Every family has them, and the more one looks at genealogy, the more likely one is to find a horse thief, a woman who would have earned the Scarlett letter “A,” in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s time; and others who lived just outside of convention, and perhaps, the law. Perhaps, these people were “misunderstood;” perhaps they were mentally-impaired; perhaps they opted to have many more children than they could comfortably raise and support. We come and we go, and that is the nature of humankind. Ultimately, what do we leave behind, besides children?
Some people leave a service record, or medals for bravery in battle; some leave written manuscripts that shared their thoughts at the time they wrote them, unswayed by the critics of their own time. Some leave their names, honored for their lifetime’s work with monuments to them, or places named for them, like “Eisenhower Highway.” A chosen few are wonderful artists, and leave their works in museums, churches, or in the homes of private collectors. If a painting is conserved properly, it can last for centuries.
In the case of Eunice Cook, her national fame was created about 72 years after her death, when an out-of-work artist was enlisted by the W.P.A. to paint her textile treasure, “The Gossips,” to save the image. The piece is considered to be a national folk treasure.
The amazement to me is to find that so little information seems to be available about either Mrs. Cook, or her family. I wonder if the circumstances of her life were an impetus for making this compelling piece of work, tiny though it was.
I seem to be adding new information to the file, daily, and as I stated, my research work is ongoing. Again, this topic has captured my imagination as an unsolved mystery, and there are just too many unanswered questions. I may never find out what I would like to know, but with persistence, I am bound to find some additional details. Wish me luck!
If you are a descendant of Nathaniel and Eunice Cook or their son, John W., I would love to hear from you.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
