Living

Notes:

Family/Spouse: David Bruce Johnson. David was born on 20 Feb 1937 in Patoka, Gibson Co, Indiana; died on 20 Dec 2015 in Palm Desert, Riverside Co, California. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living

Family/Spouse: Joseph Roger Gump. Joseph was born on 31 May 1929 in Denver, Denver Co, Colorado; died on 22 Aug 1987 in Englewood, Jefferson Co, Colorado; was buried about Aug 1987 in Fairmount Cem, Denver Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living

Other Events and Attributes:

• Education: Colorado; University of Denver
• Name: Dale

Notes:

Orville Dale Cooley was born April 5, 1903 in a small house in Plainview, Nebraska. He started school at McLean, Nebraska primarily because his father, Robert Berton, had a job teaching there. It was the year Halley's Comet was visible (1910) and he went outside each evening to see it. He recalls his mother (Carrie Louella Miller) telling him he would see it again "...but I would be an old man when I did. I did see the comet return in 1986 but I didn't feel nearly as old as my mother said I would!" He went to Colorado with his parents March 1, 1910. They had taken a homestead nine miles northwest of Flagler. They had tried to farm but the weather was bad 1910-1911 so both parents were employed as rural teachers in schools north of Flagler. R.B. taught at the Huntley School and Lou taught at the Patten School. In 1911 Dale's father (R.B. or "Bert") started a newspaper in Otis, Colorado, "The Otis Independent". In 1914 with the untimely death of his father's twin brother, Herbert Merton ("Mert") who ran a newspaper in Crofton, Nebraska, Bert sold the Otis Independent and the family moved to Crofton to continue the running Mert's business. Bert eventually could not tolerate the climate in eastern Nebraska, having severe allergies, so in November 1916 the family repurchased the Otis Independent and once again took up residence in that tiny Washington County town. Dale was employed in his father's newspaper but business "was something less than sensational" so, as eldest child in the family, he worked other jobs around the town. He was a cream tester, a soda jerk in more than one drug store, a harvester (pitching wheat to a threshing machine), and a railroad extra on a gang consisting of two Native Americans, 71 Mexican nationals and an Italian boss. Later he got a job in a clothing store where he "something of the cleaning and pressing business, aside from waiting on trade." With the help of a Methodist minister Dale obtained a scholarship to the University of Denver and started school in the fall semester of 1923. While still attending DU he married Mildred Skinner whose father, L.E. Skinner, operated a general merchandise store in Otis. They had gone to school together but Dale says they were not childhood sweethearts. They were married for almost 68 years. Dale and Mildred had two children, Robert Leonard, born 25 Jan 1933 in Otis, Colorado, and Jill Irene, born 17 Jul 1935 in Akron, Colorado. Dale and his cousin Ronald D. Cooley owned and operated The Limon Leader from 15 Feb 1937 through 1 Jun 1972. Dale was very active in state press affairs. He was a member of the board of directors of the Colorado Press Association for several terms and then served as vice president in 1960 and president of the organization in 1961. Also, he was a life member of the Denver Press Club. He was active in Republican politics serving as county chairman for two terms and as a precinct committeeman and delegate to state conventions numerous times. He was one of the founders of the Lincoln County Colorado Historical Society serving as a co-editor of a county history, "Where the Wagons Rolled". Dale was a member of the AF and AM Masonic Lincoln Lodge #146 in Limon, Colo; a 50-year member of Kappa Sigma social fraternity; a member of Sigma Delta Chi professional journalist fraternity. He was a member of the Limon board of education for two terms during which time it was instrumental in acquiring 15 acres of land upon which school buildings and athletic facilities now stand. Dale was active in the organization of the Limon Chamber of Commerce in 1946 and he was a member of the Limon Town Board for two terms.
On August 5, 1989 Dale and Mildred moved to Riverside, California to be near their son and daughter and other family members who had preceded them to the area.
Dale died 12 May 1994 and his body was returned to Limon to be intered at the Pershing Memorial Cemetery with Masonic graveside services.

Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism,

Orville married Alice Mildred Skinner on 11 Jul 1926 in Otis, Washington Co, Colorado. Alice (daughter of Leonard E Skinner and Ethel Campbell Powell) was born on 26 Mar 1905 in Clarence, Shelby Co, Missouri; died on 28 Oct 1996 in Riverside, Riverside Co, California; was buried on 1 Nov 1996 in Pershing Memorial Cemetery, Limon, Lincoln Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Alice Mildred Skinner was born 26 Mar 1905 in Clarence, Shelby County. Missouri to Leonard and Ethel Skinner. She started school there but in 1916 the family moved to Lafayette, Colorado and then a year later to Otis, Colorado. Mildred finished high school in Otis, graduating in 1923. In the fall of 1923 Mildred entered Colorado Teacher's College (now the University of Northern Colorado) in Greeley, Colo. She majored in education and in two years received a Life Certificate to teach. She married Orville Dale Cooley on 11 July 1926. They had attended high school together but they had never dated until after graduation. The marriage lasted 68 years. The started her teaching career in Haxtun, Colo., in the fall of 1926 keeping her marriage secret because women teachers were not allowed to be married and teach in the Haxtun school system. Meantime, her husband, Dale, attended Denver University in pursuit of a journalism degree. In 1927 Dale and Mildred returned to Otis where they both taught in Otis schools for the next six years. They had two children, Robert Leonard born at Otis on 25 Jan 1933 and Jill Irene born in Akron, Colo., 17 Jul 1935. On 15 Feb 1937 the family moved to Limon, Colo., where he and his cousin, Ronald Cooley, assumed operation of the Limon Leader newspaper. Mildred became bookkeeper for the newspaper and she also sold advertising and was Social Editor. In 1941 she was one of the first organizers of the Colorado Press Women and served in 1943 as the state treasurer. Mildred belonged to the Mayflower Order of the Eastern Star, the Limon Women's Golf Club, the Thursday Bridge Club, the Colorado Education Association, the National Education Association (serving as Colorado's representative for improving public relations). In the fall of 1953 Mildred started her second career in teaching. At 48 years of age she returned to the Limon Public Schools. She also attended evening and summer school and in 1962 attained her A.B. degree at the age of 57. She continued to teach in the Limon schools until she retired at the age of 66. She was also an amateur artist beginning this pursuit in her 70's. For several years she and her sister, Irene, cared for their ailing parents in Limon and for the last several years of Dale's life (whose health had seriously deteriorated) she was a constant caretaker and companion where they lived first in Colorado Springs, Colo, then in Riverside, Calif.

(Research):Clarence is a town in Shelby County, Missouri, United States. The population was 813 at the 2010 census. Shelby County is located in northeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 6,373. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was organized January 2, 1835 and named for Governor Isaac Shelby of Kentucky.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Bert

Notes:

Robert Berton Cooley (Bert) and his twin brother, Herbert Merton (Mert), were born 15 Oct 1875 to Robert Reed Cooley (1840-1917) and Stella Alfresine Owen (1850-1920) in McGregor, Iowa "right on the banks of the Mississippi River" as my Grandpa Bert Cooley told me.
The twins grew up in the McGregor area. Some time before 1894[i] the Robert Reed Cooley family consisting of Dad, Mom, Bert, and Mert came to Pierce County, Nebraska, where they settled in Plainview.
Some time before 1896[ii] Samuel Jasper Miller and his wife Mary Ellen Nickerson and his eight children moved from Iowa to Plainview. Amongst the children was Carrie Louella Miller b. 27 May 1883 in Beaman, Iowa, future wife of Robert Berton Cooley.
Bert and Carrie Louella (Lou) were wed 3 Jan 1903 in Plainview. Later in that same year, their first child, Orville Dale was born. Two other children, Carlyle Berton (b. 1905) and Leo (b. 1907), were born in Plainview but did not survive childhood.
At some point before 1906[iii] Mert acquired the Crofton Journal newspaper at Crofton, Knox County, Nebraska. Meanwhile, Bert and his wife, Carrie Louella Miller, had moved to McLean Nebraska where both taught school.
Ronald Delos Cooley was born to Herbert Merton and Elizabeth Holliday in Crofton 28 Jan 1906 and their second child, Merton Beth Cooley, was born 7 Dec 1907. Unfortunately, their mother, Elizabeth Holliday, died shortly after Beth was born. Because of the tragic loss of their mother, Ronald went to live with his grandparents, RR Cooley and Stella Owen in Plainview, Nebraska, and Beth went to live with his uncle RB Cooley in McLean, Nebraska.
In 1910 the Robert Reed Cooley family consisting of RR, Stella, Glenn, and grandchild Ronald Delos, and the Robert Berton Cooley family consisting of RB, wife CL Miller, first child Dale, and nephew Merton Beth, migrated to Kit Carson County Colorado. The RR Cooleys purchased a relinquishment just at the west edge of Flagler and the RB Cooleys purchased 158 acres about four miles west and five miles north of Flagler.
At the same time, the Samuel Jasper Miller family also migrated to Colorado but they landed in Washington County. All of the Miller children, with the exception of eldest son Odes Bert (Carrie Louella, wife of RB Cooley migrated with the Cooleys) came to Colorado and all filed on homesteads in the Anton area of Washington County.
The RB Cooley family "...was on a homestead nine miles northwest of Flagler and we had three years to prove up the claim," said his nephew, Beth Cooley. Bert began in Colorado as a teacher, earning $40 per month at the Huntley school about seven miles due north of Flagler while Lou taught at the Van Patten school at $35 per month. In the summer of 1910 when school was out he joined his Grandpa SJ Miller's threshing crew to run the engine. Since the crops near Flagler had failed in 1910, Grandpa Miller had decided to head north where the crops fared better that year. One day Bert was working about 30 miles north of Flagler near Otis Colo., when he observed the town didn't have a newspaper. That fall Bert began planning for a newspaper in Otis.
"The big reason [for starting a newspaper] was that almost all of the settlers were homesteading, and the law required that anyone who "proved up" on a homestead had to make a publication in a newspaper in the area. These publications were published for a period of six weeks and the homesteader had to pay a publication fee of $5.[iv]
Bert was fortunate enough to find an empty, one and a half story building on the main street (Washington Avenue). It was located on the east side of the street just south of the yard part of the Akron-Otis Lumber Company. The front part was used as a printing office with a rear part partitioned off as a bedroom. At the back of the building was a sort of lean-to about 15 feet square. This was the kitchen and dining area. In order to get to the two bedrooms upstairs, it was necessary to go outside, climb a flight of steps and then walk on two two-by-eight planks laid across the semi-flat roof of the lean-to to get into the upstairs apartment. [Our biggest] concern was water for domestic use. There was no municipal water system and those who lived in town had cisterns which were kept full by a man named Fred Bowen who owned a wooden tank on a wagon. It had a hand pump on it and he would deliver you a supply of water for 50 cents."
"Dad started in the newspaper business from scratch," remembered his son, Coyne Cooley. "He started the Independent on a $250 loan [from his brother-in-law, Odes Bert Miller of Iowa]...that was in 1911, and I was born the next year. We had quarters above the newspaper office, so that's what you call being born into the business." He bought some used equipment and "hired a bum printer to start the paper in Otis just to print legals", said Beth. The first edition (v1#1) of the Otis Independent was published on 5 Jan 1911.[v]
When the Independent was started there were less than 100 people living in Otis. The newspaper consisted of four pages, the front and back was "home print"; that is, the type was set in the shop and printed there. The two inside pages were called "patent" which were supplied by the Western Newspaper Union (out of business by 1982).
During the early years of the newspaper in Otis, the RB Cooley Flagler property was occupied by Lou, Dale, and Beth during the winter months, putting in the time necessary to prove up. Lou taught school, Dale went with her, and Beth was "farmed out" to a neighbor lady (in today's parlance, sent to childcare). Lou and Dale traveled in an open buggy drawn by a single mare who sometimes engaged in the capricious practice known as "balking". That is, a situation where the horse refuses to move when asked to do so. It is very exasperating."
They proved up the [Flagler] claim in March of 1913 and moved to Otis for good.
Tragically, a year later in 1914 Mert was drowned in an automobile accident on the Yankton (SD) pontoon bridge. With the untimely death of his twin brother Bert, sold the OI and he and the family left Otis and moved to Crofton, Nebraska where they continued the operation of Mert's newspaper, the Crofton Journal.
As time went on in that northeast corner of Nebraska near the Missouri River, Bert began to have problems with severe allergies (hay fever). With the climate adversely affecting him he disposed of the Crofton newspaper in 1916 and the family returned to Otis arriving on Election Day, Nov 14, 1916. Bert bought the Independent back and resumed operation of the paper he had founded. Those were the only two years the Cooleys were not involved in a Colorado paper.
"In 1917 we built our new house in Otis and we took the high school principal as a roomer. He was 22 year of age and just out of the University of Denver."[vi] Dale speculates that the principal probably influenced his choice of university as DU from which he graduated.
At some point after their return from Nebraska, the newspaper office was moved "to a make-shift shop adjoining William Whiterhurst's store [on the north]. This had been used as a place to grind and mix feed." At this new location Bert bought a typesetting machine that "was better than doing it by hand, but not much". But a clothing store located in the old grocery store adjoining the Independent office on the south caught fire and was destroyed (no date given). "The Independent was saved by the fact that the north wall of the store [and south wall of the office] was of solid concrete and the fire failed to penetrate."
Not long after that, the chance arose to get a building that had been built out as a drugstore for Justin Hay on the east side of the street across from "the hotel". Shortly, the shop was moved there, the third location for the Otis Independent since RB Cooley started the newspaper.
With the assistance of his wife and sons, he continued to operate the Otis newspaper until 1928 when they traded the paper to J.S. "Stat" Tohill for the Monte Vista Tribune. Tohill came to Otis to operate the Independent but shortly, he sold the newspaper to John W. Graves in 1929. Graves operated it until his death, Feb 22, 1982, and was closely associated with the Cooleys for over 50 years.
Meantime, in Monte Vista, Bert assumed operation of the Tribune but a few months later a better opportunity arose in Akron Colo., county seat of Washington County, whose economy was bustling in the prosperity of the pre-depression years. R.B. sold the Monte Vista Tribune and came to Akron in February of 1929 with his wife Lou, three sons, Dale, Coyne, and Bob, and two nephews, Ronald and Beth.
Akron was a little railroad town and farming community of only a few more than 1200 residents yet it boasted two newspapers, the Akron News and the Akron Reporter. Bert purchased both newspapers which were quickly consolidated resulting in the single newspaper, the Akron News-Reporter the first edition of which was published March 7, 1929. It reported details of a coroner's inquest into death of an Akron man and his son in a train accident, a fire at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Akron, and carried a front page picture of the inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge and Vice President Charles G. Dawes.
Since having five sons working on a small weekly newspaper was overkill, in 1937 Bert purchased the Eastern Colorado Leader in Limon and Dale and Ronald were sent down there to assume operation of the newspaper. Soon they acquired the Genoa Sentinel, the two papers were consolidated, and the Limon Leader was born.
Youngest son, Bob exited the Akron News-Reporter in 1943, went to his wife Eleanor Newcomb's hometown, Mountain Home Idaho, where he started the Mountain Home News. Soon Bob began to feel the ill-effects of arthritis so he moved down to the drier climate of Arizona where he eventually became a Professor of Journalism at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in 1976.
R.B. and Lou owned the Akron News-Reporter until 1955 when they retired and turned the operation over to Coyne and Beth who formed a partnership shortly thereafter.
In 1972 the Limon Leader was sold and Dale and Ronald went into retirement. When the Akron News-Reporter was sold in 1979 it marked the end of the Cooley family newspaper dynasty "since none of the children was interested in getting into the business", Coyne said. That was mostly true until Jim, son of Ronald, took over the Oxford (Nebraska) News and is still publishing the newspaper in 2013.
After a brief illness, Robert Berton Cooley died in the Washington County Hospital in Akron, Colo. On 12 Dec 1962. He was buried in the Otis Cemetery.
His wife, Carrie Louella Miller died in the Nursing Wing on the south side of Washington County Hospital 10 Aug 1973 and she also was buried in the Otis Cemetery.
------------------------------------------------------i Their fourth child, Glenn Syren Cooley, was born in Plainview 14 Jul 1894. ii His youngest child, Letta May Miller was born in Plainview 18 Mar 1896. iii Mert's first child, Ronald Delos Cooley was born in Crofton 28 Jan 1906 when Mert had control of the Crofton Journal. iv "Otis, the People, the Places, and the Newspaper" by Dale Cooley, The Otis Independent, vol 70 no 14 v *From some later edition numbers (e.g. vol 30, no 51 dated 18 Dec 1941) I have determined that v1#1 of the OI lay in the range Dec 25, 1910 to Jan 5, 1911. Since most accounts say the OI began publication in 1911 I will summarily establish 5 Jan 1911 (a Thursday) as the date of the first edition, v1#1.
vi Dale

(Medical):I attended the deceased from November 11, 1962 to December 12, 1962 and last saw him alive on December 12, 1962. Death occurred at 5:25 A.M. on the date stated above. Attendant: Park D. Keller, MD, Akron, Colo. Dec. 13, 1962

Robert married Carrie Louella Miller on 3 Jan 1903 in Plainview, Pierce Co, Nebraska. Carrie (daughter of Samuel Jasper Miller and Mary Ellen Nickerson) was born on 27 May 1883 in Beaman, Grundy Co, Iowa; died on 10 Aug 1973 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado; was buried on 13 Aug 1973 in Otis Cemetery, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: Lou

Notes:

Carrie Louella Miller was born 27 May 1883 in Beaman, Grundy County, Iowa, thedaughter of Samuel Jasper Miller and Mary Ellen Nickerson. Carrie was the fifth of nine children: (i) Child (1874-1874), (ii) Odes Bert (1875-1943), (iii) Frank Gree(1878-1958), (iv) Walter Vivian (1880-1961), (v) Carrie Louella (1883-1973), (vi) Elvira Ann (1885-1912), (vii) Emma Frances (1889-1945), (viii) Robert Nickerson (1893-1958), (ix) Letta May (1896-1986).
Some time before 1896[i] Samuel Miller moved from Calhoun County, Iowa to Pierce County, Nebraska. Coincidentally, Robert Reed Cooley (whose son, Robert Berton would become the husband of Carrie in 1903) had moved from Clayton County Iowa to Pierce County, Nebraska before 1894[ii]
Carrie, better known as Lou, was married to Robert Berton Cooley in Pierce County, Nebraska on 2 Jan 1903. Later that year, they had their first child, Orville Dale. Tragedy was to follow with their next two children, however. Carlyle Berton, "Lyle", was born 18 May 1905 near Plainview but died in childhood on10 May 1909. Leo Cooley was born 17 Feb 1907 but survived only 14 days to 3 Mar 1907. The young couple didn't attempt any more children until 1912.
Before 1909 Lou and Bert moved to McLean, Nebr, where they both taught school.
In 1910 three families in Northeastern Nebraska immigrated to plains of northeastern Colorado: The Robert Berton Cooley consisting of Bert, Lou, Dale, and a nephew Beth took up a homestead 4 miles west and 5 miles north of Flagler in Kit Carson County. The Robert Reed Cooley family consisting of RR, Stella his wife and grand nephew Ronald Cooley bought a relinquishment just west of Flagler. The SJ Miller family consisting of SJ, wife Mary Ellen and six children homesteaded in Washington County near Arickaree about 30 miles north of Flagler.
In order to fulfill the requirements of the Homestead Act of 1862, the properties had to be continuously occupied and improvements made for a period of five years before title was transferred from the Government to the homesteader.
Dale writes, "When we went to the homestead, there was a sod house already there. It was a one-room affair with a cow-chip-burning stove in one end and a bed in the other."[iii] Bert began teaching, earning $40 per month at the Huntley school about seven miles due north of Flagler while Lou taught at the Van Patten school at $35 per month.
In the summer of 1910 when school was out Bert joined his Grandpa SJ Miller's threshing crew to run the engine. Since the crops near Flagler had failed in 1910, Grandpa Miller had decided to head north where the crops fared better that year. One day Bert was working about 30 miles north of Flagler near Otis Colo., when he observed the town didn't have a newspaper. That fall Bert began planning for a newspaper in Otis.
The Otis Independent was born with its first issue published on Jan 5, 1911. Bert took up residence in Otis but, nonetheless, the requirement remained that the property near Flagler be occupied. That task was fulfilled by Lou, Dale, and Beth until 1913 when the property was proved up.
Life on the Colorado prairie was not a bed of roses for the kids and mom, who continued teaching. Beth had to be "farmed our" (taken to childcare) every morning and Dale accompanied his mom to school. Quoting the Dale Cooley paper:[iv]
"One day we came home and my mother was about to lay Beth on the bed when she heard the warning, characteristic "w-h-r-r-r" of the rattlesnake. She leaped backwards, went to the stove and got the poker with which she made short work of the rattler. How it to into the house and under the bed, we never knew. Of course, it was an old soddy and so we just had to think that in had been up in the roof area and had fallen down [inside].
"Another day, my mother went to the barn to get the mare "Bess" out to hitch up to go to town when she again got the "message" from a rattlesnake. This one was near the feedbox in the barn. She came to the house, got the "hog-laig"1 and went back out and with a couple of well-place shots, got rid of that threat. She was an excellent shot with a revolver because she and practiced a lot.
"Upon another occasion we were coming home from school one evening and she saw a hawk on a fence post. She stopped the horse, got out the trusty .32 and knocked the hawk off the post. She had to admire her own marksmanship so she went up to examine the bird. When she got to it and was reaching down to pick it up the hawk, in its death throes, drove its filthy claws into her leg just above the ankle. She bled very freely and when we got home she got out the old reliable turpentine and Epsom salts and gave herself the treatment. She was afraid of what she called "blood-poisoning" and what we know today as tetanus."
Mrs. Cooley was a Worthy Matron (presiding officer) of the Order of the Eastern Star[v] and received a pin for 50 year membership in the organization in July 1966. In 1967 she became a life member of the Martha Washington Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Lou was active member of the Akron Fortnightly Club, serving as president for one term.[vi]
Carrie Louella Miller Cooley had been a patient for almost four years in the nursing wing of Washington County Hospital in Akron Colo, when she died 10 Aug 1973. She was buried alongside her husband Robert Berton Cooley in the Otis Colorado Cemetery.
---------1 hogleg A large heavy caliber handgun, originally used to refer to a Colt Walker or similar sized revolver. Still in use today when referring to a big bore , long barreled handgun , typically a single action revolver

---------------------------------------------------i Letta May Miller was born in Plainview, Pierce Co, Nebraska 18 Mar 1896 ii Glenn Syren Cooley was born in Plainview, Pierce Co, Nebraska on 14 Jul 1894 iii Dale Cooley paper entitled "The Story of the RB Cooley Family in Washington County"
iv Ibidv The Order of the Eastern Star is a Freemasonry-related fraternal organization open to both men and women. It was established in 1850 by Boston, Massachusetts, lawyer and educator Rob Morris, a former Freemason official. The order is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all religious beliefs. It has approximately 10,000 chapters in twenty countries and approximately 500,000 members under its General Grand Chapter. Members of the Order are aged 18 and older; men must be Master Masons and women must have specific relationships with Masons. Originally, a woman would have to be the daughter, widow, wife, sister, or mother of a master Mason, but the Order now allows other relatives as well as allowing Job's Daughters, Rainbow Girls, Members of the Organization of Triangle (NY only) and members of the Constellation of Junior Stars (NY only) to become members when of age. The Order was created by Rob Morris in 1850 when, while confined by illness, he set down the principles of the order in his Rosary of the Eastern Star. By 1855, he had organized a "Supreme Constellation" in New York, which chartered chapters throughout the United States. In 1866, Dr. Morris started working with Robert Macoy, and handed the Order over to him while Morris was traveling in the Holy Land. Macoy organized the current system of Chapters, and modified Dr. Morris' Rosary into a Ritual. On December 1, 1874, Queen Esther Chapter No. 1 became the first Prince Hall Affiliate chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star when it was established in Washington, D.C. by Thornton Andrew Jackson. The "General Grand Chapter" was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 6, 1876. Committees formed at that time created the Ritual of the Order of the Eastern Star in more or less its current form. Traditionally, a woman who is elected Associate Conductress will the following year be elected to Conductress, then the next year Associate Matron, and the next year Worthy Matron. A man elected Associate Patron will usually the next year be elected Worthy Patron. Usually the woman who is elected to become Associate Matron will let it be known who she wishes to be her Associate Patron, so the next year they will both go to the East together as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron. There is no male counterpart to the Conductress and Associate Conductress. Only women are allowed to be Matrons, Conductresses, and the Star Points (Adah, Ruth, etc.) and only men can be Patrons. vi Fortnightly clubs were women's organizations with the object of the group being "mental culture and mutual helpfulness". Each meeting began with the reciting of a short prayer comprising an invocation, petition, and conclusion called the "Collect". Mary Stewart wrote the Collect in 1904 as a member of the Longmont (Colorado} Fortnightly Club. It was written to instill a sense of unity among women working together with wide interests and important goals. The meeting had as its basis a general topic, e.g. Fine Arts, Civil Rights, Education, Conservation, etc. and for each general topic one member developed a specific program, e.g. for Fine Arts, "What Makes a Masterpiece" or for Conservation, "What's Happening to Our Land?" The original Fortnightly Club was established [in Columbia, Mo.] in October 1892 for [University of Missouri, Columbia] faculty wives for the dual purpose of providing "congenial associations for the wives of faculty members" and "building community resources and good will at the University." Fortnightly clubs were affiliated with the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC). The GFWC had its origins in 1890, when Sorosis, a women's literary club founded by journalist Jane Cunningham Croly, issued invitations to other women's literary clubs to form an organization with the goal of uniting "women's clubs to enhance community service by volunteers throughout the world."

From Beaman's First 100 Years "In the year 1856 Solon S. Beaman bought this land. In 1860 he moved his family (among which was son H.H.) from Rock City, a small village in Stephenson County, Illinois, reaching their Iowa farm September 30, where they went to work to build a new home." "The town of Beaman is located in the northwest quarter of Section 34, in Clay Township, Grundy County. The land was owned by H.H. Beaman and was platted on October 16 and recorded at Grundy Center October 18, 1875 by the Beamans for the town which would always bear the family name.

(Medical):I attended the deceased from 11/5/72 to 8/10/73 and last saw her alive on 8/10/73 (signed) R.H. Tedrick, D.O., 501 Main, Akron, Colorado 80720 August 11, 1973

Notes:

Married:
MARRIED At Pierce, Saturday afternoon by Judge Williams Bert Cooley and Miss Lou Miller. The contracting parties both reside northwest of Plainview and are will and favorably known by all. They will make their home with Mr. Cooley's parents for the present. Judge: J.A. Williams, Plainview, Nebraska presiding; Present: Herbert Merton Cooley and Alvina Miller. We extend congratulations.

Notes:

Leonard was a Railroad Agent and Operater for the CB&Q Railroad.
At the 1880 census he lived in Independence, Macon Co, Missouri At the 1900 census he lived in Denver, Arapahoe Co, Colorado and was a servant At the 1920 census he lived in Otis, Washington Co, Colorado and ran a general store At the 1940 census he lived in Platner, Washington Co, Colorado and was a helper

Leonard married Ethel Campbell Powell on 15 Jun 1904 in Bevier, Macon Co, Missouri. Ethel was born about 1880; died about 1975 in Colorado; was buried about 1975 in Pershing Memorial Cemetery, Limon, Lincoln Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
LE Skinner was of Clarence, Shelby County, Missouri and Ethel Powell was of Bevier, Macon County, Missouri. The marriage took place in the bride's home.

Notes:

ROBERT REED COOLEY ANSWERS LAST CALLThe Flagler (Colorado) News Vol. V, No. 50, 3 Jan 1918, p. 4., col. 3 Will A. Borland, ed This community was grieved last Friday when the word was spread about town that Robert Cooley had passed away on 28 Dec 1917. Mr. Cooley was a man who was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him, and while the writer had known him but two years, still I had learned to love and respect him. His genial disposition and hearty greeting had endeared him to our people and he will be greatly missed in the community. Robert Reed Cooley was born to Andrew Sutherland Cooley and Salome Warren Cooley in Garnavillo, Iowa 14 May 1847 and died at his home near Flagler, Colo., December 28, 1917, at the age of 70 years, 7 months and 14 days, death being due to apoplexy [a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain]. Funeral services were held at the Congregational church in Flagler on Monday morning, December 31st [1918], at 11 o'clock, conducted by the pastor, Rev. A. W. Moore. His text was found in Phil. 1-21: "To me, to live is Christ, to die is gain." Businesses of Flagler were closed during services. He lived with his parents in Garnavillo [Clayton County, Iowa] until young manhood, when he and his father, A. S. Cooley, disposed of his [?] property near that place and purchased a farm near McGregor, Iowa, where he was in the lumber business several years. He was united in marriage with Stella A. Owen on December 10, 1874 in McGregor, Clayton County, Iowa. To this union were born four children: Twins Herbert Merton (Mert) and Robert Berton (Bert) on 20 Oct 1875 in McGregor, Clayton County, Iowa; Verne Alton on 8 May 1880 in McGregor, and Glenn Syren on 14 Jul 1894 in Plainview, Pierce County, Nebraska. Herbert Merton was drowned in the Missouri River near Yankton, S.D., 4 Nov 1914 and Verne Alton died at McGregor Iowa, 5 Aug 1881, at the age of 15 months. In the spring of 1886 Robert Reed and his family consisting of himself, wife Stella, and twin sons Mert and Bert moved to Plainview, Nebr., where he resided until the spring of 1910 when he migrated to Kit Carson County Colorado where he bought a relinquishment northwest of Flagler. Robert Cooley was a true man; a man who gave almost his entire life to the service of others. For three years he took care of a helpless brother who was wounded in the Civil War [Peter S. Cooley]. This ordeal practically undermined his health, but he never complained. Mr. Cooley is survived by his wife, Stella, and two sons, Robert Berton of Otis, Colo., and Glenn Syren of Flagler. He is also survived by six grand-children, one of whom, Ronald Cooley, has lived with his grandparents since the death of his mother, Elizabeth Holliday Cooley, in December of 1907. A large number of sympathizing friends and associates assembled to pay their last respects to one whom they loved, and the business houses of Flagler were closed during the services. The floral offerings were abundant and beautiful. The last remains were laid to their final rest in the Flagler cemetery. The News joins with the large circle of friend and acquaintances in extending sympathy to the bereaved wife and children in their time of sorrow.

Card of Thanks, col 3, same edition "We desire to extend our sincere thanks to the neighbors and friends who so kindly gave of their assistance and sympathy during the late illness, death and burial of our loved one, Robert Cooley. We especially wish to thank the business men of Flagler and other, for the beautiful floral offerings." /s/ Mrs. Robert Cooley, Glenn Cooley, Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Cooley, Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Owen, Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Groves, Mrs. L. A. Shaffer, Mrs. Mary I. Hicks

(Medical):I hereby certify that I attended deceased from Dec 22, 1917 to Dec 28, 1917, (signed) H.L. Williams MD, 12/28/1917, Flagler Colorado

Robert married Stella Alfresine Owen on 10 Dec 1874 in McGregor, Clayton Co, Iowa. Stella (daughter of Ambrose Owen and Miranda L. Diggins) was born on 21 May 1850 in Alden Twp, McHenry Co, Illinois; died on 10 Jun 1920 in Flagler, Kit Carson Co, Colorado; was buried on 11 Jun 1920 in Flagler Cemetery, Kit Carson Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Stella Alfresine Owen Obituary Mrs. Cooley was one of the really estimable old ladies of Flagler, always quiet and greatly devoted to her home and children. In early childhood she came with her parents to West Union, Fayette County, Iowa, later moving to McGregor, Iowa, where she was married to Robert Reed Cooley on 10 Dec 1874. In 1886 she came with her husband and children to Plainview, Nebraska, where they resided until 1910 when they disposed of their property and came to Flagler, Kit Carson County, Colorado where they lived on a farm just west of town until a short time ago when the deceased and her son, Glenn, moved to town to property he recently purchased. She also leaves a brother, Ernest M. Owen of Flagler, and a sister, Mrs. Lucy Shaffer who makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Groves just south of Flagler. She is mentioned in "Descendants of John Owen" as 7th generation. Spelling of name there is E-s-t-e-l-l-a. Source was Helen E. Healy, Mesa AZ, in 1935. - The Flagler News, V 8, No. 22, June 17, 1920 (front page story, also on front page: Harding and Coolidge nominated at the Republican National Convention).

(Medical):I hereby certify that I attended deceased from May 27, 1920 to June 10, 1920, that I last saw her alive on June 9, 1920 and that death occurred on the date stated above. (Signed) E.W. Reis MD, Flagler, Colo.

Notes:

(Research):See attached sources.

(Medical):I hereby certify that I attended deceased from April 7, 1921 ro April 8, 1921, that I last saw him alive on April 8, 1921 and that death occurred on the date stated above at 9 p.m.. The Cause of Death was as follows: Uremia, duration 7 months; Contributory (secondary) Bright's Disease, duration 3 months; Did an operation precede death, No; Was there an autopsy, No; What test confirmed diagnosis: Chemical test of urine; (Signed) W. L. Williams, M.D., Flagler, Colo.

Buried:
Gravestone Picture

Samuel married Mary Ellen Nickerson on 11 Feb 1873 in Bethany, Harrison Co, Missouri. Mary (daughter of John Nickerson and Sarah Ann Montgomery) was born on 12 May 1856 in Near New Carlisle, St Joseph Co, Indiana; died on 26 May 1932 in Near Anton, Washington Co, Colorado; was buried on 29 May 1932 in Otis Cemetery, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Obituary from the Akron News Reporter, June 2, 1932: The [Samuel Jasper Miller-Mary Ellen Nickerson] family came to Colorado in March 1910 from Pierce, Neb. and settled on a homestead near Arickaree where she resided with her son, R.N., at the time of her death...Prior to their residence at Pierce, the family lived in the vicinity of Plainview, Neb. where they came from Iowa in 1893. Funeral services in Otis Presbyterian Church, May 29, 1932 (Sunday) by Rev. Charles B. Leeper.

(Medical):Immediate cause of death: Senility
Interval between onset and death: 1 yearOther significant conditions contributing to death but not related to the terminal disease condition given above: Myocarditis
Was Autopsy performed: NoI attended the deceased from April 22, 1931 to May 26, 1932 and last saw her alive on May 26, 1932; Attendant Albert Black, M.D., Akron Colorado

Buried:
Gravestone Picture

Notes:

Living married Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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