "       64   F                             Connecticut
... 33 staff and students + 13 on next page

1860 Census:
Bloomfield PO, p. 81
Robert L. Cook    50  M    Surveyor  $15,000  $2,000   Vermont
Caroline E.  "       50  F                                             N Jersey
Sarah          "      25   F                                             Virginia
Cornelius     "      24   M                                              "
William        "      22   M                                            N. Jersey
Harriet         "      75    F                                            Connecticut
Jane            "      40   F                                             Ireland
... 1 servant

Newspaper Article:
http://bloomfieldhistorical.org/towncrier/March2002.pdf

The Distinguished "Madam Cook" by Jean Kuras

Her final resting place is on a hillside in Bloomfield Cemetery. Above, a bright blue sky is seen through a tall, leafless oak tree. The inscription tells us her name was Harriet B. Latimer, wife of Milo Cooke, born May 23, 1785 and died January 28, 1862. At the base of the tall spire-shaped marker is carved "RESURGEMUS"."

In 1836, this remarkable woman, well educated, of decisive character, deeply pious and possessing notable executive skills came to Bloomfield. She had previously taught in Vermont and Augusta, Georgia and would now become the principal of the Bloomfield Female Seminary. From 1837 to 1855, her seminar school in Bloomfield was the center of a strong intellectual and religious influence. Under her guidance, the school's distinction grew and was often referred to as Madame Cooke's School.

A building facing the Green, on the site of today's Children's Library, was erected for the splendid sum of $6000 at the urging of a group of men who wished their daughters to have the same educational opportunities as their sons. The two-ans-a-half-story building in the Greek Revival style was considered a grand establishment for its time.

Widowed for many years, Madame Cooke, as she was called, lived with her son and his family in a two-story New England Georgian house, just south of the school, where Sacred Heart Church stands today.

The school achieved a wide celebrity and many youn ladies came a long distance to attend the seminary as day students or boarders. Her students both respected and loved her. Revivals were often held on the school grounds and former students would return again to reminisce about their old school days. The girls sold handmade items at the end of summer term. Boxes of clothing were collected and both money and clothing were sent to missionaries. In the 18 years of the school's existence, several thousand dollars would be raised for missionary work. In her book, "Memories of My Life Work," Mrs. Cooke relates that 16 of her students and teachers became missionaries and many others became teachers and home missionaries. More than 1800 students would obtain their education in Madame Cooke's School.

When Madame Cooke could no longer continue her work, her son Robert took over the school. When she died, he went on for a while but enrollment steadily decreased. The early free public schools had an aristocratic prejudice to overcome but they successfully grew in popularity and reputation. Finally public schools dominated the private schools in the matter of children's education.

After the Bloomfield Female Seminary ended as a school, the buildings became the Park House kept by Ichabod W. Howell. In 188, Judge Amzi Dodd, whose name would later become the Community House, bought the old seminary building and created a lawn on its site. One of the buildings was moved to State Street.

Madame Harriet B. Cooke was a woman whose strong character, intellect and determination influenced leaders, scholars and town families. The time of the academies was a bright period in Bloomfield history and she was an important figure in it.

Book Article:
http://www.northjersey.com/community/174809151_Bloomfield_Bicentennial__Schools_in_education.html?mobile=1&ic=1&iphone=1

Bloomfield Bicentennial: Schools

Bloomfield Life

Bloomfield has a long history of education, long before the United States came into existence, according to local historians. There were several one-room school houses throughout the township; and while they were public, they were not free.

Larger private schools would later come into existence. Her name was Harriet B. Latimer, the wife of Milo Cooke, but everyone referred to her as Madame Cooke. The school would be known as "Madame Cooke's School," but in reality, it was the Bloomfield Female Seminary. Cooke came to Bloomfield in 1836, after teaching assignments in Vermont and Georgia, according to the Bloomfield Historical Society.

The building faced the Green, on the site of today's Children's Library, and was built for $6,000 by men who wanted their daughters to have the same educational opportunities as their sons.

Cooke, already widowed, lived with her son and his family in a two-story New England Georgian house, where Sacred Heart Church stands today. Young women came from far and wide to attend the school as day students or live-ins. More than 1,800 students would be educated there during its 18-year existence.

When she could no longer continue her work, her son Robert took over the school. The school continued, but enrollment decreased over time.

In 1849, the State Legislature passed the free school law, and Bloomfield became the first town to build grammar schools, according to "There's a High School in New Jersey: A look back at 100 years of Bloomfield High School," a Bloomfield Educational Foundation booklet printed in 2011.

Charles Moreau Davis' Classical School was among the first private schools built in Bloomfield, according to the historical society. A later building, built around 1850 or 1860, is now a Bloomfield College residence hall.

