Descendents page 22

470. RUBY HELEN7 BOST (DANIEL CLAUDE6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married REEDER R. MOODY Private. He was born Private.

Child of RUBY BOST and REEDER MOODY is:
i. CLIFTON MICHAEL8 MOODY, b. Private.

471. EVA NADINE7 BOST (DANIEL CLAUDE6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married (1) BENNY L. RODGERS Private. He was born Private. She married (2) ROBERT BRADEN Private. He was born Private.

Children of EVA BOST and BENNY RODGERS are:
i. JERRA GWEN8 RODGERS, b. Private.
ii. GINGER SUE RODGERS, b. Private.

Child of EVA BOST and ROBERT BRADEN is:
iii. ROBERT LEE8 BRADEN, b. Private.

472. C. B.7 BOST (DANIEL CLAUDE6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. He married EUNICE LAVERN FLOYD Private. She was born Private.

Children of C. BOST and EUNICE FLOYD are:
i. INFANT8 BOST, b. 1953; d. 1953.
ii. MARK BENTON BOST, b. Private.

473. GLADYS7 BOST (JOSEPH BENFORD6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married LEON FRANKLIN BOND Private. He was born Private.

Children of GLADYS BOST and LEON BOND are:
i. KENNETH G.8 BOND, b. Private.
ii. LORA JUNE BOND, b. Private.
iii. THOMAS JAMES BOND, b. Private.
iv. WOODROW BOND, b. Private.
v. VIRGINIA RAE BOND, b. Private.
vi. ELISA ELIZABETH BOND, b. Private.
vii. BEN FRANKLIN BOND, b. Private.
viii. FREDDIE JON BOND, b. Private.
ix. BOB B. BOND, b. Private.
x. BEVERLY BOND, b. Private.
xi. LILLIE JO BOND, b. Private.
xii. CARL LEE BOND, b. Private.
xiii. LEONARD FRANK (JR.) BOND, b. Private.

474. HELEN LUCILLE7 BOST (JOSEPH BENFORD6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married WILLIE KEY Private. He was born Private.

Children of HELEN BOST and WILLIE KEY are:
i. DENNIS LEE8 KEY, b. Private.
ii. MARI LYNETTE KEY, b. Private.
iii. TERESA JEANETTE KEY, b. Private.

475. EDWARD7 BOST (JOSEPH BENFORD6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. He married LUCILLE RICHMOND Private. She was born Private.

Children of EDWARD BOST and LUCILLE RICHMOND are:
i. CONNIE8 BOST, b. Private.
ii. PAMELA BOST, b. Private.
iii. KATHY BOST, b. Private.

476. L. B.7 BOST (JOSEPH BENFORD6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. He married EVELYN CRAWLEY Private. She was born Private.

Children of L. BOST and EVELYN CRAWLEY are:
i. ANTHONY8 BOST, b. Private.
ii. BEVERLY BOST, b. Private.
iii. PENNY DIANA BOST, b. Private.

477. MADONA7 BOST (JOSEPH BENFORD6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married CLIFTON REYNOLDS Private. He was born Private.

Children of MADONA BOST and CLIFTON REYNOLDS are:
i. DAVID8 REYNOLDS, b. Private.
ii. MICHAEL REYNOLDS, b. Private.
iii. GARY REYNOLDS, b. Private.
iv. PENNY DEANNE REYNOLDS, b. Private.

478. GLEN RAY7 BOST (JOSEPH BENFORD6, JOSEPH ASBERRY5, ELIZABETH4 TATE, JAMES (MAJOR)3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. He married ELLEN TYLER Private. She was born Private.

Children of GLEN BOST and ELLEN TYLER are:
i. MICHAEL EDWARD8 BOST, b. Private.
ii. JOSEPH TODD BOST, b. Private.

