In the United States, a federal census is taken every ten years, 1930 was a census year. The Edwin Yules were enumerated in their home at 212 Lincoln Avenue in Alexandria, with a stated value of $10,000, and they owned a radio. Edwin was now 55 years old, and Georgina was 54. Ed gave his occupation as Superintendent of a Paper Company, and that he was a wage earner.1
Postmarked 1930
49-year-old Harry Cook enumerated in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was paying $333 per month for rooms in the Ambassador Bungalows.2 He claimed he was retired. Residing with him was his “servant/nurse,” Jessie Carter Duncan, age 38.3
Charles and Maud Lancaster were not enumerated in 1930 as they were on their annual trip to Europe and did not land in New York until May 9th, having departed from Southampton on May 3rd. The passenger list states that their permanent residence was in Alexandria.
Harry was never able to recover from the sleeping sickness. Over the years there would be bright moments where he appeared to be on the mend, but soon there would be a relapse and a continued slow decline. On January 23, 1931, Ed and Georgina were called to Harry’s bedside as he “had taken a turn for the worse.”4 He passed away two days later with both Ed and Georgina at his side; Charles and Maud were in Paris, France. Thankfully the Yules were there to make the arrangements. Ed contacted the paper mill to let superintendent and long-time friend William Brannon know that they would accompany the body to Neenah, reaching Chicago at 8 a.m. on the 28th, and leaving Chicago on the 9 a.m. train.5 William traveled to Chicago to meet the train and to accompany the funeral party to Neenah. Arriving in Neenah, the body was taken immediately to the Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel where a brief funeral service was conducted by the pastor of the Presbyterian Church. Harry was buried near his parents in the Cook family plot.
As Maud was in Europe, Ed Yule went to the Madison Circuit Court on February 3rd to qualify as administrator, and he “took immediate charge of the settlement of the estate.”6 Maud returned to the United States in May,7 and in August both she and Ed were qualified as executors, and the will was filed for probate in the circuit court. Included in the will was a $50,000 life insurance policy made payable to the estate.8 The Notice of Final settlement was published on February 27, 1933, and the final settlement occurred on March 17th.9 “No sale of any assets of the estate was made in carrying out the provisions of the will.” “Among property assigned to the sister in the distribution of the estate is one half-interest in home property in Neenah, Wis., one-half interest in seven lots in Orono, [Hennepin Co.] Minn.; certain interests in lumber lands in Canada; 950 shares of common stock in the Alexandria Paper Company; 423 shares in the Phillips Company, of Chicago; 17 shares Anderson Banking Company stock; 13 shares in Manufacturers National Bank, Neenah, Wis., and 30 shares in the Great Northern Life Insurance Company.” The Cook house in Alexandria was not listed in the published list of assets.
Neenah, Wisconsin was always “home” for Maud, and the S.A. Cook Armory built by her father and dedicated in 1907 to the cities of Neenah and Menasha, was just one reason for regular trips to the city. When her father dedicated the building to Company I, he did not anticipate a second world war which resulted in the reorganization of the military forces and thus left the city without a designated military unit. And so the building reverted to the Cook estate. Maud would not donate the building until 1937, the new deed had “no legal strings attached” other than that it should always be known as the S.A. Cook Armory.1011
It was on one such trip home in June 1933 to visit friends, when Charles contracted pneumonia. He passed away on June 26th at the Valley Inn. He was 65 years old. Maud accompanied her husband’s body to Manchester, Vermont, arriving July 5th on the 2:38 p.m. train. They went directly to Dellwood Cemetery, where the pastor of the congregational church conducted the funeral service.12
In January 1936, Maud and Edwin Yule determined that it would be in the best interest of the Alexandria Paper Company to reorganize. The company reorganized with a capital stock of 3,000 shares of $100 par value.13
Ed was keeping busy as manager of the Alpaco Farms, and his February 12, 1936 shipment of hogs made the news due to it being one of the largest shipments from Alexandria in a long time. The shipment consisted of 334 head, averaging 246 pounds for a total weight of 82,280 pounds. The hogs averaged $25.07 per head for a net receipt of $8,474.03.14
Nine years after closing the paper mill, it was time to start selling bits and pieces of the mill. Ed Yule as treasurer announced on March 13, 1937, that the paper-making machinery and equipment had been sold to Abe Cooper of Syracuse, New York. Maud, as the owner of the factory, traveled from New York City to “close the deal.” The thirty acres of land that the factory was built upon was “not included in the deal.”15 In September 1939, “several of the five-ton rolls from the old paper making machines” were sold to a Chicago firm.16 With the removal of the rolls “the old mill will be practically empty.”17 And in March of 1940 work began to dismantle the building.
The building was sold to the Hetz Construction Company of Warren, Ohio, and work to dismantle the mill began, with all materials such as second-hand lumber, sheeting, I-beams, pipes, etc. offered for sale. Eleven local men were hired for the demolition, which was expected to take two months.18 Shinkle Wrecking Company was assisting the Hetz Construction Company in the demolition.
I wonder what thoughts were going through Maud and Edwin Yule’s heads as they stood and watched the demolition of a dream. Maud was certainly there to witness the event as she was enumerated in the 1940 United States Federal Census on April 26, 1940, residing as a Lodger with Ed and Georgina.
The census enumerator listed the three living at 212 Lincoln Avenue, the value of the home: $6,000. Ed was the one to open the door to the enumerator and to answer the questions. He stated he was 66 years old, he had completed four years of high school. He listed his occupation as that of a farmer, receiving a salary of $4,300, and has an income of $50 or more from sources other than wages or salary. Ed stated that his wife, Georgina, was 65 years old, had completed four years of high school, and was not employed, but receives income of $50 or more from sources other than wages or salary. Residing with them as a lodger was Maud Lancaster, age 63, Widowed. He told the census enumerator that she had completed one year of college and that she was residing with them on April 1, 1935. She was unable to work but receives an income of $50 or more from sources other than wages or salary.19
In 1948 Maud was approached by the Alexandria Conservation and Gun Club looking to lease “the old paper mill ground, south of Alexandria.” She agreed. In 1950 the club conducted 36 hunts, participating in a state-wide crow war, finishing third. They also “conducted Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey shoots; released 150 pheasants and 100 quail, and sponsored three successful fox drives. A temporary wind-break was installed on the club grounds and installed two traps which will throw single or double birds.”20 Six years later in September 1954 the club had “to give up their shoot grounds at the south end of Harrison Street on the Paper Mill farm,” now owned by Ed Yule. The club continued to “hold shoots on the Summitville club grounds, until it could find new grounds in the Alexandria area.”21
Adolf Fassbender, The White Night, 1932. From the collection of Kathryne Fassbender. The Pierre is in the center of the photograph.
Maud Christie Cook Lancaster passed away on April 7, 1949, at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. She was 70 years old.22 Following a service in Grace Church, her remains were brought to Manchester, Vermont, where a funeral service was held on April 9th in Zion Church. She was placed beside her husband in the Lancaster Mausoleum in Dellwood Cemetery. William Brannon’s son, Drysdale, attended the service. “Some cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Yule of Alexandria, Ohio, [sic] came on to New York when they learned of Mrs. Lancaster’s death, but they were detained by illness from coming to Manchester for the services.”23
Ed was appointed Executor of her estate on April 20, 1949. The notice of final settlement was published on October 26, 1951.24 No details of her will or the estate have been found, but it can be assumed that Edwin Watson Yule was her sole heir.
William H. Brannon, age 87, now the managing editor of the Marion Chronicle passed away on August 22, 1950. In 1903, he and his family had moved from Neenah to Alexandria when he took the position of superintendent of the paper mill. He remained in this position until the mill closed.25
In 1958 Alexandria was in desperate need of a new school. The perfect location for the new joint system high school was 35 acres just south of the city, on land currently owned by the Yules. The Yules gifted the 35 acres that had a value of $1,000 per acre.26 The property was located on “11th Street Road west of the intersection of South Harrison Street and 11th Street Road.” Alexandria lore tells the story this way: “In the late 1950s, the school board was looking to build a new high school. Members approached Ed about buying 37 acres of his land on 11th street. Ed’s wife said, ‘Just give it to them,’ but Ed said that he didn’t think that was good, so he sold it to them for $1.”27
On February 11, 1959, Ed lost the love of his life Georgina Louise Lemon Yule. She passed away at their home following a “lingering illness.” She was 84 years old. A member of the Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Ed chose to have the funeral service conducted by the pastor of his church, the First Christian Church. She was first buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Alexandria but was moved to Crown Point Cemetery in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana in April 1967.28
Gifting of the land for the new high school was only the beginning of Ed Yule’s legacy to the city of Alexandria. On September 8, 1965, an option was signed with Ed to buy the remaining Alpaco Farms property.29 The 310-acre plot was to be developed as a golf course with home sites and named the Yule Golf Course and Estates. The proposal included an 18-hole, par-72, golf course consisting of 176 acres designed by Henry Culp; approximately 200 home sites, and three ponds with connecting waterways. They planned to sell shares of common stock at $10 per share to finance the project.30 The first full season of golf was played in 1967.
Included in the 310 acres purchased by the Alexandria Community Development Corporation (ACDC), were the 20 acres that had been the Alexandria Paper Company campus. The acreage included the old office building, two ponds, and what remained of the crumbling paper mill. Howard and Patti King purchased this property from ACDC in May 1970 and proceeded to make the office into their home.31 A portion of the Cook’s dream lives on in their renovation.
In 1966 Ed celebrated his 92nd birthday. The party was held at the Alexandria Building and Loan, complete with german chocolate cake, coffee, and ice cream. Newspaperman Bud Zink sat down with him to learn more about his “origin story,” but found that “trying to bring his biography up to date following that time…is impossible. There isn’t even a record photograph of Mr. Yule to be had anywhere…but we snookered him this morning” by having a snapshot taken.32
Edwin Watson Yule passed away on December 1, 1970. He was 96 years old. Funeral services were conducted by the pastor of the First Christian Church before he was entombed next to his wife in the Crown Hill Mausoleum, Indianapolis, Indiana.
The passing of Ed marked the end of an era. While much of Alexandria had long ago forgotten the Cook name and the family’s contribution to the community, my hope is that S. A., Harry, and Maud would feel that Ed had been a good steward of their legacy.
