The Wade Cook Family

Information from Wade and Ruth Cook

Greenberry Cook, who was born in Alabama, came to this area of Texas in 1869. He married Isabelle Jane Turney. Greenberry died in 1935, Isabelle in 1941.

Their first child was Wade Milton Cook, who was born in Jacksonville in 1889. Mamie (Mary Brunett) was born in 1890, and she married Frank Earle. They always lived in Jacksonville and had two children. Mamie died in 1967. The next child, Washington Burton Cook, was born in 1892, and he married Blanche Bender. They had one daughter and lived in Marshall. Burton died in 1965.

The next son was Joseph Gaston Cook, born in 1894, and he died during World War I in 1918. The other Cook children were Eureta, who died when an infant, and Hershel Green, who moved from Jacksonville as a young man. He died in 1970.

Wade M. Cook was well known in Jacksonville as a building contractor. Among the many buildings he completed is the Central Baptist Church in 1951. Wade was a Deacon of that church for many years. Downtown, he built the block of stores on Ragsdale Street, including May Drug, and several of the Ed Jones buildings on Commerce Street. Most of his work was commercial construction, but he also built many homes, including the present Hubert Earle home on John Street and the stately Summers Norman home on South Jackson, which houses Renfro-Elliott Funeral Home.

Wade's first job was as a helper for "Uncle Billy" Killough in his machine shop. At 15, he was doing a man's work as a machinist.

As a young man, one of Wade's hobbies was assembling wireless receiving equipment. About 1920, he completed a workable set so he could "listen in" on national news. In those days, a station with call letters NNA was in Arlington, Virginia, and the most important news would come over the air hours before it could be printed in the newspapers. Wade delighted in spreading the big events first! One exciting experience was when he heard a conversation between two ships. One ship was attempting to assist the other which was calling for help because of a heavy storm at sea. Wade heard, "The captain says we are ready." That was the last ever heard from the ship named MOD. It sank with all aboard.

Wade was a 32nd Degree Mason, a York Rite Mason and Scottish Rite Mason, having been a member since 1930. Another highlight of his youth was when he played bass tuba in the Jacksonville City Band. Many a night he performed in the City Park when the "whole town" turned out to listen.

In 1917, Wade married Mary Amelia Mercer. She died in 1918 during the flu epidemic while Wade was serving overseas, and he did not learn of her death for a month. In 1925, Wade married Willie Elizabeth Dyer. They had one son, Wade Dyer, born in 1928. His home is in California, where he works for Humble Oil. Willie died in 1961. In 1962, Wade married Ruth Haberle Dashiell, who had been a widow for over two years. They had known each other since Ruth was born down the street from where Wade lived.

Wade Cook died November 18,1971, and is buried in Jacksonville City Cemetery.

The four Cook brothers—Wade, Burton, Gaston and Hershel.

Four-cylinder car built by Wade Cook in 1921. He shaped the body, painted it red and used parts and sections from various makes of autos. The tires were 30 x 3½ model T tires.