Person:Joseph Cook (63)

COOK, COOCK, COOKE
p 92 - Joseph, s. Asaph & Sarah, b. Apr. 15, 1758 - Vol 13, p 557.

Vol 1, p 677 -
29. ASAPH.
ASAPH COOK, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Cook, m Sarah Parker, of Wallingford, and went to Granville, Mass., where he remained until about the close of the Revolution, when he removed to Granville, N.Y., where he d in 1792 ; she d in 1818, ae. 96 years.

Children:
102 Samuel, b Aug. 18, 1744 [ 18 Apr 1746, per Barbour VRs] ;
103 Amasa, b 1746 [ 12 Feb 1760, per Barbour VRs], m Miriam Loomis, of Granville, N.Y., subsequently of Essex Co., N.Y. ;
104 Asaph, b March 6, 1748 [ 23 Feb 1747/48, per Barbour VRs] ;
105 Joseph, b April 13, 1750 [ 15 Apr 1758, per Barbour VRs] ;
106 Susannah, b April 13, 1750, m Ichabod Parker, she d 1770 ;
107 Sarah, b 1752, m Wm Meacham, and, Zeruah Everest, she d 1777 ;
108 Thankful, b 1754 [ 31 May 1762, per Barbour VRs], m Gideon Beebe, of Adams, Mass. ;
109 Hannah, b June 5, 1758 [ 5 Jun 1755, per Barbour VRs] ;
110 Charles, b May 9, 1764 ;
111 Lois, b 1766, m John Merrick, of Granville, N.Y.

... My grandfather Joseph Cooke was one of five brothers: Samuel, Amasa, Asaph, Joseph, and Charles. ...

... Upon the outbreak of the Revolution, grandfather then about eighteen years old, enlisted in the patriot army in which he served until the end of the war. It was a great pleasure to me when a boy to hear him tell his old war stories, or when two or three of his compatriots would chance to meet, to listen to them as they would “fight their battles over again.” He was with Gen. Arnold, in 1776 on his memorable march through the woods of Maine, and the following winter, suffered from smallpox which in a malignant form afflicted the American army at Quebec that winter. One morning when the doctor was making his daily round, of the hospital, he said to the nurse, as he was leaving grandfather’s bed, “Cooke will march up the hill tomorrow dressed in a wooden jacket.” This rough speech of the doctor was overheard by the patient, who immediately replied, “No I will not, I am going to home to see my mother first.” He kept his word, but the next summer, after an absence of two years when permitted to visit his home, he was so changed his mother did not know her boy.

In the spring of 1777, Gen Burgoyne came up the St. Lawrence river with a large army, and forced the American army to evacuate Quebec. It chanced that at this time grandfather with two comrades in arms, had been put on picket guard, at a distance from the camp. The time came that they should have been relieved but no relief came; they waited from morning until noon, still no relief; and as the afternoon dragged its slow and weary hours along, they began to know there was something wrong, so at last they decided to leave their post and go to camp, well knowing the penalty they incurred in so doing. They found the camp deserted, the army had left in the night, and in the hurry and confusion of a hasty retreat their guard had been forgotten. The army was fifteen hours ahead of them and the British vanguard was in close pursuit, and held the road between them and their friends. So they took to the fields and woods, and after three days of untold toil and privation, weary and starved, they overtook the army. When they passed through the deserted camp grandfather took from a table, a pint flask that prove to be filled with rum. This with a loaf of bread and a pan of sour milk was all the food the three men had for three days, as they did not dare to shew (sic) themselves to the inhabitants of the country, lest they would betray them to the enemy. The invasion of Canada having proved a total failure, the little army made haste to leave that country. The story of this campaign, and retreat, furnished a most interesting chapter of history.

At this time grandfather’s parents were living in the town of North Adams, in the north west corner of Mass. And when on their retreat the army reached a point near there, grandfather obtained a furlough and went home. He had been there but a few days when Burgoyne sent a detachment under Col. Baum to Bennington to capture a quantity of military stores the Americans had collected at that place. The militia of the surrounding country was called to the defence (sic) of Bennington, and grandfather was anxious to go, but his father told him he could not, Amasa and Asaph were going, but he wanted him to stay at home and work. He then sent him to drive up and yoke the oxen but watched him as he went threshing the thistle heads with his goad, until he saw him stop and begin to madly whip an old stump, then he called to him; “Here, Joe if you are so anxious to fight, take your gun and go.” When Baum found the stores would not be given up without resistance, he entrenched himself and sent back to Burgoyne for reinforcements.

On the 16th of August Gen. Stark, with an army of four hundred “Green Mountain Boys” and militia took Baum and his host. In the morning of that day Gen. Stark called for a company of volunteers to open the battle by an attack on the enemy’s rear, grandfather was one of this company which was led by Gen. Stark, and to whom he made that little speech, that will be quoted as long as the story of the battle of Bennington is told. When he had got his little company ready to start, pointing to the enemy he said: “Boys you see those redcoats over there, now we will have them before night or Molly Stark will be a widow.”

In gaining a position in the rear of the enemy, the Americans passed through a piece of woods, soon after which, they came within range of the British, and they fight commenced. Only a few shots had been fired when a man at grandfather’s side fell by a shot from the rear, and then a ball hit the tip of his ear and another cut his hatband on the opposite side of his head, all coming from the rear; then his and two others who stood by him faced about to watch from whence they came; they soon saw an indian look out from behind a tree in the woods they had just passed, they all fired at him, and had nor more trouble from that direction, and when they looked there the next day, they found a “good indian.” The British being attacked in front and rear were soon defeated and made prisoners. But a few hours had passed and the prisoners just marched off, when a reinforcements from Burgoyne appeared on the field, but they they soon met the fate of the friends they were sent to relieve, and were marched off prisoners of war. I cannot follow grandfather’s career through the war as I would like to do, but must hasten on. After the war - through which he served with honor to its end - grandfather married Rachel Langdon and settled in the town of Granville Washington Co, New York where I think all his children were born. ...

...In 1806 grandfather moved to Adams Jefferson Co, where with the help of his two boys Charles L. and Chauncy, he cleared up a farm from the dense forest that then covered the country. For several years almost their only resource for obtaining money was from potash which they made from the ashes of the wood they burned in clearing the land. Forest game furnished them with meat, as deer and bear were plenteous in the woods. ...