Ed Yule was a man “admired and respected by those who work with him and for him.” He “has made his mark on our town since the turn of the century.”33
SOURCES
1930 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Alexandria City, First Ward, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 48-41, sheet 18, p. 174A, dwelling 454, family 482, Edward W. Yule household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626, roll 605. ↩︎
1930 U.S. census, Atlantic County, New Jersey, population schedule, Atlantic City, 4th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 1-31, sheet 1, p. 81B, dwelling 29, family 23, Henry H Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Mar 2003); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626. ↩︎
“Harry Cook Critically Ill at Atlantic City,” The Times-Tribune, 23 Jan 1931, Friday, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016). ↩︎
“Harry H. Cook Died Suddenly Atlantic City,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Jan 1931, Monday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016). ↩︎
“Yule Appointed to Settle Cook Estate,” The Times-Tribune, 4 Feb 1931, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016). ↩︎
Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving in New York, New York, 1820-1957; Record of Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C., “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 Sep 2021), Charles and Maud Lancaster; citing: 1931; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 23 & 24; p: 17. ↩︎
“Bond Approved in Harry Cook Estate,” The Times-Tribune, 12 Aug 1931, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016). ↩︎
“LEGAL,” The Times-Tribune, 13 Mar 1933, Monday, p. 4, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016). ↩︎
“Armory Will Be Permanent Home of Present Users,” (Oshkosh)The Oshkosh Northwestern, 1 Jul 1937, Thursday, p. 17, col. 2. Cit. Date: 3 Jul 2005. ↩︎
The armory was torn down in 1987. The stone sign “S.A. Cook” was placed in Cook Park, Neenah, Wisconsin. ↩︎
“Charles F. Lancaster,” The Bennington Evening Banner, 28 Jun 1933, Wednesday, p. 3, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 Jan 2021). ↩︎
“Articles of Incorporation,” The Indianapolis News, 8 Jan 1936, Wednesday, p. 9, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 Dec 2017). ↩︎
“Big Shipment of Hogs to Yard at Muncie,” The Times-Tribune, 13 Feb 1936, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 May 2016). ↩︎
“Paper Mill Machinery At Alexandria Plant Is Sold,” The Indianapolis News, 15 Mar 1937, Monday, p. 9, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 Dec 2017). ↩︎
“Moving Old Rolls,” The Times-Tribune, 16 Sep 1939, Saturday, p. 2, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 Sep 2016). ↩︎
“Paper Machines Are Dismantled,” The Carthage Citizen, 22 Sep 1939, p. 8, col. 5; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 4 Dec 2017). ↩︎
“Dismantling Of Old Paper Mill,” The Times-Tribune, 21 Mar 1940, Thursday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016). ↩︎
1940 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Alexandria City, First Ward, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 48-52, sheet 23, p. 238A, household 665, Edwin Yule household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T627, roll 1073. ↩︎
Gene Swindell, “From The Sidelines,” The Times-Tribune, 3 Jan 1951, Wednesday, p. 4, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016). ↩︎
“Gun Club Gives Up Alex Grounds; Seeks New Land,” Alexandria Times-Tribune, 16 Sep 1954, Thursday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 22 Sep 2021). ↩︎
“Mrs. Charles Lancaster Early Resident, Succumbs In New York,” The Times-Tribune, 7 Apr 1949, Thursday, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 Nov 2019). ↩︎
“Summer Resident Dies in New York Hotel,” The Manchester Journal, 14 Apr 1949, Thursday, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 Jan 2021). ↩︎
“Notice of Final Settlement of Estate,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Oct 1951, Friday, p. 3, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jul 2016). ↩︎
“Ex-Superintendent of Alexandria Firm Dies at Age of 87,” The Muncie Star, 22 Aug 1950, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Sep 2021). ↩︎
“Yules Give New School,” Alexandria Times-Tribune, 27 Feb 1958, Thursday, p. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 Dec 2017). ↩︎
“Clubs/Organizations. Riley Club hosts Guest Day,” The Times-Tribune, 19 Oct 2011, Wednesday, p. 4, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jun 2016). ↩︎
Published burial information, Crown Hill Cemetery and Funeral Home (Indianapolis, IN), <www.crownhill.org>, Yule, Georgina L. Cit. Date: 29 Apr 2016. ↩︎
“A New Future Appears On Horizon For Alexandria,” Alexandria Times-Tribune, 8 Dec 1965, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 Sep 2021). ↩︎
“310-Acre Tract Under Option By Local Corporation,” Alexandria Times-Tribune, 7 Dec 1965, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 Sep 2021). ↩︎
Marilyn Miller, “Paper mill site restored to gracious residence by Kings,” The Times-Tribune, 14 May 1975, p. Spring Builders Addition, p 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Jun 2016). ↩︎
“bud Zink,” The Times-Tribune, 4 Apr 1966, Monday, p. 1 & 2, col. 1 & 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Dec 2017). ↩︎
The rich farmland of Madison County played a role in choosing the location for the Alexandria Paper Mill in 1899. S. A. may have been a serial entrepreneur by day, but farming was still strong in his blood. Over the years he slowly added additional acreage to the original 30 purchased to support the mill. This land was divided into small farm plots which were rented on a stock sharing basis. These farm plots supported a balanced crop rotation, along with the raising of livestock including hogs, beef and dairy cattle, sheep, poultry, and horses. He called this land the Alpaco Farms (Alexandria Paper Company Farms).
The seven hundred acres of the Alpaco Farms were located in Madison and Delaware counties. The buildings were painted in the same color scheme on every farm. Farm dwellings were painted white, while the barns were red with white trim. [1]
The farms provided a way of life and income for some Alexandria families, it was the Alexandria Paper Company that was the “pride of the community,” employing about 150 men and women. It was a “good place to work” as employees were “treated right under every and all circumstance.” [2]
Leading the company founded by his father, S. A. Cook, was Harry Cook, president, and general manager; his brother-in-law Charles Lancaster, vice-president; Edwin Yule, secretary-treasurer; and William Brannon superintendent.
1921
Harry was in Chicago, Illinois when the news came over the wire that the Armistice had been signed. The fighting of World War I had stopped. Upon hearing the news, Harry “got into immediate connection with the Alexandria paper mill and gave instructions to tie down the big whistle and let her blow.” [3]
As the men started to return, they were welcomed home with open arms by their families. At the first call for men to go to war, the paper mill had established a rule “that all good workmen would be taken back when they returned from war.” Harry stated that no distinction would be made “between the enlisted and the drafted man.” [4] The men of Alexandria found their jobs waiting for them upon arriving home.
In June 1919 the Alpaco Farms, and the farmers of Madison County brought their wool to market. “A noticeable feature of the delivery of the wools [3,300 pounds], was the fact that only one wagon was used. All the farmers with the exception of one used automobiles to carry the wool to Alexandria.” [5]
The corn was not “knee high by the 4th of July” in the cornfield on West Eleventh Street, where no corn would grow on a patch of land measuring 40’ x 60.’ “Thereby hangs a tale. Over ten years ago a saloon did a thriving business at this place and business was good on account of the large number of customers from the Alexandria steel factory. The conclusion is reached that the owner of the bar emptied bags of beer in the rear of the saloon building,” and now nothing will grow on this patch. [6]
1920 looked to be a profitable year at the paper mill. Harry, in Florida, still convalescing from sleeping sickness was in frequent communication with mill superintendent, William Brannon. With this promising forecast, he implemented a 12 1/2% wage increase for all employees, both in the factory and the office. [7]
Harry’s road to recovery was long. In April 1921 he left Florida heading for New York, spending the next year and a half in Southold on Long Island. By October 12, 1922, he had recovered sufficiently to return to Alexandria, arriving in a “special Pullman” railway car, accompanied by Ed Yule, with Charles and Maud Lancaster. [8] I believe this to be the last extended visit he made to Alexandria. By January, Harry had returned to Florida, [9] and in 1924 settled in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
While the doctors were unable to find a cure for Harry’s sleeping sickness, the Yule’s were so grateful for the advance in medicine when on April 4, 1923, Georgina was rushed to Anderson for an emergency appendectomy. She came through the “ordeal in splendid shape” and the doctor “looked for no complications to set in.” [10]She was able to return home 25 days later on April 29th, and “her complete recovery from her recent operation is only a matter of a short time.” [11]
The summer storm that rolled through Alexandria on the morning of June 28, 1924, headed straight for the paper mill. William Brannon reported that “a sudden windstorm came upon us at 7:30 this morning and by the time it reached our mill it had assumed the form of a ‘twister.’” The twister hit the “huge steel smokestack that towered a hundred feet or more skyward” and “was struck by a hard wind about ten minutes before 8 o’clock this morning and fell with a crash. It broke in the middle, the top half smashing through the roof of the coal house, while the lower half fell against the big brick chimney, where it is now resting.” No other damage was done, and work began immediately to remove the stack and erect a new one. [12]
1925 started with a lawsuit. The Citizens National Back of Newcastle, as guardian for Harry, filed a $200,000 suit against Charles and Maud, alleging that they had “fraudulently obtained possession” of 500 shares of Harry’s stock in the Alexandria Paper Company. To read more about the suit and Harry’s guardianship, please read “She Was Hopeful Till the End – Part 1.”
On September 3rd fire ripped through the paper mill. A bearing in a rolling machine overheated which started a blaze that “ignited felt roller coverings” and “set fire to some material in a pit under the machine and quickly spread to the roof of the building.” The fire department, quick to respond, found the employees had “formed themselves into a fire brigade and held the flames in check” until the fire department arrived. But the true hero was the automatic sprinkler system installed at the mill, which “worked to perfection.” Superintendent William Brannon, and Ed Yule, now serving as general manager, reported that the mill would continue to operate while repairs were made. “This was the first time in 23 years that the city fire department was called to the paper mill to extinguish a fire.” [13]
Martha and Hosford were spending the winter of 1927 with family and friends in Naples, Florida. The day of February 16th dawned warm sunny, and they were spending the day at the beach. Hosford was playing in the surf with other children when he “got out too far and was drawn out into the Gulf of Mexico by the undertow of waves.” [14] Unable to rescue him, Hosford drowned. The news reached her parents as Martha prepared to accompany her son’s body to Oshkosh. Following a private family funeral, Hosford was placed to rest in the Paine Mausoleum in Riverside Cemetery. [15]
The sudden death of his son prompted Harry, now living permanently in Atlantic City to write a codicil to his Last Will and Testament. He changed the beneficiary list bequeathing $15,000 to his caretaker, Jessie C. Duncan, which was in addition to all payments due her for services, and the remainder to his sister,” Maud Lancaster. [16] Upon his death, in addition to his portion of his father’s estate, Maud would be in full control of the Alexandria Paper Company and all of its land holdings in Alexandria and elsewhere. A wealthy woman made even wealthier.
