Here is another article that peaked my interest:
June 1, 1869, Arkansas Gazette – James Cook and F.J. Ditter began the began the business afterwards known as “James Cook, Undertaker, ” on the corner of Rock and Markham streets.
After photographing over 20,000 grave markers at Oakland Cemetery and working extensively with their records I had become very familiar with the name “James Cook”. The records would read “John Doe, James Cook, $3.00 or $5.00″ I assumed he was just a local individual who was paid to handle the bodies but now I know that he actually formalized it as a business and he was Little Rock’s first full time undertaker. Mr. Cook died August 9, 1916 and the business was sold to R.F. Drummond, later known as Drummond Funeral Home and now known as Roller Drummond, one of Arkansas’ largest funeral homes. Mr. Ditter died unexpectedly in 1870. Both are buried at Mt. Holly Cemetery in Little Rock. It is too bad that he did not leave a diary like Adolphus Boyd of Cabot.
More Information:
- James Cook, Find-A-Grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=24680187
