It is a testament to S.A. Cook’s management skills that the Alexandria Paper Mill was so quickly and efficiently designed and built from the ground up. He had an overall vision for this 30-acre parcel of land. Today we would call it a campus. His placement of the mill on the southern border of the property, the brick office nearby, and Pipe Creek running through the northern border, parallel with the factory. Located near the railroad line, side tracks were laid at company expense to afford easy access for deliveries of raw materials, and pick-up of the finished product. [1][2]
1901, Section 30, Madison County
While S.A. chose Alexandria for the inexpensive gas running through the county, he was not fully trusting that this would be a lasting source of energy to power the mill. The Daily Northwestern reported: “While the company feels very confident of an ample supply of gas for many years, in erecting its plant it has made provisions for the use of oil for fuel if necessary, and for the use of coal if that should at any time become desirable.” [3]
Following the dissolution of the partnership with M. H. Ballou in the spring of 1900, S.A. had a plan for the future. Since the formation of the S.A. Cook Manufacturing Company in 1897, he had been grooming Watson “Watt” Yule, and his son Harry Cook, to take management positions in the paper-making industry. At age 51, S.A. had no intention of moving to Alexandria to oversee the mill. 30-year-old Watt was working as a teller at the First National bank in Neenah, [4] and S.A. felt that he was experienced enough to take on a management role at Alexandria, and so positioned him as Secretary. At 19, Harry was finishing his formal education at the state university while continuing to learn the family business under the tutelage of his father. S.A. would send him to Alexandria in 1901.
In February 1899 the news arrived from Texas that John “Jack” Yule’s wife had passed away shortly after giving birth to their son. Knowing that he would not want to be so far away from family, S.A. offered him the role of company sales manager. In accepting the position, Jack moved to Alexandria.
The Yule brothers found places to lodge a short distance from the mill and began serving as the eyes and ears for their “uncle” S.A. Cook. Their relationship with S.A. has been documented in many places as uncle/nephew. While not technically correct, they were of the same generation as S.A.’s children, and trying to explain the correct relationship, which is first cousin-once-removed, was complicated, so they came to be known as his nephews.
Watt and Jack’s younger brother, Edwin Watson “Ed” Yule soon joined them in Alexandria. We know he was in Alexandria in 1901 when he married a girl from “home” in Canada, Georgina Louise Lemon, on July 17, 1901. He was 27, and she was 26, and they set up residence in a house that stood near the paper mill. [5] I can only imagine the enthusiasm with which the Yule brothers and Harry Cook welcomed Ed and Georgina on their arrival in Alexandria. Their marriage and subsequent residency in a home on the “South Side” of town created a home base for the family.
A married couple could provide the role of chaperone when they wished to entertain friends and family, such as the Tuesday evening party held on June 10, 1902 in honor of Miss E. M. Daville of Aurora, Canada, and Harry’s sister, Maud Cook. [6] More elaborate parties, such as the one given by Watt, on another Tuesday evening, March 2, 1905, required an additional chaperone, this time Mrs. F. P. Nourse filled the role. On that evening “guests were first driven to the paper mill and after going over the plant repaired to the home…which was situated nearby. Games and music were indulged in until a late hour. Elegant refreshments were served in four courses.” Harry Cook attended, his presence rounding out the numbers to eight couples. [7]
R. L. Polk was in town in 1901 to document the city of Anderson for a 1902-1903 City Directory, including the landowners and taxpayers of Madison County. The county directory noted the landowner’s name and post office address, acreage, and assessed value of real and personal property. S.A.’s property was included, showing a value of $1,310 for his 16-acre plot in Alexandria. [8]
In March 1902 the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company was in Alexandria to map its important buildings. Sanborn Maps are wonderfully detailed, with facts about the community such as the size of the fire department, which streets are paved with brick, and how in 1902 there were four night police, and the lights were electric. The paper mill was included on page nine. In addition to detail about the construction of the mill, the map shows that whole property was surrounded by an 8’ white picket fence, a brick one-story office sat within the fence “about 280’ to S. Park Av.” The mill was mapped again in 1909 and a frame “Auto Shed” with storage shed attached, had been added. [9][10]
The next Yule to marry was Jack. He married an Alexandria girl, Grace Jane Crouse on May 15, 1903 and they settled into the city of Alexandria. Four children were born to the couple: John Hawkins, George Edwin, Mary Elizabeth, John (Jack, Jr.) and Watson Albert. Only two, George and Mary Elizabeth, lived to adulthood. Jack resigned his position as company sales manager in February 1917, returning to Canada, settling in Renfrew, Ontario. He remained in the paper industry, working for the Kenwood Mills Limited of Albany, New York. He passed away on December 5, 1943 in Arnprior, at the age of 71. [11]
By January 1904 the availability of natural gas had dwindled to the point that the Paper Company was compelled to convert its plant to the use of coal. [12] The company was prepared for this change, and the transition from gas to coal was a smooth one. Meanwhile, many other companies began to close or leave Alexandria, which left many of the tenant houses empty. S.A. as president of the Rolling Mill Land Company, began to purchase these homes in 1906 for the purpose of converting the land back to farming. [13]The company reported that they would sell some homes to the county, place tenants in some and others would be torn down and removed. [14]
Watt Yule married 35-year-old Emly Ada Perryman [15] on 31 Dec 1907 in Toronto, Ontario, he was 37 years old. Until that time he had lived in what was known as the “Bachelor’s Retreat” located at 216 East John Street. In 1906 the boarding house was “facetiously called the ‘Orphans’ Asylum,’ for there are no two people of the same name residing there; every one of the ten members is marriageable, and all are perfectly willing that Landlady ‘Aunt’ Kate Williams, be called ‘mother,’ and, indeed, a mother she is, to the oddly made up family.”
“While to the un-poetic and unsentimental it is just a commonplace boarding house, to this family it is far more—it is home.” The article states that some of the residents have “passed by one year, the three score and ten marks.” Kate Williams who was interviewed for the article stated that “‘Happy Hooligan,’ as Watt Yule is deservedly called, …another of the happy family, which owes to him much of its happiness, for he is a natural clown, and though out on the road much of the time, he puts the house in good humor that lasts from one week’s end to his arrival at the other.” [16] I am not sure when Watson left the employ of the Alexandria Paper Mill, but he too remained working in the paper industry. For most of his later life, he lived in Chicago and was traveling for work to Green Bay, Brown Co., Wisconsin when he died of a heart attack on 17 Jan 1935 at the age of 64. [17]
Earliest postmark found: 1908
S.A.’s daughter, Maud Christie Cook, graduated in 1897 at age 19 from Mt. Vernon Seminary, a private women’s college in Washington, DC., now known as the Mount Vernon Campus of The George Washington University. Following graduation, she returned to Wisconsin, and settled into acting as hostess for her father, supported by her aunts, Emeline and Margaret, and adopted aunt, Elizabeth Bartlett.
On November 21, 1913, S.A. announced the engagement of his daughter, Maud, to Charles F. Lancaster of Boston, Massachusetts. [18] The Fond du Lac newspaper describes the relationship between 35-year-old Maud and her 64-year-old father this way: “Miss Cook is a woman of rare attainments and very unusual executive ability. For some years she has been virtually business manager for her father, caring for a great mass of details in his affairs, and saving him untold work and worry. Her marriage and the probable separation it will entail will mean to Mr. Cook not only parting with his daughter, but with a business partner and chum as well.”