The first high school, located at 155 Broad St., was erected in 1871 for nearly $30,000. After Bloomfield High School was built in 1911, the original school was turned into Park Grammar School. The former school now houses the district's administration building. It quickly became apparent that another high school was needed to cater to the township's growing size. Money was put aside and property was purchased at the southwest corner of Broad Street and Belleville Avenue for a new high school.

Belleville architect Charles Granville Jones drew up the plans, having designed similar schools in the district since 1892, according to "Bloomfield Old and New," a 1912 book published by the Centennial Historical Committee.

It said: "By far the largest hall in the town, centrally located, having ample entrances and exits and surrounded by practically a fireproof building, it is admirably adapted for public gatherings of a patriotic, political or social character," according to a chapter on the history of education in town, written by William Baldwin. "Such a hall has long been needed and will be greatly appreciated."

Since 1911, thousands of students have walked the halls. It underwent expansions in 1923, 1928, 1964, 1975 and 2007, according to the school district.

The district currently has eight elementary schools. Berkeley School, the oldest in the district at 121-years-old, was built in 1893. Other sources say the school was originally built in 1868 and rebuilt in 1892. Brookdale School was built in 1909; Carteret School in 1914; Demarest School in 1932; Fairview School in 1899; Franklin School in 1926; and Oak View School in 1952, and Watsessing School in 1899.

Bloomfield Middle School was built in 1959, and Bridges Academy at Forest Glen, now catering to special education students, in 1957.

The Bloomfield Education Association, the teachers' union, originally called the Bloomfield Teachers Association, was created in the late 1920s, according to John Shanagher, the current union president. The union represents about 500 teachers.

Other elementary schools, such as Park Grammar School mentioned above, are no longer in existence. Brookside School opened in 1898. The building went through several additions between then and 1980, when it was torn down to make way for condos.

Center School, located only a few blocks away from Bloomfield Center on Liberty Street, was built in 1890. It was later sold to Bloomfield College and turned into Austin Hall. The building later burned down, and a parking lot is there now.

The art deco South Junior High School opened in 1939 and closed in 1987 when North Junior High School was re-christened as the middle school. The Franklin Street school sits idle today. The property has gone through several owners and numerous proposed ventures since it closed.

In addition to a planned condominium complex, senior citizen housing was once proposed. Another plan had the district leasing South Junior High to a private school for special-needs children. Most recently, there were plans to reopen the school if full-day preschool was mandated by the state.

The building is currently owned by Urban Smart Growth, a Rhode Island-based redevelopment firm for a reported $3.5 million. When Urban Smart Growth purchased the building in 2004, the company envisioned converting the 145,000 square-foot edifice into a medium-to-high-end loft development of 116 units, according to the company's Web site. A stale economy has stalled such plans.

Bloomfield College got its start in Newark in 1868 after an influx of German immigrants settled in New Jersey, according to a late adjunct history professor at the college. The Presbyterian Church in Newark started churches with services in German. Needing pastors, the German Theological School of Newark was created at the First German Presbyterian Church.

In 1872, the trustees purchased the former Bloomfield Academy from the First Presbyterian Church, now the Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green, according to professor Robert Burnett, who chronicled the school's history.

The brick building was renamed Seibert Hall in honor of the Rev. George C. Seibert, one of the school's original instructors and who taught at the school until his death in 1902. The building served as dormitory and classroom space. The school later purchased Liberty Hall at the corner of Liberty and Spruce streets, and converted it into a dormitory. It's now the Science Building.

In the late 1800s, the school began to take students from non-German backgrounds but still required students be fluent in German. In 1909, the New Jersey Legislature granted the school the authority to confer bachelor of arts and bachelor of divinity degrees. By 1913, with faculty from other European backgrounds, the school changed its name to Bloomfield Theological Seminary.

After immigration restrictions following World War I and decline in theological training, the state granted it a four-year liberal arts institution, and the school changed its name to Bloomfield College and Seminary. By 1960, the seminary was phased out, and the school later earned Middle States College accreditation.

In the 1930s, women were allowed into the college; Greek life was also established. At the end of World War II, returning troops increased the student count from 32 in 1945 to 216 in 1949. Growth continued into the 1950s and 1960s with a new library, gym, two dorms and science buildings. In 1968, the college and the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing formed the Presbyterian Division of Nursing.

From the beginning, the school took pride in educating minority students, continuing even today helping students with English as a Second Language courses. The college has an agreement with the South Korean government sending English instructors there.

