Silas Cook was born 20 July 1825 in Ohio. About Nov. 25, 1846 he married Catherine Ford in Watertown, Ohio. Silas and Catherine Cook had at least five sons. It is not clear if most of the family moved to the Pacific Northwest together or if they came at different times. By 1871, Francis H. Cook, Lucian's brother, had moved to the Olympia, WA area. He went to work for a newspaper and subsequently purchased a local paper. In 1879, Francis was elected to the Washington State Territorial Legislature and chosen to be President of the Council, which meant he was the presiding officer in all joint sessions. Francis also started the Tacoma Herald, which was the first paper in Tacoma. Around 1879, Francis took newspaper presses across the mountains and started a newspaper in Spokane, WA. Once he started the newspaper, he settled in Spokane, WA. This is where he and his wife raised their 10 children. After he sold the newspaper, he had several other business ventures that included the first steam motor line, his 640 acres raising fruit and lake trout and other agricultural and business ventures. Lucian's father and mother had moved to "New Tacoma", WA about 1877. In the 1882 letter that Silas writes to Lucian, he describes their homestead and living conditions in Washington State. At this time, Lucian is living in Dunlap, IA with his wife and family. He is the owner of the newspaper called the Dunlap Reporter. About two years later in 1884, Lucian and his family moved to the Tacoma, WA area. When Lucian came to Tacoma, he invested in real estate and other business enterprises that were very successful. Unfortunately, Lucian passed away of a sudden heart attack on 17 January 1910 in Tacoma, WA. His father, Silas, had passed away in Tacoma, WA on July 10, 1855. When Lucian passed away in 1910, his mother had been living with them for about a year because of her heart condition. There was concern that the news to his mother would cause serious health problems for her. Catherine Ford Cook passed away Jan. 24, 1910.
From the description of Silas Cook's letter to his son, Lucian Cook, 1882 October 1. (Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State). WorldCat record id: 207360366
