John Cooke : Short Biography

Born around 1790 to unknown parents and likely not in Curraugh, Aughrim, County Galway. His wife is Catherine Wakefield.  The property valuation lists a "widow Wakefield" in a 1-acre lot on their property which might be the MIL? He had at least three sons: David, Samuel, and William. He died in 1865 and is buried in Clontuskert. His gravestone mentions his wife Catherine.

The Cooke ~30-acre farm was north of Aughrim. There's a lake on the property, Cooke's lough, near Coololla. Unlike most people in the area, they actually owned the property. I'm searching for how that happened. I read that the previous owner in the area left for Australia. It might also be a land grant. The Cooke's were protestant and new to the area. The petty court records suggest they had cows, sheep, pigs, donkeys that frequently got out to the neighbors' property destroying the neighboring farms' crops, and they also farmed a small section of potatoes that were stolen a few times. I'm not sure if the farm stayed in the family after David left in 1863 and John died in 1865.

Religious Affiliation is Church of Ireland