Abiel Cook

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ChartsAncestors of Edward Ambrose Cooke
Descendants of Ellis Cook-6 Generations
Ellis Cooke to Edward Ambrose Cooke
Abiel Cook, son of Ellis Cook and Martha Cooper, was born at Southampton, Suffolk Co., New York, after 5 September 1663, when he was not named in his father's will.1,2 He died at Southampton, before 14 April 1740, when his will was proved.3

Abiel married (1) Frances (…), whose parents are unknown, say 16904,1 and may have had an unknown 2nd wife, married about 1715, who would be the mother of his last three children, but for now, Frances is shown as their mother.1

Both Cook, Howell (albeit with some caution), and others since have placed two Abiels between Ellis the immigrant and Ellis who sold the last Southampton property and moved to New Jersey in 1747. It is possible, but I believe it highly unlikely. All three men would had to have married at age 18 or 19 to fit the available timeline as Ellis Cook had a wife Temperance who died in Southampton at age 19 in 1723. They (Abiel2, Abiel3 and Ellis4) each would have to have been born every twenty years on the "threes" (1663, 1683, 1703). That is very improbable given the usual marrying age of the time. For further details on this issue, my conclusions that Abiel2 and Abiel3 are one man, and also that Sarah Moore married Obadiah Cook and not Abiel, please see my article in TAG.5,6,7

Abiel was an expected, unnamed child in his fathers' will (written 5 Sep 1663) and was likely born etither later that year or early in 1664. He first appears in the records jointly with his mother Martha on a deed of property to them in 1690.

Although unnamed in the will, he is fully identified in a deed, 29 September 1698, where John Cook confirms an "imperfect exchange" made between "…the sd Thomas Stephens & my brother Abiel Cooke…" and refers to "our honored father, Ellis Cook."

The 1698 list of Southampton inhabitants from the Documentary History of the State of New York has separate lists of males and females. Howell, in the History and Genealogy of Southampton, presented those lists in two parallel columns, grouping and numbering the households to show which females went with which males. Abiel's household (#75) includes himself, Abiel Jr., and Josiah and females, Frances and Frances Jr. There is no further record of Josiah, Frances, or Frances Jr.8,9,10,4,11

After being named with his mother in the 1690 land exchange with Thomas Stephens, Abiel begins to appear on his own in the Southampton town records beginning in 1694. None of these records have a reference (such as Jr. or 2nd) to differentiate a second adult Abiel Cook in the area during this time.

He is shown in various tax lists and other civil records of Southampton:
In 1694 Joseph Whiting prepared a tax rate list that showed Abiel Cook’s property valued at £190, and he was in arrears at some point for 18s 111/3d.12
Abiel Cook entered an earmark in 1696.13
The town was assessed £147 5s 9d to be paid “with all the haste you can to the Receaver-Generall for the defence of the fronteer….” Abiel was assessed £45 and taxed at a rate of 5d/pound, 18 Sep 1696.14
He and his family are shown in the list of inhabitants of Southampton, taken 15 Sep 1698.10,4
The assessors were at it again, 27 Feb 1698/9, when Abiel was assessed at £48.15
Abiel was assessed at £32, 14 Jan 1700.16
“A Parrish Rate made & laid att one penny half penny on ye lb. to defray part of ye charge of building a house for our minister to dwell in," 28 May 1736. "Abiall Cook & son" were assessed £44 5s 11d and Ellis £22 2s 11d, though it is unclear in the printed abstract if the first listing/assessment actually applied to both of them.17

His property is mentioned in several other deeds:
Abiel’s land is shown bounding the west side of land Humphrey Hughes and wife Martha were selling to Ephraim Johnes, 29 July 1699 .18
Abiel’s land is shown bounding the north and east of the Lower Close at Wickapogue which Joseph Foster was giving to his son Daniel Foster, 22 Jun 1708.19
At a town meeting, 1 Apr 1729, “it was voted yt the neibours att ye water mill shall have one acre of land for a burying place between Israel Roses and Abiel Cooks.”20

