Francis Cookman, wife Jane Sturdy, and their children came to Lacolle from Owthorne, Yorkshire, England. The family may have witnessed their seaside parish church actually wash away during a storm on the 16th of February, 1816. Francis
departed England from the nearby port of Hull on the 30th of August, 1823. The Cookman family was settled in Lacolle by 1825. Known as the "Father of Bogton", Francis Cookman was a highly esteemed community member fostering a sabbath school and
managing a day school for over 17 years. By 1860 the Cookman family was well established in Lacolle holding a significant area of farm land.
Possible spouse, Jane Foster