Per the Texas State Historical Association's "
Handbook of Texas Online" website:
"Francis Jarvis Cooke (1816–1903), Texas revolutionary fighter and merchant, was born on July 13, 1816, in Beaufort, Carteret County, North Carolina, the son of Henry M. and Frances Barry (Buxton) Cooke. Mrs. Cooke died in February 1833. Henry Cooke, a successful merchant, shipper, and collector of customs, remarried the following January and soon departed for Texas with his new wife, Naomi, and with Francis and his six brothers and four sisters. On the journey Henry grew ill and died, on March 4, 1835, in Randolph, Tennessee. Naomi returned to North Carolina, but all eleven children continued to Texas, where they arrived on April 3, 1835. They originally settled in Matagorda County and planted crops, but were forced by a flood to flee. In Montgomery County they settled in a log cabin by a creek, but were again flooded out; this time they lost all they owned. They moved to higher land, were helped by neighbors, and started over again.
Francis and his brother Tom heard William B. Travis's plea for help from a courier and, with ten or twelve others from the area, joined Col. Albert C. Horton's company on its way to join James W. Fannin, Jr. The two brothers traveled to Victoria and there volunteered with seventeen others to transport a wagonload of lead and powder from Dimitt's Landing to the main army at Beeson's Ford. They were successful in this mission and fortunate to have volunteered for it, as most of the men who stayed at Victoria were killed. In the meantime, the rest of the Cooke family was fleeing in the Runaway Scrape; they eventually returned to their home after the war.
At Beeson's, Tom and Francis joined Capt. Robert J. Calder's company, in which Francis and his brother fought at the battle of San Jacinto. The night before the battle a friend in his company, Benjamin Brigham, asked someone to stand guard duty in his place, since he had been on duty the last two nights. Francis gave Brigham his bed for the night. Brigham was one of the first to be killed the next day in battle, and it is said that Mirabeau B. Lamar wrote his poem on the battle after viewing the body of Brigham and others. Francis Cooke continued to serve for a short time after the battle and served as one of Santa Anna's guards.
After the war he received 320 acres of land for his service from March 17 to June 20, 1836, and later 640 acres of land for his part at San Jacinto. In 1842 he enlisted again in the army for three months in Col. Joseph L. Bennett's regiment to take part in the campaign against Adrián Woll, though he did not join the Mier expedition. He served in the Texas Rangersqv for six weeks in 1843.
Cooke tried his skills as a merchant in both Houston and Brenham. While in Brenham, he fell ill and was nursed back to health by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh McIntyre, Sr. On December 28, 1845, he married their niece, Emily Stockton. He was involved as a partner in businesses in Brenham, Houston, Chappell Hill, and Hempstead before retiring to his farm near Hempstead. He and Emily had eleven children, one of whom grew up to be "Senator" Annie Cooke, an influential figure in Texas politics in the first half of the twentieth century. Cooke died on November 11, 1903, and was buried in Salem Cemetery, near Howth. He was a member of Holland Masonic Lodge No. 1 of Houston and of the Texas Veterans Association. Emily died on September 4, 1908. In 1936 the state had a Texas Centennial monument placed at their graves, probably under the influence of Annie Cooke.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: F. J. Cooke, "Brigham and I," Educational Free Press, March 1902. J. Marvin Hunter, Sr., "Frank J. Cooke Was at the Battle of San Jacinto," Frontier Times, February 1951. Louis Wiltz Kemp Papers, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin."
Below are some additional personal anecdotes, per the "
Find-A-Grave" website (which includes some old pictures of the main in question):
"Francis J. Cooke is listed on Honor Roll of San Jacinto Monument. One of the Fathers of Texas Masonry. Was in the Somerville Campaign. Held Office of Comptroller of Public Accounts, granting pensions to surviving veterans of Texas Revolution, and was a member of the Texas Veterans Administration.