He witnessed several deeds of others:
Abiel and Robert Patton witnessed the deed of Shamgar Hand of Cape May, New Jersey, formerly of Southampton that gave his property “for love and affection and £130” to his son Josiah Hand, 20 Sep 1699.21
Abiel and Arthur Davis witnessed the deed of Jonathan Davis of Hopewell, Burlington Co., West Jersey conveying to Benjamin Haines of North Sea in Southampton “3 acres of land at a place called Cow Neck, in North Sea…,” 3 Nov 1704.22
Abiel witnessed a deed between Joseph Lupton and Benjamin Haines, 7 Mar 1714.23

He made two conveyances to his son, Ellis:
Abiel gives to his son Ellis Cook, “for love and affection” one-half of my lot at the head of the mill pond the north half, bounded west, north and east by highways. south by the other half,” 16 Jun 1724.24 This might very well be a marriage gift and indicate when Ellis married Temperance.
Abiel sold to Ellis “The westernmost dwelling room in my new house, with the chamber over the same, and the leanto,” 21 Apr 1730.24


Abiel Cook left a will dated at Southampton, 3 April 1740 and proved 14 April 1740:
In the Name of God Amen I Abiel Cook of the Town of Southampton in the county of Suffolk and province of New York Yeoman being sick in Body but of sound and perfect mind and memory thanks be given to God therefore but calling to mind the mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all Men once to die do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say

Principally and first of all I give and recommend my Soul into the hands of God that gave it and my Body I comit to the Earth to be decently buried at the Discretion of my Executors hereafter named and as touching my Temporal Estate and such goods and Chattells as God hath been pleased to bestow upon me I give demise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form

Imprimis I give unto my Son Elis Cook and to his heirs and assigns forever all my Buildings [buildings] and all my Lands & Meadows which I now have within the Township of Southampton which shall be to him and his heirs and assigns forever

nextly I give to my two Daughters namely Pheebe and Susana the free use of and priviledge of the East part of my dwelling House that is to say the two East Rooms with the Leunter and bed Room and Chambers which belong to said Rooms for them to possess & enjoy without any Molestation so long as they shall live single and unmarried and I also give to my said Daughters Pheebe and Susana all my moveable Estate that properly belongs within doors of all Sorts to be equally divided between them only my Husbandry Tools excepted as not given to them I also give them the use and improvement of the one half of my Garden and Well and half the Fruit of my Orchard so long as they continue unmarried as aforesaid and my will further is that my Son Elis shall provide and maintain a good new MilchCow and that yearly for these my two Daughters to milk as long as they or either of them lives unmarried

nextly I give to my Son Mathew fifteen pounds to be paid to him by my Son Elis

nextly I give to my Son Abiel the sum of three pounds to be paid to him by my Son Elis

nextly I give to my five other Children namely Zabulon Samuel Elemuel Abigail and Anna five Shillings a piece to be paid to Each and every of them by my Executor hereafter named it is to be understood that my Daughters are to have no right in the aforesaid Cow excepting only to her Milk

nextly all the rest of my moveable Estate I give to my Son Elis if any there be when he hath paid my Debts and Legacies but he my Son Elis nor any other person or persons whatsoever by or under him shall not take or meddle with any part of anything of what I have here given to Phebe and Susana to pay any Debt or Legacy with because I would have my Debts and Legacies paid out of what I have given to my Son Elis

lastly I constitute appoint and ordain my Son Elis my only and sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament Ratifying and confirming this & none other to be my last Will and Testament

In witness whereof I have hereunto set to my hand and Seal in Southampton this third day of April in the thirteenth year of the Reign of our Soveraign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King etc & in the year of our Lord God 1740 Abiel Cook (signed)

Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by the said Abiel Cook as his last Will and Testament in the presence of us the Subscribers John Conkling, William Ludlam, Abraham Halsey

