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.

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.

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.

Somewhere, In North Dakota...

It's always good to recognize the accomplishments of our loved ones. The new year brings a new home for Cooley Cousin Maria and her family. North Dakota (norfdaKOLDah) is where this Cooley has settled. That's several states and many miles away from the small town of Coaling, Alabama; where Great-Great-Great Grandparents Lacy and Aggie Cooley established their home and raised their children.

The purchase of a home makes it official; these Cooleys are norfdaKOLDahns!!!

Congratulations, Maria and Ted on your new home.

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.

Nevaeh Grace Is Here!

We welcome this new addition to our family. This is the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Lacey and Aggie (Lewis) Cooley. Nevaeh Grace was born on the morning of Tuesday, April 27th. Little Miss Nevaeh and her mother Keyaria are doing just fine. Jadein is now a big sister and Larry is a proud grandfather.