Her new husband, Mr. Lancaster, had long been engaged in real estate in Boston. At the time of his marriage to Maud, he was 46 years old. A divorcee, he had one son, Earle Winship Lancaster, born in 1897. Charles and Maud were married on Christmas Day, the “ceremony, which was performed at the residence of the bride’s father, on North Commercial Street, was marked by the utmost simplicity. Rev. E. H. Smith of the First Congregational church, Oshkosh, officiated. The bride wore white Venetian white point lace and was unattended. Although no invitations were issued, Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster received many beautiful presents.” [19]
After their marriage, the couple traveled extensively both here and abroad and were often guests at the home of Edwin and his wife in the house near the paper mill.
Dare I say that Henry Harold Cook, known as Harry, was a bit of a playboy who enjoyed parties and social gatherings, attending ball games, and driving fast cars. As the son of a wealthy man, he was afforded such luxuries and had the time and money to indulge in entertainment.
He is recorded as joining and being part of the organization of many new clubs in Alexandria such as the Alexandria Whist Club, the New Century Club, and the Fortnightly Club. In May 1909, at age 28, he became president of the Monroe Township branch of the Law and Order League. The league was formed to work for the retention of the saloons in Madison County in the coming “county option campaign.” The “purpose of the organization is not only to prevent the county from going dry, but to continue as a permanent thing, to force the saloonists to obey the law, and to drive out of business those saloonists who do not obey the law.” [20] I do not know if they were successful.
S.A. entered the political arena for the last time in 1907 when petitions were signed encouraging him to run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator against Senator Robert M. La Follette. He was defeated in the 1910 primary. His response to his loss was that he needed no sympathy, and that “I shall be found in the future as in the past, supporting those principles which I believe will benefit the whole people, helping rather than criticizing, and conscious that if the future may justly be judged by the past, my course shall in the end be fully vindicated.” [21]
As a young man in Alexandria, Harry kept rooms in town, first at the Bachelor’s Retreat, and later in an apartment in the Day Block, [22] but his permanent residence was with Edwin and Georgina Yule. It was here that at age 28, he was enumerated in the 1910 United States Federal Census, residing as a lodger. Edwin, 36 years old, was head of the household, with his wife, Georgina, age 35, keeping house. Also living with them was a servant, 19-year-old Lottie Stewart. [23]
The Paper Mill continued to grow and thrive under the leadership of the Yule brothers, Harry Cook and long-time superintendent William H. Brannon, [24] but it was the vision of S.A. that created the culture of the mill. In 1908 the city placed the tax value of the Paper Mill at $33,540. [25]
On April 5, 1902, S.A. had written a letter “To Our Employees.” In this letter, he informed the employees that he intended to adopt what he called “a short hour schedule,” in which the mill would “commence the manufacture and finishing of paper at seven o’clock Monday morning and stop manufacture and finishing of paper Saturday night at six o’clock, until further notice, wages to remain the same…” “And as a further consideration of your past, present and expected willingness to do, we have decided that each person in our employ for one year beginning April 1st, 1902, or those who may come later and remain continuously in our employ for one year, shall at the end of such year of service receive ten per cent on the amount paid such person during said year on present rate of wages. This may be construed by you as a share in the earnings of the business, or as interest on your wages, which is a workingman’s capital.” [26]
The culture that S. A. created for the mill was not only ahead of its time, but one that would withstand the test of time.
circa 1910
SOURCES:
“Nearly Completed.,” (Neenah)Neenah Daily Times, 24 Oct 1899, p. 4, col. 4. Cit. Date: 10 May 2016.
In 1998 the location of the railway lines was described this way: “There was a switch track east of Ind. 9 between Gaither Family Resources and the old Colonade or Elder House today. The track continued across the highway, through the Yule Estates area and connected with the present railroad track. The street car track came down the center of Harrison Street and through the present Yule Estates.” Club Notes. Alexandria-Monroe Historical Society,” The Times-Tribune, 25 Mar 1998, Wednesday, p. 12 & 13, col. 2 & 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Neenah Capital In Indiana,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 25 Jan 1900, Thursday, p. 6, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 May 2016).
“Watson A. Yule Died Thursday,” The Menasha Record, 18 Jan 1935, Friday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Aug 2021).
John La Rue Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, its People and Its Principal Interests, 2 volumes (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1914), 2: 598-599. Cit. Date: 4 May 2016.
“Alexandria, Ind.,” The Muncie Morning Star, 15 Jun 1902, Sunday, p. 8, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
“Pleasantly Entertained,” The Times-Tribune, 2 Mar 1905, Thursday, p. front page, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jul 2016).
R. L. Polk, R. L. Polk & Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, R. L. Polk & Co.’s Anderson City and Madison County Directory, 1902-1903. A Business Directory and a complete list of all Landowners and Taxpayers in Madison County, 524, e 213; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jul 2016).
Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana (N.p.: n.p., March 1902, 13 sheets); digital image, Indiana University Bloomington (https://libraries.indiana.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps : accessed 17 Oct 2017).
Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana (N.p.: n.p., November 1909, 13 sheets); digital image, Indiana University Bloomington (https://libraries.indiana.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
Ontario, Canada Archives of Ontario, death certificate 033409, 630; reference no. RG 80-08-0-2265 (1943), John Campbell Yule; digital image, “Registrations of Deaths, 1943, Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 Aug 2016).
“Around A Big State,” The Silver Lake Record, 22 Jan 1904, Friday, p. 3, col. 6; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 May 2016).
“Have Forty Houses,” The Daily Record, 24 Mar 1906, Saturday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Dec 2017).
“Republic Company Is Selling Vacant Houses,” The Muncie Evening Press, 23 Jan 1906, Tuesday, p. 6, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
On all legal documents she spelled her name Emly, although based on the common use of Emily, it was pronounced as Emily.
“‘Bachelor’s Retreat’ At Alexandria,” The Muncie Sunday Star, 4 Nov 1906, Sunday, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
“Watson A. Yule Died Thursday,” The Menasha Record, 18 Jan 1935, Friday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Aug 2021).
“Maud Cook Engaged,” (Fond du Lac)The Daily Commonwealth, 21 Nov 1913, Friday, p. 4. Cit. Date: 12 Aug 2004.
“Miss Cook Is A Bride,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 26 Dec 1913, Friday Evening, p. 9, col. 2; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 21 Nov 2016).
“Officers Are Named,” The Times-Tribune, 5 May 1909, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Jul 2016).
“S. A. Cook Says He Needs No Sympathy,” The Appleton Evening Crescent, 16 Sep 1910, Friday, p. 8, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 2 Sep 2021).
“Guests Entertained.,” The Times-Tribune, 15 Jan 1917, Monday, p. front page, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
1910 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 109, sheet 9, p. 175B, dwelling 213, family 213, Edwin Yule household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 364.
William H. Brannon had worked for S.A. Cook in his Neenah mills. He moved his family to Alexandria in 1903 to run the Alexandria Paper Mill.
“Tax Valuations Fixed.,” The Times-Tribune, 19 Jun 1908, Friday, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Jul 2016).
The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 12 Apr 1902, Saturday Evening, p. 4, col. 5-6; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 May 2016).
To begin where I ended the last post: As I began my research into the home, I came across many statements regarding this once-majestic dwelling place. Comments that it had been a brothel, [1] a gin house, bordello, and gambling joint. [2] The home that Harry H. Cook built for his bride, [3] the home that the “owner of the paper mill,” Edwin Yule built. Another article states that after Harry died the home was sold to Ed Yule his “nephew” and he renovated it for his bride. [4] So many stories surrounding the origin of this house. It is almost as if I am watching a stage play.
Here are the “Cast of Characters,” although not in order of appearance, but as a family group.
