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Below is a family biography included in The History of Williamson County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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HENRY HOWE COOK was born in Williamson County, Tenn., November 23, 1843, son of Lewis and Margaret Jane Cook. Lewis Cook was born in South Carolina in 1801, and moved to Maury County, Tenn., when a boy with one of the members of Gen Nathaniel Green’s family. From thence he went to Nashville and learned the carpenter’s trade, which occupation he followed for years, but spent the latter part of his life as a farmer. He died in 1873. His father’s name was William, and his mother’s maiden name was Howe. Margaret Jane Cook was the daughter of Nathan Owen, who came from Petersburg, Va., and settled on Mill Creek, in Davidson County at an early day. He married Jennie Hightower, mother of Margaret Jane. Our subject spent his boyhood on the farm, and at fifteen years of age entered Franklin College, near Nashville, where he remained until April, 1861, when he enlisted in Company D, First Tennessee Regiment, Confederate States Army, and went to Virginia. He was discharged on account of ill health in the winter of 1861. Soon after his return from Virginia he went to Fort Donelson, from which place he made his escape about 8 o’clock on the morning of the surrender. He then joined the Fifty-fifth Tennessee Regiment at the battle of Shiloh. After the consolidation of the Forty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Tennessee he was elected lieutenant in the Reed and McEwen consolidated companies, and was with the regiment at the battles of Perryville and Murfreesboro. At the last named place he was wounded twice. After Capt. Samuel Jackson was mortally wounded, at the battle of Chickamauga, our subject commanded the company, and was in the assault on Fort Sanders at Knoxville, at the battle of Bean’s Station, Port Walthall Junction and Drury’s Bluff, where he was captured and taken to Fortress Monroe, Point Lookout and Fort Delaware. He was one of the 600 officers who were selected at Fort Delaware and put under fire of the Confederate batteries at Morris Island, off Charleston, and from thence he was taken to Fort Pulaski for purposes of further retaliation; thence he was taken back to Fort Delaware. He suffered greatly in prison from hunger and cold, and his health was much impaired. In June, 1865, he reached home and began the study of law, and was licensed to practice in 1867. In 1870 he was elected county judge of Williamson County for a term of eight years, and was re-elected in 1878. He is a Democrat in politics, a Mason and a member of the Christian Church. In 1882 he married Miss Fanny Crockett Marshall, a daughter of the late John Marshall, one of Tennessee’s best lawyers. To this marriage was born one daughter — Genevieve. Judge Cook is a citizen of Franklin, Tenn., where he is engaged in the practice of the law.

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This family biography is one of the numerous biographies included in The History of Williamson County, Tennessee published in 1887 by Goodspeed.  The History of Williamson County was included within The History of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford & Marshall Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Beford and Marshall Counties of Tennessee

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