Probate of the aforegoing Will

George Clarke Esq. His Majeties Lieut Governor & Commander in Chief of the province of New York and the Territories thereon depending in America etc. To all to whom these presents shall come or may concern Greeting. Know ye that at Suffolk County the fourteenth day of April Instant before Brinley Sylvester Esq. Being thereunto delegated and appointed, the Last Will and Testament of Abiel Cook was proved, and now approved and allowed of by me having whilst he lived and at the time of his Death Goods Rights and Credits in divers places within this province by means whereof the full Disposition of all and singular Goods Rights and Credits of the said deceased and the granting Admin of them as also the hearing of Account Calculation or Reckoning and the final Discharge and Dismission from the same unto one solely and not unto any Inferior Judge are manifestly known to belong and the Admon of all and singular the Goods Rights and Credits of the said deceased and his last Will and Testament in any manner of ways concerning was granted unto Elis Cook sole Executor in the said will named chiefly of well truly administering the same and of making a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the goods Rights & credits of the said deceased and exhibiting the same into the Registry of the Prerogative Court in the Secretaries Office for the Province of New York at or before the fourteenth day of October next ensuring the dote hereof and of a rendering a just and true Account Calculation or Reckoning thereof when thereunto required being duly and lawfully Sworn thereto In Testimony whereof I have caused the Prerogative Seal of the said province of New York to be hereunto affixed this fourteenth day of April Anno Domini One Thousand seven hundred & forty.3

Family

Frances (…) d. bef. 1715
Children
This person was last edited on26 Oct 2021

Citations

  1. [S1580] Gregory Don Cooke, "Abiel Cook2 of Southampton, Long Island, New York," The American Genealogist 84 (April 2010): 108-112, at 110, further cited as Cooke, "Abiel Cook of Southampton, N.Y."
  2. [S79] Albert Stanburrough Cook, The Will of Ellis Cook of Southampton, Long Island (d. 1679) (New Haven, Connecticut: p.p., 1916), further cited as Cook, Will of Ellis Cook.
  3. [S1042] New York Co., New York, Wills and Administrations 1680-1804, Liber 13:391-394, FHL microfilm 497594, further cited as New York Co. Wills and Administrations.
  4. [S963] Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan and Rosanne Conway, indexer, Lists of Inhabitants of Colonial New York: Excerpted from The Documentary History of the State of New York (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979), 43-47, further cited as O'Callaghan and Conway, Inhabitants of Colonial New York.
  5. [S1580] Cooke, "Abiel Cook of Southampton, N.Y.," 109-110.
  6. [S171] George Rogers Howell, The Early History of Southampton L.I., New York with Genealogies. Revised, Corrected and Enlarged. Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Co., 2nd ed., 1887, 214 #7, #140. CD-ROM reprint, Genealogy and History of the Town of Southampton, New York (http://genealogycds.com: genealogycds.com, 2007), further cited as History of Southampton.
  7. [S80] George H. Cook, Notes for a Genealogy of the Family of Ellis Cook, of Southampton, L.I., N. Y. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: p.p., [1886]), further cited as Cook, Notes for Ellis Cook.
  8. [S80] Cook, Notes for Ellis Cook, 2, 4.
  9. [S1580] Cooke, "Abiel Cook of Southampton, N.Y.," 108-110.
  10. [S171] Howell, History of Southampton, 34-43.
  11. [S966] Suffolk Co., New York, Deeds and index, 1660-1926, A:151-152, FHL microfilm 1871776, further cited as Suffolk Co., NY Deeds.
  12. [S968] Henry P. Hedges, William S. Pelletreau, Edward H. Foster, William J. Post and James A. Early, The First Book of Records of the Town of Southampton Long Island, N. Y., With Other Ancient Documents of Historic Value, Six Volumes (title varies). Southampton, New York: Town of Southampton, 1874-1915, 5:39-42. CD-ROM reprint, Genealogy and History of the Town of Southampton, New York (http://genealogycds.com: genealogycds.com, 2007), further cited as Hedges et al., STR.
  13. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 2:138.
  14. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 2:361-364.
  15. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 5:67-70.
  16. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 5:34.
  17. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 5:96.
  18. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 6:10-11.
  19. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 6:34.
  20. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 3:57.
  21. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 6:12.
  22. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 6:25-26.
  23. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 6:126.
  24. [S968] Hedges et al., STR, 6:177.
  25. [S1580] Cooke, "Abiel Cook of Southampton, N.Y.," 111.
  26. [S1998] William Nelson et al., editors, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, 13 vols. ([various publishers], 1901-1949), 2:108, Liber D:297, further cited as Nelson et al., Calendar of New Jersey Wills.
  27. [S1580] Cooke, "Abiel Cook of Southampton, N.Y.," 112.
  28. [S1998] Nelson et al., Calendar of New Jersey Wills, 2:108.