The college continues campus renovations and expansion. Recently, the college signed a five-year lease to occupy more than 15,000 square feet on the mezzanine and the second floors of the historic Frank M. Leo Building in Bloomfield Center. Classrooms, faculty and student lounges, and administrative offices house the college's International Training, Professional Studies and Computer Information Sciences programs there.

Compiled by Jeff Frankel.

Harriet married Milo Cooke, A.B., A. M. on 3 May 1808 in Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont. Milo (son of Gen. Joseph Cooke and Ruth Dewey) was born on 2 Jan 1783 in Goshen, Litchfield County, Connecticut; died on 1 Aug 1820 in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia; was buried after 1 Aug 1820 in Magnolia Cemetery, Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• FamilySearch ID: KHF2-H13
• 1840 Census: 1840, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1850 Census: 16 Sep 1850, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1860 Census: 21 Jul 1860, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1870 Census: 24 Aug 1870, Moriah, Essex County, New York
• Book Article: 1917, Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont; Catalog of the Officiers and Alumni of Middlebury College, 1800-1915

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KHF2-H13

1840 Census:
p. 373
Robert L. Cooke     201 111 000 0000 - 11(11) (12) 42 120 0000

1850 Census:
p. 191
Robert L. Cook      40  M   Teacher  $9000   Vermont
Carolyn E.  "         40   F                            New Jersey
Sarah L.     "         16   F                             Virginia         school
Cornellius L.  "       14  M                                 "                  "
William H.     "       12  M                             New Jersey       "
Harriet B.      "       64   F                             Connecticut
... 33 staff and students + 13 on next page

1860 Census:
Bloomfield PO, p. 81
Robert L. Cook    50  M    Surveyor  $15,000  $2,000   Vermont
Caroline E.  "       50  F                                             N Jersey
Sarah          "      25   F                                             Virginia
Cornelius     "      24   M                                              "
William        "      22   M                                            N. Jersey
Harriet         "      75    F                                            Connecticut
Jane            "      40   F                                             Ireland
... 1 servant

1870 Census:
Moriah PO, p. 238
Cook, Robt.    60  M  W   Civil Engineer  ----  $1,000   Vermont                   citizen
---, Caroline    60   F  W   Keeps House                     New York
---, Cornelius  34   M  W   Civil Engineer  ----  $2,000   ----                           citizen
---, Frances    34   F   W   Keeps House                    ----
---, Chas.         2  M  W                                           -----
... 3 servants

Book Article:


Alumni, 1804, p. 2

MILO COOKE, son of Joseph and Ruth (Dewey) Cooke. Born in Coshen, Conn, Jan. 2, 1783. Studied law with Samuel Miller, Middlebury. Admitted to the bar, 1807, and practiced in Williston, Vt., till 1813. In business, Middlebury, 1813-1817. Principal, Addison County Grammar School, 1817-1818. Head of English Department, Richmond Academy, Augusta, Ga., 1818-1820. Married Harriet Bulkley Latimer, May 3, 1808. Children: Robert Latimer; William Dewey; Maria E.; Eliza Sinclair; Maria Henderson. A.B.; A.M. Died in Augusta, Ga., Aug. 1, 1820.

Alumni 1827, p. 81

ROBERT LATIMER COOKE, son of Milo and Harriet Bulkley (Latimer) Cooke. Born in WIlliston, Vt., June 27, 1809. Prepared for College with his uncle, Prof. Robert B. Patton. Studied law, 1827-1828. Teacher in Chazy, N. Y., and Middlebury, 1828-1829; Princeton, N.J., 1829-1832; Staunton, Va., 1832-1837; Bloomfield, N.J., 1837-1857. Civil Engineer, Mauch Chunk, Pa. 1862. Superintendent of construction, Lake Champlain and Moria Rialroad, 1868. Engineer, Department of Public Works, New York City, 1872-1877. Married Caroline Eliza VanDeventer, Oct. 15, 1832. Children: Sarah Louise [Mrs. Amasa A. Redfield]; Cornelius Latimer; William Henry; Eliza Sinclair. A.B.; A.M. Died in Babylon, N. Y, Aug 11, 1877.

Alumni, 1832, pp. 97-98

WILLIAM DEWEY COOKE, son of Milo and Harriet (Bulkley) Cooke. Born in Williston, Vt., May 27, 1811. Prepared for College with Prof. R. B. Patton, and in Bloomfield, N. J., Academy. Went to Virginia soon after graduating and in 1840 became connected with the Virginia Institution for Deaf Mutes and the Blind at Staunton. In 1845 he became the first Principal of the North Carolina Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind at Raleigh and held that position until 1860. Publishing Agent, Southern Presbyterian church, Richmond, Va. Principal, Maryland Deaf and Dumb Institution, Frederick City, until 1871. Then at Staunton until his death. Married Lucy Ann Waddell, Oct. 2, 1834. Children: Maria Elizabeth; Lyttleton Waddell; Mary St. Clair; William Latimer; Fanny Skinner; Harriet Latimer; Louisa Gordon; Charles Lyttleton; James Addison. A.B.; A.M. Died Staunton, Va., May 20, 1885.