Samuel Andrew Cook, known as S.A. (1849 – 1918)….Owner of the property. Serial entrepreneur
Jennie Christie (1849 – 1895)….Deceased wife of S. A. Cook
Maud Christie Cook (1878 – 1949)….Daughter of S. A. and Jennie Cook
Charles Frank Lancaster (1867 – 1933)….Husband of Maud Christie Cook
Henry Harold Cook, known as H. H., or Harry (1881 – 1931)…Son of S. A. and Jennie Cook
Martha Wheeler Paine (1895 – 1993)…Wife of H. H. Cook
Henry Hosford Cook (1918 – 1927)…Son of H. H. and Martha Cook
Mary Jane Watson…Maternal 1st Cousin to S. A. Cook, daughter of Mary McGarvy and John Eves Watson.
Andrew Yule…Husband of Mary Jane Watson
They raised their children in Aurora, York, Ontario, Canada
Watson A. Yule, ak Watt (1870 – 1935)…A resident of Neenah, Winnebago, Wisconsin in 1895 Resident of Alexandria, Madison, Indiana in 1900
Emly/Emily Ada Perryman (1872 – 1958)…Wife of Watson. Married 31 Dec 1907 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada
John Campbell Yule, aka Jack (1872 – 1943)…A resident of Alexandria in 1900
Dora Rynerson (1870 – 1899) …Wife of John. Married 15 Dec 1897 in Erath County, Texas
Grace Jane Crouse (1881 – 1952)…Wife of John. Married 15 May 1903 in Alexandria
Edwin Watson Yule, aka Ed (1874 – 1970)…A resident of Alexandria in 1901
Georgina Louise Lemon (1874 – 1959)…Wife of Edwin. Married 17 Jul 1901 in Aurora, York, Ontario, Canada
Edward Boyd Yule (1876 – 1972)…Did not emigrate to America
Walter Scott Yule (1879 – 1921)…Did not emigrate to America
To paraphrase: “The Cooks were a family, to begin with.” For decades this extended family had resided near each other in Canada, specifically communities in York, Ontario Province. S.A.’s parents, William and Jane McGarvy Cook were the first to leave. In 1856 they emigrated to Stockbridge, Calumet County, Wisconsin. I have written posts about their early years in Wisconsin and the sinking of the Lady Elgin, an event that changed the family forever. [5] What didn’t change for the family was their love, and the closeness that they felt to the family left behind in Canada. Before her death, Jane had been very close to her mother and sisters, Elizabeth McGarvy Watson, and Mary McGarvy Watson. The Cook children can be documented crossing back and forth visiting their grandmother, aunts, and cousins.
Jane’s sister, Mary, and her husband, John Eves Watson had eight children. Their fourth child Mary Jane married Andrew Yule, and they in turn had six children. The firstborn was a girl they named Mary Jane who died in infancy. The next five were sons, born between 1870 and 1879, ages that matched closely to the family down in Wisconsin. As the boys grew older, they were ready to spread their wings and try life in the United States. The first to come south was 25-year-old Watson. He joined his uncle, S. A. in Neenah, sometime before June 20, 1895. [6]
The summer of 1895 was a pivotal year for the Cook family. S. A. had been elected to the House of Representatives and was planning to fulfill his duty to his country and state, leaving his family home in Neenah while he attended to government business in Washington DC. Going alone to Washington allowed 17-year-old Maud, and 14-year-old Harry to continue their schooling in Neenah uninterrupted. Jennie would not be alone, as her sisters Elizabeth, Emeline, and Margaret were residing with the family in their large home on Commercial Street.
Then, unexpectedly, on July 27th, 49-year-old Elizabeth Christie passed away. She had “been an invalid for about a year and for two months past had been confined to her bed.” [7] S. A. purchased a family plot in Oak Hill Cemetery, and it was there that she was laid to rest.
S. A. Cook, 1896
Two months later, on September 10th, Jennie, who had “been in delicate health the past few years” left with her sister, Margaret, for Aurora, Canada, in the “hopes that a change of climate might benefit her health.” Sadly, instead of improving, she took a turn for the worse, and S. A. was called to her bedside. Taking Harry with him, and accompanied by Watson, he rushed to Canada where she sadly passed away on September 19th. Jennie was just 46-years-old. Her remains were brought back to Neenah for burial near her sister in Oak Hill Cemetery. [8]
The passing of Jennie changed S.A.’s plans for Washington, DC. He decided to take the family with him. He rented a home in the city and made arrangements to leave earlier than originally planned so that he could settle Maud and Harry in school. His sisters-in-law, Emeline and Margaret would accompany the family, one to care for the household, the other to “act as his secretary under appointment according to the new law, giving representatives each a clerk paid for by the government.” [9] S.A. asked Watson to occupy his home in Neenah during his absence. [10] He would serve just one term in the House of Representatives, returning to Wisconsin in 1897 at the end of his term.
S.A. was a serial entrepreneur, always looking to expand, evolve and grow his empire. This is not to say he was a mean-spirited person, as there are dozens upon dozens of newspaper accounts of what a kind, wonderful man he truly was. He was just always “thinking.” And so it was on October 27, 1897, that he filed articles of incorporation in Menasha, Winnebago, Wisconsin, for the S. A. Cook Manufacturing Company, in partnership with Miner H. Ballou, 27-year-old Watson Yule, and his son, 16-year-old Harry.[11] Two years later, on June 29th, he would incorporate another company, the Alexandria Paper & Investment Co., with Miner H. Ballou and A. E. Bunker.
We may never know when Watson moved to Alexandria to begin work at the paper mill, but he was certainly there in June 1900 to be enumerated in the census.[12] He was living at 119 Church Street, residing as a boarder in the Ralph and Nellie Bertsche household, his occupation is listed as the “secretary of the paper co.”
Watson’s brother John was also living in Madison County in June of 1900. He was working at the paper mill as a sales manager [13] residing as a “boarder” on the farm of William Dean and his family. The farm must have been very close to the paper mill as John was one of 3 “boarders” the family had taken in, all of whom worked at the paper mill.[14] A 1914 published biography about John[15] states that he came to Alexandria in 1899.
John had been living and working in Dallas, Dallas, Texas. The biography states that he like his brother Watson had first gone to Neenah to work, presumably with the help of S. A. He left for Dallas in 1895. John married Dora Rynerson in 1897, and they welcomed their firstborn son, Byron on January 28, 1899. Sadly Dora passed away soon after his birth on February 2nd. Shortly after Dora’s passing, John took his newborn son home to Canada to be cared for by his parents.[16][17] On May 15th in 1903, 31-year-old John married Grace Crouse, and Byron was brought to live with them in Alexandria.[18]
Last but not least, we look for Edwin Yule. In his 1914 biography,[19] he states that he arrived in Alexandria at the time that the Alexandria Paper Company was founded, July 1900. He is not found in the 1900 census for Madison County, but when 27-year-old Edwin married Georgina Lemon on 17 Jul 1901, he listed Alexandria as his place of residence, and his occupation was that of “manufacturer.”[20]
Alexandria, Indiana, 1908
The last cast members to move to Alexandria are S. A.’s children, Harry and Maud. Harry is still living at home in Neenah at the time of the 1900 census. He is 19 years old, had finished his schooling at the University in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin, and he lists his occupation as that of a “Paper Manufacturer.” [21] The first published record of his residence in Alexandria is in October 1901 when the newspaper reported that “The Alexandria Whist club, composed of men only, was organized Tuesday evening. The following gentlemen compose the charter members: W. H. Yule…John Yule…Harry Cook… The club’s permanent quarters will be in the Opera house block. Games will be played once a week, the playing season to end in April of next year. A score of each player will be kept and the winner will receive a handsome prize. The members are all experienced players.” [22] Notice, Edwin Yule is not listed as a charter member of the club.
Maud would not have a residence in Alexandria till many years later, but there is a record that she would come and visit her brother and cousins. For much of her young adulthood, she acted as a travel companion, and hostess for her father, as he entertained business associates and friends.
Phew. The players have now been introduced, the stage is set, and we will now begin to look at the first act of a very special home on Park Avenue, in Alexandria, Monroe Township, Madison, Indiana.
Linda Ferris, “Elder House to open house on Sunday,” The Times=Tribune, 16 Jan 1991, Wednesday, p. 1 & p. 8, col. 1-4 & top; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Lines from Linda,” The Times=Tribune, 10 Sep 1986, Wednesday, p. 2, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jul 2016).
Mary Graves, “Elder House comes to Colonnades,” The Times=Tribune, 4 Dec 1985, Wednesday, p. 1 & p.2, col. 1, 3-4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
A Face to a Name; September 6, 1860; The Lady Elgin Disaster, Part, 1; The Lady Elgin Disaster, Part 2; Maps. Another Layer to the Story
1895 State Census, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Neenah, 2nd Ward, line Last, Watson Eule; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 Mar 2016).
“Death of Miss Christie.,” The Appleton Weekly Post, 4 Jul 1895, Thursday, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 11 Aug 2018).
“Widespread Sorrow. Caused by Death of Mrs. Cook.,” (Oshkosh)The Daily Northwestern, 20 Sep 1895, Friday, p. 3, col. 1. Cit. Date: 6 May 2004.
“A Busy Week,” (Oshkosh)The Daily Northwestern, 26 Oct 1895, Saturday, p. 5, col. 1. Cit. Date: 12 Aug 2004.
“Leaves for Washington.,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 15 Nov 1895, Friday, p. 5, col. 2; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 30 Mar 2016).
“A New Company.,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 27 Oct 1897, Wednesday, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Jul 2016).
1900 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, Alexandria City, enumeration district (ED) 97, sheet 12 (penned), p. 52B (stamped), dwelling 223, family 253, Ralph Bertsche household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 Aug 2021); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll FHL microfilm: 1240386.
1900 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, Alexandria City, Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) 97, sheet 28-29, p. 68A-B, dwelling 548, family 611, William Dean household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Aug 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 386.
John was enumerated in District 97, while the Ballou’s were enumerated in District 95.
John La Rue Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, its People and Its Principal Interests, 2 volumes (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1914), 2: 598. Cit. Date: 4 May 2016.
“Obituaries. Byron Andrew Yule,” The Post-Crescent, 6 Nov 1978, Monday, p. B-11, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 Aug 2021).
1901 census of Canada, Ontario, York, district 130 York North, S. District No: A, sub-district 3, Town of Aurora, p. 10, dwelling 111, family 111, Andrew Yule household; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016); citing citing Library and Archives Canada, microfil reels: T-6428 to T-6556.
1910 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 112, sheet 8, p. 210B, dwelling 186, family 188, John C. Yule household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 Jul 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 364.
Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana, 2: 598-599. Cit. Date: 4 May 2016.
Ontario, Canada Ontario, Registrar General, Marriage Register, (Archives of Ontario, Toronto), K, 1901: 499-500, image 327 & 328 of 430, Yule-Lemon; FHL microfilm. Cit. Date: 24 Dec 2017.
1900 U.S. census, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, population schedule, City of Neenah, 3rd Ward, enumeration district (ED) 127, sheet 1, p. 141A, dwelling 12, family 13, S. A. Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Apr 2001); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 1824.
“Alexandria,” The Muncie Morning Star, 27 Oct 1901, Sunday, p. 10, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 Dec 2017).
In early 2016 I received an email from a cousin who had just spent time in Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana, a community located 385 miles from Neenah, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Included in the email was a photo of a large, white-columned house located at 1515 South Park Avenue. My cousin shared with me that she had been told that this was Samuel Andrew (S. A.) Cook’s home during the time he owned the Alexandria Paper Company. I remember thinking, why would he own such a large home in Alexandria when I knew he had retained his residence in Neenah? So into another rabbit hole, I dove.
It is now 2021, and I have yet to write this post. I started, but new information kept slowing the process. But it is time to begin again. I cannot head to Alexandria, so I will begin as I most always do, with armchair research.
Why Alexandria? We cannot study the history of this home without first understanding the land that it stands upon. The first record found, is a land patent dated August 5, 1834. Morgan James of Rush County, Indiana purchased 82 acres and forty-hundredths of an acre in the W half of the NW Corner of Section 30, under the Land Act of 1820. This act ended the ability to purchase land on credit or an installment program. [1] The new law which came into effect on July 1, 1820, required full payment, and had the minimum price per acre reduced from $2.00 to $1.25 an acre, and the minimum tract being reduced from 160 acres to 80. Morgan James received certificate no. 1784 after having made full payment on the land. The certificate “given under my hand, at the City of Washington” by President Andrew Jackson.
A Madison County history tells us that “previous to the year 1831, there was not a white man within the territory which comprises the township.” The first entry for land in Monroe township occurred that year in Section 19, near the present site of Alexandria. In 1832, Morgan James settled on “Little Pipe creek, south of where Alexandria is now situated.” And we know that two years later he purchased this land in full. And two years after that, in January 1836, Monroe Township was named for the fifth President of the United States, and became the largest township in the county, containing fifty-one square miles. [2] Who is Morgan James? I have not been able to locate him in the census. The Madison County Register of Deeds is only open for in-person research, and at this time records are not available online for this time period. Relying on plat maps, I have been able to move forward in time to 1880, and another owner, Joel Jones.
Joel Jones was a very well-to-do farmer in Madison County. Born in North Carolina in 1816, he came to Monroe Township in 1838. [3] I find him in Monroe Township in 1860 with a value of real estate owned of $2,500, and a personal estate of $300. Residing with him at the time of the census was his wife Rhoda, age 34, sons John, age 10, Leroy, age 6, and Alpheus, age 3. Ten years later in 1870, he is still living in Monroe Township. His wealth has continued to grow, and he now owns real estate valued at $18,400, with a personal estate of $3,100. His sons, John, Leroy, and Alpheus are living at home, and have been joined by a sister, Sarah, age 10. Living with them was farm laborer, 25-year-old Wesley McKinley. Joel’s wife, Rhoda, passed away on 6 Mar 1871, at the age of 44. By 1880, the time of the map, Joel had re-married and was living in Monroe Township with his wife, Mary, age 44, [4] and his daughter enumerated as Ellen. Joel passed away on 8 Jun 1892.
The History of Madison County gives us a glimpse into the Jones life in Madison County through a biography written about Joel M. Jones, [5] grandson of Joel, son of John. At the time the history was written in 1914, Joel was living in Boone Township. His biography tells us that he was born 8 Mar 1872 in Monroe Township and that his father was also born in Monroe, “and the Jones family has been identified with this county since pioneer times.” “At the age of twenty-two, he had come into possession of a farm of his own, formerly owned by his grandfather, Joel Jones, who had come to Madison County from North Carolina.”
