Curtis Cooley, Jr

Today is the birthday of Curtis Cooley, Jr. I wish I had more information about Uncle Curtis' family. He married Creasy Southall and they had two sons; Leonard and Curtis Junior. The family moved from Des Moines to Detroit in the 1920's, where Uncle Curtis worked in a coal mine near the city. There was an accident in the mine and he was killed in 1929. Not long after the family soon drifted apart and all contact was lost. I have learned Curtis Junior married and had children and grandchildren of his own. My attempts to locate them have been unsuccessful, but I continue the search. On what would have been his 91st birthday, we honor/acknowledge the son of Curtis and Creasy (Southall) Cooley, the grandson of George and Mary (Washington) Cooley and the great-grandson of Lacy and Aggie Cooley. One day I KNOW I'll have more to write about this branch of our family tree. Keep hope alive y'all.

You are NOT a Cooley Cousin

I received a reply from Sigmund Cooley. I thought this was going to the missing piece to our family history puzzle. We are NOT related. My quest for the Michigan Cooleys continues...

We Shall See...

I've been digging and digging around the Cooley Family tree roots for some time now. Over the years I've acquired the names of potential descendants of Uncle Curtis. Funny how things happen. I was looking thru my notes for the previous post and three names of Cooleys fell out. I didn't think much of it. I was about to put the names away, but I stopped myself. I decided to search the names on facebook, where I found all three! I sent a message to one, Sigmund Cooley. If he is, we'll know the story of what happened to Uncle Curtis' family. If not, the search continues. We shall see what it will be. Keep your fingers crossed.

What Is A Cooley?

I guess the grammatically correct way to say it is, "Who is a Cooley?" I can give the basics. We are the descendants of Lacy Cooley. Great-great-great Grandpaw Cooley had a couple of wives (Laura and Aggie - nee Lewis) and eight children; Seward, Derunia, Nashrum, Ruth, Bryce, George, Letta and Mark. To break it down more, we are the descendants of George and his wife Mary(nee Washington). It all began in the tiny town of Coaling, Alabama. George and Mary with sons Edward and Curtis moved from Coaling to Missouri in the early part of the Twentieth Century. George worked in the coal mines and Mary stayed home with the children, which included daughter Georgia Elizabeth "Lizzie". The family moved to Iowa around 1910. They lived outside of Ottumwa and eventually settled in Enterprise, Iowa - northeast of Des Moines. This is where Edward Cooley and Ethyl Johnson met.

Family Register Page of the Cooley Family Bible
On November 24, 1915 Edward and Ethyl were married in Uncle Frank's (Johnson) home by Reverend Bolling of Mount Olive Baptist Church. Edward and Ethyl Cooley had four children; Veltirea, Marvin, Eugene and Doris. That's it in a nutshell. Let's move on to our questions and answers section.

VELTIREA

Question: So, who would be a Cooley?
Answer: Anyone that can trace their lineage to Lacy Cooley.


MARVIN

Question: Does your last name have to be Cooley to be one?
Answer: Of course not! My last name isn't Cooley, but I will tell anyone, "I'm a Cooley." Several years ago, one of the Cooley cousins (she had the Cooley last name) told me I wasn't a Cooley -- at all. When I told Grandma Vel what the cousin said, her reply was, "I don't know what the hell she's talking about? You're just as much a Cooley as she is, or MORE!"


EUGENE
Question: How do you identify a Cooley?
Answer: That's easy! The person walking with their head held high is more than likely a Cooley.


DORIS

They are filled with COOLEYLOVE and COOLEYPRIDE.

Curtis Cooley's Birthday

Digging around the roots of the family tree gives you many opportunities to learn previously unknown facts. I knew Curtis Cooley was the grandson of Lacy and Aggie Cooley, and the second child of George and Mary Cooley. I have since learned Curtis was born on May 28, 1899 in Coaling, Alabama. By the time Curtis was five years old, the Cooleys (including older brother, Edward) had moved to Missouri. This is where little sister Georgia Elizabeth was born in 1904. Within six years the family had continued further north to Iowa, where they lived in Center Township. This was an area north of the Des Moines River, outside of the Ottumwa city limits.

In 1915, the family had migrated to Enterprise, Iowa. This is where Curtis begin working in the coal mines with his father and brother. A few years later, Curtis met and soon married Creasy Southall. They had two sons, Leonard and Curtis, Jr. Looking for a new beginning and job, Curtis moved his family to Detroit, Michigan. Within days of moving there, Curtis found work in one of the mines in the Detroit area. Not all details are known, but there was an accident in the coal mine and Curtis was killed.

Big sister, Victoria Cooley Cogwell took charge and made the funeral arrangements. The body was shipped back to Des Moines for burial in the family plot in Glendale Cemetary. Shortly after the untimely death of Curtis, all contact with Creasy and the two sons ended. For many years, there has been no news of the Detroit Cooleys. I have done some research and learned Curtis Cooley's descendants are living in the Detroit area today. Curtis Cooley (dropping the "Junior" after his father's death) married and had a son he named, Curtis Cooley, Junior. Three generations of Cooley men have been named Curtis. It all began on May 28, 1899 in Coaling, Alabama... Happy Birthday, Uncle Curtis.

Anna Belle Burns Lites Harris

On March 19, 1907, Anna Belle Burns was born to thirteen year old Victoria Cooley and thirty-eight year old Lee Burns in Bevier, Missouri. Lee was married with children and couldn't provide much help to Victoria for the care of their baby. To earn money, Victoria begin working in the kitchen of the local train station. After living with Uncle Harry and his family for three years (more on him later), Anna Belle was sent to live with her grandfather George Cooley, his wife Mary, and their three children; Edward, Curtis and Georgia Elizabeth.

By 1920, Anna Belle had moved to Des Moines with her mother and stepfather. It was about this time Anna Belle showed an interest in painting. She allowed her artistic talent to become a job for her. She found work painting china in department stores in downtown Des Moines. Anna Belle would continue hand painting china until her retirement. Anna Belle had two marriages in the course of her life. The first was to a man know only as "Lites." Mr Lites first name is unknown. For a brief time she and her husband lived in Detroit. Anna Belle had moved back to Des Moines when the marriage ended. Her second to Ike Harris lasted much longer. They stayed married until his death. Anna Belle had no children, but loved the children of cousin Edward and his wife Ethyl Cooley. Vel, Dideo, Eckie Bud, Maxine, their children and grandchildren were recipients of her love. From an early age she saw strength and unity in family. Her favorite quote was, "Don't do as I do, do as I say do." Wise words from a wise woman.

Mary Washington Cooley

I think we've all heard the story of the beginnings of our family in the small town of Coaling (also known as "Cooley"), Alabama. We're familiar with the Cooley side of the story, but this tidbit is about the Washington side of the family. The Washingtons, who are they? I'll tell you what I know. George Washington (He was named for which great American?) and his wife Gracie (nee Hargrove) had settled there to raise their family. Like the Cooleys, the Washingtons were a farming family. They were blessed with four daughters; Calladonia, Mary (born June 1874), Julia and Elizabeth. Once she was old enough, Mary would marry her neighbor, George Cooley in 1893. While living in Alabama the couple would have three children, but only two survived; Edward born in 1895 and Curtis born in 1899. In the early part of the twentieth century, the family would move to Missouri, where George would find work as a coal miner. This is where their daughter, Georgia Elizabeth "Lizzie" was born in 1904. George and Mary would move their family to Iowa in 1910, eventually settling in Enterprise. Unfortunately, Mary would not live to see her children grow up. She died in May of 1917. She is buried in Elmhurst Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.