Robert married Caroline Eliza VanDeventer on 15 Aug 1832 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Caroline (daughter of Cornelius VanDeventer and Susanna Talmage) was born on 11 Nov 1809 in Somerset County, New Jersey; was christened on 24 Dec 1809; died in Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• FamilySearch ID: MMKQ-9KR
• 1840 Census: 1840, Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia
• 1850 Census: 14 Aug 1850, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
• 1860 Census: 12 Jun 1860, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
• 1880 Census: 18 Jun 1880, Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia
• Book Article: 1917, Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont; Catalog of the Officiers and Alumni of Middlebury College, 1800-1915
• Manuscript about: 1979; "William Dewey Cooke" by George Stevenson

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MMKQ-9KR

1840 Census:
p. 3
Littleton Waddell   010 030 100 0000 - 111 010 100 0000

1850 Census:
p. 264a
North Carolina Institution for Deaf & Dumb
William D. Cooke     39  M   Principal of Deaf & D Institution  ----  ----   Vermont
Lucy A.       "           34   F                                                               Virginia
Maria E       "           15   F                                                                  "          school
Mary C        "           11   F                                                                  "               "
Harriet L      "             6   F                                                                   "
Janetta L.     "            6   F                                                                   "
Louize G       "           4   F                                                                North Carolina
Charles A      "           2   M                                                                   "
... workers and patients.

1860 Census:
Raleigh PO, p. 33
W D Cooke     52  M   Principal Deaf & Dumb Ag  ----  ----    Mass
Lucy A           45   F                                                         Va
Moriah            23   F   Music teacher                                 Va
Hattie             16   F                                                                     school
Lulu                14  F                                                                          "
Charles           11  M                                                                         "
Addison            9  M                                                                         "

1880 Census:
ED 10, p. 60
216 Coultin St.
Baker, Geo P.    W  M  49     Head  Md   Merchant           VA  VA  VA
---, Harriet L.       W  F  35      Wife  Md   Keeping house   VA  VT   VA
---, Edward         W  M  10      Son   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, William         W  M    9      Son   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, Janetta G.     W   F    6      Dau   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, Julia B.         W   F    3      Dau   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, Lucy W.        W   F    1      Dau   S                             VA  VA   VA
Cooke, W. D.      W  M  69  Fath-i-L  Md   Teacher            VT   VT   VT
---, Lucy A           W  F  64  Moth-i-L  Md                          VT   VT   VT
---, Marie E.         W  F  44   Sis-i-L   S                             VA  VA   VA
... 3 servants

Book Article:


Alumni, 1804, p. 2

MILO COOKE, son of Joseph and Ruth (Dewey) Cooke. Born in Coshen, Conn, Jan. 2, 1783. Studied law with Samuel Miller, Middlebury. Admitted to the bar, 1807, and practiced in Williston, Vt., till 1813. In business, Middlebury, 1813-1817. Principal, Addison County Grammar School, 1817-1818. Head of English Department, Richmond Academy, Augusta, Ga., 1818-1820. Married Harriet Bulkley Latimer, May 3, 1808. Children: Robert Latimer; William Dewey; Maria E.; Eliza Sinclair; Maria Henderson. A.B.; A.M. Died in Augusta, Ga., Aug. 1, 1820.

Alumni 1827, p. 81

ROBERT LATIMER COOKE, son of Milo and Harriet Bulkley (Latimer) Cooke. Born in WIlliston, Vt., June 27, 1809. Prepared for College with his uncle, Prof. Robert B. Patton. Studied law, 1827-1828. Teacher in Chazy, N. Y., and Middlebury, 1828-1829; Princeton, N.J., 1829-1832; Staunton, Va., 1832-1837; Bloomfield, N.J., 1837-1857. Civil Engineer, Mauch Chunk, Pa. 1862. Superintendent of construction, Lake Champlain and Moria Rialroad, 1868. Engineer, Department of Public Works, New York City, 1872-1877. Married Caroline Eliza VanDeventer, Oct. 15, 1832. Children: Sarah Louise [Mrs. Amasa A. Redfield]; Cornelius Latimer; William Henry; Eliza Sinclair. A.B.; A.M. Died in Babylon, N. Y, Aug 11, 1877.

Alumni, 1832, pp. 97-98

WILLIAM DEWEY COOKE, son of Milo and Harriet (Bulkley) Cooke. Born in Williston, Vt., May 27, 1811. Prepared for College with Prof. R. B. Patton, and in Bloomfield, N. J., Academy. Went to Virginia soon after graduating and in 1840 became connected with the Virginia Institution for Deaf Mutes and the Blind at Staunton. In 1845 he became the first Principal of the North Carolina Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind at Raleigh and held that position until 1860. Publishing Agent, Southern Presbyterian church, Richmond, Va. Principal, Maryland Deaf and Dumb Institution, Frederick City, until 1871. Then at Staunton until his death. Married Lucy Ann Waddell, Oct. 2, 1834. Children: Maria Elizabeth; Lyttleton Waddell; Mary St. Clair; William Latimer; Fanny Skinner; Harriet Latimer; Louisa Gordon; Charles Lyttleton; James Addison. A.B.; A.M. Died Staunton, Va., May 20, 1885.

Manuscript about:
http://ncpedia.org/biography/cooke-william-dewey
Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, 6 volumes, edited by William S. Powell.
Copyright ©1979-1996 by the University of North Carolina Press.

Cooke, William Dewey (27 May 1811-20 May 1885)
by George Stevenson, 1979

William Dewey Cooke, educator of the deaf, editor, publisher, and cartographer, was born in Williston, Vt., to Milo and Harriet Bulkley Cooke. He was educated in Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt., receiving the B.A. degree in 1832.

Cooke appears to have commenced his professional life by giving private instruction to students in Staunton, Va. After his marriage in 1834 he served jointly with his father-in-law, Lyttleton Waddell, as principal of Staunton Academy. Afterward he taught in Waynesville, Va., and was then briefly associated with his brothers H. B. and Robert L. in their Bloomfield (N.J.) Female Seminary. Though Cooke never lost interest in the New Jersey school, he soon gave up active participation in it in order to study for two years under Harvey Prindle Peet (1794-1873) in the New York Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, where he was awarded the M.A. degree.

In 1840, Cooke returned to Staunton; a school for the deaf, established there in the year of his marriage, was in the early 1840s entertaining plans of expansion both of physical plant and faculty. At the end of two years, in which he taught deaf students privately, it became apparent to him that delay in enlarging the school in Staunton would defer indefinitely the realization of his hope to be added to its faculty. In October 1843, consequently, he entered into correspondence with Governor John Motley Morehead on the subject of a private school for the deaf in North Carolina. The governor was receptive to the proposal and for the purpose offered Cooke the use of a tavern building he owned in Leakesville. Cooke considered Raleigh the proper location for such a school, however, and a visit to North Carolina in the winter of 1843-44 confirmed his opinion. Further correspondence with North Carolinians and appeals to various Presbyterian bodies suggested a public rather than a private school; as a result, Cooke sought public support for his proposal in a second visit to the state.

On 28 Dec. 1844, Cooke and his pupil Daniel M. Albright of Greensboro demonstrated to the General Assembly of North Carolina the method of teaching the deaf. The demonstration created a sensation. Eleven days later an act to establish the North Carolina Institution for the Deaf (now the Governor Morehead School) was ratified by the General Assembly. A few days after passage of the act, the literary board met and appointed Cooke principal, with instructions to open the school as soon as possible. The institution accepted its first students and opened on 1 May 1845. For the next fifteen years, Cooke served as head of the school and in this capacity made a lasting contribution to the state. In the fall of 1860 he resigned in order to accept the principalship of the Georgia Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, located at Cave Springs. After the Georgia school was closed during the Civil War, Cooke removed to Maryland, where he became principal of that state's school for the deaf. In 1871 he returned to Staunton to become principal teacher in Virginia's Institution for the Education of the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind; he remained there until his death.

As part of the curriculum of the North Carolina Institution for the Deaf, Cooke, characterized as possessing "a wonderful genius for mechanics," engaged a printer and established a press at the school. His brief experiment with the periodical the Deaf Mute (1849-51) appears to have led him into editing and publishing. His next venture was a literary newspaper, the Southern Weekly Post (6 Dec. 1851-24 Nov. 1855); Calvin Henderson Wiley originally coedited the newspaper but was forced to resign by the press of his duties as superintendent of common schools. Simultaneously with the newspaper, Cooke published and edited other periodicals. As a member and secretary of the executive committee of the Agricultural Society of North Carolina, he interested himself in agricultural developments in North Carolina and during 1853 and 1854 published John F. Tompkins's Farmer's Journal. When it failed, Cooke edited and published the Carolina Cultivator (March 1855-October 1857), with the assistance of Benjamin Sherwood Hedrick, professor of agricultural chemistry in The University of North Carolina. Through the university's Historical Society of North Carolina, of which he was a member, he became involved in the mounting movement to stir up public interest in the history of the state. From its revival in January 1852 through March 1857, Cooke published the University of North Carolina Magazine for the society, and in 1853 he compiled and published essays by Francis Lister Hawks, David Lowry Swain, and William Alexander Graham under the title Revolutionary History of North Carolina.