479. HENRY JOHN JEFFERSON7 TATE (JACOB ELBERT6, JAMES MONROE5, ELISHA4, JOSEPH3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born 1877 in Russell County, VA, and died 1962 in Lebanon, VA. He married ADA CYNTHIA JESSEE May 07, 1901 in Russell County, VA. She was born 1876 in Russel County, VA, and died 1963 in Lebanon, VA.

Children of HENRY TATE and ADA JESSEE are:
i. HAROLD8 TATE, b. 1905, Lebanon, VA; d. Unknown.
721. ii. LELAND BURDINE TATE, b. Private.
iii. THOMAS TATE, b. Private.
iv. MARGARET TATE, b. Private.
v. MILDRED TATE, b. Private.
vi. KATHLEEN TATE, b. Private.
vii. GLADYS TATE, b. Private.
viii. DORIS TATE, b. Private.

480. VERNOY BROWNIE (ESQ.)7 TATE (BENJAMIN F.6, ELISHA5, JOHN (REV.)4, JOSEPH3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born 1889 in East Stone Gap, Wise County, VA, and died Unknown. He married ALPHA MAE GOUGH Private. She was born Private.

Notes for VERNOY BROWNIE (ESQ.) TATE:
Vernoy Brownie Tate, attended public school, graduating from the High School at Appalachia in 1912, later he attended Richmond College Law Department and graduated with a Bachelor of Law in 1918.

In June of 1918, he enlisted in the Army. Part of the famous Second Division during the Argonne offensive, on August 12, 1918 he landed at Brest.

He was an exchange Student at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he did post-graduate work for a year. He was discharged at Camp Dix in 1919 and returned to his home where he established a law office and practiced general law.

In 1920 he qualified as deputy treasurer for Henry G. Gilmer, Treasurer of Wise County in which he served for four years. In the general election of 1923 he was elected Commonwealth Attorney for Wise County.

More About VERNOY BROWNIE (ESQ.) TATE:
Occupation: Attorney-at-Law

Children of VERNOY TATE and ALPHA GOUGH are:
i. FRANKLIN GLOVER8 TATE, b. Private.
ii. NANCY STEWART TATE, b. Private.

481. JOHN IKE7 TATE (JOHN MONROE6, ABRAHAM ANTHONY BUEL5, MAYBURN (DOCK)4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private.

Child of JOHN IKE TATE is:
i. ROLAND8 TATE, b. Private.

482. ALBERT PINK7 WHEATLEY (GEORGE LUTHER6, HARRIETT E.5 TATE, AARON (JR.)4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. He married EVA NELL SIMMONS Private. She was born Private.

Child of ALBERT WHEATLEY and EVA SIMMONS is:
i. JEAN SHELBY8 WHEATLEY, b. Private; m. ROBERT CONRAD VAUGHAN, Private; b. Private.

483. VIRGINIA (VIRGIE) BERTIE ANN7 TATE (MARTIN LUTHER6, MAYBURN L. (DR.)5, AARON (JR.)4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born November 10, 1906 in Cagle, Sequatchie County, TN, and died August 22, 1986 in McMinnville, Warren County, TN. She married HOMER LAND October 10, 1926 in Sequatchie County, TN. He died Unknown.

More About VIRGINIA (VIRGIE) BERTIE ANN TATE:
Burial: Unknown, Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Cagle, Sequatchie County, TN

Child of VIRGINIA TATE and HOMER LAND is:
722. i. WILLIAM8 LAND, b. Private.

484. FANNIE THERESA7 PULLIAM (MARY SUSANNAH6 HOLMSLEY, ELIZABETH5 CUNNINGHAM, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born November 14, 1876 in Comanche, County, TX, and died Unknown. She married N. M. MACH January 21, 1900. He was born November 24, 1875, and died Unknown.

Children of FANNIE PULLIAM and N. MACH are:
i. MARY8 MACH, b. December 05, 1901, TX; d. Unknown.
ii. LORENE MACH, b. April 27, 1902, TX; d. Unknown.
iii. THERESA MACH, b. Private.

