Benjamin Cook
Arizona, The Youngest State, 1913, pg 354

Among those enterprising and progressive citizens who attained 
such success in business affairs that they were able to spend 
their last days in retirement was Benjamin Cook, who dated his 
residence in Tombstone from 1878.  Throughout the intervening 
years until his death, October 30, 1915, he gained recognition 
as a public-spirited and loyal citizen, an acute and farsighted 
business man and a force in the mining development of Arizona.  
He was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, November 7, 1831 and was 
a son of Gideon Cook, who was of English ancestry.  Both 
parents have passed away, their deaths having occurred in 
Massachusetts.  Four of the children born to them grew to 
maturity but all are now deceased.

Benjamin Cook acquired his education in Beverly, but his 
advantages along this line were limited for at the age of 
twelve he went to sea and in the course of three years 
visited France, England, China and Africa.  He landed at 
Vera Cruz, Mexico on his first trip.  In 1851 he abandoned 
seafaring and went to California where he became connected 
with mining, working in Placer and adjoining counties until 
1875 in which year he took up his residence in Arizona.  
He settled in Prescott and there spent two years working 
in a mill, removing to Tombstone in 1878.  He continued 
mining there, operating the Vizner mine for two years 
after which he sold it and bought the Herchel property.  
This he developed into a profitable mine running it for 
five years and then selling to Douglas Gray, the present 
owner.  In 1910 Mr. Cook retired from active life.

Mr. Cook was married in 1862 in Massachusetts to Miss 
Willette Lorraine Collins, a native of that state and 
they had two daughters: Willette Lorraine, now the wife 
of Paul Murphy (son of ex-governor Murphy of California); 
and Frances R. who married Charles Bowman, an attorney in 
Los Angeles.


USGenWeb Project NOTICE: 
In keeping with our policy of providing free information on 
the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as
long as this message remains on all copied material. These 
electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for
profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. 

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for 
purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express written
permission from the author, or the submitter and from the 
listed USGenWeb Project archivist.