More information on Nelson Cook, black stereotyper

Andrew W. Shurtz, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design in the School of Art at Louisiana State University has kindly called my attention to three obituaries about Nelson Cook. All of them are from African-American newspapers that have been digitized as part of the The California Digital Newspaper Collection. I am appending the complete text of all three below.

The Elevator 7 June 1873
Virginia City, June 3d, 1873.
Mr. Editor,—It becomes my painful duty to announce another one of those sad and melancholy deaths that brings so vividly to our view the fact that we are all born but not buried.

On Monday morning last, Mr. Nelson Cook, while in a fit of temporary insanity injured himself. so severely, that it caused his death in one hour Mr. Cook came amongst us a comparative stranger, but by his exemplary conduct since residing here made many warm friends who mourn his untimely death. I will say no more, but leave it to older friends and more competent to write a more fitting tribute.
Respectfully,
Theodore A. Lee

The Pacific Appeal 7 June 1873
Death of Nelson Cook.
It is with deep regret that we chronicle the death of Nelson Cook, who died on Monday last in Virginia City, Nevada. Mr. Cook had been long a resident of this city; in fact he was one of the pioneer colored men of California, having come to this State in 1852, and shortly after brought hie family from his native State, New York, and made himself one of the most useful citizens in helping to bring society among us on a more proper basis. He was almost from the time of his coming to the State until about two years ago, employed as a porter or messenger in the banking house in this city of Drexel, Sather & Co., now Sather & Co. He was a man of remarkable talent, a ripe scholar, and was honest to a farthing and capable in everything he undertook. His culture and affability conceded to him the title of a gentleman. He was one of the founders and an active member of Olive Branch Lodge F. and A. Masons of this city, and was its secretary for many years. After the formation of the Conventional Independent Grand Lodge of this State he was its first Grand Secretary and also Secretary of Alpha Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of this city, which organization will attend his funeral in a body tomorrow (Sunday) P. M., from the Conventional Independent Grand Lodge Hall, Pacific street, between Powell and Mason, where his remains are now placed, to the Zion A. M. E. Church, Stockton street, between Clay and Sacramcnto, where his funeral obsequies will be held prior to interring his remains by the side of his deceased wife, in Lone Mountain Cemetery. Mr. Cook leaves a married daughter, Mrs. Isaac Harris, a niece of Mrs. William H. Hall, and other relatives and a large number of friends to mourn his sudden demise.

The Elevator 14 June 1873
OBITUARY.
The sudden and tragic death of Nelson Cook, awakened emotions of the deepest sorrow and surprise among his numerous friends, as well as a solemn astonishment to his casual acquaintance, because he was a man far above the average of men in point of business punctuality, whatever he promised was his bond, and was generally redeemed with the strictest regard to the dictates of honor.

Long before his adventure upon the golden shores of the Pacific, he held a high station in the leading stereotyping establishment of New York (Smith and Son), having the control of over forty men; and during that time he had a social and moral status with the most refined and intelligent classes of colored people, and was regarded by the older portion as a model of sobriety and uprightness.

In 1852, Mr. Cook left his cheering home, his lucrative trade, and a host of the best men in New York, to try his fortune in a new land. All who knew him, anticipated the greatest results— he met and realised their expectation—not in literature or wealth, but by occupying for twenty-one years a place of trust in the celebrated banking house of Drexell, Sather and Church, which has redowned to the honor of his race. Time and again he returned to his employers hundreds of dollars, the net of mere sweepings, and it is no more than just to his memory here to assert that, he had a better reputation among the merchants of San Francisco, than any other colored man who has come in direct contact with them.

He was a liberal supporter of all the churches, especially Zion, for which he collected in her darkest hour of trouble near two thousand dollars; he was an active and intelligent member of all our literary institutions, he was a bright and consistent Mason, and done more to keep the Lodges of Olive Branch and Wethington in force than any member among them.

No man has left this community, the loss of whose liberality, zeal and patriotism will be more severely felt than Nelson Cook; and though our hearts may be made to suffer, and our eyes to weep, let us bow with hope that the fate of our friend was an inflexible destiny.

The most important information to be gleaned from these obituaries is that Nelson Cook was in a supervisory position in the stereotyping firm of Smith and Son before he left New York for San Francisco in 1852. However, no such firm is listed in New York City directories between 1845 and 1856. The only Smith in the stereotyping business was Thomas B. Smith who was originally located at 216 William Street and later at 84 Beekman Street. By the time he moved he had added electrotyping to his business. That suggests he may have had a substantial workforce, but there is no documentation that there were as many as forty employees.

Secondly, there is a little more information about Nelson Cook’s family, but not enough to verify that Ann was his daughter. There are several men named Isaac Harris listed in San Francisco directories during the 1860s, but only one who is identified as colored. That Isaac Harris, employed as a colored porter, appears in the 1865 San Francisco city directory, but not in any other directory from that decade. Unfortunately, since married women are not included in city directories, there is no evidence of what his wife’s name was—or even if he was married. I was unable to find him in the 1860, 1870, or 1880 federal censuses.

Addendum
Alex Jay has sent me numerous references to Nelson Cook in The Elevator and The Pacific Appeal that add some more information about his life, principally about his activities as a Mason. These items are primarily advertisements for Lodge events and thus tell us nothing about his professional life or his family.

As late as December 7, 1872 Cook was still listed as a member of the Masonic Lodge in San Francisco. (See the Masonic advertisement in The Pacific Appeal 7 December 1872). He apparently moved to Virginia City, Nevada soon thereafter since he is listed as the District Deputy Grand Master of Virginia City in The Elevator 21 December 1872 as part of a December 18 report on the Annual Grand Communication of the Conventional Independent Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of California held on December 11 and 12 in San Francisco.

The exact relationship among Nelson Cook, Ann, and Sarah is more jumbled thanks to a notice in The Pacific Appeal 6 January 1863: “Death of Mrs. Wiese.—We are pained to learn the demise of Mrs. Sarah Wiese, a resident of this city since 1850. She was the mother of Mrs. W.H. Hall and sister of Mrs. Nelson Cook, also of this city.” This is not the same woman listed as Sarah Cook, age 14, in the 1860 United States Census for San Francisco. The California Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1849–1980 entry describes Sarah Weise [sic?] as the “(Late Mrs. Sarah Baily), aged 47y. 11m. 19d.” with a request for New York newspapers to copy the death notice. The 1862 San Francisco directory lists two men surnamed Wiese and one as Weise, all of them labeled as white. None of them appear in the 1860 federal census. The 1861 San Francisco city directory (the earliest one available online) lists four men surnamed Baily, all of whom are white, but there is no Sarah Baily in the 1860 federal census. Unfortunately, the patriarchal conventions of the day make it extremely difficult (if not impossible) to identify Mrs. Sarah Baily’s maiden name—and thus learn more about Ann Cook and Sarah Cook—via city directories or censuses.