In my journey through Virginia's historical records, I find mentions of Montgomery County, North Carolina that shed light on ancestors that otherwise would never be known due to the courthouse fire that destroyed most of the Montgomery County records between the years 1779 and 1843. Blanton Cook is one of those ancestors that would have even more gaps in his family history, or worse, be lost altogether to flames and ashes. Thankfully, it is possible to find information on some families at courthouses in different counties and states that did not have their records destroyed, albeit a lot more digging is required.
Blanton Cook was born about 1765 probably in Mecklenburg or Brunswick County, Virginia. I do not know the names of his parents, but I do know his mother was married at least twice, once to a man with the surname Cook, Blanton's father, and once to a man with the surname Holmes whom she had at least three children, John Holmes, William Holmes, and Mary 'Polly' Holmes. All Blanton's half siblings.
Blanton Cook married Mary Hunt in Granville County, North Carolina on 17 Jan 1786. The bondsman on Blanton's marriage license was William Cook, whom I currently know little about.
William Cook was listed as a white male between the ages of 21 and 60 on the North Carolina, U.S., State Census, 1784-1787 for Granville County living in Epping Forest District for the year 1786 and is a near neighbor to Blanton. Interestingly, Blanton is listed in the age range of under 21 and above 60 on that Census and he is living alone. So, this Census was taken within weeks of Blanton's marriage in Jan 1786. Suffice it to say William Cook is probably somehow related to Blanton, I just do not know how.
I do not know who Mary Hunt's parents are but two possibilities for her father are John Hunt, found living nearby on the 1786 North Carolina state census and Samuel Hunt of Granville County who bought land in Franklin County from Blanton's half-brother, John Holmes, of Virginia, in 1793. Blanton was a witness on that deed.
On the 1790 Census Blanton is shown living in Franklin County, North Carolina with wife, Mary, and two daughters. Unfortunately, that Census was semi-alphabetized so I cannot tell who Blanton's neighbors were. There are several other men showing on pages 32-34 with the surname Cook; Shemuel, Benjamin, William (probably the same man who signed as bondsman), two John's, Jacob, Thomas, and Charles. I have not researched these men yet to see if there is a connection to Blanton.
Blanton is not to be found on the 1800 Census although John, Charles, Thomas, and Shemuel all still show as living in Franklin County, North Carolina. I believe Blanton may have been missed on this Census as he was en route to Wake County, North Carolina. By 1807 Blanton Cook was settled in Wake County and in August of that year was part of a jury of men ordered to view the public road leading through the plantation of Robert Brown and to lay off a new road if necessary and report to the next court.
While I have not researched who Robert Brown is, I find the name of interest because one of Blanton’s daughters would later marry James Brown and name a son Robert Brown. More on that later.
Deed and court records indicate that Blanton moved to Wake County, North Carolina prior to 1807 but had moved again to Montgomery County, North Carolina by 1810. On 24 Jan 1810, Blanton Cook of Montgomery County, North Carolina sold to William Lashley of the county of Wake for $100 a tract of land containing 53 acres on Little White Oak Creek joining the lands of William Lashley, Able Olive (or Oliver), and Willie Womack including the plantation whereon the said Blanton Cook formerly lived. Witnesses were James Huckaby and John Thomas. Blanton Signed his name as Blanton Cooke (with an "e"). The deed was proved by the oath of James Huckaby in Dec 1825 and registered in Jan 1826.
The 1810 Census for Montgomery County, North Carolina shows Blanton Cook living in Capt. Chappell's district. Jonathan Stevens and Teddy (Toddy) Robinson are his neighbors. An 1819 survey for Blanton's son, James Cook, shows that James's land joined Blanton's on Town Creek (current day Mount Gilead area). Blanton was a chain carrier for his son's survey, so he was alive as of 26 Jan 1819.
It is thanks to John Holmes, Blanton's half-brother, that we know Blanton Cook is from Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Tracking Blanton back to Virginia I found in 1784, Mecklenburg, Virginia, that Blanton witnessed a deed alongside William Cook between Nathaniel Cook (Blanton would later name his sons Nathaniel and William) and John Cook for 116 acres of land on the north side of Miles Creek to the head of Ready Branch bounded by Holmes and Watts. Witnesses were William Cook (perhaps the same one found later in Franklin, North Carolina?), Blanton Cook, and Anthony Evans.