The climate of the paper industry was changing, and the demand for newsprint was on the decline. Many plants were switching their manufacturing to other types of paper or closing their doors. In October 1928, the Alexandria Paper Mill closed, with the final order shipping on November 9th. [17] “Jake Miller the last engineer of the plant, shed tears of sadness when he blew the company whistle for the last time.” [18]
Corn stalk pulp. As paper mills were seeing a change in the need for newsprint, the government was experimenting with making paper from corn stalk pulp. [19] With the Alexandria Paper Company so recently closed, the Chamber of Commerce moved quickly into action by contacting the Department of Agriculture to see if they would be interested in the mill for their experiments “with corn stalks and other growths for the manufacture of paper.” The Chamber believed that “Alexandria is a very favorable place for some of the experiments, especially in making paper from corn stalks, on account of the abundant supply of the raw material which may be obtained near at hand.” [20]
In March 1929, the Agricultural Department of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States published their findings. The report stated that wood could be grown and harvested on a large scale by few producers, whereas the use of corn stalks would require a large initial capital investment in a raw material that is “dependent upon thousands of individual producers as in the case of corn stalks,” making the process of turning corn stalk pulp into paper not “applicable on a commercial scale.”
The quest to use corn stalks for paper products continued to be a topic of discussion. A year later, in March of 1930, a representative from a “group of men who wish to obtain control of the local factory for the manufacture of wall board from corn stalks” was in Alexandria to look at the paper mill as a possible production facility. [21] While in town the representative met with the Better Business Bureau and Ed Yule to discuss the proposal. “Nothing definite developed from either of these conferences” as it was “indicated that it would be necessary for the citizens of Alexandria to purchase stock in the proposed company to the extent of $100,000, which would be 49% of the capital stock. In return for their investments, the local stockholders were to have majority on the board of directors.” [22] The citizens of Alexandria were not prepared to make such a large investment in an experimental project.
SOURCES:
“Farm News,” The Muncie Evening Press, 17 Sep 1935, Tuesday, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 Dec 2017).
The Times-Tribune, 1 Dec 1919, Monday, p. 2, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Pandemonium is Turned Loose When News Came From State Department.,” The Times-Tribune, 11 Nov 1918, Monday, p. 1, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Men Discharged From Army Find Old Positions,” The Times-Tribune, 18 Feb 1919, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 Jul 2016)
“Farmers Sell Wool Clip Here This Morning,” The Times-Tribune, 25 Jun 1919, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“Beer Saloon Is Blamed for the Failure of Corn,” The Times-Tribune, 9 Jul 1919, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Paper Mill Employes Receive Wage Increase,” The Times-Tribune, 1 Apr 1920, Thursday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Alexandria,” The Muncie Evening Press, 13 Oct 1922, Friday, p. 6, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Dec 2017).
“Kittinger Has Counsel Here,” The Elwood Call Leader, 12 Jan 1923, Friday, p. 8, col. 2-3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 Jul 2016).
“Mrs. Yule Undergoes Operation And Is Reported As Improving,” The Times-Tribune, 4 Apr 1923, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Mrs. E. W. Yule is Home From St. John’s Hospital,” The Times-Tribune, 30 Apr 1923, Monday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“‘Twister’ Hits Big Steel Smokestack Paper Mill,” The Times-Tribune, 28 Jun 1924, Saturday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Fire Damages Big Paper Mill Last Evening,” The Times-Tribune, 4 Sep 1925, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Jun 2016).
“Get Details of Death,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 18 Feb 1927, Friday Evening, p. 4, col. 2; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 Mar 2003), Newspapers & Publications.
“Cook’s Sister Gets Large Part of His Estate,” The Times-Tribune, 11 Aug 1931, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
Interstate Commerce Commission, Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. February-July 1933 (Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1933), 194: 615. Cit. Date: 20 Sep 2021.
Sue Marston, “Old Paper Mill Will Again Have A Heart Beat,” The Times-Tribune, 15 Apr 1970, Wednesday, p. 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“Making Paper From Corn Stalks,” The Times-Tribune, 20 Dec 1928, Thursday, p. 2, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Wait Further Information On Paper Making,” The Times-Tribune, 9 Feb 1929, Saturday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
“Seeking Paper Mill As Factory For Wall Board,” The Times-Tribune, 3 Mar 1930, Monday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
“Wall Board Plan Fails to Obtain Response Here,” The Times-Tribune, 12 Mar 1930, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Jun 2016).
The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917. In early May he joined other men from Alexandria traveling to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Lawrence, Marian County, Indiana to take the field artillery examination for entrance into officer’s training school.[1] He was “told by officials that he could do more good for his country by returning to Alexandria and look after his factory.”[2]
Harry returned to Alexandria determined to help in any way that he could. With this goal in mind, he created what the boys would name: Camp Cook. “Seventy-five acres of fine soil south of the new beautiful home of Harry Cook” was prepared for the potato seed that he had ordered from Wisconsin. Harry intended to provide the people of Alexandria and the government with potatoes at cost.[3] He reached out to the Boy Scouts of Madison County to plant, tend, and harvest the potato crop.
Carpenters from the mill arranged the camp and erected tents for the approximately 30 boys who would arrive in June. A final detail was to have the water flowing from the well south of mill was safe. Upon arrival at the camp, the boys erected a fifty-foot flag pole, enclosed the area with a fence, and planted flowers.
The potatoes were ready for harvest the first week of October. Orders were taken at the paper mill office, $1.25 per bushel. No deliveries would be made. “As soon as the people here are supplied, the potatoes will be sold to the government.”[4]
As Harry worked to enlarge the paper mill’s farm, he purchased 21 cows and heifers in Wisconsin and had them shipped to Alexandria. Charles Lancaster, now head of the agricultural and livestock department, took charge of the shipment.[5]
Liberty Bonds was the government’s chosen way to pay for the war. There were four campaigns to sell the bonds; the second campaign started October 1, 1917, and Harry, on behalf of the Alexandria Paper Mill, purchased $50,000 in bonds. The bonds were credited to both the Alexandria and Commercial banks. Harry stated that the employees of the mill would purchase their bonds from the company.[6]
At the November 14, 1917 stockholder meeting of the Commercial Bank & Trust Company, both Harry and Edwin Yule were elected as directors. “Both gentlemen are citizens of Alexandria and both are well known as business men of superior qualifications and integrity.”[7]
As winter turned to spring, Harry’s thoughts again turned to baseball. Westside Park where “many a hot baseball game has been stages with some of the fastest independent teams in the state is no more.” The land had been purchased, the grandstand and fence removed, and the ground returned agriculture. The “land will be leased for farming purposes to help win the war.” In response to the decision to raze the ballpark, Harry made the statement that “Alexandria will have one of the fastest independent ball clubs in the state after the close of the war.”[8]
S. A. was failing. In late 1917 he had suffered a stroke, and while unable to get around, had been in good spirits. On April 4, 1918, with both of his children at his bedside, “Shortly after four o’clock at his home on North Commercial street this morning death closed the career of Ex-Congressman S. A. Cook.” News of his death “cast a shadow of sadness over the entire community” of Neenah and Menasha. “Young and old alike respected this big citizen and his memory will long be honored by those, and they include all, who were privileged to call him friend.”[9] Samuel Andrew Cook was 69 years old.
Two thousand people attended his funeral held at the armory that bore his name. The services were brief and included a reading of scripture by the pastor of the Presbyterian church, followed by a prayer by the pastor of the First Methodist Church, and remarks from the pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Following his remarks, the G.A.R. assumed charge, and the remains were taken to Oak Hill Cemetery where he was laid to rest next to his wife, Jennie.[10]
Harry and Martha were expecting their first child, a son, born on July 13, 1918. The joy S.A. would have felt at welcoming his first, and only grandchild, who was named Henry Hosford Cook. Hosford being the maiden name of Martha’s mother, Elizabeth May Hosford Paine.
Hosford (or Cookie as he was affectionately called), was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois at Presbyterian Hospital. His father was 37 years old, and his mother, 23. They listed their residence as the Alpaco Farms in Alexandria.[11]
The proud father made a quick trip to Alexandria on July 17th, before returning to Chicago.[12] While he was at the mill he presented each of the 160 employees a $10.00 bill accompanied by an engraved card.[13] In a 1970 interview, Robert W. Gaither shared this memory of the event: “One occasion that sticks in Mr. Gaither’s mind was the day Harry Cook’s son was born. ’I remember so well,’ he said, ‘when Harry sat on the steps of the old office building and gave everyone who came through a ten-dollar bill.’”[14]
A few days later on July 31, Harry called an emergency meeting of the Alexandria Paper Mill stockholders. With the passing of S.A., there was a need to elect new company officers. At that meeting, Harry was named president and general manager, Charles Lancaster, vice-president, and Edwin Yule, secretary and treasurer. The company as “one of the flourishing institutions” of Alexandria, was running year-round and employed about 160 men.[15]
The fourth and final Liberty Loan campaign began on September 24, 1918. On the 26th, Harry headed to the Liberty Loan headquarters and purchased a subscription for $25,000, making it the largest single voluntary subscription for this campaign.[16]
A year after his father’s death, S.A.’s estate was settled. The Daily Northwestern reported that after all of the provisions of S.A.’s will were met, the remaining estate to be distributed “included $320,002.11, the Cook homestead at Neenah and eight lots in Hennepin county, Minnesota.” This was to be “assigned in equal shares” to Harry and his sister, Maud.[17]
I have stated before that S.A. was a serial entrepreneur. I believe he thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of creating a company from scratch. The thrill of watching an idea grow and flourish. He also had the skill to run a successful business, to put into leadership roles the personalities and skill sets that will work together to further his idea. This is not an easy thing to do. Many people get it wrong, and companies flounder and fail. I believe his success was due not only to his ability to understand a business but because he was a good, honest man.[18] A testament to his business acuity is the amount of his remaining estate. In his will he was very generous to many people and organizations. Very generous. Yet the amount remaining to be distributed equally between his children was $320,002.11 (love the eleven cents). Entering this number into the calculator at www.usinflationcalculator.com that amount today is equivalent to $5,049,799.77. And that is just the cash distribution, the property he owned is not part of this amount. The will does not mention the 16 acres in Alexandria upon which the house sits.
