CORPORAL FREDERICK HOLMES COOK
"HE WAS ONE OF OUR BEST"
These two wonderful photos of Corp Frederick Cook (recently revised and colored) come courtesy of my Texas cousin Sandra. Frederick was her paternal grandfather and the older brother of grandpa/great grandpa Charles Cook. Standing/sitting proudly Corporal Frederick Cook was described as "One Of Our Best" in the San Francisco Police force.
In/around 1903 Frederick would meet a lady by the name of Elizabeth Marion Gibbins.
Their father John Ector Gibbins was born on May 3, 1858, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was one of seven children born to Martha Ann DeWeesen and Isaac Walter Gibbins -a First Lieutenant on the Confederate side of the civil war!
His wife Catherine Dora Rhoades was born on March 8 1868 in Saint Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. She was one of seven children born to John L and Mary M (Lowrey) Rhoades.
Elizabeth
PARENTS OF THE GIBBINS FAMILY
Born on June 20, 1888, in Santa Rosa, California, Elizabeth was one of six children in the family of John Ector and Catherine Dora (Rhoades) Gibbins. Her siblings (as shown below) were Lillie Mae, James Williams, Lloyd Leslie, Frederick Pete and Suzanne Amelia.
John E Gibbins
Dora C Rhoades
On March 10, 1910 Elizabeth and Frederick were married in the Methodist Parsonage of Napa by Rev. HJ Winsor. Below is a copy of their wedding certificate.
Taking up residence in San Francisco, it would not be long before Elizabeth and Frederick would welcome a new addition to their family. On October 5, 1911 Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy they named Frederick Holmes Cook.
Four years later in 1915 tragedy struck the Holmes Cook Family. While in hot pursuit of a fleeing criminal, Corporal Frederick was shot in the line of duty. From the official Officer Down Memorial Page, here is the story as written by Corporal Frederick's granddaughter and my very great friend/cousin Sandra.
Corporal Frederick Cook was shot and killed in a shootout with five armed robbery suspect at the Presidio.
Officers had chased the five suspects 40 blocks through San Francisco at approximately 1:30 A.M., with gunfire exchanged during the high speed chase. When the suspects' car collided with the Presidio wall, four of the suspects were thrown from the car and over the wall.
As police approached the wreckage, the fifth suspect opened fire from behind the car and his first shot struck Corporal Cook in the abdomen. Corporal Cook was able to return fire, killing one suspect. The four accomplices escaped.
Three weeks later they shot and killed Patrolman Lawrence Kost of the Seattle Police Department as they were robbing a drug store.
In March of 1916, one of the suspects was arrested when he sought medical attention for a gunshot wound at a Los Angeles hospital. He was shot when he attempted to rob a cafe. He told officials two were in San Quintin serving terms for robberies committed in Los Angeles. The fourth suspect was in jail in San Francisco. He said that he, the other three, were responsible for killing Patrolman Lawrence Kost of the Seattle Police Department on December 12, 1915. After the murder of Kost they returned to San Francisco where they shot and killed a man after the broke into his home. During the last six months they had committed 11 holdups in Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. They had stolen several cars. He said he was not the killer of the three, and only one of the four killed all three. In 1917 he was convicted of robbery and sentenced to 25 years in San Quentin.
In 1917 the other three were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in San Quentin. One, 22, was paroled March 29, 1939.
Corporal Cook died two days later, almost one month short of his 42nd birthday. He had served with the San Francisco Police Department for eight years and was survived by his wife, two daughters, and one son.
The tributes to Corp Cook were many. In fact the news of his tragic death not only appeared in the two main newspaper that San Francisco had but also in numerous other news publications stretching from Sacramento, to Napa, Petaluma, Richmond and even Los Angeles!
CHARLES DULLEA
HENRY DOELGER
Here is a related family story that Uncle Bill shared with me. During family reunions/dinners, Grandma Bruemmer would sometimes recall the story of her Uncle Frederick's tragic death. "He was shot by that felon Harry Wilson who is now rotting away in San Quentin" **
In reply, Uncle Bill said, "Mom I think by now he is long gone!"
**She may have forgotten that Harry Wilson died from his gun shot wounds in/around the same time that Frederick did.
Within a few weeks, the mayors office announced that a street dedication ceremony would be held in Corporal Cook's honor!
A census from 1920 describes Elizabeth Cook (now age 30) and Frederick (age 9) as living at the home of Mr Gill who lived at 2476 15th Street. While there, Elizabeth worked as a house keeper. Her parents and brothers lived on the same street in a house numbered #2432.
In/around 1923/1924, Elizabeth would meet a man from Texas by the name of Mitchell Lee Scott Hudson.
Born on April 20, 1895, in Galveston Texas, Mitchell who went by the name of Scott was one of five children in the family of William Augustus & Mary Lee (Mollie) Scott Hudson.
Below is a family photo of Scott and his siblings taken in 1905. Reading from left to right are Thomasine, Sophia, Scott, Bill & Mary Lee.
Their father William was born on November 11, 1862, in Montgomery, Alabama. He was one of five siblings in the family of Elijah and Elsie (Elcy) Hudson.
William worked on the family farm for many years before joining the "B&B Gangs" (Bridge and Building Gangs) on the Western Division of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
These men were specialized maintenance-of-way crews responsible for the structural integrity of bridges, tunnels, stations, and other buildings. According to an internet search, these crews were vital for maintaining the infrastructure that connected the Bay Area, Sacramento, and central California.
Born on April 21, 1868, in Galveston, Texas. Scott's mother Mary Lee (also known as Mollie) was two of children in the family of Thomas and Thomasine (Scott) Barr. Her only sibling was a brother Thomas. Mary and William were married in Galveston Texas on February 13 1893.
In 1819, Scott joined the army to serve WW1. His rank was Sargent in the 507th Engineers Unit (logo below)
These men (often referred to as part of the 20th Engineers or as service/forestry companies) were involved in essential support, particularly in timber production and service roles in France. They were part of a large-scale mobilization of U.S. Army engineer units dedicated to supplying lumber, constructing facilities, and maintaining logistics for the American Expeditionary Forces.
On April 29, Mitchell set sail on the USS Matsonia. This was a 13,500-ton American passenger steamship built in 1913. It served as a vital troop transport during World War I (1918–1919). It made six round trips to Europe before the Armistice, transporting over 13,000 troops, and later returned over 23,000 personnel to the U.S
Mary (Mollie) Lee Scott
In/around 1892/1893 William would meet his future wife Mary Lee Scott.
After the war ended, Scott's discharge papers were as follows:
M.L.Scott Hudson
Army Corporal
Coastal Artillery Corp.
It was while stationed in California, that Scott would meet Elizabeth. They were married in/around 1925, and for the next ten years lived in Hayward CA. Their daughter Thomasine was born the following year on October 8 1926.
