Back Another Generation

I've found it more difficult to gather information, the further back I go. This post will be what little information I have on my great, great grandparents.

I have no photographs, and little information for an overview, but will include vital statistics, as best I can.

My great, great Grandfather, Abram C. (Cooly)Cooley, was born in New York, in the year 1813. He was a cabinet Maker, by trade.
His wife, Rebecca Clough(?), was born in North Carolina, or New Hampshire in 1818. (still checking this)
Their children were: Lycurgus Lafayette Cooley b. 1842, Elizabeth A. Cooley b. 1845, Alonzo C. Cooley b. 1848 and Lorilla Cooley b. 1850.

My great, great Grandfather, Edward Woodward, b. abt. 1818, in England. The 1880 Federal Census lists his occupation as a Bookkeeper. He married Sarah Adams, b. abt. 1819, in England. Their children were:
Theophilus Edward Woodward, b. 1848, Catharine Mary Woodward, b. 1849,  Jane E. Woodward, b. 1850 and George A. Woodward, b. 1852. (In a census, there was also a Mary A. Row listed, as living with this family, b. abt 1850, in Oxford, Butler, Ohio, but I can't quite determine the relationship to the family yet.)

On the other side, was my great, great grandfather, James F. Peck, born 1832, in Vermont, USA. He died 23 Apr, 1899, in Greenfield, IN.

His wife, Minerva A. Smith, was born 1835, in North Carolina.
They were married 31 Mar, 1853, in Rush County, IN.

Their children were: John Franklin Peck b. 1856, Joseph Reuben Peck b. 1858, Mary A. Peck,  b.1862,
Lou A. Peck b. 1866, Nancy Elizabeth Peck b. 1868, and Laura Peck b. 1865.

My great, great grandfather, Rufus B. Leonard b. 1836, in North Carolina. His wife, Harriet Eaton, b. 1844.
Their children were:
Nannie Belle Leonard b. 1865 and Eunice Leonard b. 1868. (My mother always told me Eunice's name was Connie, so I'm still trying to figure this out.)

The Next Generation

I'm going to go back a generation on this post, and talk a little bit about my great grandparents, on my mother's side.
My great Grandpa,Lycurgus Lafayette Cooley ,

 fought in the Civil War. He was in the 69th Infantry Regiment, Union Army. My mom always had great Grandpa's discharge papers, and she told me how she came to have them. When I was 1, she returned to work. She worked at the lunch counter at Woolworth's. One day, a man came in, who was a regular. He said, Say, wasn't your last name Cooley, before you were married? She said it was, and he said, do you have a relative with a strange first name, Ly-Ly... She said, Lycurgus Lafayette? He said, that's it!! I was at an auction the other day, and I bought an old painting. Taped on the back, was this old paper. I paid $3.00 for the painting, if you'll give me half of that, I'll give you this paper.
She always told me that story, whenever we happened across it. I always thought I would have it when she passed, but my younger sister has it. Hopefully, she will send me a picture of it, and I'll post it here.

He married Catharine Mary Woodward  22 July 1870

They had five children, Blanche Cooley , James A. Cooley , Edward Lafayette Cooley .Arthur Cooley and my Grandpa, William Blaine Cooley. My Grandpa and Arthur, were twins. Arthur died, shortly after birth.

Here is a family portrait. I would say it was taken in 1890-1892, as my Grandpa is the smallest boy in the photo. He was born in 1887, and he looks 3-5 years of age in the photo.

My great Grandpa, on my Grandma's side was John Franklin Peck . He married Nannie Belle Leonard
They had four children. Estella May Peck , Ralph Waldo Peck , Eunice Theresa Peck and my Grandma, Mary Lois Peck .

Below is a photo of my Great Grandpa Peck, my great Grandma Peck, her sister, my great Aunt, Eunice  (Connie??), and (Connie's??) husband. It was taken in either Rushville or Shelbyville, IN(my mom always said she thought her name was Connie.)

I wanted to add a little information about My mom's Aunt, Eunice Theresea Peck. She went by Theresa. My mom used to always say what a beauty her Aunt Theresa was. She said my sister, Karin, took after great Aunt Theresa. The other day, I was looking through an old advertising booklet and there was a short paragraph which I will copy/paste here:

To Miss Theresa Peck belongs the honor of having been the first Queen of the Free Fair. She was elected to this unique position in 1906 by popular vote,having received 47,307 out of a total of 89, 010 votes cast. The float in which she was conveyed was a masterpiece of decorative art, made possible by the generosity of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, which formed a part of the grandest parade ever witnessed in Eastern Indiana, and the beauty of the queen herself lent charm to the pageant.

I also have a little information about my mom's Uncle Ralph Waldo Peck

From the Lafayette, IN Journal and Courier Newspaper 1937: Lafayette School teachers, especially those at Jefferson High School, fared well in the election of state officers of the Indiana Teacher's Federation at the convention recently in Indianapolis. Left to right: Miss Emma Cook, Spanish instructor at Jeff, elected first vice president of the federation; Prof. J.H. Bachtenkircher, veteran penmanship instructor, elected secretary of handwriting section; Lynn Miller, Jeff Dean of Boys, named President of deans of boys section; R.W. Peck, physics instructor at Jeff, elected president of chemistry and physics section of federation.

Where to Start?

I've decided to begin blogging about my family history. You see, I wish I'd started a long time ago, way back when my mom used to tell me about my ancestry. Unfortunately, I thought I had so many, more important things to do, and that I could do it "later". Well, my mom passed away this past October, and she was the last member of my immediate family, other than my sisters and brothers, none of whom know much more about our family history than I. Years from now, when my son may want to know more about his family, I hope he will be glad I finally decided to blog about our family tree. I'll begin with an overview of each generation, and perhaps go more in depth after.

 The next step, after deciding to "just do it", is deciding where to begin? I'm going to begin with my mother's side of the family. Her maiden name was

Dorothy Irene Cooley .  This is her Senior picture, circa 1951.

My mother was one of four children, and the youngest. Her siblings were,

Catherine Belle Cooley,

 Ralph William Cooley ,

  Paul Arthur Cooley .

Her father was William Blaine "Doc" Cooley .(Insert photo)

 Her mother was Mary Lois Peck . (Insert Photo)

This is a picture of them, on their wedding day

My Grandfather Cooley was a 32nd degree Mason, and was a member of the Scottish Rite. He had many occupations, was a pharmacist, hence the nickname "Doc", and also worked the the Philco Ford Factory.

My Grandmother Cooley passed away when my mom was 15.
My mom was much younger than her siblings, so they had all moved out by that time. I can remember her telling me how they lived out in the country, in Liberty, IN, when it was just she and her father. He often worked late, etc., and she would have to go down into the cellar, to put coal into the furnace when she would get home. She said it was often after dark, and being out in the country, there were no streetlights. She said it was so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.

My mom's sister, Catherine Belle, married Chester Dawes .
(children to be added)

My mom's brother, Ralph, married Jessie Bird .


(children to be added)


Mom's brother, Paul, married Nancy Hornsby .

(children to be added)

If anyone has any additional information, or suggestions, please comment below.