The receipt of such a large inheritance prompted Harry to write his will. The will was witnessed on April 30, 1919. It bequeathed one-third of his property to his wife, Martha Paine Cook; one-third to his sister, Maud Lancaster, and one-third to be held in trust for Hosford.[19]
While Martha may not have been a big fan of baseball and football, she was an avid tennis player. While speeding three months of the summer of 1919 at her parent’s home in Oshkosh, she had participated in a tennis tournament. This sparked the idea of a new tennis court at the house. In June, plans were drawn for the new court which was to be located across the road from the home on the “Anderson Pike.” “The new tennis court will be equipped with all the latest tennis equipment.”[20] Work began on the court in September. and by October was “the scene of some fast tennis set.” This first court must have been a grass court, as plans were already in place to replace the current court with a “concrete court early in the spring.”[21]
Harry was a lover of automobiles, and he was specifically a fan of the Locomobile, having owned several over the years. In April 1914 he traded in his six-cylinder Winton touring car for a brand new Locomobile Torpedo Stern Roadster, capable of doing 90 mph.[22] He traded in the roadster in March 1917 for a Locomobile touring car with a yacht body.[23] I believe this is the car that was valued at $8,000 in July 1919. The car made the news on July 9th, when The Times=Tribune reported that a “Short Circuit Caused a Blaze In Front Seat.” Harry had been having ignition problems and had the car in for service. Returning home that evening he discovered a smoldering fire under the front seat. A bucket brigade was “hastily organized,” and the blaze was extinguished. The damage was covered by insurance.
1921
Charles and Maud passed through Alexandria on their way to the Pacific coast in late October. In their honor, Harry and Martha threw a small house party. “The out-of-town guests were Senator and Mrs. Austin Retherford. Hallowe’en decorations prevailed.”[24] On November 7th the newspaper reported that the Lancasters continued on their journey west, with plans to stop in Neenah.[25] The reason to mention this? As they had been “guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Cook,” indicates that they had not kept a residence in Alexandria.
Harry again showed his generosity when at Thanksgiving he gave a “Thanksgiving Remembrance” to each employee of the paper mill, the farm employees, as well as “the employes at the Cook home.” 160 employees received a $5.00 bill as a Thanksgiving remembrance.[26]
Christmas was a quiet affair for the small family. Shortly after the new year, Harry traveled to New York City on business. While in New York he caught what he thought was a cold. The cold was so bad that it sent him to the hospital. It was not a cold, he had contracted Sleeping Sickness.
The 1920 United States Federal Census was enumerated on January 29, 1920. The house was not yet a numbered residence. H. H. Cook was enumerated as the Head of Household, age 38, President of a Paper Company. It was noted that he owned the house, free of a mortgage. Residing with him were his wife, Martha, age 25, and son, Henry H. age 1.
The census is enumerated first as Households, second as Families living within the household, and third each Individual included in the family. Residing in the Cook household, as a separate family, were the Jordans. John F. Jordan, age 58, listing his relation to the Head of Household as Servant. I find this fascinating; I would have expected him to be listed as the Head of his own household, as he was renting his living quarters. John worked as the caretaker for the Cook property. Living with John, was Mary Jordan, age 56, Servant, working as the Cook, and Opal Jordan, age 15, Servant, working as a Table Maid.[27]
By August 1920, Martha and Hosford were residing full-time in Oshkosh, the Jordans continued to stay in the house, acting as caretakers.
In August 1921 Mary “housekeeper at the Harry Cook home, south of town” reported to The Times=Tribune that the “White Rock pullets hatched April 8 are now laying.[28] This is quite remarkable for a pullet so young to be laying.” I am sure that she regretted that contacting the newspaper as the next day “Chicken thieves got into the Cook chicken house at the home place on the paper mill grounds Sunday night and stole 35 White Rock chickens.” “No clue to the thieves has been discovered.”[29]
In January of 1923 after living on the Cook property for five years, the Jordans decided to move into their own home in the city.[30] Mary continued to serve as housekeeper and caretaker of the property. In August of that year, she arranged for the house to be “painted a beautiful white, which is very attractive to passersby.” As a thank you to the three men who spent days on the job, she “entertained” them at dinner. In return for her hospitality, the men presented her with an aluminum roaster.[31]
The house was now standing vacant. Mary was at the house only “intermittently to air and clean” since her move into town. She had last been on the property in early November 1924. On January 10th she got an uneasy feeling and decided that she needed to check on the house. She no longer had a personal set of keys, so she called a the paper mill office for keys and went to the house. It had been broken into.
The “thieves had gained entrance through a basement window on the north side of the house. The window was hidden from the road by the sun parlor which has a projection to the north. Three outside doors were found unlocked.” “Every room had been entered and the contents of all drawers, wardrobes, closets, pantries and even the attic had been rummaged. In the latter place, a sharp knife had been used to cut through a trunk. The contents were strewn promiscuously about the floor of the attic.”
A partial list of the articles stolen are: a “cabinet Victrola; an electric vacuum sweeper, a new broom; an entire set of fine china; glassware; a cut glass punch bowl; a carving set; all bed linen, table linen and towels; a small Victrola broken and the motor removed leaving only the box; all wool blankets and comforts; pillows; electric lamps; four overcoats; two dozen shirts; and may other articles.”[32] The thieves “were evidently equipped with one of those giant moving vans into which four or five tons can be loaded and hauled away without any trouble.” “A local wag wanted to know how come they didn’t ‘pack away the huge colonial pillars in front of the residence.’”[33] The “palatial residence of Harry Cook” was not the only robbery, the May hardware store had also been robbed. The police had no clue but stated, “that in both cases the robberies were committed by professionals making a tour of the state in autos.”[34] There is no further mention of the robbery, or who the thieves may have been.
The house remained in both Harry and Martha’s names until some time after February 1928 when Martha filed for divorce. At that time she received a “portion of the furnishings of the Cook home just south of the city, which has been unused since the separation.”[35]
Henry Harold Cook passed away on January 25, 1931, in Atlantic City, Atlantic County, New Jersey. He was 49 years old. Harry was brought to Neenah for burial and was buried near his parents in Oak Hill Cemetery.
SOURCES:
“For Field Artillery,” The Times-Tribune, 9 May 1917, p. 3, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 Aug 2021).
“Our Boys Santa Claus Fund,” The Times-Tribune, 27 Nov 1917, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jun 2016).
“Potatoes To Sell At $1.25 A Bushel,” The Times-Tribune, 8 Oct 1917, Monday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
Ibid.
“Pure-Bred Dairy Herd Arrives,” The Times-Tribune, 9 Jul 1917, p. 4, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Sep 2021).
“Paper Company Subscribes $50,000,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Oct 1917, Friday, p. 1, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Sep 2021).
“H. H. Cook and E. W. Yule Now Directors,” The Times-Tribune, 15 Nov 1917, Thursday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Farewell Baseball,” The Times-Tribune, 14 Mar 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 Jul 2016).
“Death Closes Career of Ex-Congressman S. A. Cook,” Neenah Daily Times, 4 Apr 1918, Thursday, p. 1, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 22 Jan 2019).
“The Funeral of Mr. Cook.,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 8 Apr 1918, Monday Evening, p. 5, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 Dec 2016).
FamilySearch, “Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922,” database and images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 Jul 2012); Henry Hosford Cook; Reference ID: 25709, GS Film Number: 1308838, Digital Folder Number: 004403114, Image Number: 01020.
“Cook Says ‘All’s Well’,” The Times-Tribune, 18 Jul 1918, Thursday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Munificence of Mr. and Mrs. Cook,” The Times-Tribune, 22 Jul 1918, Monday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
Sue Marston, “Old Paper Mill Will Again Have A Heart Beat,” The Times-Tribune, 15 Apr 1970, Wednesday, p. 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“Alexandria Paper Co. Holds Annual Election,” The Times-Tribune, 1 Aug 1918, Thursday, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 May 2016).
“One $25,000 Subscription,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Sep 1918, Thursday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Settle Cook Estate,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 17 Apr 1919, Thursday Evening, p. 10, col. 1; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016), Newspapers and Magazines.
I need to compile a list of descriptive phrases that have been published about Samuel A. Cook.
“Cook’s Sister Gets Large Part of His Estate,” The Times-Tribune, 11 Aug 1931, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“New Tennis Court,” The Times-Tribune, 13 Jun 1919, Friday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“Tennis At Cook Home,” The Times-Tribune, 7 Oct 1919, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“A High Powered Machine–,” The Times-Tribune, 30 Apr 1914, Thursday, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Apr 2016).
“Cook Purchases New Car,” The Times-Tribune, 23 Mar 1917, Friday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newwpapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jun 2016).
“Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Cook Entertain,” The Times-Tribune, 31 Oct 1919, Friday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“On Their Way West,” The Times-Tribune, 7 Nov 1919, Friday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Thanksgiving Remembrance,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Nov 1919, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
1910 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 122, sheet 9, p. 48A, dwelling 206, family 207-208, H. H. Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Mar 2003); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 449.
“Laying At Tender Age,” The Times-Tribune, 3 Aug 1921, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Steal 35 Fine White Rock Chickens At Cook Home,” The Times-Tribune, 9 Aug 1921, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Planning To Move In Their Own Home Soon,” The Times-Tribune, 20 Jan 1923, Saturday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Mrs. Jordan Entertains,” The Times-Tribune, 3 Aug 1923, Friday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Bold Thieves Break Into The Cook Home,” The Times-Tribune, 10 Jan 1925, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
The Times-Tribune, 12 Jan 1925, Monday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“No Clue to Robbers Who Looted the Cook Home,” The Times-Tribune, 13 Jan 1925, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Life Insurance Policy $25,000 to Mrs. Cook,” The Times-Tribune, 21 Feb 1928, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
The next few years flew by. Working first as secretary then vice-president and general manager of the Alexandria Paper Mill, Harry Cook was often on the road for business…and pleasure. His position offered him the luxury to spend a few months in Florida joined by his sister and in later years his father, S. A. An avid sportsman, he enjoyed attending sporting events all over the country, and when he was not a spectator, he was a talented and competitive participant.
