Notable Lewis Countians
Roy Bird Cook
1886–1961
A Roanoke-born pharmacist, collector, prolific historian, and founder and longtime leader of the West Virginia Historical Society. Cook was born at Roanoke in Lewis County and made the county's people and records a recurring subject of his historical work.
Lewis County connection
Cook was born at Roanoke in Lewis County and made the county's people and records a recurring subject of his historical work.
The Louis Bennett Library in the historic Jonathan M. Bennett House, photographed in 2015.
Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, LC-DIG-highsm-31650 · Public domain; no known restrictions on publication
Lewis County connection
Cook was born at Roanoke in Lewis County and made the county's people and records a recurring subject of his historical work.
Career and public significance
A Roanoke-born pharmacist, collector, prolific historian, and founder and longtime leader of the West Virginia Historical Society.
The archive he assembled remains a major body of manuscripts, photographs, printed matter, and genealogical material for West Virginia researchers.
Reading the record carefully
Collectors shape the archive by what they preserve; the profile values Cook's work while remaining attentive to the voices early state histories omitted.
Life and legacy
Timeline
1886
Born at Roanoke in Lewis County.
1900s–1950s
Collects, writes, and leads historical organizations.
1961
Dies, leaving a major research collection.
Sources and further reading
How this profile was documented
- Roy Bird Cook
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
- Roy Bird Cook collection
WVU Libraries
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
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