Walter COOK
Biography

Walter Cook was born on April 2, 1870 at home, 601 East Central St., Franklin Ma. He was born in his father's home. His father was Samuel Smith and his mother was Anne J. Kelly. He was probably a Methodist, because his mother was, however, he very rarely went to church.

Walter grew up in the house he was born in. When he was about 19, he went to work for C. M. Allen on Summer St., Franklin. This was a milk company. His brother Ed also moved back to his father's house from Boston about the same time. His brother James owned a house on Peck St. His brother Frank was living and working for a bakery in Boston. His half sister Lizzie was married and gone from the house, his sister Annie married in 1893 so she had probably just moved out. William was only 18 and probably still at home. Evelyn was 14 and still at home, plus Samuel his wife Anne and Grandfather Samuel were all living in the house.

Walter married Caroline Bergman on Feb. 13, 1895. She was German, but born in this country. She was a Congregationalist. They were both 24 yrs. old when they got married. They had three children all born at home in Franklin.

Ralph Walter, b. Dec. 10, 1896. Born in Grandfather's house.

Colin Kendall, b. May 3, 1897.

Eva Mae (Cook) Braun, b. Nov. 2, 1898

When Walter got married in 1895 the town report shows he was living at his father's house and owned 2 horses, 7 cows, 1 swine, and a piano. The value of all this was $335 and he paid $8.03 in taxes.

Some where between 1896-7 Walter bought a house and 8.75 acres of land from Joseph G. Ray. This 8.75 acres was part of a large dairy farm and included the present Franklin Country Club. This 8.75 acres of land is part what we now call Cook's Farm. (664 East Central St., Franklin, MA.) When Walter, Caroline, and Ralph Sr., (their son) moved out of his fathers home, his brother James, Susan, and Marion (their daughter) moved in. Boy, this old farm house was a busy place for such a rather small house.

It has been said that the original farm house where Gramma (Hazel) Cook lives was a small one floor house and built with hand made nails. This house was enlarged and fixed up by a man for her husband lived there for a while before Walter Cook bought the house. This could be why Walter and Caroline lived with his folks for their first couple of years of married life.

When Walter bought the farm he had a small garden, a few trees, some chicken houses, but he never earned a living from the farm. Walter earned his living after he got married by working as a machinist for Winter Bros., a tap and die factory in Wrentham. He also worked in a straw mill, Browns Straw Shop, along with his wife Caroline. He rode the trolley to work that went along on tracks in front of the house. The trolley was still used up till about 1927.

The farm house had a telephone when Walter moved in but no electricity, water, toilet, etc. They used kerosene lamps for light and had a well for water and an outhouse for a toilet. They had an ice box for a refrigerator, and heated the house and cooked with wood. They never had a car.

Walter's wife Caroline died of cancer at Pondville Hospital at the age of 68, and Walter died of the flu on Nov. 16, 1957 when he was 87. He died two months after his oldest son Ralph Walter Cook Sr., who died of a heart-attack. Walter Cook is buried with his wife, Caroline, in the Union St. Cemetery in the Samuel Cook Plot. Walter Cook's father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother, his brother James and his wife Susan are also buried there. One of Walter's sons, Colin was cremated an is buried on top of him. His wife Hilda Cook will be cremated and buried on top of Walter's wife Caroline when she dies. (Note: Hilda died April 26, 1981 in Spooner, Wisc.)

When Walter was in his 80's, he could still be seen hoeing in the fields, taking care of all the flower gardens around the house, going to Franklin Center by getting a ride from someone going up town, and helping to wait on the customers with Mary at the store.

It has been said that Walter and his brother had a lot of spirit. When they used to fight playing coquet below their house, they were hitting each other with the mallets. At this time Anne, their mother, was in her 40's. She did not marry till she was 29 and her last child was born when she was 43. All her life she was a tremendously hard worker, especially just trying to care for all the family in the Cook homestead at various times. It has been said that a rough life often builds character.

Walter "Dadda" was a very kind and caring type of person. He was a very contented person and I don't think he hardly ever left Franklin. I can remember him sitting under the apple tree when he was about 85 telling me all kinds of stories that at the time were unimportant to me. He used to tell me about the great fox hunting days when they could shoot a fox around corners. He was a great hunter. I can remember him and Mary chasing each other to wait on the few customers the store would have on a week day. The days when we would take in $12. One thing I remember was his late 2 fingers on both hands could not open because of the tightened chords. This was probably due to all the hoeing he did. In those days, even the corn was hoed by had. He would hoe all day long.

I remember when Dadda lived upstairs in the old farm house, he had lots of pipes in a rack. They use to intrigue me, and I would watch him smoke them.

Dadda heated his house with wood. My brother and I would carry his basket of wood upstairs and leave them in the hallway. I was always falling down the attic stairs onto those baskets of wood and needing stitches.

I remember very well watching out the window of our hose and waiting for the nurse to come and get Dadda when he died. He knew he was dying for several days. He had the flu and lost the will to live. Port of the reason why he had lost the will to live was because his son who lived in the same house had died two months before him. I never met anyone who didn't talk very highly of Dadda. He was well liked, handsome, and a dapper old gentleman.

Walter bought the farm at 664 East Central St. July 4, 1897. The Town Report of Franklin shows Walter as owning 2 horses $75, 8 cows $240, 6 heifers $90, house $800, homestead 8 3/ 4 acres $150, a total value of $1,335 plus a poll tax which totaled $23.68 taxes.

The Town Report of 1906 shows Walter owning a house $800, homestead 8 3/ 4 acres $150, a total value of $950 and paid $15.20 taxes.

The 1919 Town Report shows Walter owning 16 fowls $15, house $900, 8 3/ 4 acres at East Central St. $400, a total value of $1,315 plus a poll tax for a total of $36.98.

Walter sold the farm to his son Ralph Sr. around 1923, thus the land and house are now listed in the Town Reports under Ralph Sr. name.

Harland Cook