485. MACK7 PULLIAM (MARY SUSANNAH6 HOLMSLEY, ELIZABETH5 CUNNINGHAM, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born August 29, 1886 in Comanche, County, TX, and died Unknown. He married MARY POWELL May 18, 1909. She was born May 28, 1887, and died Unknown.

Children of MACK PULLIAM and MARY POWELL are:
i. MARY KNOX8 PULLIAM, b. Private.
ii. MARTHA ELIZABETH PULLIAM, b. Private.

486. CLAUDE WILLIAM (TWIN)7 MEADOWS (CLARA LEE6 HOLMSLEY, ELIZABETH5 CUNNINGHAM, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born January 24, 1886 in Comanche, County, TX, and died Unknown. He married SUSAN MOORE February 14, 1907 in Comanche County, TX. She was born September 09, 1885, and died Unknown.

Children of CLAUDE MEADOWS and SUSAN MOORE are:
i. CLAUDE WILLIAM (JR.)8 MEADOWS, b. Private.
ii. HENRY MEADOWS, b. Private.
iii. SARAH LEE MEADOWS, b. Private.

487. FAY7 CHANDLER (MINTIE6 HOLMSLEY, ELIZABETH5 CUNNINGHAM, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born April 28, 1890 in Comanche, County, TX, and died Unknown. She married FRANK BUTLER December 25, 1910 in TX. He died Unknown.

Children of FAY CHANDLER and FRANK BUTLER are:
i. FRANK8 BUTLER, b. Private.
ii. ROBERT BUTLER, b. Private.

488. NORMA BLANCE7 CUNNINGHAM (ELIAS ISADAS6, RICHARD TANKERSLEY5, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born October 31, 1893 in Comanche, County, TX, and died Unknown. She married JOHN B. IRBY December 24, 1912. He died January 18, 1919.

Children of NORMA CUNNINGHAM and JOHN IRBY are:
i. ROSS CUNNINGHAM8 IRBY, b. Private.
ii. WILLIAM MCGONABLE IRBY, b. Private.

489. GEORGE HATHAWAY7 CLEMENTS (GERTRUDE ELIZABETH6 CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON5, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born October 24, 1900 in Goldwaithe, TX, and died Unknown. He married MARTHA LEDA LATIMER May 26, 1926. She was born 1902, and died September 10, 1979 in Denton, TX.

Children of GEORGE CLEMENTS and MARTHA LATIMER are:
i. GEORGANA8 CLEMENTS, b. July 24, 1929, Comanche County, TX; d. July 27, 1929, Comanche County, TX.
ii. DAVID LATIMER CLEMENTS, b. Private.
723. iii. BETTY CAROLYN CLEMENTS, b. Private.

490. DAVID OWEN7 CLEMENTS (GERTRUDE ELIZABETH6 CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON5, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. He married DOROTHY DELL MATHIS Private. She was born Private.

Child of DAVID CLEMENTS and DOROTHY MATHIS is:
i. BILLY EARL8 CLEMENTS, b. Private.

491. GERTRUDE AILINE7 BURCH (MARY EDNA6 CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON5, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married JOE GILBERT Private. He was born Private.

Children of GERTRUDE BURCH and JOE GILBERT are:
i. JOE BURCH8 GILBERT, b. Private.
ii. MARY AILENE GILBERT, b. Private.
iii. LINDA GILBERT, b. Private.

492. MARY CHRISTINE7 BURCH (MARY EDNA6 CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON5, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married ARTHUR WAYNE JACKSON Private. He was born Private.

Children of MARY BURCH and ARTHUR JACKSON are:
i. JILL8 JACKSON, b. Private.
ii. MARY JACKSON, b. Private.
iii. ARTHUR JACKSON, b. Private.

493. MARY JO7 EMISON (ANNABELL6 CUNNINGHAM, GEORGE WASHINGTON5, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born Private. She married KENNETH LANGLEY Private. He was born Private.

