There, on 15 March 1873, Lucinda married William Riley Crook.  He had been born in Andrew County, Missouri 18 December 1844 but had lived in Richardson County since he was 9 years old (before Lucinda was born).  His parents, Isaac and Lucinda (Kerby) Crook, were among the earliest settlers of Richardson County.  In addition to being a neighbor, William also may have been Lucinda’s teacher for a while, for he was one of the teachers at the District 48 school (where Lucinda’s sister Mary and her brother-in-law Isaac Rhine also taught).

Between 1874 and 1877, William and Lucinda had three sons, all born in Falls City:

• Zeno Erskin Crook, 1874–1951 (married Jessie Louise Stanton)
• Willie J. Crook, 1876–1877
• Joseph F. Crook, 1877–1952 (married Loma L. Burkart)

After their son Joseph was born in 1877, Lucinda and William moved down to Atchison, Kansas, where they were shown in the 1880 census, but they moved back to Falls City in the spring of 1881.  The Nebraska state census of 1885 shows them there and also shows William’s occupation as “Postmaster.”  Lucinda’s mother, Mary Martin, was living with them in 1885, and her brother John I. Martin apparently lived nearby, as his family is the very next listing in the census.

Lucinda and William were both civically engaged in Falls City.  Lucinda served as vice-president of the Methodist Women’s Home Mission. Society, and William served terms as a Township Supervisor and also as a member of the School Board.  William continued in his role of postmaster until 1891, though he held the position of deputy postmaster or acting postmaster intermittently after that.

Also in 1891, the Falls City papers reported that William had purchased a farm out in Colorado.  Over the next few years, he made occasional trips to Colorado to oversee his property, but then he and the family moved there in November 1896, except for son Zeno, who remained behind in order to continue his studies at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  The 1900 census shows William, Lucinda, and son Joseph living in Precinct 5 (Paonia) of Delta County, Colorado..  Relatives then living nearby included Lucinda’s brothers John and Joseph and her sisters Jane Humphrey and Mary Rhine.

William and Lucinda remained in Paonia until William’s death in 1921.  William’s occupation was shown as “Farming” in the 1900 census and as “None” in 1910 and 1920.  It is known, however, that William was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Paonia.  After William’s death on 14 April 1921, Lucinda moved down to Denver, where her son Zeno then lived, and she remained there until her death on 6 January 1942.  (See obituaries here.)  William and Lucinda’s bodies were both returned to Falls City, NE, for burial.

If you can suggest any corrections to the information above or provide any further details about the lives of William and Lucinda (Martin) Crook or their descendants, please contact me at the address shown in the image below: