John William Cook
John William Cook was born 15 July 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were James William Cook and Louisa Amelia Powell. They emigrated from England, coming on the SS Alaska just months before John was born. John had two half siblings. Albert was born in Leeds, England. He died in England. Henretta Craven was born 3 July 1890 in Armley, England. She came with them to America. His family moved several times between Chicago, Illinois, St Joseph, Missouri and Salt Lake City & Lehi, Utah.
He was baptized on 8 July 1901 in Lehi. He was ordained a Priest in the Central States Mission in St. Joseph, Missouri, on 4 December 1910 by James Kemp. Abraham Vrecken ordained him an Elder in the 29th Ward in Salt Lake City, Utah on 6 September 1914. (No.219)
He and Georgina Hermia Read were married 9 September 1914 in the Salt Lake Temple. They made their home in the Salt Lake City area most of their lives. Carl E. Ernst ordained him a Seventy on 21 Feb 1921 under the hand of the seven Presidents of the Seventy. (No.169)
John loved the railroads and worked on the track gang for years. It was his whole life. Then the Depression hit for a number of years. He was laid off and had a few odd jobs. John, with nine children and a wife to support, was overwhelmed. He was destitute. Their children and their birth and death dates were:
John Junior 8 July 1915 26 March 1982
Hermia Louisa 3 March 1917 16 October 1960
Joseph Emmet 4 May 1919 9 September 1995
James Robert 22 April 1921 15 October 1989
Percy Read 11 December 1922 1 September 1987
Elsie 19 November 1924 7 March 1950
Ernest LeRoy 20 August 1926 30 April 1976
Annie 6 September 1928
Harry LaMar 16 October 1933 1 May 1998
The family went through many hardships, sorrows, and heartaches. Things went from bad to worse as the depression continued. John was not able to obtain sufficient employment to keep his family with enough food and clothing. To drown his sorrow, he took to the bars and all the evils it contained. He started staying away from home, even though his family begged him to come home.
Elsie hurt her leg when she was a young child. It was never properly taken care of. She lived at the Primary Children's Hospital for a number of years. It left her rather crippled. She had a son on 11 March 1942. She named him Richard Glen Cook. Family records show that she married Jennings Bryan Lowe on 4 June 1943, then later divorced. She married Thomas Roach on 10 November 1945. Her health was very poor. She died 7 March 1950, just 25 years old. In 1998 her son placed a beautiful marker on her grave at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. No one in the family knows of his whereabouts. It was heard that he was in Nevada and married but not for sure. The monument company which placed the head stone is not allowed to give out his location. Ethel Cook went to the Jordan River Temple on 3 February 1982 and had Elsie’s temple work done.
Louisa was born 3 March 1917. She suffered from cancer. Her arm was removed as near to the jugular vein as the surgeons dare cut. She died at the age of 43 on 16 October 1960. She never married. Ethel and her daughter Charlene Burton went to the Jordan River Temple on 3 February 1982 and had Louisa’s temple work done.
During this time John moved his family many times, staying in some places for just a month. He tried every kind of work, but things failed. He ranched in Barney's Canyon with his brother Walter, and milked cows in Draper. Emmet loved his dad very much. In better years, he taught Emmet a great deal. They had enjoyable times together, especially hunting.
Emmet was a very hard worker. He would try any kind of work. At age seven, Emmet sold newspapers on the street. The children scavenged, begged at the store for food, and had to support themselves at a very early age. Emmet earned enough to help his family out a bit. John let him support the family entirely, while he spent his time in the bars. He felt that it was Emmet's responsibility to support the family. Georgina very sorrowfully told Emmet that maybe if he left home, John would realize what he was doing, and return home to take care of his responsibility. Emmet did what his mother asked him to do. He went to various bars and pleaded and begged his dad to go home, but it was all in vain. The last day Emmet ever saw or heard anything concerning his dad was on his wedding day, 5 March 1941. This about broke Emmet's heart.
Perhaps John felt guilty or was tired of being bugged by everyone. He vanished into thin air. It appeared that not one of John's folks knew anything about him - where he was, why he went, where to get in touch with him - so it seemed. Emmet asked his grandmother about him. She flatly expressed that she knew absolutely nothing about him, where he was, or anything. A short time later, Georgina passed away. It seemed odd, but all of his family was knowledgeable now as to John's whereabouts and everything about him. Emmet was hurt deeply - he didn't think that his grandmother would ever lie to him. John never came home to attend the funeral of his wife, the mother of his nine children. John had gone to Oroville, California to be near his mother and brother Walter to live out the remainder of his life.
Louise went down sometime before her death and took pictures of her dad, his new place in California, and his new companion Margaret Baird. Emmet always said that that was not his dad in the pictures. He passed away 7 September 1968 and was buried in Oroville, California.
- written by Ethel Gardner Cook, wife of John’s son Joseph Emmet Cook.