Caleb COOKE

Caleb married Abigail HOWLAND between 06 May 1722 and 1723 in Kingston, Massachusetts. Abigail (daughter of James HOWLAND and Mary LATHROP) was born on 29 Oct 1702 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA; died on 18 Apr 1761 in North Yarmouth, Maine. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Caleb married Jane ? about 1682. Jane died between 08 and 24 Apr 1736 in Kingston, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Will: 11 Dec 1675

Notes:

Excerpt from "Mayflower Families in Progress - Francis Cooke": The will of Jacob Cooke senir of Plymouth dated 11 Dejc. 1675, exhitited 8 March 1676, names wife Elizabeth Cooke; 3 youngest daughters; eldest son Caleb Cooke; son Jacob Cooke; brother John Tomson; brother Wright's land; son Francis; six daughters viz.: Mary (worn)kah; cozen Daniell Wilcockes. On 8 March 1676-1677 the lands of Jacob Cooke senr of New Plymouth were divided between his sons Caleb Cooke, Jacob Cooke and Francis Cooke. The inventory was dated 18 Dec. 1675

Jacob married Damaris HOPKINS after 10 Jun 1646 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Damaris (daughter of Stephen HOPKINS and Elizabeth FISHER) was born about 1627; died between 20 Oct 1666 and 18 Nov 1669. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Daughter of Stephen Hopkins and Elizabeth Fisher
• Birth: Aft 22 May 1627, Plymouth, Massachusetts
• Death: Bef 18 Nov 1669

Other Events and Attributes:

• Birth: Abt 1583, England

Notes:

In 1620, Francis and son John embarked on the Mayflower, leaving behind his wife and younger children (who would come later when the Colony was more settled).

Excerpt from "Certain Comeoverers": Francis Cooke was born about 1583 in Blythe, Yorkshire. Blythe adjoins Austerfield and doubtless Francis Cooke knew the young lad William Bradford and had as neighbors the band of yeomen who formed the church of Scrooby some years after he, himself, had gone to foreign parts and settled in Leyden. What took him to Leyden we may not know. He was certainly there in 1603, six years before the Pilgrims came thither, since the record of his marriage in Leyden was entered in June, 1603. It reads "Francis Cooke, woolcomber, unmarried, from England, accompanied by Philip de Vean and Raphael Roelandt, his acquaintances, and Hester Mahieu, her mother, and Jeannie Mahieu, her sister," were married by the civil magistrates. That his sponsors were Dutchmen and that he married a Walloon would indicate that Francis Cooke was without compatriots in Leyden. When his old neighbors surreptitiously left England in 1608 their plan was to settle in Amsterdam where a non-conformist English church was already established. They went to Amsterdam, but becoming dissatisfied with the conduct of the church sought a new place of refuge. That they went to Leyden may have been at Francis Cooke's suggestion.
Governor Winslow, in his Hypocrisies Unmasked says, "also the wife of Francis Cooke being a Walloon holds communion with the Church at Plymouth as she came from the French." It may be that she had been a member of the Huguenot Walloon church at Canterbury in England, the name Mahieu being a common name in that parish. She did not cross on the Mayflower with her husband and eldest son, coming two years later on the Ann with her younger children in company with Mistress Warren and her children.
Francis Cooke was one of the sterling characters among the notable band of Pilgrims who signed the famous Compact in Cape Cod Harbor on November 11, 1620. He was among those who were sent out to seek a suitable landing place, and in the cruises of discovery there were found several places with which his name has since been associated. Soon after the landing was made at Plymouth, it is recorded that Francis Cooke was at work with Myles Standish in the woods "and coming back to the settlement for something to eat they left their tooles behind them but before they returned their tooles were taken away by the savages." This was the first evidence of the existence of Indians in the neighborhood of Plymouth which the Mayflower Pilgrims experienced. Through the kindly services of Samoset the tools were subsequently returned. Francis Cooke and his son John at once began to clear a lot of land on the main street of the village, which was called Leyden Street, between Edward Winslow's and Isaac Allerton's, and there built a log cabin for the reception of the rest of the family awaiting in Leyden a summons to cross the seas. Afterward Francis Cooke lived at "Cook's Hollow" on the Jones River, a place later known as Rocky Nook, within the present confines of Kingston.
One of the most interesting of the earlier records of Plymouth concerns the division of cattle in June, 1627. The entire population of the little community, even to the last baby of only a few months of age, is listed and divided into groups of thirteen persons each, and to each group is allotted some one or more animals. Francis Cooke, his wife Hester, and his son John, assigned to them "one lot, the least of the four black heyfers came in the Jacob and two shee goats." It is to be hoped that the heifer proved to be a good milker in time, and that meanwhile sustenance of their thirteen owners. It seems probable that Franics had acquired a somewhat larger herd of livestock by 1634, since in that year he "presented" certain persons for "abusing his cattle." In 1633 he was made a freeman, and paid a tax of eighteen shillings. He acted as surveyor of highways and in other minor arbitrator or ref3ree. There are occasional references to Francis Cooke in the records until about 1648 when he appears to have ceased to be publicly active. William Bradford writes in 1650" "Francis Cooke is still living, a very old man and hath seen his children's children have children; after his wife came over (with other of his children) he hath three still living by her, all married, and have five children; so their increase is eight. And his son John which came over with him is married, and hath four children living." Bradford gives rather an exaggerated statement of the age of Francis Cooke, since he was under seventy at the time. He lived for fifteen years after the above memorandum was written by Bradford, and died April 7, 1665.

Francis married Hester MAHIEU about 20 Jul 1603. Hester died between 08 Jun 1666 and 18 Dec 1675 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

According the "the Mayflower Increasing": Stephen was married first in 1605. The name of his first wife is unknown. It is possible that it was Constance Dudley since his first child from his first wife was named Constance.

Name:
Stephen Hopkins, born in England, came over in the Mayflower in 1620, bringing with him Giles and Constanta (Constance), children by a first wife whose name is not know, a second wife Elizabeth whose maiden name is not known, two children by her, Damaris and Oceanus (born on the passage), and two servants, Edward Doty and Edward Litster. he d. between June 6, 1644 (date of his will), and July 17, 1644 (date of his inventory). His 2d wife d. in Plymouth between 1640 and 1644....

His bringing two servants shows that he was one of the well-to-do of the pilgrims. The facts hereinafter given from contemporary records will show that he was a man of energy, courage and ability and one of the most prominent and useful men in the colony. he was one of the earliest freemen of Plymouth and was one of the assistants to the governor from 1633 to 1637. He was engaged in trade, selling liquors and various other articles. he was charged at times with abuse of his traffic in liquors and with selling liquors and other articles at excessive rates, according to the views of the period, but he never lost the confidence of the leading men. he was not without kindness of heart, as appears from his petitioning for the release of his servants from cruel punishment.

He apparently boarded the Mayflower in London with his family about the end of June, 1620, for on the arrival of the Speedwell at Southampton from Holland about July 2 she found the Mayflower there, having arrived with her passengers from London. They sailed from Southampton August 5, but by reason of the claimed unsafety of the Speedwell, they put into Dartmouth. After some repairs, they put to sea again, but after they had got "above 100 leagues without the Lands End:, the master of the Speedwell complained that his ship was very leaky, and after consultation, both ships put into Plymouth. Here it was decided that the Speedwell should not proceed. Some of the passengers returned to London, and the rest sailed on the Mayflower on the 6th of September, reaching what is now Provincetown harbor on the 11th of November. On that day he signed the compact of government on board the Mayflower, his name being 14th on the list of signers.

Stephen married Elizabeth FISHER on 19 Feb 1617. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Elizabeth ?