The American family of Ballou are of Norman-French descent. Their earliest ancestor, Cuinebond Balou, was, it is supposed, a marshal in the army of William the Conqueror, and fought in the battle of Hastings, 1066. His descendants lived in the county of Sussex, England, till late in the fourteenth century, where they were extensive landholders, and held important governmental offices, both in state and in church. Later many of them settled in other counties of England and Ireland and held large baronial estates there. In England and Ireland they have preserved an unbroken descent of domains and titles for at least six hundred years, and in the county of Devonshire they have long enjoyed distringuised heritage and honors.
The name has been variously spelled, Belou, Ballowe, Belloue, Bellew, etc., but at present is usually written Ballou.

(I) Marturin Ballou, immigrant ancestor, was born in the county of Devonshire, England, between 1610 adn 1620, and came to America previous to 1645, the exact date and place of landing being unknown. He is first mentioned as a co-proprietor of the Providence Plantations in the Colony of Rhode Island, Jan. 19, 1646-47. He was admitted a freeman of Providence, May 18, 1658, together with Robert Pike, who became his father-in-law, and with whom he was intimately associated all his life. Their home lots stood adjacent, in the north part of the town of Providence as originally settled. Various parcels of land are recorded to have been subsequently assigned to him, but nothing definite concerning his character and standing has come down.
He died between Feb. 24, 1661, when he had land assigned to him, and Jan. 31, 1663.
His wife was Hannah, daughter of Robert and Catherine Pike, whom he married between 1646 and 1649, probably in Providence, R.I. She died at the age of eighty-eight years.
Children born in Providence:
1. John, 1650.
2. James, 1652, mentioned below.
3. Peter, 1654.
4. Hannah, 1656.
5. Nathaniel, died in early manhood.
6. Samuel, 1660; drowned June 10, 1669.

(II) James, son of Maturin Ballou, ws born in 1652 in Providence. He married, July 23, 1683, Susanna, born Feb. 28, 1658, in Providence, died probably in 1725, daughter of Valentine and Mary Whitman. Soon after his marriage, he settled in Loquasquissuck, originally a part of Providence, now Lincoln. It is supposed that he began preparations to settle there some time before, and his origianl log house was erected before 1685. His second home, a framed house, stood near the same site, and the well still (1910) remains. Oct. 22, 1707 his mother and sister Hannah deeded to him all the property which had come to them from his father, and this with his own inheritance of lands from his father, made him the owner of several hundred acres, together with his homestead. To this he added other tracts by purchase, until he became the owner of about a thousand acres. His most important acquisitions were in what was then Dedham and Wrentham, most of which became the north section of Cumberland, Rhode Island. His first purchase in this locality was made early in 1690, the grantor being William Avery, of Dedham. In 1706 he added to this enough to make several farms, which he afterwards conveyed to his three sons, James, Nathaniel and Obadiah. This division was made April 11, 1713. In July, 1726, he made a gift deed to his youngest son, Nehemiah, of lands situated in Gloucester, R.I., and at the same time gave to Samuel his home farm.
His will was made April 20, 1734, and in 1741 he appears to have made another arrangement of his affairs, in relations to his personal estate, which he distributed among his children. The exact date of his death is not know, but it is supposed to have been after the settlement of his affairs. He was a man of superior ability, enterprise and judgment.
Children:
1. James, born Nov. 1, 1684.
2. Nathaniel, April 9, 1687.
3. Obadiah, Sept. 6, 1689, mentioned below.
4. Samuel, Jan. 23, 1692-93.
5. Susanna, Jan. 3, 1695-96.
6. Bathsheba, Feb. 15, 1698.
7. Nehemiah, Jan. 20, 1702.

(III) Obadiah, son of James Ballou, was born Sept. 6, 1689, in Providence. He married (first) Jan. 5, 1717-18, Damaris, daughter of John and Sarah (Aldrich) Bartlett. He married (second) Dec. 26, 1740, Sarah (Whipple) Salisbury, widow of Jonathan Salisbury, and daughter of Israel Whipple, son of David, son of Captain John, of Cumberland. She was born Dec. 26, 1701, in Cumberland. In July, 1726, he had received from his father a gift deed of land in Gloucester, and later a supplementary deed, which conveyed to him ten acres, and included the famous Iron Rock Hill. This Iron Rock Hill is a unique geological elevation, and contains a deposit of iron unlike any to be found for hundreds of miles around. Feb. 23, 1749-50, he made a gift deed of this section of his homestead to his son Abner, together with other land. He reserved, however, a half acre of the hill for a burying ground for himself, his friends and neighbors. His house stood on the east side of the road, nearly opposite Iron Rock Hill, and remained there until 1817. He disposed of his estate partly by gift deed and partly by will. To his oldest son Ezekiel, he deeded a farm of one hundred acres, with buildings and valuable privileges, Dec. 20, 1745, and to his son Abner, the tracts above mentioned, Feb. 28, 1749-50.
His will was made Sept. 18, 1763. He died Oct. 12, 1768, and was buried in the Ballou burying ground.
Children of his first wife, born in Wrentham, Mass., afterwards Cumberland, R.I.
1. Ezekiel, Jan. 5, 1718-19, mentioned below.
2. Susanna, Dec. 7, 1720.
3. Daniel, Dec. 27, 1722.
4. Rev. Abner, Oct. 28, 1725.
5. Anna, Dec. 20, 1727.
6. Obadiah, Sept. 29, 1730.
7. Esther, Aug. 24, 1733.
8. Aaron, March 2, 1738, probably died young.
Children of second wife, the first two born in Wrentham, the last in Cumberland:
9. Zerviah, Jan. 4, 1741-42.
10. Joseph, May 5, 1743.
11. Benjamin, July 11, 1747.