In October of 1911, Georgina Yule prepared to make a trip home to Canada. The timing of her visit got Ed Yule and Harry thinking. They gallantly offered to escort Georgina as far as New York City, where they would stop to witness the opening game of the World’s Series. The New York Giants battled the Philadelphia Athletics in the Game 1 opener which occurred on October 14th before a record attendance of 38,281 fans. “Baseball was fast becoming more than just another entertainment spectacle. Soon it would officially be christened ‘America’s national pastime.’”
It certainly was a favorite sport in Alexandria, as early as 1905 Sunday games were a popular past-time. Harry brought his love of the sport to the paper mill by introducing indoor baseball, which he played on the mill’s tennis court. “Indoor baseball is played almost the same as the outdoor game, except that a smaller bat and a larger ball are used, and the pitcher merely tosses up the ball instead of putting on the speed and curves which are such an important part of the regular game.”
Harry was always ready to put together a friendly game. During one such game on November 19, 1911, Joe Lauderdale, “colored chauffeur for Harry” attempted to make a “Ty Cobb steal of third base when his feet became tangled and he fell heavily to the ground,” breaking his leg above the ankle.
The mill also boasted an outdoor field, and Harry was known to “call men from their jobs to play ball on the lawn west of the factory gates.”
In May of 1913, the paper mill was again evaluating what would be the most efficient fuel with which to run the plant, and it was determined that switching to steam would reduce the fuel bill by twenty percent. This also required a new “steel stack one hundred and twenty feet high” to be erected “at a cost of $4,000.”
Two months later a massive lightning storm blew over Alexandria. Lightning struck the recently erected steel water tank and shattered a portion of the roof. Another bolt struck the office and demolished a desk, while a third lightning bolt struck the house, but thankfully no serious damage was done.
Our first up-close look at the home is in 1914 when the Yule’s celebrated George Washington’s birthday with a euchre party at the house. “The home was decorated in the national colors with small silk flags and figures of Washington scattered throughout the living rooms. The tally cards were hatchets and the favors consisted of little hatchets with cherries attached. Numerous vases of beautiful flowers adorned the rooms. A four course luncheon was served.” They invited 22 people. Euchre is a game typically for four players, so they would either have set up six tables for play, or three tables for play rotation.
What did the house look like? The article mentions “living rooms.” So, we can assume more then one parlor for entertaining. We know the home had at least three bedrooms, as it was home to the Ed Yules and Harry Cook. Frequent guests were Harry’s sister, Maud, and her husband Charles Lancaster. Harry’s father. S.A. Cook would occasionally come for an extended stay. My guess is that Harry would stay in his rented rooms in Alexandria when the whole family was in town.
In May 1915, Harry, vice president of the Rolling Mill Land company, along with Ed Yule, secretary, petitioned the Alexandria city council for the dis-annexation of five acres located between Fifteenth and Seventeenth streets, and Harrison and Wayne streets in the south-part of the city. This five acres was part of a purchase the company had made in 1906. Was this the start of what would become the Alpaco Farms? (Alpaco = Alexandria paper company).
In September The Times=Tribune reported that “Under the direction of Harry Cook…a number of repairs are being made on the country home occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Yule adjoining the paper plant. The driveway of the home will be beautified with a fence separating the spacious lawn to the south of the country home. A flag pole has been erected in the far south corner of the indoor baseball diamond. When completed the home will be one of the prettiest around Alexandria.”
October saw the end of the 1915 baseball season. Almost a thousand fans crowded into Westside Park on October 31st to watch the final match between the Alexandria Paper Mill Team and the Marion Boosters. “At the end of ten long innings Manager Doyle (of the Marion Boosters) was forced to load his ball players into a traction car with the small end of a 4 to 3 score.” “By defeating Marion…the Alexandria club made a record this season that is hard to beat. Out of twenty-eight games played with some of the fastest semi-professional teams in the state…the club won twenty-two and only lost six.”
To celebrate the end of this amazing season of baseball, Harry hosted the team at a six o’clock dinner at the “country home of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Yule.” Mayor J. S. Wales was scheduled to be the “chief orator” for the evening, but he had lost his voice while attending the game. The “tenth inning excitement was too much,” and he lost his voice, only a whisper could be heard.
The banquet and the home were described like this: “A menu of turkey and all the trimmings reminded the ball tossers of Thanksgiving. It was an old fashioned turkey dinner prepared by the famous colored a la carte cateress, one Fannie Judy…the service resembled the Louis XIV dining room at the Claypool.” The Claypool was a grand hotel in Indianapolis.
Who was Fannie Judy? A year later when she passed away from a heart attack at the age of 45, her obituary describes her this way: “Fannie Judy’s name was a household name in many Alexandria homes. She was known for her ability as a cateress in serving the finest dinners. As a cook she was hard to beat. When a social event of any consequence was arranged in this city and it was decided to serve a meal, the first name suggested was Fannie Judy. Her fame in the kitchen was spread to Elwood and frequently she was seen with a heavily laden basket enroute to the west Madison county town where she was to serve dinner.” She “could always be depended on to help make an evening a pleasure for the invited guests.”
The Alexandria Paper Company continued its quest to acquire additional acreage in eastern Indiana, as in January 1916 136 acres were purchased in Monroe Township for $22,720. S. A. continued to hold the 16 acres that the house sat upon as personal property, which had a tax value in 1916 of $4,155.
Harry announced that after June 12, 1916 the mill would be moving from a 12-hour to an eight-hour shift model. This would increase the number of employees by 50, and the number of working crews from two to three. This announcement was a “source of satisfaction for employes.”
Lightning again struck the mill on August 4th and burned out some fuses. At 4:30 a.m. Harry was awakened by the shock, and looking out his window “saw a ball of fire as large as a ballon cavorting in a zig-zag manner along the wire.” To see the mill, his rooms would have been at the back of the house.
Undated photo from the Facebook page of the Alexandria Monroe Historical Society Museum
“Alexandria’s Show Place” is what The Times=Tribune called the paper mill campus on September 26th. “Every town and every city has its so-called ‘show place,’ the one outstanding place of interest to which the citizens point with pride when showing guests and strangers the outstanding features of interest and advantage possessed by their home town.” In Alexandria, this “show place” was the paper mill. “A natural beauty spot, the factory site has been enhanced by artificial means until today it is a veritable park. The ornamental brick posts, topped by large white globes, inclosing electric lights, give an aristocratic aspect to the place. The home of the resident manager, Mr. Ed Yule, is nearby, giving the entire place a homelike and comfortable appearance A new port cochere is now being constructed on the south side of the residence which, when completed will greatly add to its attractiveness.” “A fine sight is to view the mill at night, the myriad of lights giving it the appearance of unusual significance.”
1909 Sanborn
On November 16, 1916, two garage buildings were destroyed by fire following an explosion of gasoline. Joseph Lauderdale, the mills chauffeur, sustained burns on his arms. He had been using gasoline to rub grease from a pair of trousers, and it was supposed that the friction had caused a small explosion. Joe braved the flames to safely back out two automobiles that were stored in the garage. The local fire department attached a line of hose to the water tower at the factory and they were able to draw 75 pounds of water pressure, but the structure was a total loss. Several tires were lost in the fire, but thankfully the feed nozzle for the 200-gallon underground gasoline tank could be turned off and was made safe from further explosion. The fire chief estimated the loss at $400, and the “Alexandria Paper Company will give a banquet at an early date in honor of the firemen who fought the stubborn garage fire.”
The newspapers were always quick to report on Harry’s comings and goings, and he was making countless trips to Neenah to “visit his father.” I believe that there was another reason for so many trips home, he was courting Martha Wheeler Paine of Oshkosh, Winnebago County. Martha was the daughter of Edward Wheeler Paine and Elizabeth May Hosford. The Paine’s were a pioneering family of Oshkosh, and Martha’s grandfather, George Milton Paine, was the founder of the Paine Lumber Company which in 1917 was known as the “largest sash and door mill in the world.”
Another clue that change was in the air was the January 1917 announcement that Ed and Georgina had purchased a home at 212 Lincoln Avenue in Alexandria. They planned to move in as soon as the home was available.
212 Lincoln Avenue – April 2016
With the resignation of Jack Yule, elections were held to make the adjustment in management needed to move forward. S. A. “who is known among paper manufacturers all over the United States,” remained president, Harry as the “recognized head of the plant,” vice-president, Charles Lancaster, who recently had been appointed the head of the real estate department, secretary, and Edwin Yule, “who has been connected with the concern for a number of years,” treasurer. Charles also became a member of the board of directors.
Upon taking this new management role, Charles and Maud decided to acquire a permanent residence in Alexandria. They purchased, or rented, a home “near the Alexandria Paper Mill factory” and in April 1917 started “improvements amounting to several thousand dollars” on the home. The exact location of the home has not yet been determined.
Patriotism was deeply rooted in the Cook family, so it was only natural that as the United States officially entered World War I, S. A. would announce a flag-raising ceremony at the paper mill. The date was set for April 17th. I have documented this momentous event in a post titled: A ForgottenFamily. Click the title to read.
The creation in 1915 of the Hoosier-Dixie Highway encouraged the citizens of Alexandria to take great pride in the appearance of their property. By 1917 flowers were planted and front yards were being maintained. Motorists approaching from the south passed the paper mill where “in the last year much improvement work has been done and the country home at the mill is noticed by the traveling fraternity. H. H. Cook has stated that a number of other changes will be made early this summer.” The Times=Tribune reported on May 28th that Harry was building a private golf course, that he was “laying out a course of nine holes near the paper mill.”
As work continued on the country house, thirty-six-year-old Harry had moved into his rooms in the Day building and was soon joined by his sister and brother-in-law as worked progressed on their new home.
On June 22nd The Times=Tribune reported that they had received news “that was a surprise to many Alexandria friends.” Harry Cook was to be married to Martha Wheeler Paine. “Before leaving for Chicago this morning, where he was to meet Miss Paine and a party of friends, Mr. Cook was reticent concerning the wedding.”