Child of MARY EMISON and KENNETH LANGLEY is:
i. KENNY LANGLEY8 LANGLEY, b. Private.

494. TOMMIE TALMA7 LAKE (UNA ELLEN6 NEELY, MARY JANE5 CUNNINGHAM, SUSANNAH (SUSIE)4 TATE, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born February 08, 1896 in Newburg, TX, and died Unknown. She married SAMUEL LEE ADKINS, son of JAMES ADKINS and SARAH MILLER. He was born February 17, 1893 in Seymour, TX, and died Unknown.

Children of TOMMIE LAKE and SAMUEL ADKINS are:
i. SAMMIE LAKE8 ADKINS, b. Private.
ii. UNA ELOUISE ADKINS, b. Private.
iii. TOMMIE JOE ADKINS, b. Private.

495. MATTIE ELNORA7 SHANKLE (GEORGE ROBERT6, MARTHA JANE5 TATE, ROBERT HOOD4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born January 18, 1896 in Comanche County, TX, and died January 1983 in Tarrant County, TX. She married BART DUNCAN July 27, 1921 in Comanche County, TX. He died Unknown.

Children of MATTIE SHANKLE and BART DUNCAN are:
i. BILLY BURT8 DUNCAN, d. 1991.
ii. JUNE LORAINE DUNCAN, b. Private.
iii. DONNIE DUNCAN, b. Private.

496. BURNELL ODEL7 SHANKLE (GEORGE ROBERT6, MARTHA JANE5 TATE, ROBERT HOOD4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born October 01, 1907, and died April 1979 in Lockney, Floyd County, TX. He married BELLE EWING Private. She was born Private.

Child of BURNELL SHANKLE and BELLE EWING is:
i. JOANNE EWING8 SHANKLE, b. Private.

497. LOU ELLA7 COOKE (LYDIA ANN6 SHANKLE, MARTHA JANE5 TATE, ROBERT HOOD4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born September 19, 1889 in Comanche, Comanche County, TX, and died May 05, 1953 in Dallas, Dallas County, TX. She married ERNEST EARGLE HAWKINS February 10, 1907 in Comanche, Comanche County, TX. He died September 18, 1966 in CA.

Notes for LOU ELLA COOKE:
From the Compilation of Genealogy Records of Robert Hood Tate by Billie Bailey, January 2001

Lou Ella (Cooke) Hawkins and her sister-in-law, Vida Cooke, each had boys born January 2, 1916. vida had just finished reading a book about two boys named Hollis and Hancel, so Vida named her boy Hollis and Lou Ella named her boy Hancel.

Aunt Ella and Ernest ran a store in Comanche in the bend of the road
Source: Hollis R. Cooke, November 1989)

"Lou Ella Cooke Hawkins was operated on April 20, 1950 for cancer of the breast (right) which spread to her right lung. They gave her all the x-ray treatments she could take. After spending almost five months in my mother's (Grace) house, she was able to be in her own home (which she loved dearly) with the aid of a lady to stay with her. She finally was able to stay alone and was able to work in her garden and flowers which was her dearest hobby. This rocked on until around Xmas of 1952. She was a lover of crochet and fancy novelties and worked so very hard for everyone to be remembered by her for the holidays. Then after Xmas she gave in to her feelings and was forced to start having fluid drained from around her lungs - one being completely gone and with only about half of the left lung left to breathe from. This draining was done ever four to six days continuously from January till she finally had to give up and go to the hospital and under an oxygen tent the 24th of April. Very little relief was gained only once thereafter. She lingered suffering, having her good and bad days until May 7, 1953 for only about two days she didn't seem to know anything altho she had a spell on Monday night and Tuesday said a lot (to me) but Tuesday she knew barely nothing and being under the influence of medicine all Wednesday until about 4:45 AM. That morn she drew her last breath, died without outward pain and easy May 7th.
Written by her sister, Grace, on Mother's Day, May 12, 1953.