(IV) Ezekiel, son of Obadiah Ballou, was born Jan. 5, 1718-19, in Wrentham. He married, July 3, 1740, Joanna, daughter of Elder Josiah Cook, died Jan. 16, 1797.
From his father he received an ample homstead on the Wrentham road. The house was a low one-story, old-fashioned structure, which was torn down in 1840. In his old age, he gave his lands by ded to his sons. He made his will April 13, 1787, disposing of his personal estate to his children and wife. He died June 5, 1789.
Children:
1. Jesse, born March 30, 1741.
2. Levi, Sept. 23, 1744, mentioned below.
3. Amey, Nov. 24, 1745.
4. Reuben, Nov. 26, 1747.
5. Asa, March 2, 1750.
6. Mary, Aug. 12, 1752.
7. Anna, March 1, 1756.
8. Joanna, Sept. 27, 1759.

(V) Levi, son of Ezekiel Ballou, was born Sept. 23, 1744, in Wrentham. He married, March 21, 1765, Comfort Thompson, born July 13, 1746, died Oct. 28, 1826. He was conspicuous as a revolutionary patriot, and shared largely in town offices of honor and responsiblity; justice of the peace, and representative of the town in the general assembly. He was an industrious and upright man, and highly respected by his fellow-townsmen.
He died July 13, 1805. Both he and his wife were buried in the old Ballou burying ground.
Children, all born in Cumberland:
1. Rachel, Sept. 11, 1765; died Sept. 29, 1765.
2. Philena, Oct. 6, 1766.
3. Rhoda, Dec. 15, 1768.
4. Vienna, Jan. 29, 1771.
5. Welcome, March 1, 1773.
6. Joanna, Feb. 25, 1775.
7. Flavius, Oct. 13, 1776.
8. Rachel (twin), May 8, 1780, married Levi Cook (see Cook V).
9. Emilia (twin), May 8, 1780.
10. Levi, Aug. 29, 1782.
11. Olney, Sept. 28, 1784.
12. Barton, July 19, 1791.

[Transcriber's note: there appears to be a good sized gap between the above and what follows. There is no generation VI, VII or VIII. And the one that follows (IX) begins in 1858., plus it changes to the COOK line. In the Index at the back of the book, it has Herbert E. listed on pg 500 for both BALLOU & COOK. This is strange indeed. I'll type it out, even though it seems to be a mistake.]

(IX) Herbert Ellis, son of Ellis Arnold Cook, was born in Denmark, New York, Dec. 12, 1858. He attended the public schools of his native town one year. His parents moved to Watertown, New York, when he was seven years old, and he was in school there for four years. The family then returned to Denmark where he attended the public schools again for two years, and a select school kept by Joseph A. Prindle, afterward principal of the Oswego Normal School. When he was eighteen years old he became associated with his father and brother in the dairy business. They made butter and cheese on a large scale, and for a period of thirty years he and his brother Alson were partners in the manufacture. His father, his brother and himself owned some eight hundred acres of land and conducted a model dairy farm. In 1893 he was invited by the state commissioners of agriculture to accept a position in the work of the board among the farmers' institues of the state, and since then he has devoted much attention to this work, travelling in all parts of the state, and making addresses also in the New England states, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illionois and Maryland. He has addressed not only the farmers' institutes, but various state organizations of farmer and university students.
In politics he is a liberal Democrat. At one time he was nominated by his party for assemblyman, and he was also a candidate for member of the good road commission. He earnestly supported the project for the reorganization of the State Agricultural College at Cornell University, and as chairman of a federation composed of the presidents and official heads of the agricultural associations and institutions of the state, was largely instrumental in securing the passage of a bill appropriating $250,000 for a new Agricultural College building, and the reorganization of the institution upon a broad and liberal basis. The State School of Agriculture being established at Canton as part of the St. Lawrence University, in 1908, Mr. Cook accepted the office of dean of the school, and since that hs devoted his energy to the development of the institution of which he is in charge. The college has magnificent buildings erected by the state, is well equipped, and promises to have a future of the greatest usefullness to the agricultural interests of northern New York.
Mr. Cook is president of the Northern New York Development League, the purpose of which is to advance in every legimate way the welfare and prosperity of northern New York, and especially to conserve and develop the agricultural and other natural resources of that section. The organization is a confederation of the various boards of trade, chambers of commerce, pomona granges and other organizations. Mr. Cook is a member of Denmark Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and is active in the work in town, county, state and nation, and has held various offices in the order.
In religion he is a Presbyterian, and a member of the church at Canton.
He married, at Lowville, N.Y., Feb. 13, 1883, Fannie Jane, born in Lowville, June 16, 1859, daughter of Edward and Louisa Amelia Schermerhorn. She had one sister, Minnie E., and four brothers, Ralph E., Barnum L., Herman A. and Fay Joseph Schermerhorn.
Mr. and Mrs. Cook have one child, Clara Rachel, born at Denmark, Oct. 5, 1889, graduate of the Carthage high school and Howard Seminary, now (1910) a student in St. Lawrence University, class of 1912.

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