Caroline Bradby Cook (born circa 1839 – died after 1919) was a

Pamunkey The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is one of 11 Virginia Indian tribal governments recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the state's first federally recognized tribe, receiving its status in January 2016. Six other Virginia tribal governments, t ...

leader and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

sympathizer who championed the rights of Virginia's Native Americans and their cultural heritage.“Caroline Bradby Cook,” ''Virginia Changemakers'', accessed November 1, 2022, https://edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/items/show/212.

Biography

Bradby Cook was born around 1839 and lived on the

Pamunkey Indian Reservation The Pamunkey Indian Reservation is a Native American reservation of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe located in King William, Virginia, United States. This reservation lies along the Pamunkey River in King William County, Virginia on the Middle Peninsu ...

King William County King William County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,810. Its county seat is King William. King William County is located in the Middle Peninsula and is included in the Greater R ...

. She was married to Major Cook, and in 1861, she had her only child, George Major Cook. Her husband died in the same year. Her son, George Major Cook, became the chief of the Pamunkey in 1902 and served until his death in 1930. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Caroline was loyal to the United States and supported their cause. When Union army units camped on the reservation, she washed and cooked for the soldiers, despite them dismantling her house and fence and burning it for wood for their campfires. After the Civil War, she filed a claim with the

Southern Claims Commission The Southern Claims Commission (SCC) was an organization of the executive branch of the United States government from 1871 to 1880, created under President Ulysses S. Grant. Its purpose was to allow Union sympathizers who had lived in the Southern ...

for compensation from the government for her ruined property. She received $100 in compensation in 1879. In 1865, Caroline was a founding member of the Pamunkey Baptist Church.

Legacy and honors

In 2009, Caroline was honored as a

Virginia Women in History Virginia Women in History was an annual program sponsored by the Library of Virginia that honored Virginia women, living and dead, for their contributions to their community, region, state, and nation. The program began in 2000 under the aegis of th ...

inductee. Pipe bowls owned by Caroline and a 1919 photograph of her are in the permanent collection of the

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Caroline Bradby 1839 births 1919 deaths 19th-century Native American women 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans People from King William County, Virginia Women in Virginia Pamunkey people