Cooke's brief association with Calvin H. Wiley led him into other fields. As early as 1852, Wiley and Cooke were joined by Samuel Pearce of Hillsborough in a joint effort to compile a gazetteer, natural history, and authoritative map of the state (the most recent predecessor, executed by Robert H. B. Brazier, was two decades old). Cooke immediately brought out a modest Outline Map of North Carolina (1852), and the three men set about gathering necessary data for their considerably more ambitious project. Though the General Assembly supported their proposal for a map, Wiley disengaged himself from the venture in 1854 in order to devote his total effort to common schools. Probably as a result of Wiley's withdrawal, Cooke and Pearce restricted their effort to the compilation of a map. They were successful, and in 1857 the map was published (presumably through the press of the Institution for the Deaf) under the title Cooke's New Map of North Carolina; Pearce's name was included in small letters in the lower right corner of the map, but with no statement of credit or explanation. In July 1858, Joseph Hutchins Colton of New York republished the map, still under date of 1857, using a newly engraved plate from which reference to Pearce had been excised. As an authority, this map was replaced within a decade by Pearce's New Map of the State of North Carolina. Cooke's experience with his and Pearce's compilation apparently guided him in his subsequent Map of the Routes to the Virginia Springs, Giving All Routes and Distances . . . , lithographed in Richmond by Ritchie and Dunnavant in 1858.

A stockholder and director of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, Cooke resigned his position as a member of its executive committee before leaving for Georgia. He maintained his membership and interest in the Presbyterian church and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows until his death of bronchitis in Staunton, Va.

Cooke was married to Lucy Ann Waddell on 2 Oct. 1834; the couple had nine children: Maria Elizabeth, Lyttleton Waddell, Mary St. Clair, William Latimer, Fanny Skinner, Harriet Latimer, Louisa Gordon, Charles Lyttleton, and James Addison.

References:

North Carolina State Archives (Raleigh), for Governors' Papers (Morehead), William A. Graham Papers, Legislative Papers (1844-45), Map Collection, and Calvin H. Wiley Papers.

Our Living and Our Dead 1 (1874).

Raleigh Register, 3 Jan. 1845.

Raleigh Spirit of the Age, 7 July 1858.

Earl G. Swem, Maps Relating to Virginia (1914).

Virginia State Archives (Richmond), for Augusta County Marriage Register (1813'9650), Staunton City Death Register (1853'9696), and Staunton Valley Virginian, 21 May 1885.

Additional Resources:

Deaf, Convention of American Instructors of the. Proceedings of the Eleventh Meeting of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf Held at Berkeley, California July 15-22, 1886. Sacramento, Calif.: State Office; P.L. Shoaff, Supt. State Printing. 1887. 293.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Kh8yAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA293#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Wiley, Edgar J., compiler. Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont: And of Others who Have Received Degrees, 1800-1915. Middlebury, Vermont: The College, 1917. 97. http://books.google.com/books?id=TapBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Image Credits:

"William D. Cooke." Photograph. History of North Carolina. Vol. 2. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co. 1919. 223. http://archive.org/stream/historyofnorthca02conn#page/252/mode/2up.

Died:
Some sources give his death year as 1885; however, his headstone shows 1884.

William married Lucy Ann Edmondson Waddell on 2 Oct 1834 in Dorchester County, Maryland. Lucy (daughter of Lyttleton Waddell and Elizabeth Edmondson) was born on 12 Jul 1815 in Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia; died on 19 Jan 1893 in North Carolina; was buried after 19 Jan 1893 in Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• FamilySearch ID: 94CD-SH5
• 1850 Census: 16 Sep 1850, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1860 Census: 21 Jul 1860, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• Obituary: 5 Nov 1899, New York, New York County, New York; New York Times
• Obituary: 6 Nov 1899, New York, New York County, New York; New York Times

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/94CD-SH5

1850 Census:
p. 191
Robert L. Cook      40  M   Teacher  $9000   Vermont
Carolyn E.  "         40   F                            New Jersey
Sarah L.     "         16   F                             Virginia         school
Cornellius L.  "       14  M                                 "                  "
William H.     "       12  M                             New Jersey       "
Harriet B.      "       64   F                             Connecticut
... 33 staff and students + 13 on next page