More About LOU ELLA COOKE:
Burial: Unknown, Albin Cemetery, Comanche County, TX

Children of LOU COOKE and ERNEST HAWKINS are:
i. VETTA ELAINE8 HAWKINS, b. Private.
ii. RAYMOND W. "DUB" HAWKINS, b. Private.
iii. HANCEL ROBY HAWKINS, b. Private.
iv. JERRY DEAN HAWKINS, b. Private.

498. VIRGIL LOYD "CAP"7 COOKE (LYDIA ANN6 SHANKLE, MARTHA JANE5 TATE, ROBERT HOOD4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born July 14, 1891, and died January 29, 1966 in Dublin, Erath County, TX. He married LEORA RANDERSON July 16, 1912 in Comanche, Comanche County, TX. She was born September 15, 1892 in Austin, Travis County, TX, and died March 24, 1956 in Dublin, Erath County, TX.

Notes for VIRGIL LOYD "CAP" COOKE:
From the Compilation of Genealogy Records of Robert Hood Tate by Billie Bailey, January 2001

Loyd and Leora lived on the old Cooke homestead in Gustine, Texas for many years and remodeled it after many years. When my Dad (Hollis Cooke) and I went to Gustine in 1992, we found that someone had bought the old Cooke homestead and had torn down the old house. The old farm was five miles east of Gustine. Raymond and Lydia Cooke bought the farm in 1904.

More About VIRGIL LOYD "CAP" COOKE:
Burial: Unknown, Albin Cemetery, Comanche County, TX

Child of VIRGIL COOKE and LEORA RANDERSON is:
i. LOWELL MARSHALL8 COOKE, b. June 1913, Gustine, Comanche County, TX; d. December 12, 1976, Dallas, Dallas County, TX; m. (1) MILDRED FAULKNER JENKINS, Private; b. Private; m. (2) MYLDRED CARROLL, Private; b. Private.

Notes for LOWELL MARSHALL COOKE:
From the Compilation of Genealogy Records of Robert Hood Tate by Billie Bailey, January 2001

Lowell and Myldred "Carroll" Carroll met when Grace (Cooke) White invited Lowell to a sunrise breakfast at White Rock Lake. Grace and Carroll were both employees of F. W. Woolworth Co. at the time. After Lowell and Carroll were married they moved to Brownwood where Lowell had a job laying pipe. Lowell went to Howard Payne University at Brownwood, TX. He had an old car which he build himself and he called it a "Whoopee". It was a car frame, with seats, steering wheel and something like an oval tank on the back (We have a photo of this car.) While he was in Gustine, TX, he worked as a shine boy in a barber shop. When he first came to Dallas, he worked with his cousin, Hollis Cooke, in a service station as a car washer at 918 W. Davis St. His first real job in Dallas was with the City of Dallas Water Department working for his uncle, Robert Richard Cooke. Later he was superintendent of Lakes for the City of Dallas for many years. They lived in two different houses on White Rock Lake. Lowell was very tall and handsome and had a very nice personality. He loved animals of all kinds and at one time had a crocodile which managed to escape down the drain. He had a monkey which he got from his good friend, Pierre Fontaine, the Dallas Zoo manager. It came straight from the jungles in South America. He tamed it and trained it to do all kinds of tricks. He named it "Cookie." He took a trip to Alaska going way back in the wilderness by mail plane and stayed with a weatherman there. He killed the largest polar bear that was ever brought out of Alaska. He may still hold that record.

Myldred was called "Carroll" by everyone. She worked at W. F. Woolworth Co. with Grace (Cooke) White. Sometime after Myldred and Lowell married, she had a brain tumor and was in the hospital for months.

Mildred and Lowell lived in Gilmer, Texas while they were married. Lowell and Mildred were separated, and if Lowell had lived two more weeks, the divorce would have been final from Mildred, the second wife.