Were Joel and his family living in the house when the 1880 census was enumerated? According to the county records, the 2 1/2 story wood frame house was built in 1875, and currently has approximately 5,570 square feet of living space. This does not include the basement, which is said to be unfinished. The detached garage was built in 1899, a gazebo was added in 1980, and a utility shed in 1997. [6]
Looking again at the 1880 map of Section 30, there is no mark indicating a house, or as the key states, a “farmhouse” located on the Jone’s property. An example of a farmstead in Monroe Township was published in Forker’s Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana, p. 116, is this of N. E. Tomlinson. He lived north of Alexandria, and this is his home, marked on the property as being residence.
By February of 1893 Alexandria was in the “Center of the Largest Natural Gas Belt.” This vast amount of available cheap energy caught the ear of S.A. Cook, and by 1895 the Oshkosh, Winnebago newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, was reporting that he was “transacting business” in Alexandria.[7] Alexandria was actively advertising and promoting this inexpensive energy, stating that the average daily flowage of 9,000,000 feet of gas had a pressure of 320 pounds to the square inch. Because of the industries locating in Alexandria, the population had grown from 715 in 1891, to over 4,500 by December 1892. It was projected that the population would rise to 10,000 in 1893. The city had “moderately priced lots” in the city, and acreage a mile to a mile and a half outside the city was being “platted for business, residence and factory purposes.” [8]
Six years later in 1899, S.A. Cook as the “chief owner of the Rolling Mill Land Company”[9] was working to entice manufacturing companies to locate on property in Alexandria owned by the Rolling Mill Company. In June he took his own advice, and the Alexandria Paper and Investment Company was incorporated with a capitol stock of $300,000. Director S. A. Cook entered into a partnership with M. H. Ballou, a Neenah man, who would become the company’s vice president and general manager, and secretary-treasurer A. E. Bunker from Chicago. G. W. Young of Neenah was also part of the management team, working as superintendent. For the location of the new factory, S. A. purchased a 30-acre site south of the city, located on Little Pipe Creek. Shortly after incorporation work began on the 3-story, 340 x 100 main building, the 2-story, 250 x 60-foot pulp mill, plus the engine and boiler rooms, each to measure 100 x 100 feet. The paper mill would be in operation by November 1, 1899. [1]
In September, 40-year-old Miner Hart Ballou moved his family to Alexandria. [11] His family consisted of his wife, Flora, 38 years old, son Harry, age 16, and daughter, Belle, age 12. It was this year that the garage was added to the property.
In October it was reported that the mill was nearly complete, and the city had grown by 1,000 people due to the influx of workmen for the paper mill. The company had “sold nearly 500 lots that are fast being covered with tenement houses.” [12] The houses are “sold on the monthly plan, and in about three years the mechanic owns his own home. [13] In December the company name was changed from the Alexandria Paper and Investment Company to the Alexandria Paper Company. [14]
By the spring of 1900, M. H. Ballou had a falling out with S. A. Cook, and they dissolved their partnership. In June of 1900, he and his family returned to Wisconsin to reside in Appleton, Outagamie County. [15]
Did they live in the house? Maybe? They were enumerated in the 1900 United States Federal Census on June 23rd, residing in a rented home in Monroe Township. Enumerated around them were families renting, owning, living on a farm, living in a house, day laborers, a teamster, and even an undertaker. At this point, I am not sure. The official date of the 1900 census was June 1st, so I believe that by the 23rd they were no longer residing in Alexandria, as the information is either incomplete or just a bit “off.” The instructions for the census are to include the “Name of each person whose place of abode on June 1, 1900, was in this family,” so someone on the property was found to give their details, and they did the best that they could. The Ballous are also found in the 1900 census for Appleton. Enumerated on the 13th of June, complete details were given, including the birth month of each family member. I believe they were home to speak to the enumerator when he came to the door of their home on College Avenue.
As I began my research into the home, I came across many statements regarding this once-majestic dwelling place. Comments that it had been a brothel, [16] a gin house, bordello, and gambling joint. [17] The home that Harry H. Cook built for his bride, [18] the home that the “owner of the paper mill,” Edwin Yule built. Another article states that after Harry died the home was sold to Ed Yule his “nephew” and he renovated it for his bride. [19] So many stories surrounding the origin of this house, yet no one seems to have taken the time to do the logical thing, and look at the actual land records. So what IS the story behind this once stately home on Route 9, just south of Alexandria?
SOURCES:
1. Certificate 1784, 5 Aug 1834, Morgan James; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes; General Land Office Records; digital images, “Madison County, Indiana,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 Sep 2016).
2. John La Rue Forker, and Byron H. Dyson, Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana.A Detailed History of the Early Events of the Pioneer Settlement of the County, and Many of the Happenings of Recent Years, as Well as a Complete History of Each Township, to which is Added Numerous Incidents of a Pleasant Nature, in the Way of Reminiscences, and Laughable Occurrences (Anderson, Indiana: n.p., 1897), 832.
3. History of Madison County, Indiana, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Chicago: Kingman Brothers, 1880), 127. Cit. Date: 4 Sep 2016.
4. Find A Grave, digital images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 Aug 2021), Rhody Jones Memorial, created by starbuck, 9 Aug 2010, memorial number 56837068.
5. John La Rue Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, its People and Its Principal Interests, 2 volumes (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1914), 2: 577.
7. “Neenah Council,” The Daily Northwestern, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 3 Jan 1895, Thursday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jan 2018).
8. The Alexandria Company, Alexandria, Indiana (Louisville, Kentucky: Courier-Journal Lithograph, 1893); digital image, Indiana State Library Map Collection (https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15078coll8/id/3757 : accessed 21 Aug 2021).
9. The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 15 Jun 1899, Thursday, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 May 2016).
10. “The Alexandria Mill,” The Paper Mill and Wood Pulp News. The Newspaper of the Pulp and Paper Industry, volume 22, June 1899, 22; digital images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=MQFZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 26 May 2016).
11. The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 20 Sep 1899, Friday, p. 22, col. 3; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 10 May 2016).
12. “Nearly Completed,” Neenah Daily Times, 24 Oct 1899. Cit. Date: 10 May 2016.
13. “Neenah Capital In Indiana,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 25 Jan 1900, Thursday, p. 6, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 May 2016).
14. “Incorporated.,” The Indianapolis Sun, 23 Dec 1899, Saturday, p. 3, col. 6; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 10 May 2016).
15. ”Big Purchase,” The Daily Northwestern, 11 Jun 1900, Monday, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 May 2016).
17. Linda Ferris, “Elder House to open house on Sunday,” The Times=Tribune, 16 Jan 1991, Wednesday, p. 1 & p. 8, col. 1-4 & top; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
18. “Lines from Linda,” The Times=Tribune, 10 Sep 1986, Wednesday, p. 2, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jul 2016).
19. Mary Graves, “Elder House comes to Colonnades,” The Times=Tribune, 4 Dec 1985, Wednesday, p. 1 & p.2, col. 1, 3-4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
After the divorce, life went on for both Harry H. Cook, and Martha Paine Cook. Martha immersed herself in doing good works in the Oshkosh community while living with her aging parents, and Harry continued, as he had been, traveling from New Jersey to Florida, hoping for a cure.
The official date of the 1930 Federal Census was April 1, 1930. On this date, Martha was enumerated as residing with her father in Oshkosh, her mother having passed away on December 23, 1929. She is stated as being 35 years of age, divorced, with no occupation. Living with them in the family home at 870 Algoma Blvd, is a cook, 52 year old Mary Warnke, and a maid, 20 year old Hildegard Frailing. [1]
Later that year, on December 3, 1930, Martha married Drew O. Johnston, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a mechanical engineer by trade. [2] I am assuming that they met sometime in 1927, or shortly thereafter. Drew had for decades split his time between Pittsburgh, and wintering in Palm Beach, Florida, where the Phil H. Sawyer family also spent their winters. The Philetus (Phil) Horace Sawyer family are part of the founding families of Oshkosh, and in the late 20s a prominent family in the Oshkosh community. It is certain that the Paine and Sawyer families would have known each other, at the very least on a social level. But how would Martha have met Drew Johnston? On November 19, 1927, Drew’s daughter Elizabeth Meyers Johnston, married Phil H. Sawyer, Jr., in a small private ceremony in Oshkosh, [3] and it is in Oshkosh that this young couple made their home, and lived out their lives.
The Johnston marriage appears to have been a happy marriage, filled with friends and family; travel between Pittsburgh and Palm Beach, along with frequent travels abroad. Drew’s daughter, Betty and her family, and his son Drew M. Johnston and his family, were frequent visitors to Palm Beach. It must have been with great excitement and anticipation that Drew and Martha learned that they were expecting in 1935. Their daughter, who they named Ardra Paine Johnston, was born August 1, 1935 in Pittsburgh. Sadly, she would pass away in Rochester, Olmstead Co., Minnesota on January 18, 1936. [4] For me, Rochester means just one thing, the Mayo Clinic. I have ordered her death record, so time will tell, but it must have been devastating to lose their five month old daughter. Drew and Martha would celebrate 28 years of marriage before Drew passed away in Palm Beach, at the age of 81, December 12, 1958. [5] He was buried in the family plot in Highwood Cemetery in Pittsburgh. [6]
The enumerator of the Atlantic City 1930 Federal Census, visited Harry on April 2, 1930. He was living in the Ambassador Bungalow in Atlantic City, Atlantic Co., New Jersey, listed as being 49 years of age, Divorced, and Retired. He was paying a monthly rent of $333.00, and enumerated with him was 38 year old, Jessie Carter Duncan, a widow, who was living with him in the role of Servant/Nurse, her occupation was enumerated as a Nurse. [7]
News reached Edwin Yule in Alexandria, Indiana, on January 23, 1931, that Harry’s health “had taken a turn for the worse.” Edwin and his wife immediately left for New Jersey, [8] where Harry passed away two days later on January 25th. Unfortunately, Harry’s sister Maud, and her husband, Charles, were in Paris, so his funeral arrangements were delayed, but plans were made to bring his body immediately to Neenah by train, with a stop in Chicago to change trains for the trip north. Executives of the Alexandria Paper Company, and friends of the family met the train in Chicago, and traveled to Neenah together. [9] At some point during the trip, the decision to go ahead with the funeral and burial were made, and the funeral cortege went immediately from the train station that Wednesday afternoon, January 28th, to Oak Hill Cemetery where a brief funeral service was conducted at 2:15 p.m. at the cemetery chapel, by Rev. D. C. Jones the pastor of the Presbyterian church. [10] Harry is buried in the Cook Plot, just to the front of the Cook monument, and the only other full sized grave next to his parents.
Shortly after Harry’s death, on February 3, 1931, Edwin Yule was appointed administrator of the estate. [11] Details of his will were published in the newspaper August 11, 1931, when it was admitted for probate so as to arrange payment of a $50,000 insurance policy to the estate, the insurance was to be inherited by his sister, Maud. The article states that the original will bequeathed one-third of his property to his wife, Martha; one third to his sister, Maud, and one-third to be held in trust for his son, Hosford. “On May 14, 1927, following the death of his child and the filing of a suit for divorce by his wife, the late manufacturer wrote a codicil to the will bequeathing $15,000 to Jessie C. Duncan in addition to all pay due her for services, and the residue to go to his sister. [12] On this same date Edwin W. Yule and Maud Cook Lancaster, qualified as executors of his estate, and as stated above, filed the will for probate. [13]
Maud received as part of the balance of the estate all property, including stocks and real estate. The estate holdings were published in The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune on February 25, 1933, and were said to include: “one-half interest in home property in Neenah, Wis., one-half interest in seven lots in Orono, [Hennepin Co.] Minn.; certain interests in lumber lands in Canada; 950 shares of common stock in the Alexandria Paper Company; 423 shares in the Phillips Company, of Chicago; 17 shares Anderson Banking Company stock; 13 shares in Manufacturers National Bank, Neenah, Wis., and 30 shares in the Great Northern Life Insurance Company.” [14] On March 17, 1933, the estate was finally settled, and closed. [15] What I find interesting about the above list, is that it does not include any of the physical property that was associated with the Alexandria Paper Company, just common stock shares. But that is a topic for another blog post.
After Drew’s passing, Martha continued to winter in the home that they had shared in Palm Beach. She kept her ties to Oshkosh, spending her summers residing with her niece, and serving as an “Art Center trustee” of what is now known as the Paine Art Center and Gardens, a house museum built and founded by her Uncle Nathan Paine, and his wife, Jessie Kimberly Paine. [16] Martha passed away January 16, 1993, in Palm Beach, Florida. She was 97 years old. She was “laid to rest in the Paine Family Mausoleum at Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Friday, January 22, 1993.” [17]
I have to admit that I am left deeply saddened by this story. The details are still not fully developed, as court records would need to be reviewed, land deeds looked at, and the total melded together to get a better picture. Over the next few blog posts I will attempt to tell the story of the company that Samuel Andrew Cook built with such pride, hope, and vision.
SOURCES:
1930 U.S. census, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Oshkosh City, Twelfth Ward, enumeration district (ED) 70-38, sheet 28, p. 58A, dwelling 612, family 623, Edward W. Paine household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Mar 2003); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626, roll 2620.
Johnston-Cook Wedding is Solemnized,” (Oshkosh) The Daily Northwestern, 3 Dec 1930, p. 8, col. 5. Cit. Date: 11 Aug 2004.
“Sawyer-Johnston Wedding Is One of Quiet Charm,” The Daily Northwestern, 21 Nov 1927, p. 16, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Baby Passes Away,” The Oshkosh Northwestern, 20 Jan 1936, p. 4, col 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 29 Jun 2016).
Pittsburgh Rites Are Scheduled For Mr. Johnston,” The Palm Beach Post-Times, 14 Dec 1958, p. 10, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Deaths and Funerals. Drew Johnston,” The Palm Beach News, 17 Dec 1938, p. 24, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
1930 U. S. census, Atlantic County, New Jersey, population schedule, Atlantic City, 4th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 1-31, sheet 1, p. 81B, dwelling 29, family 23, Henry H. Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Mar 2003); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626.
Harry Cook Critically Ill at Atlantic City,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 23 Jan 1931, front page, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Harry H. Cook Died Suddenly Atlantic City,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 26 Jan 1931, front page, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Harry H. Cook, Former Neenah Resident, Dies,” (Oshkosh) Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 27 an 1931, p. 9, col. 3. Cit. Date: 26 Mar 2003.
“Legal. Notice of Appointment,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 4 Feb 1931, front page, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
Cook’s Sister Gets Large Part of His Estate,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 11 Aug 1931, front page, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“LEGAL. Notice of Appointment,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 25 Aug 1931, p. 2, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
“Final Report Filed In Harry Cook Estate,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 25 Feb 1933, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
“LEGAL,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 13 Mar 1933, p. 4, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
“Paine Center Founder Donates Silver Piece,” The Appleton Post-Crescent, 27 Sep 1964, p. A12. Cit. Date: 11 Aug 2004.
Funeral Notices. Martha Paine Johnston,” The Palm Beach Post, 20 Jan 1993, p. 3B, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
To continue the sad story of Harry and Martha Paine Cook, we have to focus, and to place the blame on Harry coming down with “sleeping sickness” while on a business trip to New York City.