The wedding took place at on June 30, 1917 at 11:00 a.m. in the Paine living room. 22-year-old Martha was given away by her father, and the ceremony was performed by her uncle, Rev. Francis L. Palmer. There were no bridal attendants “The house was beautifully decorated in a simple scheme, using spring flowers. Syringa blossoms and pink peonies were combined in the living room and the bride’s table in the dining room bore an exquisite arrangement of white sweet peas. The bride wore a simple afternoon gown of white chiffon and carried white orchids.” “The young couple left early this afternoon for New York city and will go from there to Maine and Canada for about a month. They will reside at Alexandria, Ind.”
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SOURCES:
“Woman’s World,” The Times-Tribune, 20 Oct 1911, Friday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jun 2016).
“Indoor Game is Popular,” The Times-Tribune, 2 Jul 1912, Tuesday, p. 3, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Sep 2021).
“Lauderdale Broke His Leg.,” The Times-Tribune, 20 Nov 1911, Monday, p. 2, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 4 Sep 2021).
Sue Marston, “Old Paper Mill Will Again Have A Heart Beat,” The Times-Tribune, 15 Apr 1970, Wednesday, p. 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“A Money Saver,” The Times-Tribune, 9 May 1913, Friday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Brief City News. Damage at Paper Mill–,” The Times-Tribune, 29 Jul 1913, Tuesday, p. 4, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“George Washington Party.,” The Times-Tribune, 19 Feb 1914, Thursday, p. 4, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Jun 2016).
“Garbage Master Kicked When a General Cleanup Was Suggested,” The Times-Tribune, 4 May 1915, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“Ideal Country Home–,” The Times-Tribune, 1915-09-14, Tuesday, p. 3, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
“Paper Mill Boys Take Marionettes,” The Times-Tribune, 1 Nov 1915, Monday, p. 4, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Sep 2021).
“Mayor Loses His Voice and Avoids Address at Ball Players’ Banquet,” The Times-Tribune, 1 Nov 1915, Monday, p. 1, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jun 2016).
Ibid.
“Mrs. Fanny Judy Dies Suddenly,” The Times-Tribune, 1916-11-02, Thursday, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Sep 2021).
“Real Estate Transfers,” The Elwood Call Leader, 19 Jan 1916, Wednesday, p. 2, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Jul 2016).
S. D. Smith, President, Caron Directory Co.,Publishers, Louisville, KY, Caron’s Directory of the City of Anderson, Indiana And Taxpayers of Madison County for 1916-1917, II vols., II:, p. 744, (383 of 457); digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jul 2016).
“Eight Hour Shift Will Start June 12,” The Times-Tribune, 3 Jun 1916, Saturday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newsppaers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jun 2016).
“Brief Local News. Lihgtning [sic] Strikes Wire–,” The Times-Tribune, 4 Aug 1916, Friday, p. 3, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Alexandria’s Show Place,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Sep 1916, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Garage at Paper Mill Destroyed,” The Times-Tribune, 16 Nov 1916, Thursday, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Estimtaes [sic] Loss—,” The Times-Tribune, 17 Nov 1916, Friday, p. 3, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 May 2016).
“E. W. Paine Passes Away At His Home,” (Oshkosh)The Oshkosh Northwestern, 30 Apr 1938, Saturday, p. 1, col. 7. Cit. Date: 5 Nov 2004.
“Branum Property Sold To J. H. Benton,” The Times-Tribune, 27 Jan 1917, Saturday, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 May 2016).
“Annual Election of Paper Company.,” The Times-Tribune, 26 Mar 1917, Monday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 May 2016).
Could this be the home that Ed Yule maintained in later years near the mill?
“To Improve Home,” The Times-Tribune, 27 Apr 1917, Friday, p. 6, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Hoosier-Dixie Highway is Cause of a Big Improvement Near Alex.,” The Times-Tribune, 6 Apr 1917, Friday, p. 1, col. 6-7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspaper.com : accessed 19 May 2016).
“Private Golf Course,” The Times-Tribune, 28 May 1917, Monday, p. 4, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Sep 2021).
The Times-Tribune, 2 May 1917, Wednesday, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.co, : accessed 1 Sep 2021).
“Manufacturer of Alexandria Will Wed Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Girl June 30,” The Times-Tribune, 22 Jun 1917, Friday, p. 1, col. 6-7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 May 2016).
“Cook-Paine Wedding,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 30 Jun 1917, Saturday Evening, p. 4, col. 6; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 May 2016), Newspapers & Publications.
It is a testament to S.A. Cook’s management skills that the Alexandria Paper Mill was so quickly and efficiently designed and built from the ground up. He had an overall vision for this 30-acre parcel of land. Today we would call it a campus. His placement of the mill on the southern border of the property, the brick office nearby, and Pipe Creek running through the northern border, parallel with the factory. Located near the railroad line, side tracks were laid at company expense to afford easy access for deliveries of raw materials, and pick-up of the finished product. [1][2]
1901, Section 30, Madison County
While S.A. chose Alexandria for the inexpensive gas running through the county, he was not fully trusting that this would be a lasting source of energy to power the mill. The Daily Northwestern reported: “While the company feels very confident of an ample supply of gas for many years, in erecting its plant it has made provisions for the use of oil for fuel if necessary, and for the use of coal if that should at any time become desirable.” [3]
Following the dissolution of the partnership with M. H. Ballou in the spring of 1900, S.A. had a plan for the future. Since the formation of the S.A. Cook Manufacturing Company in 1897, he had been grooming Watson “Watt” Yule, and his son Harry Cook, to take management positions in the paper-making industry. At age 51, S.A. had no intention of moving to Alexandria to oversee the mill. 30-year-old Watt was working as a teller at the First National bank in Neenah, [4] and S.A. felt that he was experienced enough to take on a management role at Alexandria, and so positioned him as Secretary. At 19, Harry was finishing his formal education at the state university while continuing to learn the family business under the tutelage of his father. S.A. would send him to Alexandria in 1901.
In February 1899 the news arrived from Texas that John “Jack” Yule’s wife had passed away shortly after giving birth to their son. Knowing that he would not want to be so far away from family, S.A. offered him the role of company sales manager. In accepting the position, Jack moved to Alexandria.
The Yule brothers found places to lodge a short distance from the mill and began serving as the eyes and ears for their “uncle” S.A. Cook. Their relationship with S.A. has been documented in many places as uncle/nephew. While not technically correct, they were of the same generation as S.A.’s children, and trying to explain the correct relationship, which is first cousin-once-removed, was complicated, so they came to be known as his nephews.
Watt and Jack’s younger brother, Edwin Watson “Ed” Yule soon joined them in Alexandria. We know he was in Alexandria in 1901 when he married a girl from “home” in Canada, Georgina Louise Lemon, on July 17, 1901. He was 27, and she was 26, and they set up residence in a house that stood near the paper mill. [5] I can only imagine the enthusiasm with which the Yule brothers and Harry Cook welcomed Ed and Georgina on their arrival in Alexandria. Their marriage and subsequent residency in a home on the “South Side” of town created a home base for the family.
A married couple could provide the role of chaperone when they wished to entertain friends and family, such as the Tuesday evening party held on June 10, 1902 in honor of Miss E. M. Daville of Aurora, Canada, and Harry’s sister, Maud Cook. [6] More elaborate parties, such as the one given by Watt, on another Tuesday evening, March 2, 1905, required an additional chaperone, this time Mrs. F. P. Nourse filled the role. On that evening “guests were first driven to the paper mill and after going over the plant repaired to the home…which was situated nearby. Games and music were indulged in until a late hour. Elegant refreshments were served in four courses.” Harry Cook attended, his presence rounding out the numbers to eight couples. [7]
R. L. Polk was in town in 1901 to document the city of Anderson for a 1902-1903 City Directory, including the landowners and taxpayers of Madison County. The county directory noted the landowner’s name and post office address, acreage, and assessed value of real and personal property. S.A.’s property was included, showing a value of $1,310 for his 16-acre plot in Alexandria. [8]
In March 1902 the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company was in Alexandria to map its important buildings. Sanborn Maps are wonderfully detailed, with facts about the community such as the size of the fire department, which streets are paved with brick, and how in 1902 there were four night police, and the lights were electric. The paper mill was included on page nine. In addition to detail about the construction of the mill, the map shows that whole property was surrounded by an 8’ white picket fence, a brick one-story office sat within the fence “about 280’ to S. Park Av.” The mill was mapped again in 1909 and a frame “Auto Shed” with storage shed attached, had been added. [9][10]
The next Yule to marry was Jack. He married an Alexandria girl, Grace Jane Crouse on May 15, 1903 and they settled into the city of Alexandria. Four children were born to the couple: John Hawkins, George Edwin, Mary Elizabeth, John (Jack, Jr.) and Watson Albert. Only two, George and Mary Elizabeth, lived to adulthood. Jack resigned his position as company sales manager in February 1917, returning to Canada, settling in Renfrew, Ontario. He remained in the paper industry, working for the Kenwood Mills Limited of Albany, New York. He passed away on December 5, 1943 in Arnprior, at the age of 71. [11]
By January 1904 the availability of natural gas had dwindled to the point that the Paper Company was compelled to convert its plant to the use of coal. [12] The company was prepared for this change, and the transition from gas to coal was a smooth one. Meanwhile, many other companies began to close or leave Alexandria, which left many of the tenant houses empty. S.A. as president of the Rolling Mill Land Company, began to purchase these homes in 1906 for the purpose of converting the land back to farming. [13]The company reported that they would sell some homes to the county, place tenants in some and others would be torn down and removed. [14]
Watt Yule married 35-year-old Emly Ada Perryman [15] on 31 Dec 1907 in Toronto, Ontario, he was 37 years old. Until that time he had lived in what was known as the “Bachelor’s Retreat” located at 216 East John Street. In 1906 the boarding house was “facetiously called the ‘Orphans’ Asylum,’ for there are no two people of the same name residing there; every one of the ten members is marriageable, and all are perfectly willing that Landlady ‘Aunt’ Kate Williams, be called ‘mother,’ and, indeed, a mother she is, to the oddly made up family.”