More About LOWELL MARSHALL COOKE:
Burial: Unknown, Albin Cemetery, Comanche County, TX

499. ROBERT RICHARD "BOB"7 COOKE (LYDIA ANN6 SHANKLE, MARTHA JANE5 TATE, ROBERT HOOD4, AARON3, ROBERT (JR.)2, ROBERT (SR.)1) was born January 22, 1896 in Comanche County, TX, and died May 24, 1970 in Dallas, Dallas County, TX. He married VIDA RANDERSON December 11, 1914 in Austin, Travis County, TX by H. W. Knickerbocker, Pastor of 1st Methodist Church, daughter of CORNELIUS RANDERSON and MARY MARSHALL. She was born December 14, 1895 in Austin, Travis County, TX, and died July 01, 1980 in Dallas, Dallas County, TX.

Notes for ROBERT RICHARD "BOB" COOKE:
From the Compilation of Genealogy Records of Robert Hood Tate by Billie Bailey, January 2001

In 1874 Comanche was a typical cowman and ranchers' town. With a population of about one thousand people in the county, Comanche had seven saloons and men found recreation in card games, billiards and horse racing. The women buried themselves with household chores, church socials, and quilting bees. Most schools were only open three or four months a year. Most schools were only open three or four months a year.

After the cattle boom, the range land in the county was cut up into farms and cotton became the principal crop. In 2900 about 65,000 bales were shipped from the County, and by 1903, the town of Comanche had the distinction of buying and shipping more cotton than any town in west of Forth Worth. The boll weevil had been found in McLennan County in 1905, but did not advance to Comanche's cotton fields until 1914. Meanwhile, in 1907, an experimental crop of peanuts was planted in the sandy loam. The following year fifteen carloads of peanuts were marketed at sixty cents a bushel.
Source: Patchwork of Memories, Historical Sketches of Comanche County, Texas, 1976

Robert Richard "Bob" Cooke, the third child of Raymond and Lydia Ann (Shankle) Cooke, was born and raised on a farm in Comanche County, TX. He had two sisters, Lou Ella and Iona Grace, and two brothers, Virgil Loyd "Cap" and Christopher Hope "Doc." Bob and his brother, Loyd married sisters; Bob married Vida Randerson and Loyd married Leora Randerson.

"My Dad was a farmer in Comanche County until he came to Dallas. He would be plowing in the field and he'd quit and go home and take his team to the house and tell Mamma that he had a trade worked out in his mind and he'd go off to somebody's house and he'd make a trade with them. He figured he could make more money doing that than plowing and he did! Also, he and his team worked for the railroad occasionally on maintenance work."
Source: Hollis Cooke, November 1989

In April 1992, Billie went with Hollis to visit where he was born and spent the first six years of his life - Energy and Gustine in Comanche County, TX. These are some of the recollections he told about his early life and his parents on that trip:
"Every year on the Brazos River in Grandbury, TX, the Cooke Family had a Family Reunion. All of the relatives came with their kids. The women brought lots of food, visited and did handwork and the kids went swimming and played. The men had other activities - Bob traded cars, cattle, anything - but always traded for something AND money! He never gave money in a trade, but always got money in addition to the trade. He really enjoyed it! Loyd (Bob's brother) and Bob traded cars every year at the reunion. Bob's car was always newer that Loyd's, so Bob would get Loyd's car and money too. Bob felt like he always got a better deal than Loyd.

Before Bob and Vida married, he went to Draughns/Business College School in Comanche and studied Business.

On Saturdays Bob and Vida loaded their wagon with the butter, eggs, and peanuts they raised and went from their farm into Gustine to sell or trade for essentials. They would also get a block of ice and wrap in in blankets to keep it from melting before they got home.

"Grandma Cooks's home in Gustine was across the street from the Nelson place and down one lot and due south of the Methodist Church. Bob and Vida and Hollis lived in the Nelson place for a year or two." (We saw the old Nelson place and where Lydia Ann's home had been, but the house was gone and another house had been built on the lot. Part of the old chimney was still there.)

