If you have read "The Life and History of Phineas Wolcott Cook," sometimes known as the "Diary of PWC," you realize most of it was written as a memoir after he arrived in Utah. Perhaps one winter when he had a little extra time he realized his common life was caught up in an uncommon destiny which should one day be recorded for posterity. Fortunately the early part of his life was written in great detail, giving us a wonderful account of his childhood, youth and early married life, his family and genealogy, and the only known record of his grandmother Elizabeth Porter's life.
As is true of many personal episodes, chronology is often incorrect. Incidents are cited which need historical context to be fully understood. Individuals and events are named, but without historical and biographical background, there is little understanding of the true significance of what really happened. For example, many of us know Phineas and Ann Eliza lost two children in Winter Quarters. Few of us understand the circumstances which added to the trauma of those events or the effect of those deaths on the commitment of the parents to the cause in which they were engaged. Without such knowledge, the loss of those children remain isolated incidents without significance.
For these and many more reasons, I spent ten years researching the history and geography of the three states in which Phineas lived from birth to his departure from Winter Quarters. I studied the lives of those with whom he lived and worked and the great and small achievements in which they were engaged. I traced the early struggles of the Church as they entwined themselves into the lives of the Cook family. The book is carefully documented with extensive footnotes at the end of each chapter so the reader will know where each idea originated. In the book there are about 30 photographs of the towns in which they lived, their homes, and the family members.
As I wrote, I often felt impressed to include incidents and feelings to which Phineas may have only hinted in the memoir. The title "Triumph of Testimony" was a result of such inspiration. As I wrote of the supreme effort to overcome opposition in Winter Quarters, I was impressed with the thought that their spiritual survival was indeed a "triumph of testimony." There was no other possible title after that. I concluded that if Phineas wanted this book written, he would have given it such a title himself.
In the end, testimony and integrity carried the early pioneers through life's struggles. The same testimony and integrity are necessary for us. For that reason alone, this story should be told.