David Cook was born on 15 March 1847 in Abbescond, Bath, Wales,* a son of Mark and Ann Evans Cook.

He immigrated to the United States and then to Utah with the Marcus Company on 4 February 1853, arriving in Salt Lake City. He was seven years old when the family moved to Bountiful, Davis County, Utah, from Salt Lake City.

He worked on the farm with his mother and took the farm produce from the farm to the Salt Lake market. He became known as the market gardener, which occupation he followed during the early part of his life, until he moved to the north part of Davis County, then later Syracuse, where he purchased a 210-acre farm.

When he was 18 years of age, he was called by Brigham Young to go with a group of others with ox-team, back to the Missouri River to bring seed, supplies and immigrants back to Utah. He left early in the spring and got back late in the fall.

He married Hannah Holt on 21 March 1870 in Salt Lake City in the Endowment House. He often told of the first time he met her. Her family had just come to Utah and were camped on the present site of the City and County Building in Salt Lake City. She was sitting on a wagon tongue playing the constatina. He described her as having large brown eyes and having just the things that it took to win a place in his heart, that lasted as long as they lived.

They were blessed with three sons and six daughters: Hannah Malinda, David Jr., Emaline, Elizabeth Alice, Samuel, Mary Ann, Amos Roy, Lydia May and Tessie Hazel. After the parents died all these children were still living.

David left to go on a mission to England on 11 October 1880. Hannah was left to care for four children and the following February Samuel was born. This was four months after her husband left for his mission to England. His mission was largely financed from the sales of dried fruit, as a result of the efforts of his wife.

They moved to Syracuse in the spring of 1890 and bought a farm which now has many homes on it.

He was made Bishop of the Syracuse Ward 1 December 1895 which comprised at that time, part of Hooper (then known as South Hooper), Clinton, West Point, Sunset, Clearfield and Syracuse. His first Counselor was Antone Christensen and James G. Wood was his second Counselor. The ward remained that way until 3 November 1907 when Clearfield Ward was organized and James G. Wood was made Bishop. Syracuse Ward was reorganized with David Cook as Bishop, James T. Walker as first Counselor and Francis Nalder as Second Counselor. He was Bishop until 19 September 1909 when he was released and succeeded by Francis H. Nalder, having served as Bishop for fourteen years.

His business and industrial interests centered around his 210-acre farm and other industries and firms which he helped to establish. Some of these he helped to establish and held stock in were Amalgamated Sugar Co. at Ogden; Layton Milling Co., Syracuse Canning Co., Syracuse Mercantile Co. and The First National Bank in Layton. No better farmer, husband and neighbor ever lived.

The last ten years of his life were lived in a rather retired way, spending several of the winters in California. His favorite winter resort was Long Beach, California.

He passed away on 1 January 1920 in Ogden, Weber County, Utah and was buried 4 January 1920 in the Syracuse Cemetery.

This account was given by Elmer Wilcox:

David Cook was living in Syracuse along the Bluff Road and right by his house was a little building called the tithing House. People brought in their tithes once a week on a certain day and he would take it to Salt Lake that night. He went at night because it was cooler. He took these tithes to the Tithing House. Tithing at that time was paid in produce, grain, eggs or whatever the people had to pay it with.

The General Authorities had asked the Saints that every family pay $5.00 to put a roof on the Temple. David went in and told his wife Hannah. He said he didn't know how he would be able to pay it because there just wasn't any money. She told him she had $5.00 that she had saved to pay the midwife with when her baby would be born. She told him to use it and the Lord would find a way for them to replace it. They paid the money to the church. A couple of months later he was coming home from his tithing trip to Salt Lake when he came upon some people loading some sheep into a wagon. Some of them had gotten loose and were running all over the foothills. They stopped him and said that if he would help round up the sheep they would pay him $5.00. When he got home he handed his wife the money and told her, "The Lord has provided."

The Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association of the South Weber Ward was organized on 4 December 1879. The first meeting was held in Bishop David Cook's home.

When the Syracuse Ward was organized on 1 December 1895 and he was made Bishop, there were 27 families or 237 people. They met in a fame meeting house until a brick chapel was constructed in 1897 at the cost of $12,000.00.

He was a member of the first choir in Syracuse.

*Other records show his birth location as Abersychan, Monmouth, England. "Abbescond" is possibly a phonetic spelling of the parish. Although it is in Monmouth, the area is not far from Bath, England.