Biography of William Edward Cook, M.D. - McDowell Co. VA


The History of West Virginia, Old and New 
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., 
Chicago and New York, Volume II, 
pg. 529 


WILLIAM EDWARD COOK, M. D. The Pageton community, 
one of industrial importance in McDowell County, is the 
stage of the able professional activities of Doctor Cook, 
who in addition to his general practice is physician and 
surgeon for the Page Coal Company and the Blackwolf 
Coal Company.
The doctor was born at Sweetsprings, Monroe County, 
this state, February 20, 1871, and is a son of John 
Henry and Julia Ann (Baker) Cook. The father, now 
eighty-three years of age (1922), is a resident of Centennial, 
this state, but his wife, who was born in Monroe County, 
died in May, 1911, at the age of seventy-four years. Of 
the five children the subject of this sketch was the third 
in order of birth; Rev. John F. is pastor of the First Bap- 
tist Church at Welch, McDowell County; Walter J. is a 
prosperous farmer in Monroe County; Randolph G. has 
charge of a large estate at Middlebrook, Virginia; and 
Florence G. is the wife of Lee Walker, a grocery mer- 
chant of Greensboro, North Carolina.
John Henry Cook, the father, was born in Prince Ed- 
ward County, Virginia, a representative of one of the old 
and influential families of that historic commonwealth. He 
acquired his early education under the direction of a 
private tutor at Salt Sulphur Springs. He was one of 
the gallant young men of Virginia who went forth in 
defense of the Confederacy in the Civil war, took part in 
the battle of Winchester and many other engagements, 
and he was held a prisoner of war at Fort Delaware dur- 
ing the latter part of the war. He gave twenty years of 
effective service as a school teacher, was long identified 
also with farm enterprise, served as a justice of the peace 
and was for four years county superintendent of public 
schools for Monroe County. He has been for many years 
a zealous member of the Baptist Church, as was also his 
wife, and he has never wavered in his allegiance to the 
democratic party.
The schools of Monroe County afforded Doctor Cook 
his early education, and his father was one of his teachers. 
He himself eventually taught two terms of school, and in 
1897 he entered the Medical College of Virginia in the 
City of Richmond. In this institution he was graduated as 
a member of the class of 1901, and after thus gaining his 
degree of Doctor of Medicine he was in charge of mine 
practice at Algoma, MeDowell County, until 1918, in 
January of which year he entered the medical corps of the 
United States Army. He won promotion from the rank 
of first lieutenant to that of captain, was assigned to the 
aviation camp at Morrison, Virginia, in July, 1918, was 
transferred to Garden City, Long Island, and on the 8th 
of the following month he sailed for England, still attached 
to the medical branch of the aviation service. In Lincoln- 
shire, England, he was assigned to service in treating and 
otherwise caring for wounded soldiers sent there from 
the front. In December, 1918, Doctor Cook returned to 
the United States, and was assigned to service on the 
Demobilization Board at Garden City, Long Island, where 
he remained until September, 1919, when he received his 
honorable discharge, after faithful and efficient service in 
connection with the greatest war in the annals of history. 
Soon afterward he assumed charge of his present profes- 
sional service at Pageton, and he has secure vantage-place 
as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of 
McDowell County. He is a member of the American Medi- 
cal Association, the West Virginia State Medical Society 
and the McDowell County Medical Society. He is affiliated 
with the Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons 
in his home village of Pageton and with the Chapter of 
Royal Arch Masons at Northfork. He is a democrat and 
is a member of the Baptist Church, his wife being a 
communicant of the Catholic Church, in the faith of which 
she was reared.
In 1906 Doctor Cook wedded Miss Maude Kingsbury, 
who was born at Lambsburg, Virginia, a daughter of M A 
Kingsbury. Mrs. Cook died in 1913, and the only child, 
William, died in early childhood. In 1917 was solemnized 
the marriage of Doctor Cook and Miss Rocine Heuscher, of 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Swiss ancestry, and the three 
children of this union are Betty, Ruth and the son David 
Wherry.


Submitted by Valerie F. Crook <vfcrook@earthlink.net> 

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