Bella C. Lemon was the only child of Alonzo and Belle Cook. Alonzo is believed to be the builder of the Brown House, although some evidence suggests Sam Brown could have built it. Mrs. Lemon quite possibly lived in the Brown House for several years as a young girl. Her obituary appeared in the Daily Olympian, March 12, 1940. Click to read.

Bell Cook is the wife of Alonzo Cook who is believed to be the original builder of the Brown House. In 1874 the Cook family left Vancouver for California where Alonzo founded the City of Garden Grove. The family later relocated to Olympia, Washington where Alonzo and Bell lived for the duration of their lives. Bell’s obituary below appeared in The Daily Olympian (Evening Edition) Saturday February 15, 1930.

Alonzo Cook is believed to be the original builder and owner of the Charles Brown House, possibly dating back to 1866. Born in Maine in 1839, Alonzo would go on to attend Ohio State University as well as Union Law School which is now Northwestern University. Alonzo married Belle Webster and eventually the couple would live in several different states, one of them being Washington. After leaving Washington in 1874, Alonzo made his mark by starting the City of Garden Grove, California. Below is his obituary which appeared in the Sunday Olympian, November 13, 1932.

1866
Alonzo and Isabella Cook, original owners.

June 19, 1874
Charles and Rebecca Brown. Charles died April 19, 1901.

June 1901
Homestead claim by Rebecca Brown. Rebecca died in 1910.

September 12, 1925
Heirs of Rebecca Brown deeded it to Alice Hubbard. Alice died April 3, 1935. It is unsure who occupied the house for the next five years.

April 13, 1940
Mary Prindle, Alice Hubbard’s sister, sold the house to William and Julia Frost, another sister and brother in-law. Mary may have inherited the house from her sister Alice after she passed away.

May 31, 1946
Law office of Bates and Burnett became owners. This was the first decentralized law office in the City of Vancouver.

June 8, 1960
Attorney James Gregg and wife Barbara became owners.

September 2004
The law firm of Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson and Hook purchased the Historic Charles Brown House.

Dr. Alonzo Gerry Cook, born May 13, 1839, died November 11, 1932. Born in Maine, Alonzo would eventually attend Ohio State University and then go on to Union Law School, now Northwestern University. Isabella Webster became his bride in 1861 and the couple would have one child, a daughter they named Marabell. Alonzo and Bell would eventually live in several different states, including Washington. An 1874 deed shows the transfer of the current Stahancyk, Kent, Johnson and Hook property from Alonzo and Bell Cook to Charles Brown. After leaving Vancouver, Alonzo moved to California and became the founder of the City of Garden Grove, California. I would like to thank Beulah Miller, President of the Garden Grove Historical Society, for sending me a copy of the only photograph she has on file of Alonzo Cook. Also posted here is a short biography of Alonzo Cook taken from the early Thurston County, Washington reminiscences section of Ancestry.com. Please click on the text to enlarge and read.

Alonzo Cook is believed to be the original builder and owner of the Charles Brown House, possibly dating back to 1866. Born in Maine in 1839, Alonzo would go on to attend Ohio State University as well as Union Law School which is now Northwestern University. Alonzo married Belle Webster and eventually the couple would live in several different states, one of them being Washington. After leaving Washington in 1874, Alonzo made his mark by starting the City of Garden Grove, California.