1860 Census:
Bloomfield PO, p. 81
Robert L. Cook    50  M    Surveyor  $15,000  $2,000   Vermont
Caroline E.  "       50  F                                             N Jersey
Sarah          "      25   F                                             Virginia
Cornelius     "      24   M                                              "
William        "      22   M                                            N. Jersey
Harriet         "      75    F                                            Connecticut
Jane            "      40   F                                             Ireland
... 1 servant

Obituary:
REDFIELD, -- Suddenly, on Friday, Nov. 3, at 351 West 114th St., New York, Louise Cooke, wife of Amasa A. Redfield. Funeral services at Zion and St. Timothy Church, 57th St., between 8th and 9th Avs. on Monday, Nov 6, at 11 A.M.

Deaths Reported Nov. 4.
Manhattan and Bronx.
REDFIELD, L. C., Farmington, Conn   age 65, Died Nov. 3.

Obituary:
REDFIELD, -- Suddenly, on Friday, Nov. 3, at 351 West 114th St., New York, Louise Cooke, wife of Amasa A. Redfield. Funeral services at Zion and St. Timothy Church, 57th St., between 8th and 9th Avs. on Monday, Nov 6, at 11 A.M.

Sarah married Amasa Angell Redfield in 1863. Amasa (son of Luther Redfield, Jr. and Eliza Ann Angell) was born on 19 May 1837 in Clyde, Wayne County, New York; died on 19 Oct 1902 in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut; was buried after 19 Oct 1902 in Bloomfield Cemetery, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• FamilySearch ID: L6QS-X2C
• 1850 Census: 16 Sep 1850, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1860 Census: 21 Jul 1860, Bloomfield, Essex County, New Jersey
• 1870 Census: 24 Aug 1870, Moriah, Essex County, New York
• 1880 Census: 1880; not located
• 1900 Census: 11 Jun 1900, New York, New York County, New York

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6QS-X2C

1850 Census:
p. 191
Robert L. Cook      40  M   Teacher  $9000   Vermont
Carolyn E.  "         40   F                            New Jersey
Sarah L.     "         16   F                             Virginia         school
Cornellius L.  "       14  M                                 "                  "
William H.     "       12  M                             New Jersey       "
Harriet B.      "       64   F                             Connecticut
... 33 staff and students + 13 on next page

1860 Census:
Bloomfield PO, p. 81
Robert L. Cook    50  M    Surveyor  $15,000  $2,000   Vermont
Caroline E.  "       50  F                                             N Jersey
Sarah          "      25   F                                             Virginia
Cornelius     "      24   M                                              "
William        "      22   M                                            N. Jersey
Harriet         "      75    F                                            Connecticut
Jane            "      40   F                                             Ireland
... 1 servant

1870 Census:
Moriah PO, p. 238
Cook, Robt.    60  M  W   Civil Engineer  ----  $1,000   Vermont                   citizen
---, Caroline    60   F  W   Keeps House                     New York
---, Cornelius  34   M  W   Civil Engineer  ----  $2,000   ----                           citizen
---, Frances    34   F   W   Keeps House                    ----
---, Chas.         2  M  W                                           -----
... 3 servants

1900 Census:
Borough of Manhattan, ED 543, sheet 13A
52 Manhattan Avenue
Cooke, Cornelius     Head  W  M  Aug  1833  66  Md  32          VA  VT           NJ           Civil Engineer
---, Frances R          Wife   W  F  July  1836  63  Md  32  2  0   NY  Scotland  Scotland
... 2 boarder

Cornelius married Frances R. [--?--] about 1868. Frances was born about Jul 1836 in New York; died in Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• FamilySearch ID: MMKQ-9LZ
• 1850 Census: 14 Aug 1850, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MMKQ-9LZ

1850 Census:
p. 264a
North Carolina Institution for Deaf & Dumb
William D. Cooke     39  M   Principal of Deaf & D Institution  ----  ----   Vermont
Lucy A.       "           34   F                                                               Virginia
Maria E       "           15   F                                                                  "          school
Mary C        "           11   F                                                                  "               "
Harriet L      "             6   F                                                                   "
Janetta L.     "            6   F                                                                   "
Louize G       "           4   F                                                                North Carolina
Charles A      "           2   M                                                                   "
... workers and patients.

