This statue of William Henry Harrison Cook at a lectern stands proudly on the Wyoming County Courthouse lawn in downtown Pineville WV.
The statue shows William Henry Harrison Cook, perhaps slightly larger than life size, standing in period 1870s/1880s formal clothing at a lectern. He wears a knee-length long suit coat with lapels, a buttoned-up shirt and tie with, slacks and boots. He appears to be caught in mid-sentence, either addressing his colleagues in the WV State Senate, or his church congregation.
He wears a late 19th century style short beard with mustache, and his hair is neatly groomed, also in a late 19th century style.
His right arm is bent at the elbow and rests in the lectern. His left arm is raised slightly, and his hand points to a book that the open in the lectern, as if citing a particular passage. His face looks both stern and authoritative. This is a man who is used to addressing crowds on important topics, and being listened to.
From the "From Kings to Coal Miners" blog, more on this important local figure as follows: (
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"Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Man in the Statue
William Henry Harrison Cook was a great man of many talents who came to be one of the most prominent and notable citizens of Pineville, Wyoming County, West Virginia.
My Great Grand Uncle was born in 1840 in Logan, Virginia (West Virginia was not formed until 1861 when Virginia seceded from the Union). His parents were Thomas Munsey Cooke and Rebecca Jane Sizemore – granddaughter of George Sizemore.
When the Civil War was tearing his homeland apart, he signed up for service in the 7th Regiment West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry in 1863. He must have been a good soldier because he enlisted as a Private and when the unit mustered in 1865 at the end of the conflict, he held the rank of Sergeant. He obviously survived the war after serving during several important battles and skirmishes unlike his unfortunate brother.
Edward H. Cook, his brother, along with James J. Cook and Adam W. Cooper, his cousins, were captured near Wytheville, Va. These men, along with many others, were sent to the Confederate Prison at Andersonville in Georgia which was a horrible fate, indeed. They all died while at Andersonville of dysentery and starvation.
Immediately after the war, William went home and started the first free school in Wyoming County teaching the first classes in his father’s kitchen which, at the time, was just above the Rock Castle Baptist Church. He joined the church and was baptized 4 years later and became a preacher. He gave his first sermon on Christmas Day the following year in the home of a distinguished minister only a few miles from the Rock Castle church.
He apparently became a very talented minister and much in demand actually serving several churches at the same time. And we think our lives are busy. Can you imagine preaching at different churches on the same day - traveling on horseback? Well, he did this for almost 45 years, being ordained in 1873.
As if it wasn’t enough preaching and serving different churches, he played a big part in building several new churches in the state and is said to have baptized hundreds of converts to the faith. And in all his spare time, he ran for and won seats in the House of Delegates and in the State Senate of West Virginia Legislature serving for 12 years.
He served the Raleigh Association as moderator for 14 years and also the Rock Castle Association as moderator for 10 years. Preachers must be good at that kind of thing.
Today, there is a roadside marker with his name honoring his service to the country, state, faith and people that he loved. If you visit the County Courthouse in Pineville, you will see a statue there of Rev.William Henry Harrison Cook in his role as statesman and preacher, one of the first and most influential members of that community."
More information can be found on the Find a Grave site as follows: (
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"Birth: Nov. 5, 1840
Logan County
West Virginia, USA
Death: Feb. 11, 1923
Pineville
Wyoming County
West Virginia, USA
Son of Thomas Munsey Cook (1817-1884) and Rebecca Jane Sizemore-Cook (1816-1861).
Brother of Sgt. Edward H. Cook (1843-1864), John N. Cook (1844-1898), George P. Cook (1847-1906), Elizabeth J. Cook (1850-Deceased), Calvin Cook (1852-Deceased), Mary Marinda "Minnie" Cook (B. 1854), Ann "Annie" Cook (1856-Deceased), Thomas Boyd Cook (1859-1914), Nelly Catherine Cook (1862-Deceased), Jane Cook (Deceased), and Rebecca Cook (Deceased).
Married to Mary Jane Cooper-Cook (1845-1917) on May 13, 1863 in Wyoming County, WV (per WV Marriage License Register, Wyoming County, WV, 1863, Page 10, Line 22, Application Date: May 13, 1863).
Father of Ulysses Grant Cook (1864-1932), Edward Everett Cook (1866-1940), Florence Viola Cook-Bailey (1868-1943), Nellie Lucretia Cook (1869-Deceased), Thomas Austin Cook (1870-1936), Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Cook-Goode (1872-1895), Cora Ann Cooke (1875-Deceased), Emily Rebecca Cook (1877-1877), John Jay T. Cook (1879-Deceased), Rev. Chester Herndon Cook (1880-1934), William Cassius Cook Sr. (1882-1947), Christopher "Wirt" Cook (1884-1922), and Mary Etta Virginia Cook (1887-1918).
Married to Chloe Page Ellis-Shields-Cook on October 23, 1917 in Wyoming County, WV (per WV Marriage License Register, Wyoming County, WV, 1917, Page 220, Application Date: October 19, 1917), after the death of Mary Jane Cooper-Cook.
Rev. William Henry Harrison Cook was a State Senator, a Baptist Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a soldier and a statesman. He died at age 82 from dilation of the heart & senility (per WV Certificate of Death #9109 Dist #5531 Serial #5).
Family links:
Spouses:
Chloe Page Ellis Shields Cook (1864 - 1942)
Mary Jane Cooper Cook (1845 - 1917)*
Children:
Ulysses Grant Cook (1864 - 1932)*
Edward Everett Cook (1866 - 1950)*
Florence Viola Cook Bailey (1868 - 1943)*
Thomas Austin Cook (1870 - 1936)*
Sarah Elizabeth Cook Goode (1872 - 1895)*
Emily Rebecca Cook (1877 - 1877)*
Chester Herndon Cook (1880 - 1934)*
William Cassius Cook (1882 - 1947)*
Christopher Wirt Cook (1884 - 1922)*
Mary Etta Virginia Cook (1887 - 1918)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
God Acre Cemetery
Rock View
Wyoming County
West Virginia, USA
Created by: Patty Greene
Record added: Oct 06, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 11897556"