Biography of William R. Zook

William R. Zook (1846–?), a Civil War veteran and Kansas pioneer, was born in Indiana and later raised in Missouri. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1863, serving with the Second Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry on the Western frontier. After the war, Zook moved to Kansas in 1869, where he homesteaded in Republic County and endured the challenges of early settlement, including scarce resources and conflicts with Native Americans. Over decades, Zook became a respected landowner and retired in Cuba, Kansas. He married Nancy Casteel in 1869, and they had five children: John F., Tilly, Aaron, Alveretta, and Jessie.