John Lett Cook New Info
I have not seen this record posted here or elsewhere so I am taking the liberty of posting it and drawing conclusions from it.
1739 Jun 29--BRUNSWICK CO VA
John Lett Cook was granted 400a adjoining Holmes, Clack, Watson, et als.
I have been told that grants were made only to persons age 21 or over, so if that is so then John Lett Cook must have been born in 1718 or earlier, and it seems unlikely that there was more than one man by that same name in Brunswick Co at this time.
And, if this is the same John Lett Cook called son by John Cooke in his 1743 will, that JLC was listed in the will AFTER John’s son Richard, who is known to have been born in July 1729 to John and Dinah.
It had been presumed that John listed his sons in the traditional birth order in his will, but that assumption now is not valid, AND it may indicate that John had a wife before Dinah, who is known to be the mother of Richard and at least three other of John’s sons, and was his widow.
It seems sure that this is the probable scenario:
John married an unknown Lett before 1718 and by her had John Lett in 1718 or earlier, he being named at least partially for John’s wife’s family name, and thereafter that first wife died, perhaps in a second childbirth.
Then, in about 1728 John married second, Diana or Dinah unknown and they had their first child in 1729.
Note that Diana / Dinah’s given name is found in both spellings in court records.She may have thereafter married John Daniel, or he may have been her brother or some other kin.
Any comments, questions, discussion, etc please drop me a note or longer if you like.
Graham Louer
Plano TX
Married 60 years November ‘11