Mary married James Gordon on 26 Nov 1856. James (son of John Newton Gordon and Louisiana Coleman) was born on 18 Mar 1826; died in Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• Child Status: Twin
• FamilySearch ID: KZNZ-21T
• 1860 Census: 12 Jun 1860, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
• 1880 Census: 18 Jun 1880, Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KZNZ-21T

1860 Census:
Raleigh PO, p. 33
W D Cooke     52  M   Principal Deaf & Dumb Ag  ----  ----    Mass
Lucy A           45   F                                                         Va
Moriah            23   F   Music teacher                                 Va
Hattie             16   F                                                                     school
Lulu                14  F                                                                          "
Charles           11  M                                                                         "
Addison            9  M                                                                         "

1880 Census:
ED 10, p. 60
216 Coultin St.
Baker, Geo P.    W  M  49     Head  Md   Merchant           VA  VA  VA
---, Harriet L.       W  F  35      Wife  Md   Keeping house   VA  VT   VA
---, Edward         W  M  10      Son   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, William         W  M    9      Son   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, Janetta G.     W   F    6      Dau   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, Julia B.         W   F    3      Dau   S                             VA  VA   VA
---, Lucy W.        W   F    1      Dau   S                             VA  VA   VA
Cooke, W. D.      W  M  69  Fath-i-L  Md   Teacher            VT   VT   VT
---, Lucy A           W  F  64  Moth-i-L  Md                          VT   VT   VT
---, Marie E.         W  F  44   Sis-i-L   S                             VA  VA   VA
... 3 servants

Harriet married George P. Baker on 12 Dec 1867 in Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia. George was born in 1828 in Virginia; died in 1904. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• 1850 Census: 14 Aug 1850, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
• 1860 Census: 12 Jun 1860, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

1850 Census:
p. 264a
North Carolina Institution for Deaf & Dumb
William D. Cooke     39  M   Principal of Deaf & D Institution  ----  ----   Vermont
Lucy A.       "           34   F                                                               Virginia
Maria E       "           15   F                                                                  "          school
Mary C        "           11   F                                                                  "               "
Harriet L      "             6   F                                                                   "
Janetta L.     "            6   F                                                                   "
Louize G       "           4   F                                                                North Carolina
Charles A      "           2   M                                                                   "
... workers and patients.

1860 Census:
Raleigh PO, p. 33
W D Cooke     52  M   Principal Deaf & Dumb Ag  ----  ----    Mass
Lucy A           45   F                                                         Va
Moriah            23   F   Music teacher                                 Va
Hattie             16   F                                                                     school
Lulu                14  F                                                                          "
Charles           11  M                                                                         "
Addison            9  M                                                                         "

Charles married Mary Lou Trout before 1874. Mary was born in 1847; died in 1925; was buried after 1925 in Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Group: Hall Direct Descendant
• Group: Halls of Wallingford - DNA Family 032
• FamilySearch ID: LC32-XKG
• 1860 Census: 12 Jun 1860, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
• 1900 Census: 1 Jun 1900, Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia
• 1910 Census: 20 Apr 1910, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland

Notes:

Group:
A person who is a direct descendant of any colonial New England Hall Family

Group:
Descendants of John Hall and Jane Woolen of New Haven and Wallingford.

FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LC32-XKG

1860 Census:
Raleigh PO, p. 33
W D Cooke     52  M   Principal Deaf & Dumb Ag  ----  ----    Mass
Lucy A           45   F                                                         Va
Moriah            23   F   Music teacher                                 Va
Hattie             16   F                                                                     school
Lulu                14  F                                                                          "
Charles           11  M                                                                         "
Addison            9  M                                                                         "

1900 Census:
Clay Ward, ED 56, sheet 2A
936 Grace Street
Cooke, James A      Head  W  M  Oct   1850  49  Md  10           NC  VT  VA   Book Keeper Bank
---, Mary S               Wife  W   F  Dec   1868  31  Md  10  2  2   SC  SC  VA
---, Cloe T                Dau    W  F  Feb   1891    9  S                   VA  NC  SC
---, Conway W          Son   W  M  June  1894    5  S                   VA  NC  SC

1910 Census:
Ward 11, ED 171, sheet 4B
150 Lanvale St.
Sams, James J          Head  M  W  84  Wd                SC  SC  SC   Clergyman - Own Income
Cooke, Addison       Son-i-L  M  W  59  M1   20          SC  VT  VA   Accountant
---, Mary L.                 Dau    F  W  44  M1   20  3  3   SC  SC  VA
---, Sara L.                GDau   F  W  19  S                    VA  SC  SC
---, Conway                GSon  M  W  15  S                   VA  SC  SC
---, Addison B             GSon  M  W   7  S                   MD  SC  SC

James married Mary Lewis Sams on 30 Apr 1890. Mary (daughter of Rev. James Julius Sams and Mary Eliza Whittle) was born on 12 Dec 1866 in York County, South Carolina; died on 25 Oct 1945 in Washington, District of Columbia, District of Colombia; was buried after 25 Oct 1945 in Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk, Norfolk (city) County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]