Phineas Wolcott and Ann Eliza Cook
Information comes from Alonzo Howland Cook, Mrs. S Bryson Cook and Mabel C Rex in the History of Bear Lake Pioneers and has been condensed.
Phineas Wolcott Cook was born 28 Aug 1819 in Goshen Connecticut, the son of Daniel Cook and Eliza Porter. The Cook family were early New England settlers and were in Plymouth Massachusetts as early as 1640. Phineas remained in Goshen until 1837 when he moved with his parents to Richland, Michigan where he met and married Ann Eliza Howland. Ann Eliza Howland was born 18 June 1823 in Stillwater New York, the daughter of Henry Howland and Phoebe Baker. Phineas and Ann were married at her father's home in Ross Michigan 1 Jan 1840.
His diary tells of his conversion to the Church. His father, mother and wife went to hear the Mormon elders preach at a little school house. He refused to go with them. They came home so filled with enthusiasm that he decided to attend the next meeting. Pencils were very scarce and Phineas was determined to write down every point that could be argued. he tried several place and finally called at a neighbor's home where two strangers were lodging. One of them offered him a pencil. "I went over to the schoolhouse and with candle, tablet and pencil, sat where I could look directly in the face of the preacher." It turned out that the man who had loaned him the pencil was one of the Mormon elders. His conversion was so complete that he found no occasion to use the pencil.
Children of Phineas Wolcott Cook and Anna Eliza Howland
1. Charlotte Aurelia Cook b-7 Jan 1841 in
Richland Michigan; d-23 Nov 1847
2. Daniel Webster Cook b-5 Oct 1842 in Ross Michigan; d-14 Sep 1844 in Ross
3. Harriet Betsey Cook b-26 Oct 1844 in Richland; d-3 Nov 1933 in Sun River
Montana
4. Eliza Hall Cook b-9 Oct 1846 in Winter Quarters, Nebraska; d-12 May 1847
5. August Precindia Cook b-9 Mar 1848 in Winter Quarters Nebraska; d-26 Sep 1868
in Fish Haven
6. Phineas Howland Cook b-28 Jan 1850 in Salt Lake City; d-5 Oct 1876 in Fish
Haven
7. Phoebe Irene Cook b-19 Jan 1852 in Manti Utah; d-18 Apr 1913 in Salt Lake
City
8. Vulcum Cook b-23 Jan 1854 in Salt Lake City; d-27 Oct 1854
9. Anne Eliza Cook b-29 Sep 1855 in Salt Lake City; d-3 Feb 1857
10. Alonzo Howard Cook b-29 Sep 1855 in Salt Lake City; d-7 June 1933 in Salt
Lake City; m-Johanna Christine Jensen
11. Mary Cook b&d 31 Dec 1857 in Goshen
12. Henry Howland Cook b&d 28 Feb 1859 in Goshen
13. Martha Cook b&d 24 Apr 1861 in Goshen
14. Aurelia Cook b&d 10 Mar 1864 in Paris
15. Hyrum Howland Cook b-6 May 1866 in Swan Creek Utah; d-26 Dec 1918 in Bridger
Montana
16. William Cook b-19 May 1862 in Goshen; d-31 Oct 1933 in Provo Utah; m-Sarah
Tryphena Bryson
********************************************
The family left Michigan and joined the Saints in Nauvoo during 1846. After his arrival he became acquainted with Brigham Young and did a great deal of work for him, as he was a skilled carpenter. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley in 1848 and were the first to settle in Manti. From there they were sent to Payson, then to Goshen. Phineas' skill as a carpenter was used on both the Beehive House and the Lion House in Salt Lake City. In the fall of 1863 he was called to help settle Bear Lake Valley and arrived in December and hastily constructed a log cabin for his family in Paris. In 1865 he moved to Swan Creek where the Lakota Resort now stands and the family remained in this area for most of his life.
The last few days of Phineas life were spent with his fourth wife and their family in Star Valley Wyoming. He passed away 24 July 1900. Ann Eliza always had strangers at her table, people who came to have Phineas grind their grain; Indians, sometimes as many as eighteen at a time; or some poor soul who needed a place to stay. She said, a few days before her death, that through all her suffering, hardships and sacrifices for the Gospel, she had never wanted to go back. She was kind, well educated and spoke perfect English. She was a good nurse and endured patiently. She died 18 May 1896 in Garden City.