Montville, CT minister who presided at Burke’s first wedding and his membership into the church.
| When Burke met | 1788 |
| Where Burke met | Montville, CT |
| Occupation | Clergy |
| Interaction with Burke | Burke’s minister in Montville |
| Identity Status | Confirmed |
| Genealogy | WikiTree |
| Memoir Pages | 43-7 |
Notes
Rozel (sometimes Roswell) Cook (May 1, 1755 – April 18, 1798) was a Congregational minister born in present-day Plymouth, Connecticut, to Ebenezer and Phebe Cook. A 1777 graduate of Yale College, he was licensed by the New Haven Association of Ministers in 1778 and preached in Watertown and Colebrook before settling permanently. On June 30, 1784, he was ordained pastor of the Second Church in the North Parish of New London (now Montville), serving this congregation until his death. He married Sarah Blakeslee in 1784, and they had seven children who survived him. Church and census records indicate his Montville household included a baptized servant named Phillis and one enslaved person. At his death, Cook left a substantial estate inventoried at approximately £850, which included a working farm and a library of fifty-nine volumes.
Sources
Burke, William. Memoir of William Burke: A Soldier of the Revolution, Reformed from Intemperance, and for Many Years a Consistent and Devoted Christian; Carefully Prepared from a Journal Kept by Himself; to Which Is Added, an Extract from a Sermon Preached at His Funeral, by Rev. Nathaniel Miner. Hartford, CT: Case, Tiffany, 1837.