When Harry Cook was first diagnosed with “sleeping sickness” in late January 1920, I am sure that there was a sense of panic in the Cook household. For those first days he was confined to a hospital in New York, slowly improving. By the end of February he had improved enough that he could be moved to Florida, where they hoped that the warm weather and sunshine would make all the difference.
They remained in Florida the winter, sending home small notices stating that he was “improving.” But the illness was still taking its toll, and he was not really making any steady improvement, just small glimmers, and hope. On April 20, 1920, The Daily Times=Tribune reported that Harry had “recovered sufficiently to be able to leave Miami” and that the couple were “now northbound and it is expected that they will arrive in Alexandria about June 1.” [1] But I am not certain that they did return. My “chair research” into the newspaper, does not share the joyous news of their return, and the month of June is well covered.
Martha Paine Cook sent the next report, which was received August 24, 1920, from her parents home in Oshkosh, Winnebago, Wisconsin. She reported that Harry was presently in the mountains of Vermont, where he was “getting along nicely.” [2] In September, Harry moved to New Jersey, where his cousin Edwin W. Yule paid him a visit. Edwin reported that “Mr. Cook is very thin from his long illness, but that he is now on the road to recovery although his improvement is going very slowly. Mr. Cook was very glad to see Mr. Yule and expressed himself as very eager to come home.” [3] As winter approached he made his way to Florida to spend the winter with his sister, Maud, and her husband Charles F. Lancaster. Thus starting a pattern that would go on for the next eleven years, wintering in Florida, and spending the summer living at a resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
We may never know exactly what happened, and most certainly not know the full details from my “chair research,” but I have done my best to piece together the story.
“Sleeping sickness” not only affects the physical body, but can have adverse effect on a patient’s mental health. The months in Florida must have been trying for Martha as she worked to keep her husband’s spirits high, and help him recover physically. She was also the mother of a 1 1/2 year old, as Hosford would celebrate his second birthday on July 13th. I am sure that there was help in the home; nurses, housekeepers, possibly even a nanny for Hosford, but I would like to think that Martha was personally engaged and involved in the care of both of her “men.” In May, instead of being “northbound” to Alexandria, Martha took little Hosford, and traveled to Oshkosh, while Harry began to wander the country, looking for that elusive place that would cure him, moving from Vermont to New Jersey, to Florida.
As the months passed, Harry became more and more dependent on his sister, Maud, her husband, Charles F. Lancaster and his cousin, Edwin W. Yule for support and guidance in running the Alexandria Paper Co., of which he was president. In October 1922, Harry was well enough to return to Alexandria, accompanied by Edwin Yule, [4] A short month later, in November, Martha filed a petition in the Madison County Circuit Court for a guardian to be appointed for her husband. She stated that “certain persons ha[d] exerted influence on her husband and have caused him to become indifferent toward her.” She went on to state that “she has been unable to communicate with him,” and wished to know why “certain persons” have worked to turn Harry against her. [5] An article published in The Indianapolis Star, states the same situation a bit more bluntly: “The application charges that Cook is under the control of certain parties, whose names are not revealed, and that being of alleged unsound mind he is influenced by them so that he refuses to have anything to do with his wife.” The article goes on to say that she had “spent several months trying to nurse her husband, and that when her health broke down she went to the home of her parents in Oshkosh, Wis. It is alleged that her husband developed a violent aversion to her in the meantime, and that she has repeatedly been denied the privilege of seeing him.” In a later court document, Martha claimed that he “deserted them” on July 12, 1920, just days before their son’s second birthday. [6]
It would be two years before she was able to appoint a trust company as guardian, as Harry kept sending it back to the court on appeal. It was announced in The [Oshkosh] Daily Northwestern on March 24, 1924, that she had prevailed, and secured their wealth of nearly a million dollars in assets, mostly stock in the Alexandria Paper Company. Harry had been traveling most of the year accompanied by nurses and attendants. At the time of the final court decision, he was in Florida for the winter. [7]
It appears as though Martha was correct in her concerns, and her wish to have a guardian named for Harry, as less than a year later, on January 29, 1925, he was back in court, his guardian, the Citizen’s State Bank of Newcastle, filing in Federal Court, a “suit charging fraud and duress in connection with the transfer of $250,000, in the Alexandria Papar [sic] Company” against “Mrs. Maud Lancaster, her husband Charles P. [sic] Lancaster both of New York, and the Alexandria Paper Company.” “The complaint alleged that the defendants…had fraudulently induced Cook to transfer to them the 500 shares of stock. The complaint also alleges that the defendants and expended between $75,000 and $100,000 of Cook’s money each year since his illness in chartering houseboats, employing and discharging physicians, hiring servants, nurses, leasing houses and apartments and for other expenses.” They were also “voting the shares and receiving large amounts of money in dividends.” The article goes on to put it in perspective: “Cook is said to have received from his father 1, 750 shares of stock in the Alexandria Paper Company, a controlling interest. Cook’s sister is said to have become the owner of 950 shares of stock in the company at the death of her father” in April 1918. It goes on to state that the defendants “took charge of Cook during his illness and concealed his whereabouts from his wife and child.” [8]
Sadly, my “chair research” has not revealed any indication of how this suit was settled. More work to be done here!
In February 1927, the couple buried their son, Henry Hosford Cook. His story was told in the blog post titled:A Child Lost. I believe it is at this point that Martha gives up. She must have realized that her husband was not going to get well enough to return home, and they will never again have a normal, loving married life. On April 4, 1927, she filed for divorce on the grounds of abandonment. She was asking for alimony. [9] Coming to an agreement would not be an easy task, nor a quick one. In December their attorneys met in superior court in Indianapolis, hopeful that an agreement could finally be reached, they “conferred” till 3:00 on that Friday afternoon of December 16, 1927. At that time, agreement was reached on a proposal which was to be sent to Harry in Atlantic City, for his “consideration” and “specifies that a divorce shall be granted and deals with property rights and the question of alimony.” The judge “continued the case until February 20, 1928, to give attorneys time to consult Cook. Witnesses subpoenaed for the trial and who were held in superior court all day, were instructed to return on that date.” [10]
On February 17, 1928, the long wait was over. Harry had agreed to terms for the divorce, which were that Martha would be granted her request for a divorce, and receive $100,000 in alimony, a “$25,000 insurance policy on the life of Mr. Cook, subject to the unpaid premium.” And “a portion of the furnishings of the Cook home just south of the city.” “A total of 18 attorneys were connected with the case, ten representing Mrs. Cook and eight representing the defense. The alimony award was the largest award in the Madison county courts.” [11] The terms were agreed to out of court, Martha was in the courtroom, but Harry did not return to Indiana for the hearing. [12]
To be continued…
SOURCES:
“Harry Cook Is Better,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 24 Apr 1920, p 1, col 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Harry Cook In Vermont,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 24 Aug 1920, p 1, col 3; digital image Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Sees Harry Cook,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 14 Sep 1920, p. 1, col 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Harry Cook Arrives In City This Morning,” The Alexandria Times=Tribune, 12 Oct 1922, p 1, col 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Seeks Appointment of Guardian for Husband,” The Indianapolis News, 13 Nov 1922, p 17, col 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Mrs. Cook Asks Court For Divorce Decree,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 5 Apr 1927, p 1, col 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Indiana Supreme Court Sustains Ruling In The Cook Guardianship Case,” The Daily Northwestern, 24 Mar 1924, p 1, col 3; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : 10 May 2016).
“Sick Man Made Victim of Fraud,” The Elwood Cal Leader, 31 Jan 1925, p 8, col 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 May 2016).
