In the book's own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1853, Monoiiu County
From History of Monona County, Iowa; containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies of all the Gove (1890)
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
Mr. and Mrs. Cook have been the parents of four children, as follows: Elbert I) born August 6. 187!); Elizabeth, May 27, 1881; and twins, a boy and girl, June I, 1884, who died in infancy.
Born in the infancy of this county, Mr. Cook can well contrast its condition in those early days with its present populous and prosperous one, and feel that the initial steps towards its settlement were made by his father and family, something for his descendants to look back to with pride in the years to come.
As printed in History of Monona County, Iowa; containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies of all the Gove (1890). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1890. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.