John Holmes wrote his will 18 Oct 1805 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. His will names his wife Milly (Turner) Holmes (she married Nathaniel Jackson in 1806 and later moved to Georgia), his deceased brother William Holmes, his sister Mary 'Polly' Walker and his half-brother Blanton Cook. He also names Elizabeth Holmes, the widow of his brother William Holmes. Executors were John Lambert and wife Milly Holmes. Witnesses were Arealias Walker (son of Sylvanus and Martha Wade Walker), Redmond Smith, (son of Augustine Smith who died about 1790 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia), and Betsey Abernathy. At a court held for Mecklenburg County the 10th day of Feb 1806 John Holmes' will was probated and accepted on the oaths of Arealias Walker and Betsey Abernathy and ordered recorded.
Sylvanus Walker, the father of Arealias Walker, was born about 1718 and is believed to be the son of Sylvanus Walker Sr and wife Susannah Tandy. Martha Wade Walker, mother of Arealias Walker, is believed to be the daughter of Robert Wade Sr. and Elizabeth Hampton. I wrote about Robert Wade in a previous post called "A face with a name" where I also covered the life of a man named Samuel Morris who I would love to see male descendants Y DNA test results. Horatio Wade, the grandson of Robert Wade Sr and Elizabeth Hampton moved, with his brother-in-law, James Legrand, to the Montgomery / Richmond County area of North Carolina.
John Holmes' sister, Mary 'Polly' Holmes married Julius Walker, son of Samuel Walker of Granville County, North Carolina on 6 Nov 1788. Julius was over the age of 45 on the 1810 Census so he was born before 1765.
Samuel Walker wrote his will in Granville County, North Carolina, and it was probated in Aug 1807. He named children, Samuel Walker Jr, John Walker, Sarah (Walker) Stone, Julius Walker, William Walker, Thomas Walker, Ann (Walker) Hunter, Susannah (Walker) Dickerson (or Dickinson). Samuel did not name a wife in his 1807 will and it is assumed she died prior to that date. However, in a deed dated 1791, Keziah Walker witnessed alongside John Walker. That name, Keziah, is repeated in a later generation when Susannah Walker Dickerson named a daughter Keziah Dickerson (she married Dudley House in 1814). So, it is possible, but not proven, that Samuel's wife's name may have been Keziah.
Julius Walker and wife Mary Holmes had at least three children, Green Blanton Walker, born about 1789, Elizabeth Walker, born about 1791 and married William Thomasson (another surname I am researching as there is a Thomasson Y DNA match to my Morris Group M29 at Family Tree DNA), son of Richard and Elizabeth Atkins Thomasson, and Tandy Walker, born about 1793.
Sylvanus Walker and Susannah Tandy (noted above) also had a grandson named Tandy Walker, who was the brother of Arealias Walker who signed as witness to the will of John Holmes. Even though I know there is a connection between Julius Walker who married Mary Holmes, and Sylvanus Walker, I cannot find the documentation to prove where the relationship is.
As a side note, there was a Tandy Walker who moved from Virginia to Moore County, North Carolina, who may or may not be related to the other Tandy Walker's (there seemed to be a lot of them, and I have yet to figure them all out). The Tandy Walker who lived in Moore County, North Carolina filed for a Revolutionary War pension and evidently, per a letter found in the pension file, abandoned his wife and children in Virginia as he is later found living with Sarah Hinton in Moore County, North Carolina.
Tandy Walker and Sarah Hinton of Moore County, North Carolina had a son named Edward Walker who married Mary Morris, the daughter of John Morris, who was the son of Frederick Morris of Cumberland/Moore/Lee County. Read more about Frederick here. Isabella Walker, daughter of Edward Walker and Mary Morris, married Abner Gunter of Chatham County, the nephew of my 4th great grandmother, Mary Gunter Marks (she married John Marks, son of William Marks and Temperance Wright of Warren County, North Carolina).
Another Tandy Walker looks to have lived in South Carolina, which is interesting, and I cannot help but wonder if there is some connection between Samuel Hunt of Granville County, North Carolina who bought the land in Franklin County, North Carolina from John Holmes. There is a Samuel Hunt whose second wife and widow Susannah Wood(s) Hunt filed a widow pension claim in South Carolina and states in that claim that her husband, Samuel Hunt, served in the County of Granville state of North Carolina. She married him in 1804 in South Carolina. Lots more research is needed to figure this out so I will leave the story of Tandy Walker and Samuel Hunt for another blog post.