“While to the un-poetic and unsentimental it is just a commonplace boarding house, to this family it is far more—it is home.” The article states that some of the residents have “passed by one year, the three score and ten marks.” Kate Williams who was interviewed for the article stated that “‘Happy Hooligan,’ as Watt Yule is deservedly called, …another of the happy family, which owes to him much of its happiness, for he is a natural clown, and though out on the road much of the time, he puts the house in good humor that lasts from one week’s end to his arrival at the other.” [16] I am not sure when Watson left the employ of the Alexandria Paper Mill, but he too remained working in the paper industry. For most of his later life, he lived in Chicago and was traveling for work to Green Bay, Brown Co., Wisconsin when he died of a heart attack on 17 Jan 1935 at the age of 64. [17]
Earliest postmark found: 1908
S.A.’s daughter, Maud Christie Cook, graduated in 1897 at age 19 from Mt. Vernon Seminary, a private women’s college in Washington, DC., now known as the Mount Vernon Campus of The George Washington University. Following graduation, she returned to Wisconsin, and settled into acting as hostess for her father, supported by her aunts, Emeline and Margaret, and adopted aunt, Elizabeth Bartlett.
On November 21, 1913, S.A. announced the engagement of his daughter, Maud, to Charles F. Lancaster of Boston, Massachusetts. [18] The Fond du Lac newspaper describes the relationship between 35-year-old Maud and her 64-year-old father this way: “Miss Cook is a woman of rare attainments and very unusual executive ability. For some years she has been virtually business manager for her father, caring for a great mass of details in his affairs, and saving him untold work and worry. Her marriage and the probable separation it will entail will mean to Mr. Cook not only parting with his daughter, but with a business partner and chum as well.”
Her new husband, Mr. Lancaster, had long been engaged in real estate in Boston. At the time of his marriage to Maud, he was 46 years old. A divorcee, he had one son, Earle Winship Lancaster, born in 1897. Charles and Maud were married on Christmas Day, the “ceremony, which was performed at the residence of the bride’s father, on North Commercial Street, was marked by the utmost simplicity. Rev. E. H. Smith of the First Congregational church, Oshkosh, officiated. The bride wore white Venetian white point lace and was unattended. Although no invitations were issued, Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster received many beautiful presents.” [19]
After their marriage, the couple traveled extensively both here and abroad and were often guests at the home of Edwin and his wife in the house near the paper mill.
Dare I say that Henry Harold Cook, known as Harry, was a bit of a playboy who enjoyed parties and social gatherings, attending ball games, and driving fast cars. As the son of a wealthy man, he was afforded such luxuries and had the time and money to indulge in entertainment.
He is recorded as joining and being part of the organization of many new clubs in Alexandria such as the Alexandria Whist Club, the New Century Club, and the Fortnightly Club. In May 1909, at age 28, he became president of the Monroe Township branch of the Law and Order League. The league was formed to work for the retention of the saloons in Madison County in the coming “county option campaign.” The “purpose of the organization is not only to prevent the county from going dry, but to continue as a permanent thing, to force the saloonists to obey the law, and to drive out of business those saloonists who do not obey the law.” [20] I do not know if they were successful.
S.A. entered the political arena for the last time in 1907 when petitions were signed encouraging him to run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator against Senator Robert M. La Follette. He was defeated in the 1910 primary. His response to his loss was that he needed no sympathy, and that “I shall be found in the future as in the past, supporting those principles which I believe will benefit the whole people, helping rather than criticizing, and conscious that if the future may justly be judged by the past, my course shall in the end be fully vindicated.” [21]
As a young man in Alexandria, Harry kept rooms in town, first at the Bachelor’s Retreat, and later in an apartment in the Day Block, [22] but his permanent residence was with Edwin and Georgina Yule. It was here that at age 28, he was enumerated in the 1910 United States Federal Census, residing as a lodger. Edwin, 36 years old, was head of the household, with his wife, Georgina, age 35, keeping house. Also living with them was a servant, 19-year-old Lottie Stewart. [23]
The Paper Mill continued to grow and thrive under the leadership of the Yule brothers, Harry Cook and long-time superintendent William H. Brannon, [24] but it was the vision of S.A. that created the culture of the mill. In 1908 the city placed the tax value of the Paper Mill at $33,540. [25]
On April 5, 1902, S.A. had written a letter “To Our Employees.” In this letter, he informed the employees that he intended to adopt what he called “a short hour schedule,” in which the mill would “commence the manufacture and finishing of paper at seven o’clock Monday morning and stop manufacture and finishing of paper Saturday night at six o’clock, until further notice, wages to remain the same…” “And as a further consideration of your past, present and expected willingness to do, we have decided that each person in our employ for one year beginning April 1st, 1902, or those who may come later and remain continuously in our employ for one year, shall at the end of such year of service receive ten per cent on the amount paid such person during said year on present rate of wages. This may be construed by you as a share in the earnings of the business, or as interest on your wages, which is a workingman’s capital.” [26]
The culture that S. A. created for the mill was not only ahead of its time, but one that would withstand the test of time.
circa 1910
SOURCES:
“Nearly Completed.,” (Neenah)Neenah Daily Times, 24 Oct 1899, p. 4, col. 4. Cit. Date: 10 May 2016.
In 1998 the location of the railway lines was described this way: “There was a switch track east of Ind. 9 between Gaither Family Resources and the old Colonade or Elder House today. The track continued across the highway, through the Yule Estates area and connected with the present railroad track. The street car track came down the center of Harrison Street and through the present Yule Estates.” Club Notes. Alexandria-Monroe Historical Society,” The Times-Tribune, 25 Mar 1998, Wednesday, p. 12 & 13, col. 2 & 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Jun 2016).
“Neenah Capital In Indiana,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 25 Jan 1900, Thursday, p. 6, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 May 2016).
“Watson A. Yule Died Thursday,” The Menasha Record, 18 Jan 1935, Friday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Aug 2021).
John La Rue Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, its People and Its Principal Interests, 2 volumes (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1914), 2: 598-599. Cit. Date: 4 May 2016.
“Alexandria, Ind.,” The Muncie Morning Star, 15 Jun 1902, Sunday, p. 8, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
“Pleasantly Entertained,” The Times-Tribune, 2 Mar 1905, Thursday, p. front page, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 Jul 2016).
R. L. Polk, R. L. Polk & Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, R. L. Polk & Co.’s Anderson City and Madison County Directory, 1902-1903. A Business Directory and a complete list of all Landowners and Taxpayers in Madison County, 524, e 213; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jul 2016).
Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana (N.p.: n.p., March 1902, 13 sheets); digital image, Indiana University Bloomington (https://libraries.indiana.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps : accessed 17 Oct 2017).
Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana (N.p.: n.p., November 1909, 13 sheets); digital image, Indiana University Bloomington (https://libraries.indiana.edu/union-list-sanborn-maps : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
Ontario, Canada Archives of Ontario, death certificate 033409, 630; reference no. RG 80-08-0-2265 (1943), John Campbell Yule; digital image, “Registrations of Deaths, 1943, Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada,” Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 Aug 2016).
“Around A Big State,” The Silver Lake Record, 22 Jan 1904, Friday, p. 3, col. 6; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 May 2016).
“Have Forty Houses,” The Daily Record, 24 Mar 1906, Saturday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Dec 2017).
“Republic Company Is Selling Vacant Houses,” The Muncie Evening Press, 23 Jan 1906, Tuesday, p. 6, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
On all legal documents she spelled her name Emly, although based on the common use of Emily, it was pronounced as Emily.
“‘Bachelor’s Retreat’ At Alexandria,” The Muncie Sunday Star, 4 Nov 1906, Sunday, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 Aug 2021).
“Watson A. Yule Died Thursday,” The Menasha Record, 18 Jan 1935, Friday, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Aug 2021).
“Maud Cook Engaged,” (Fond du Lac)The Daily Commonwealth, 21 Nov 1913, Friday, p. 4. Cit. Date: 12 Aug 2004.
“Miss Cook Is A Bride,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 26 Dec 1913, Friday Evening, p. 9, col. 2; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 21 Nov 2016).
“Officers Are Named,” The Times-Tribune, 5 May 1909, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Jul 2016).
“S. A. Cook Says He Needs No Sympathy,” The Appleton Evening Crescent, 16 Sep 1910, Friday, p. 8, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 2 Sep 2021).
“Guests Entertained.,” The Times-Tribune, 15 Jan 1917, Monday, p. front page, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
1910 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 109, sheet 9, p. 175B, dwelling 213, family 213, Edwin Yule household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 364.
William H. Brannon had worked for S.A. Cook in his Neenah mills. He moved his family to Alexandria in 1903 to run the Alexandria Paper Mill.
“Tax Valuations Fixed.,” The Times-Tribune, 19 Jun 1908, Friday, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Jul 2016).
The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 12 Apr 1902, Saturday Evening, p. 4, col. 5-6; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 May 2016).
To begin where I ended the last post: As I began my research into the home, I came across many statements regarding this once-majestic dwelling place. Comments that it had been a brothel, [1] a gin house, bordello, and gambling joint. [2] The home that Harry H. Cook built for his bride, [3] the home that the “owner of the paper mill,” Edwin Yule built. Another article states that after Harry died the home was sold to Ed Yule his “nephew” and he renovated it for his bride. [4] So many stories surrounding the origin of this house. It is almost as if I am watching a stage play.
Here are the “Cast of Characters,” although not in order of appearance, but as a family group.
Samuel Andrew Cook, known as S.A. (1849 – 1918)….Owner of the property. Serial entrepreneur
Jennie Christie (1849 – 1895)….Deceased wife of S. A. Cook
Maud Christie Cook (1878 – 1949)….Daughter of S. A. and Jennie Cook
Charles Frank Lancaster (1867 – 1933)….Husband of Maud Christie Cook
Henry Harold Cook, known as H. H., or Harry (1881 – 1931)…Son of S. A. and Jennie Cook
Martha Wheeler Paine (1895 – 1993)…Wife of H. H. Cook
Henry Hosford Cook (1918 – 1927)…Son of H. H. and Martha Cook
Mary Jane Watson…Maternal 1st Cousin to S. A. Cook, daughter of Mary McGarvy and John Eves Watson.
