Biography
Rev. William Hanna, History of Greene County, PA (1882; reprint, Apollo, Pennsylvania: Closson Press, 1996), 82-83, biographical sketch of William H. Cook.
"Close to the line of Richhill township, now resides William H. Cook, who is descended from William Cook , who in company with his brother Alexander came to New York City about the commencement of the 19th century. Here William was married to Miss Margaret Harvey, and in company with the Harvey family the Cooks came out to Greene county and settled on a tract of land adjoining one of the large bodies of land held by Thomas Leiper and known as 'Leiper lands.' William Cook was a lame man unable to farm or clear land. He was a carriage trimmer by trade and occasionally engaged in small speculations. At that day it was often the case that a few men would invest their small means in a boatload of merchandise and provisions destined for the trade along the shores of the Ohio River, and unless sale was previously made, they finally arrived at New Orleans. This boat usually contained flour, whiskey, apples, cider, crockery ware, etc. On one of these boats Mr. Cook took passage, and was never heard of by his friends again. Whether he was killed by the Indians, captured by the Spaniards, or fell overboard and was drowned, are questions that cannot be answered. The widow lived to extreme old age. During her last years, she made her home with her son, William H. Cooke, who still resides on the old homestead by the side of the old Drove Road, some two miles below Graysville, where he lives in easy circumstances, surrounded by a numerous family of intelligent, kind children. The only drawback to his happiness seems to be that many years ago he lost his partner in life whose place has never been filled by another. The lady's maiden name was Elizabeth Rinehart. For many years Mr. Cooke has been a very successful sheep raiser, having invested considerable sums about the year 1845, in some of the best grades of Vermont sheep, which, although living on a road along which so much stock has been driven, he has been able to protect from foot-rot."