Back to Blanton Cook.
On 3 Apr 1812 Montgomery County, North Carolina, Susannah Cook, Sarah Cook, and Peggy Cook, daughters and lawful heirs of Blanton Cook, appoint their father Blanton Cook a power of attorney regarding some property left to them by the last will and testament of their uncle, the late John Holmes of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. An additional guardian bond was provided for Blanton’s children, James, Nathaniel, Edmund, Hannah, Elizabeth, Polly, and William, who were underage.
On 13 Jun 1812, two months later, Blanton registered the power of attorney and guardian bond in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
This power of attorney and guardian bond was most likely also registered in Montgomery County, North Carolina but was destroyed when the courthouse burned down in 1843.
On 25 Apr 1812 the deed was written between Nathaniel Jackson and Milly his wife, formerly Milly Holmes of the one part and Blanton Cook guardian of his infant children James, Nathaniel, Hannah, Elizabeth, Polly, and William Cook and by power of attorney for Susannah, Sarah, and Peggy Cook all of Montgomery County and state of North Carolina, William Thomasson, husband of Elizabeth, daughter of Julius Walker, Green B. Walker for himself and as guardian of his brother Tandy Walker children of Julius Walker deceased, of the second part and Richard Crowder, guardian of Edward Holmes, Susannah Holmes, George Holmes, and Patsey Holmes, infant children of William Holmes and James Baker and Polly his wife which said Polly was a daughter of William Holmes of the third part witness that John Holmes late of this County (Mecklenburg) duly published his will and testament...
The deed was registered on 13 Jun 1812 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia and I imagine that Blanton was headed home to Montgomery County, North Carolina.
With business taken care of in Virginia, Blanton returned home to Montgomery County, North Carolina where he resumed his life with his family. The 1820 Census is missing for Montgomery County, but we do know that Blanton performed his duty as chain carrier for his son James in 1819 (survey is shown above).
The 1830 Montgomery County, North Carolina Census East of Pee Dee and Yadkin River, shows Blanton Cook, age 60-70 and wife, age 60-69. Living in the home are two males, 15-20 and 30-40, four females, 20-30 and 30-40.
Blanton must have died between the 1830 and 1840 Census years. Mary Cook is shown as head of house in 1840 with one male, age 10-15, two females, ages 40-50 and 50-30. Mary is listed as age 70-80.
In 1850, we learn that the male in 1840 between ages 10-15 is most likely Robert Brown, born about 1830, and daughters, Sarah and Margaret are living with Mary 'Polly' Hunt Cook who is 80 years old. Sarah and Margaret 'Peggy' Cook continued living through the 1860 Census. Neither are found in 1870.
Deed records from 1865 identify Robert Brown as the nephew of Sarah and Margaret 'Peggy' Cook. Since we know that Sarah and Margaret are not Robert's mother, his mother must be a sister of Sarah and Margaret. I have identified that sister Elizabeth married a Robinson, so that leaves Susannah, Hannah, or Mary (Polly).
Robert Brown married Margaret Jane Thompson in 1878. His marriage license lists his parents as James Brown and Mary Brown, both dead. While I cannot find a marriage record, Newspaper or otherwise, showing Mary Cook married James Brown, I think it highly likely she did marry him around 1829 as Robert was born about 1830.
Both James and Mary Cook Brown must have died while Robert was just a child as he was living with his grandmother, Mary Cook in 1840 and with his aunts, Sarah and Margaret (Peggy) in 1850.
Mary Hunt Cook died after 1850 in Montgomery County, North Carolina. I do not know where she or her husband, Blanton are buried.
The children of Blanton and Mary Hunt Cook:
Susannah b. abt. 1787
Sarah b. abt. 1789
Margaret (Peggy) b. 1791
James b. abt. 1793 m. Rosanna Jenkins (son Edmund Cook married Theodosia Sanders, daughter of Jacob Sanders and Temperance Morris, daughter of John Jacky and Amelia Morris)
Nathaniel b. abt. 1795 m. Elizabeth
Elizabeth b. abt. 1797 m. (probably) James M. Robinson
Hannah b. abt. 1799
Edmund b. abt. 1800 m. Sarah Poer Williams, daughter of David Poer and widow of an unidentified brother of Mastin, Hiram, and Mumford Williams
Mary (Polly) b. abt. 1801 m. James Brown
William b. abt. 1803
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