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B R I E F H I S T O R Y
O F T H E
C O O K M A N F A M I L Y
P A G E
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B R I E F H I S T O R Y
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T H E
M E L
B U R N C O O K M A N F A M I L Y
J.Howard
Cheuvront, 1972,
transcribed
and edited for the web by D. Cheuvront Sipe and L. Raff
At the close of the Revolutionary War a young soldier, just
recently mustered out of the Continental Army, migrated to Jesse's Run
in West Virginia and built a cabin. His name was McWortle, and his
cabin was the first on the site of the present town of Jane Lew.
This cabin was later moved to the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Park, built
in honor of one of his descendants, where it can be seen today (1972).
Our history begins with Parker B. Cookman (son of George Cookman and Mary
Teter Mitchell), father of Melburn. Parker was born in 1823, married
Elizabeth Post, and lived on a farm approximately 6 miles from Jane Lew.
This was a large farm of over 1000 acres which lay on both sides of Jesse's
Run (a small creek) and contained some good bottom land. It was mostly
grazing land with some small grain farming and required much hand labor
to keep the brush down and the land clear.
Slaves were owned, but, according to all family reports, were treated humanely
and used mostly in this never-ending work of clearing the land. It
is reported that the slaves were freed before the war but stayed on until
some time after it ended.
When the Civil War broke out, all the men of the area enlisted--or were
pressed into the service of the confederate Armies--except for a very few.
[It was left to the remaining women to keep the farms going, but one of
[those unenlisted men] was suspected of taking advantage of [the situation
by stealing corn, hay, and coal from the families]. This suspect
was shot and killed one morning as he emerged from his house to attend
to morning chores.
[The local] men came home when they could, slipping in and out at night,
staying a week at a time, rejoining their slow-moving units [as they went],
and it is surmised that one of [them] resented the suspect's actions and
took the matter of revenge into his own hands.
Parker Cookman served with the Confederate Armies as a cattle buyer, supply
officer, and store keeper at Rockford, Harrison Co., WV. When he
returned home after the war he brought with him a trunk full of money--all
confederate and all worthless. In 1969, his grandson Claget Cookman,
then aged 92, told of playing store and bank with this money when he was
a small boy. Some of it was brought to Missouri by the family in
1887, and the author can remember playing with it also, probably around
1912 (it was still worthless).
[Editor's
note: Several items from the Cookman family were passed down to my mother
Dorothy Cheuvront Sipe to me, Lyne Raff, through my g-grandmother Clara
Cookman Cheuvront, wife of Luther Clyde Cheuvront (their
pictures here). I have heard the Confederate Money Trunk story
many times, since the trunk (THE trunk?...a trunk?) resided in Clara and
Luther's attic. This money was played with by my Grandfather Luther
Clifton Cheuvront and then, I believe, by my Mother in the forties before
being passed to me. The Trunk from Clara's attic--although I don't
know if it's really the Money trunk or not--now sits in my dining room.
(Empty, unfortunately.)
The trunk
was in a load of Clara's belongings sent by covered wagon from Missouri
to her new home in the Oklahoma Territories (see
history of Roosevelt, Ok). Also among her possessions was an
upright Story and Clark grand piano, a gorgeous but amazingly heavy thing
which I imagine caused the wagon drivers no end of headaches during its
transport.
My mother
has the piano now, and despite being out of tune it still has a lovely
sound.]
After the war Parker's sons Melburn and George built they homes nearby.
the three homes formed a triangle [of about two miles]. The scale
yard, which was so necessary in their cattle-raising operation, was located
in the center of the triangle. [Parker and his sons] raised cattle,
did some farming and worked together until Melburn left for Missouri in
1887.
The author (J.Howard Cheuvront) visited Jane Lew, Jesse's Run, and the
three Cookman homes in 1964. [At the time all were in good repair,
including the Parker Cookman home, built before the Civil War, and were
all occupied.]
George, the oldest of Parker Cookman's children, lived on the farm for
several years after Melburn left. He later made a trip to visit his
brother in Missouri and died there of a heart attack. He is buried
at the Asbury Cemetery in Sullivan Co., Missouri.
Edward, [Melburn's youngest brother], lived on the farm and took care of
his mother until their deaths. His first wife's name was Henrietta;
his second wife was Henrietta's sister.
Edith [Melburn's sister] married Joe Goodwin and lived for many years by
the Old Harmony Church near Jane Lew, WVa. Olive [the youngest of
Melburn's siblings] married a Dr. Bond and had a family of two daughters. |
-from A Brief History of the Melburn Cookman
Family in America, J. Howard Cheuvront, 1972
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