Mrs. Cook Asks Court For Divorce Decree,” The Alexandria Times=Tribune, 5 Apr 1927, p 1, col 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Cook Divorce Case May End By Agreement,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 17 Dec 1927, p 1, col 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Life Insurance Policy $25,000 to Mrs. Cook,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 21 Feb 1928, p 1, col 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Mrs. Cook Divorced; Gets $100,000 Alimony,” The Alexandria Daily Times=Tribune, 20 Feb 1928, p 4, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
Samuel A. Cook, who up to this point we have been calling S. A., as that is how he most often appears in print, plus over the armory, and most places we look, it is S. A. But I would have to bet that his wife, his siblings, his mother and father, didn’t call him that, they called him Samuel. Or Sam. As I continue to study him, and get to know him, I think I will call him Samuel.
Samuel’s son Harry (Henry Harold), married Martha Wheeler Paine, in a small private ceremony which took place in her family home in Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin, on June 30, 1917. Martha is the daughter of Edward Wheeler Paine, and Elizabeth Bonney Hosford Paine. The Paines were a prominent lumber family in Oshkosh, Edward, along with his brother, Nathan, owned and operated the Paine Lumber Company. (It is Nathan Paine and his wife, Jessie Kimberly, who built, and then donated, what we now know as the Paine Art Center and Gardens).
After an extended honeymoon, the couple settled in Alexandria, Madison Co., Indiana, where Harry had been living and working for the past 16 years or so. He was vice president, and general manager of his father’s paper mill, the Alexandria Paper Co. Life was good for the newlyweds, and soon they were excited to let their family know that they would be expecting a baby in July 1918. Sadly, Samuel would not live to meet his grandchild, as he suffered a “stroke of paralysis” in December 1917, and never fully recovered. He passed away at his home in Neenah, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin, on April 4, 1918.
It was with joyous hearts that Harry and Martha welcomedtheir son, Henry Hosford Cook, into the world at 12:50 a.m. the morning of July 13, 1918. Martha had made the decision to give birth in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois, checking into Presbyterian Hospital. [1] Later that day, Harry traveled back to Alexandria to attend to some pressing business matters, and to take a moment to share the joy with the paper mill employees. He and Martha had printed a small card announcing the birth of their son, and to which they had attached a $10 bill. The card reads:
An employee at the time, Robert W. Gaither, when interviewed in 1970, had this to say about that day: “‘I remember so well,’ he said, ‘when Harry sat on the steps of the old office building and gave everyone who came through a ten-dollar bill.'” [2] In 1918 there were approximately 160 employees in the company, so Harry handed out $1600.00, or $25,352.16 in 2016 money! Each employee receiving approximately $158.45. [3]
Over the next few years, Harry spent many days and weeks traveling on business for the mill. During his extended time away, Martha would pack up baby Hosford, and head to Oshkosh to spend time with her parents, and when Harry was scheduled to return, the couple would meet up in Chicago, and travel back to Alexandria together.
Tragically, in late January 1920, while visiting New York on business, Harry came down with flu-like symptoms, and then was hospitalized. Doctors later diagnosed his condition as “sleeping sickness,” a form of lethargic encephalitis. An article published in The Cambridge Sentinel states that the symptoms begin with fever, which can last two to five days, followed by a period of subnormal temperature, sore throat and chest cold. “In marked cases the lethargy was accompanied by heaviness of the eyelids, pain in the eyes and blurred vision. Headache was a common symptom, and rigidness was characteristic of the early symptoms.” This is just the first stage. What follows is the patient is often “unable to make any voluntary movement on account of great muscular weakness; the face is quite expressionless and mask like, and there may be double facial paralysis. The patient is in a condition of stupor, although true sleep is often not obtained.” There was no defined treatment, and the patient was “given to understand that his convalescence will last at least six months after the beginning of the illness.” [4] Cases of sleeping sickness were found in both New York, and Chicago in 1919, so it is only speculation where he could contracted this contagious disease.
When Harry was well enough to leave the hospital, and New York City, the family headed together to Florida to give him time to rest and to recover. Unfortunately, as is often the case, he never was able to fully recover, and the effect the disease had on him both physically, but most importantly, mentally, caused him to never be the same person again, and thus he is said to have abandoned his family on July 22, 1920. [5] This story deserves its own blog post, so let us move forward a few years in time.
Hoping that her husband would recover, but knowing at this point they could not live together and that she needed to take care of her small son, Martha took Hosford, and moved permanently to Oshkosh to live with her parents. The years passed, and a routine was set between mother and son, and part of the routine was to spend a portion of the winter in Florida. In February 1927, they were enjoying the warm weather of Naples, Florida, with friends and relatives. It was a Wednesday, spent at the beach off the Gulf of Mexico, and Hosford was wading and swimming with friends, when he went out a bit too far, and was pulled into the undertow. Despite all efforts to save him, he drowned. I can only imagine the grief in which Martha sent off the telegram to her parents. And the unbelief that Edward and Elizabeth felt upon opening the door to receive the telegram telling them of their grandsons death, and when to expect the train carrying their grandson’s body, accompanied by their daughter. [6]
I have not been able to find a newspaper article that states the details for his funeral. It could have been large and public, or small and private. We may never know, but if I were to bet, I would bet it was small and private. He was buried in the family plot in Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
As winter faded into spring, then summer, and children started to flock to the neighboring beaches to play and to swim. Hosford’s grandfather, Edward W. Paine, still wracked with grief, donated “three sets of life-saving apparatus” to the city of Oshkosh, and dedicated to his grandson. The three sets were installed at three city beaches, south side beach, Menominee Park, and Mary Jewel Park. “Each piece of apparatus consists of a large preserver to which is attached an iron ring to fasten around the arm. To the preserver is attached 400 feet of line, which winds on a large cylinder. In [case] of danger anyone may seize the preserver and carry or throw it out in the water. The stand is erected with a reel and handle, so that the preserver may be pulled in.” Edward Paine also sent a set to Sarasota, Fla. “On each of the racks is placed a bronze plate with the inscription, ‘In Memory of Henry Hosford Cook, Died Feb. 16, 1927.'” [7]
Hosford lived just a short 8 1/2 years, and this small, much loved little boy started his life with a gift to honor his birth, and he ended his life with a gift to remember his having lived. Both gifts were given in the hope that the gift would enrich the lives of the receiver. Make the world a better place.
Rest in peace, Henry Hosford Cook.
SOURCES:
FamilySearch, “Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922,” database and images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 Jul 2012); Henry Hosford Cook; Reference ID: 25709, GS Film Number: 1308838, Digital Folder Number: 004403113, Image Number: 01020.
Sue Martson, “Old Paper Mill Will Again Have A Heart Beat,” The Alexandria Times-Tribune, 15 Apr 1970, Wednesday, p. 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
www.usinflationcalculator.com : accessed 8 Jun 2016.
“Call New Malady Epidemic Stupor,” The Cambridge Sentinel, 3 May 1919, p. 3, col. 1-3 : digital image, Cambridge Public Library (http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com : accessed 8 Jun 2016).
“Mrs. cook Asks Court For Divorce Decree,” The Times=Business, 5 Apr 1927, front page, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Boy Meets Death By Drowning At Florida Resort,” (Oshkosh) Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 17 Feb 1927, p. 4, col. 3. Cit. Date: 26 Mar 2003.
“Makes Gift to City,” (Oshkosh) The Daily Northwestern, 2 Jul 1927, p. 2, col. 7. Cit. Date: 22 Jul 2003.