Bob ran the only store in Energy when Hollis was born and they lived somewhere back of a nearby creek. When Hollis was about three years old, he walked from the house by the creek to the store where Bob and Vida were working and told them "a big bug went across where I was." When they went out to see what he was talking about, they found a big copperhead snake!
When Hollis was small, he was a very picky eater and anytime his mother asked him what he wanted to eat, his answer was always the same "thurp, thucker, and thurdy pop" - syrup, sucker and soda pop!

"Bob had one of the few phones in Gustine in 1922. When Alta Ray, their four week old baby girl, became sick, in October 1922, Bob called the doctor to come. The doctor had to come by horseback or wagon and by the time he arrived, Alta Ray had died. (She probably died of pneumonia.) This upset Bob so much that in November or December of 1922 he moved to Dallas. When he left Comanche with his family to come to Dallas in a Model T Ford, about a 1920 model, it liked not to have made it up Chalk Hill, but finally did and we settled in Dallas. We had no furniture and very little else to move. When we got to Dallas, we moved in the same house with Charley Randerson, Mamma's brother, for a few weeks until we could find a house to rent."
Bob went to work for the Streetcar Company as a Motorman and after a little while he quit and went to work for the City of Dallas where he worked for a little while and quit. He went back to working for the Streetcar Company and quit after a little while, and then went back to work for the City and quit and went back to being a Motorman for the Streetcar Company, quit and went back working for the City. Finally, he got sick one day and called in and told them to let someone meet him and take over his run which was 7th street Line. They failed to do it so he took the streetcar to the end of the 7th Car Line, parked it, got off, left it and walked home. Needless to say, he never worked for the Streetcar Company again, but he did go back and work for the City for 41 years."

Charley Randerson, Mamma's brother, got Bob his first job with the City of Dallas, dragging a tape with the survey crew. When he retired after 41 years, he was Supervisor of the Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Division and the week of his retirement his picture was on every water bill sent out in Dallas. Bob knew where every sewer line was located. His crews knew he could save them a lot of digging just by calling and asking him where a certain line was. Evidently, Bob was never wrong on the location of these lines."

Bob always wore a white western style 10 gallon hat and hardly ever removed it, even while visiting at someone's house. He said he kept it on because he wasn't going to stay long - and he usually didn't.

More About ROBERT RICHARD "BOB" COOKE:
Burial: May 27, 1970, Laurel Land Cemebery, Dallas, Dallas County, TX

Notes for VIDA RANDERSON:
From the Compilation of Genealogy Records of Robert Hood Tate by Billie Bailey, January 2001
Vida like many women during that time, raised chickens, churned her own butter and had a big garden from which she fed her family. She did beautiful handwork - tatting, crocheting, quilting, embroidering and making all of their clothes.
Vida worked as a checker in the lunchroom of Oak Cliff High School in 1929 and in 1930. From 1932 - 1936, she was lunchroom manager at the Roger Q. Mills Elementary School.

Several years after moving to Dallas, Vida bought a Singer treadle sewing machine. She was an excellent seamstress and made many matching outfits for her daughter, Carole Sue, and granddaughter, Billie. While Carole Sue was in junior and senior high school, Vida worked at J. C. Penney Company as a saleswoman.

More About VIDA RANDERSON:
Burial: July 03, 1980, Laurel Land Cemebery, Dallas, Dallas County, TX

Children of ROBERT COOKE and VIDA RANDERSON are:
724. i. HOLLIS RODNEY8 COOKE, b. Private.
ii. WILMA MARIE COOKE, b. Private.
iii. ALTA RAY COOKE, b. September 19, 1922, Gustine, Comanche County, TX; d. October 22, 1922, Gustine, Comanche County, TX.

More About ALTA RAY COOKE:
Burial: Unknown, Energy Cemetery, Energy, Comanche County, TX

iv. CAROLE SUE COOKE, b. Private.