The ancestry of Mrs. John Anthony Crook (Minnie Cleo [Dalbey] Crook), of Denver, Colorado, goes back to the "Pilgrims" of "The Mayflower," and the Colonial times of Massachusetts Colony. That of her lately deceased and brilliant husband extends to pioneer days of the southwest and west. Together they built a record of patriotic service, valor and civic duty that will found a heritage to be treasured by their descendants.

Crook, and its variants, Crooke, Crooks, and Crookes, are surnames of a local origin, "of Crook," either a hamlet in the parish of Shevington, County Lancaster, or a hamlet near Kendal, County Westmoreland. It is possible that the name is related to Creek, a bend in a valley, or a cove in a bay.

(C W. Bardsley: "Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames.")

1. Jesse Crook, a native of Tennessee, moved to Missouri in 1853 and, in 1854, made his first visit to what is now Richardson County, Nebraska, where he preempted a quarter section of land. In 1855, bringing his family in a covered wagon, he settled on the land, and was one of the first three settlers of what is now Falls City. At a later date a controversy arose with the Indians over this land, who claimed it lay within their reservation, but Jesse Crook finally established his title. He was an active land trader, living on amicable terms with his neighbors, became a man both of affluence and influence and spent the balance of his life at Falls City.

Jesse Crook married Eliza Whitaker, a relative of General Robert E. Lee.

Child:
1. William Hampton, of whom further.
(Records in possession of descendants of the family.)

II. William Hampton Crook, son of Jesse and Eliza (Whitaker) Crook, was born in Tennessee, May 19, 1851, and died at Falls City, Nebraska, June 6, 1927. He was two years old when his parents moved to Missouri, and four when they arrived in what is now Falls City, Nebraska. His education was acquired at Professor McKenzie's school, Pawnee City, Nebraska, and when the school was moved to Peru he went along and continued his studies. He became a farmer and raised live stock, also conducted a hardware and clothing store; was interested in real estate, and eventually became a prosperous citizen. He was an ardent supporter of William Jennings Bryan and served as a member of the State Legislature in 1884.

William Hampton Crook married, in 1874, Lydia Worley, of Illinois.

Children:
1. John Anthony, of whom further. 4. Edna.
2. William.                                       5. Eliza.
3. Guy.

III. John Anthony Crook, son of William Hampton and Lydia (Worley) Crook, was born at Falls City, Nebraska, April 9, 1879, and died at Denver, Colorado, August 9, 1937. He entered the University of Nebraska with the class of 1899, with the intention of preparing for the law, but his unusual ability in mathematics and engineering revolutionized his desires and caused him to specialize in mechanical engineering, which became his career. His first position was with the Canton Bridge Company, of Omaha, Nebraska, where he served as estimating engineer. In 1900 he associated with John Gilligan, formerly of the John Gilligan Steel Company, remaining as a partner for four years. Mr. Crook then proceeded to establish his own company, the Monarch Engineering Company, of Falls City. Throughout its history it has been largely a bridge building and structural steel company. About 1905, sensing the value of concrete as a building material, Mr. Crook went East and spent some time studying the value, characteristics and future possibilities of its use, as well as its manufacture. So thorough was his study that he made quite a personal reputation as a builder with concrete. In 1917 he established the Denver Steel & Iron Works Company, fabricators of steel and concrete work. He erected the highest concrete chimney in the world for the Portland, Oregon, Water Works, and built hundreds of miles of concrete roads as well as many concrete structures. In steel, he fabricated nearly all the modern buildings in Denver and other Western cities. Among them were the Colorado General Hospital, Denver University Stadium, the beautiful Denver High School, Morey Junior High School, and one of the longest and largest sewage systems in the world in the State of Washington. An outstanding feat was the building of the famous Kaibab Bridge, at the end of Bright Angel's Trail in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Equally difficult was the building of several highways through such precipitous mountains that the surveying of them was a perilous feat, among them the "Mountain Pass" and "Battle Mountain" roads.

Mr. Crook was a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which paid high tribute to his brilliant engineering achievements. He was known nationally as a good roads advocate, and he and his wife both served as members of the board of directors of the United States Good Roads Association. In his later years he developed into a most persuasive and eloquent public speaker, and appeared frequently in the advocacy, especially, of good roads. He became a much sought speaker on the questions of the day, and was in demand at functions because of his cogent logic and eloquent delivery. His address, "Manipulation of the Money Crop," first given at Denver, August 27, 1931, was one of the most notable speeches, and was often requested for re-reading. A brief summary of his conclusions in his address follows:

I propose, first, restore the purchasing power of eighty per cent of this world's people by remonetizing their silver money. . . . Second, I would immediately have Congress take back unto itself the control of the money crop to coin and regulate the value thereof, and instruct it to issue a large crop of money just as France did to help her farmers. Third, I would change the Federal Reserve Bank Act, so that the members of the board could never charge their member banks over four per cent rediscount rate nor drop it under two per cent. . . . Fourth, I would force our farm board to become real friends of our farmers. . . . Fifth, I would take the progressive element of the agricultural interest of the South . . . . and unite it with the agricultural interest of the West, under some new party name . . . . and go down to Washington with the united front of honest men who can outvote the Wall Street gang . . . . and I would nominate an American citizen for president. . . . Then and then only can we avert a complete collapse . . . . and enjoy our rightful heritage, the blessings of Peace and Prosperity and Financial Independence.

Mr. Crook was a prominent Mason, being both a Shriner and thirty-second degree member of the Consistory. He was a member of the Denver Club, the Denver Athletic Club, and the Denver Chamber of Commerce. His influence upon the general life of his community was of great moment, and upon several occasions he was urged to accept the nomination for United States Senator, but he much preferred private life. Both he and his wife were communicants of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and generous contributors to charities as well as to those in need.

John Anthony Crook married, at Chillicothe, Missouri, June 4, 1899, Minnie Cleo Dalbey. (Dalbey IV)

Children:
1. Esther Irene, born August 17, 1900, died August 31, 1900.
2. Constance Morene, born January 6, 1903; married, June 17, 1925, Gordon E. Ambrose.
3. John Dalbey. born August 22, 1905, died at Falls City, Nebraska, February 28,1908.