The following is a letter written by Francis Jarvis Cooke titled "Christmas Letter A.D. 1892":
I was born at Beaufort, Carteret County, North Carolina, July 13, 1816 where my father and mother raised their eleven children, to wit: Henry L., Thomas, Julia Frances, Saley Ann, Francis J., Mary E., William G., George B., Silas L., Alexander and Henrietta. My mother died in 1833. And my father, with all his family, removed to Tipton County, Tennessee in 1834. My Two elder brothers having preceded him there, and myself being left behind until the following June, when I rejoined the family in Tipton County, where my oldest brother married and moved to Mississippi. My father, with all the rest of us, started to Texas early in 1835. But he died at Randolph, Tennessee, where we buried him and came on to Texas. We lost nearly everything we had in the September overflow of that year living near Casey's Ferry 15 miles above Matagorda. And removed to Peach Creek in the Fall where we rented a small farm and planted a crop.
Early in March 1836, my brother Thomas and myself and many of our neighbors started to re-enforce Travis at the Alamo, but at Victoria the place of rendezvous, we heard that the Alamo had fallen. We then reported to Fannin and received orders from him to remain in Victoria until he reached that point. Soon after his surrender, an officer came from Houston's army on the Colorado and detailed nineteen of us to take a wagon load of powder and lead from Dimmitt's Landing to the main army, which we succeeded in doing, passing near a part of the Mexican Army who were encamped on the west side of the river in a few miles of where we passed. Ten or twelve of us, (My brother Thomas and myself among the number) joined Captain R. J. Calder's Company in which we remained, participating in the Battle of San Jacinto and following the enemy till they were well on their way to the Rio Grande. And took honorable discharge from the service, our three months term of enlistment having expired and there being no further call for troops.
We lived the following year on San Bernardo, from whence we located near Lake Creek, Montgomery County. Opened a farm there and lived there seven or eight years from where we gradually scattered and the family mostly settled in Northern Texas where their descendants still are.
In the Fall of 1842, my brother and myself enlisted for three months, joined Col. Joseph L. Bennetts' Regiment and aided in driving the enemy out of the country. This was called the Woll Campaign and terminated in the Miers expedition, in which we did not participate but returned under Captain Gordon M. Criffin who reported us to Gen. Houston at Washington who came out where we were, expressed himself highly gratified at our return, disclaimed all responsibility as to the Miers expedition, expressed the deepest concern for those who engaged in it, and seemed to be moved almost to tears in regard to their fate. Gen. Houston must have been something of a prophet. He seemed to anticipate then, what really happened afterwards.
Next year I left my crop with my brothers, went up to the Wilbarger settlement on the Colorado and joined the Texas Rangers to help expel the Comanches but after staying with the Rangers six weeks and failing to get within range of a Comanche I returned home, went from there to Brenham, Washington County, where I sold goods there, but removed back to Chappell Hill where I was very successful as a merchant, but the Confederate War broke me up, and since it's close, my infirm health has kept me out of business.
My sister, Julia is the only remaining member of my fathers' family left except myself. She is living with my youngest brother's widow in Comanche County and sent me a Christmas present this Christmas of a nice quilt pieced by herself. On receiving it I thought of Old David the pioneer of the Israelites and exclaimed to myself: "Praise the Lord. Oh my soul and all that is within me, praise His holy name."
F. J. Cooke"
This letter was transcribed by the author from a copy of the original letter in F.J. Cookes' own handwriting, File box 2-23/654, Texas State Archives, Cooke, (Sally B.) Collection.
In addition:
He stood guard over Santa Anna for thirty-six hours after the Battle of San Jacinto.
He had only parched corn to eat for three days before the Battle.
He was as close a friend to General Sam Houston as it is possible for solder boy of nineteen and his Commanding Officer to become in civilian life.
He was with General Houston under the oak tree in Brazoria County, and served as secretary for the General. He was paid seventy dollars.
Captain R.J. Calder said of him: "He was one of the finist soldiers I ever saw, full of dash and spirit, he could charge a regiment by himself."
He helped build the first cabin that marked the present site of Houston, Texas.
He was a Civic-minded person, helping to organize churches and Masonic lodges wherever he lived.
He was a sucessful businessman.
He was a game hunter in later years.
He was an avid reader.
He took cold baths in the winter and wore red flannel underwear!
He was a man of culture, for after reading his literary efforts it can be said, he could also wield the "Pen". (Written by Miss Annie Cooke, daughter of Francis Jarvis Cooke)"