Andrew Yule…Husband of Mary Jane Watson
They raised their children in Aurora, York, Ontario, Canada
Watson A. Yule, ak Watt (1870 – 1935)…A resident of Neenah, Winnebago, Wisconsin in 1895 Resident of Alexandria, Madison, Indiana in 1900
Emly/Emily Ada Perryman (1872 – 1958)…Wife of Watson. Married 31 Dec 1907 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada
John Campbell Yule, aka Jack (1872 – 1943)…A resident of Alexandria in 1900
Dora Rynerson (1870 – 1899) …Wife of John. Married 15 Dec 1897 in Erath County, Texas
Grace Jane Crouse (1881 – 1952)…Wife of John. Married 15 May 1903 in Alexandria
Edwin Watson Yule, aka Ed (1874 – 1970)…A resident of Alexandria in 1901
Georgina Louise Lemon (1874 – 1959)…Wife of Edwin. Married 17 Jul 1901 in Aurora, York, Ontario, Canada
Edward Boyd Yule (1876 – 1972)…Did not emigrate to America
Walter Scott Yule (1879 – 1921)…Did not emigrate to America
To paraphrase: “The Cooks were a family, to begin with.” For decades this extended family had resided near each other in Canada, specifically communities in York, Ontario Province. S.A.’s parents, William and Jane McGarvy Cook were the first to leave. In 1856 they emigrated to Stockbridge, Calumet County, Wisconsin. I have written posts about their early years in Wisconsin and the sinking of the Lady Elgin, an event that changed the family forever. [5] What didn’t change for the family was their love, and the closeness that they felt to the family left behind in Canada. Before her death, Jane had been very close to her mother and sisters, Elizabeth McGarvy Watson, and Mary McGarvy Watson. The Cook children can be documented crossing back and forth visiting their grandmother, aunts, and cousins.
Jane’s sister, Mary, and her husband, John Eves Watson had eight children. Their fourth child Mary Jane married Andrew Yule, and they in turn had six children. The firstborn was a girl they named Mary Jane who died in infancy. The next five were sons, born between 1870 and 1879, ages that matched closely to the family down in Wisconsin. As the boys grew older, they were ready to spread their wings and try life in the United States. The first to come south was 25-year-old Watson. He joined his uncle, S. A. in Neenah, sometime before June 20, 1895. [6]
The summer of 1895 was a pivotal year for the Cook family. S. A. had been elected to the House of Representatives and was planning to fulfill his duty to his country and state, leaving his family home in Neenah while he attended to government business in Washington DC. Going alone to Washington allowed 17-year-old Maud, and 14-year-old Harry to continue their schooling in Neenah uninterrupted. Jennie would not be alone, as her sisters Elizabeth, Emeline, and Margaret were residing with the family in their large home on Commercial Street.
Then, unexpectedly, on July 27th, 49-year-old Elizabeth Christie passed away. She had “been an invalid for about a year and for two months past had been confined to her bed.” [7] S. A. purchased a family plot in Oak Hill Cemetery, and it was there that she was laid to rest.
S. A. Cook, 1896
Two months later, on September 10th, Jennie, who had “been in delicate health the past few years” left with her sister, Margaret, for Aurora, Canada, in the “hopes that a change of climate might benefit her health.” Sadly, instead of improving, she took a turn for the worse, and S. A. was called to her bedside. Taking Harry with him, and accompanied by Watson, he rushed to Canada where she sadly passed away on September 19th. Jennie was just 46-years-old. Her remains were brought back to Neenah for burial near her sister in Oak Hill Cemetery. [8]
The passing of Jennie changed S.A.’s plans for Washington, DC. He decided to take the family with him. He rented a home in the city and made arrangements to leave earlier than originally planned so that he could settle Maud and Harry in school. His sisters-in-law, Emeline and Margaret would accompany the family, one to care for the household, the other to “act as his secretary under appointment according to the new law, giving representatives each a clerk paid for by the government.” [9] S.A. asked Watson to occupy his home in Neenah during his absence. [10] He would serve just one term in the House of Representatives, returning to Wisconsin in 1897 at the end of his term.
S.A. was a serial entrepreneur, always looking to expand, evolve and grow his empire. This is not to say he was a mean-spirited person, as there are dozens upon dozens of newspaper accounts of what a kind, wonderful man he truly was. He was just always “thinking.” And so it was on October 27, 1897, that he filed articles of incorporation in Menasha, Winnebago, Wisconsin, for the S. A. Cook Manufacturing Company, in partnership with Miner H. Ballou, 27-year-old Watson Yule, and his son, 16-year-old Harry.[11] Two years later, on June 29th, he would incorporate another company, the Alexandria Paper & Investment Co., with Miner H. Ballou and A. E. Bunker.
We may never know when Watson moved to Alexandria to begin work at the paper mill, but he was certainly there in June 1900 to be enumerated in the census.[12] He was living at 119 Church Street, residing as a boarder in the Ralph and Nellie Bertsche household, his occupation is listed as the “secretary of the paper co.”
Watson’s brother John was also living in Madison County in June of 1900. He was working at the paper mill as a sales manager [13] residing as a “boarder” on the farm of William Dean and his family. The farm must have been very close to the paper mill as John was one of 3 “boarders” the family had taken in, all of whom worked at the paper mill.[14] A 1914 published biography about John[15] states that he came to Alexandria in 1899.
John had been living and working in Dallas, Dallas, Texas. The biography states that he like his brother Watson had first gone to Neenah to work, presumably with the help of S. A. He left for Dallas in 1895. John married Dora Rynerson in 1897, and they welcomed their firstborn son, Byron on January 28, 1899. Sadly Dora passed away soon after his birth on February 2nd. Shortly after Dora’s passing, John took his newborn son home to Canada to be cared for by his parents.[16][17] On May 15th in 1903, 31-year-old John married Grace Crouse, and Byron was brought to live with them in Alexandria.[18]
Last but not least, we look for Edwin Yule. In his 1914 biography,[19] he states that he arrived in Alexandria at the time that the Alexandria Paper Company was founded, July 1900. He is not found in the 1900 census for Madison County, but when 27-year-old Edwin married Georgina Lemon on 17 Jul 1901, he listed Alexandria as his place of residence, and his occupation was that of “manufacturer.”[20]
Alexandria, Indiana, 1908
The last cast members to move to Alexandria are S. A.’s children, Harry and Maud. Harry is still living at home in Neenah at the time of the 1900 census. He is 19 years old, had finished his schooling at the University in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin, and he lists his occupation as that of a “Paper Manufacturer.” [21] The first published record of his residence in Alexandria is in October 1901 when the newspaper reported that “The Alexandria Whist club, composed of men only, was organized Tuesday evening. The following gentlemen compose the charter members: W. H. Yule…John Yule…Harry Cook… The club’s permanent quarters will be in the Opera house block. Games will be played once a week, the playing season to end in April of next year. A score of each player will be kept and the winner will receive a handsome prize. The members are all experienced players.” [22] Notice, Edwin Yule is not listed as a charter member of the club.
Maud would not have a residence in Alexandria till many years later, but there is a record that she would come and visit her brother and cousins. For much of her young adulthood, she acted as a travel companion, and hostess for her father, as he entertained business associates and friends.
Phew. The players have now been introduced, the stage is set, and we will now begin to look at the first act of a very special home on Park Avenue, in Alexandria, Monroe Township, Madison, Indiana.
Linda Ferris, “Elder House to open house on Sunday,” The Times=Tribune, 16 Jan 1991, Wednesday, p. 1 & p. 8, col. 1-4 & top; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 Jun 2016).
“Lines from Linda,” The Times=Tribune, 10 Sep 1986, Wednesday, p. 2, col. 1-2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jul 2016).
Mary Graves, “Elder House comes to Colonnades,” The Times=Tribune, 4 Dec 1985, Wednesday, p. 1 & p.2, col. 1, 3-4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2016).
A Face to a Name; September 6, 1860; The Lady Elgin Disaster, Part, 1; The Lady Elgin Disaster, Part 2; Maps. Another Layer to the Story
1895 State Census, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, population schedule, Neenah, 2nd Ward, line Last, Watson Eule; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 Mar 2016).
“Death of Miss Christie.,” The Appleton Weekly Post, 4 Jul 1895, Thursday, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 11 Aug 2018).
“Widespread Sorrow. Caused by Death of Mrs. Cook.,” (Oshkosh)The Daily Northwestern, 20 Sep 1895, Friday, p. 3, col. 1. Cit. Date: 6 May 2004.
“A Busy Week,” (Oshkosh)The Daily Northwestern, 26 Oct 1895, Saturday, p. 5, col. 1. Cit. Date: 12 Aug 2004.
“Leaves for Washington.,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 15 Nov 1895, Friday, p. 5, col. 2; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 30 Mar 2016).
“A New Company.,” The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, 27 Oct 1897, Wednesday, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Jul 2016).
1900 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, Alexandria City, enumeration district (ED) 97, sheet 12 (penned), p. 52B (stamped), dwelling 223, family 253, Ralph Bertsche household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 Aug 2021); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll FHL microfilm: 1240386.
1900 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, Alexandria City, Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) 97, sheet 28-29, p. 68A-B, dwelling 548, family 611, William Dean household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Aug 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 386.
John was enumerated in District 97, while the Ballou’s were enumerated in District 95.
John La Rue Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, its People and Its Principal Interests, 2 volumes (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1914), 2: 598. Cit. Date: 4 May 2016.
“Obituaries. Byron Andrew Yule,” The Post-Crescent, 6 Nov 1978, Monday, p. B-11, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 Aug 2021).
1901 census of Canada, Ontario, York, district 130 York North, S. District No: A, sub-district 3, Town of Aurora, p. 10, dwelling 111, family 111, Andrew Yule household; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Apr 2016); citing citing Library and Archives Canada, microfil reels: T-6428 to T-6556.
1910 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 112, sheet 8, p. 210B, dwelling 186, family 188, John C. Yule household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 Jul 2016); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 364.
Forkner, History of Madison County, Indiana, 2: 598-599. Cit. Date: 4 May 2016.
Ontario, Canada Ontario, Registrar General, Marriage Register, (Archives of Ontario, Toronto), K, 1901: 499-500, image 327 & 328 of 430, Yule-Lemon; FHL microfilm. Cit. Date: 24 Dec 2017.
1900 U.S. census, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, population schedule, City of Neenah, 3rd Ward, enumeration district (ED) 127, sheet 1, p. 141A, dwelling 12, family 13, S. A. Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Apr 2001); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 1824.
“Alexandria,” The Muncie Morning Star, 27 Oct 1901, Sunday, p. 10, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 Dec 2017).
