Cousin Jen

It can be said the women of this family and strong and determined. There are many stories of perseverance and achievement in every generation.   Here's a story about one of those strong women. This is Jen's story in her own words.  "TWO college degrees & on my way to receive THIRD, (shortly) not too bad for a "teen mom", if I do say so myself! I DID NOT participate in the MTV's series "teen mom", expect EVERYTHING for free! I DID receive child support for one child ('till HE gave up parental rights but have NEVER received any support for the other 2 girls!) I DO NOT condone teenage pregnancy (it's a living HELL to all girls who may reading this post) I took the hard road with help from my mamma Ethel, BUT I made it work, maybe it was 2 steps forward & 3 steps back, (a lot on the way since 1992!) On my way I have encountered racism, alcoholism, & divorcisim! (I just made that word up, HA!) but Don't EVER let someone tell you what you CAN & CAN'T DO-... Believe in YOURSELF and do what YOU ARE WILLING TO DO! With faith all things are possible, if it wasn't for my girls I don't know if I would have done it- I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON & BACK Breann, Baylee Kathleen, & Maddison thank you for making me the best mom I can be! "Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon!" Can't wait to say, "Look ma I DID IT!"    Cousin Jen is Bob's daughter, Eugene "Eckie Bud" and Julia's granddaughter, Edward and Ethyl's great-granddaughter, George and Mary's great-great granddaughter, Lacy and Aggie's great-great-great granddaughter.  Much respect to you Jen.

WARNING - Cute Kid Alert!!!

I had to take a moment from my vacation and post this. Neveah Grace, for those that need a score card, is Lacy and Aggie Cooley's great-great-great-great granddaughter; George and Mary Cooley's great-great-great granddaughter; Edward and Ethyl Cooley's great-great granddaughter; Eugene and Helen Cooley's great granddaughter. Proud grandparents Larry and Seretha love this little bundle of beauty. Anyone that knows me knows I am not particularly fond of children. I'm being honest here. Somehow when they're related to you, you have a totally different feeling. As you can see, this little one has captured her big cousin's (that's me) heart. It is easy to see she gets her beauty from her mother, Keyaria. I'll keep on saying it, there are no ugly people in my family. Okay, some got some ugly personalities, but they still look good. This Cooley Cousin is definitely a pretty one.

Happy Anniversary Mr & Mrs Cooley

Ninety-five years ago today, November 24, 1915, Ethyl Mae Johnson married Edward Marvin Cooley. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the high for the day was a record 65 degrees! Reverend Bolling of the Mount Olive Baptist Church performed the ceremony in the home of Ethyl's uncle, Frank Johnson. "Ethyl and Edward lived with us when they were first married," Aunt Lizzie told me years later. The family welcomed Ethyl and prepared the Thanksgiving feast for the next day. A job with the Norwood White coalmine moved the young newlyweds to Des Moines in 1916. Ninety five years later, some Cooleys are preparing their Thanksgiving feast. The more things change the more they do stay the same. Happy Anniversary Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpaw Cooley.

Ethyl Mae Johnson Cooley

There was a time I worked with a woman that made my workday hellish. One day in particular, she made things very difficult for me. In a heated moment, I allowed my reply to this woman to be peppered with profanity. I came close to cussing her completely out, but I didn't. It's not something to be proud of, but I felt I had been pushed to the point. My supervisor suggested I take a longer than usual lunch break to calm down. I decided to go home and take a nap. While I was asleep, my great grandmother paid me a visit. I felt the bed go down when she sat on the side. Great Grandma Ethyl patted my hand and told me I knew better than to act the way I had been acting. I tried pleading my case, thinking she'd understand my point. She wasn't having any of that. Great Grandma Ethyl suggested I would, "...most certainly know this isn't acceptable behavior." She looked at me and smiled. I was told to behave and that she'd see me later. About the time she stood up is about the time my dog Bud barked. I woke up and looked around the room for her. Bud continued to bark and wag his tail. I believe Ethyl's presence was felt by Bud as well. The rest of my workday went without an issue or problem. I wanted to share MY personal story of Ethyl on her birthday. We've not physically met, but I assure you we're connected. Happy Birthday, Great Grandma!

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.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Ethyl

On November 10, 1899 in Jasper Ralls, Missouri, one hundred and ten years ago today, Edward and Pinkie (Doolen) Johnson welcomed their first born child, Ethyl Mae into the world. The family would move to Vandalia, Missouri and eventually Enterprise, Iowa. This is where Ethyl met Edward Cooley. They were married two weeks after her sixteenth birthday. After moving to Des Moines, Ethyl and Edward had four children; Veltirea, Eugene, Marvin and Doris. A quick glance of Ethyl's descendants shows thirteen grandchildren, thirty-one great grandchildren, fifty-one great-great grandchildren and six great-great-great grandchildren. A point of valuable information; members of this family born with an additional finger should know it comes from the Doolen side of the family. From Pinkie to Ethyl and from Ethyl to her children, the extra finger has passed to each generation. In my family, my mother and her brother had extra fingers. My sister and brother did not. I was the only grandchild of Veltirea to be born with it. I am interested in knowing how many more of my cousins had the extra digit. Back to the my great grandmother. From what I've been told, I know she was a kind individual with a loving spirit. For as much as she was a giving individual, I know that she was a very strong-willed woman. Her point would be heard and her position was unwavering. Grandma Cooley taught her children about loving of one another, respect and the importance of family. Her children learned the lesson well and they taught their children and so on and so on. Let me share this with you. This happened when I was in high school. Having typical teenager angst about my looks, I wanted to change my nose. When I spoke to my grandmother about this, she told me my nose reminded her of her mother's nose. I don't know if it was true or not, but out of respect to the memory of this great woman, I decided I didn't want to change one thing about myself. My nose was just fine. It gave me a closer connection to my great grandmother. I felt I had something in common with her. That was okay with me! So, on this day, the one hundred and tenth year of her birth, we honor Ethyl Mae Johnson Cooley's birth with love and respect. Happy Birthday, Great Grandma Cooley.

Independence Day

Let me ask you this, does England have a July 4th? Yep, they do! Silly question, I know. It's the Fourth of July and the work has begun. Toyia started her cooking on friday evening. I guess she's getting a head start on her feast. Yes, tradition continues -- there will be a family meal today. I do like to eat up a bunch food on days like today. Hell yeah I do!!! I enjoy it more when I have little or no cooking to do. This year I will help on a few things. Mom requested I make sweet potato pudding. I have made it before, but never for July 4th. It's not what we'd normally have. There will be the old favorites; barbeque ribs, chicken, burgers and brats. I'm sure Toyia "the barbeque queen" will put a few ears of corn on the grill, too. I like that. While preparing and then enjoying our delicious meal and good time together, there will be tales of holidays and relatives long past. Family history and traditions will be told by the "wise ones" and passed to the young ones to tell at future gatherings. Years from now, when some of us are gone or just plain OLD, Maurice will share these stories with his family. I know I'll be there to make certain he tells them correctly. This is a photo (one of my favorites) of Ethyl Johnson Cooley, with her sister-in-law Victoria Cooley Cogwell and friends. They were known to take many roadtrips throughout the midwest in the 1920's. The location of this picture may be Chicago or Minneapolis.