Irish Cooleys

From: lvcooley5 <lvcooley5_at_cox.net>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2015 14:27:45 -0800

As I begin this new year, 7 years into my earnest search for the origins of my Cooley family, I am reminded of my humble beginning: A hand written note by my dad’s younger sister, (kept in “the family bible”) listing their father’s parents names and the names and birthdates of my grandpa and his siblings. Above all of this were the names of my grandpa Luster’s parents: Addison (English) and Cooley (Irish) implying that my great grandmother Malinda Frances Addison was of English descent and her husband, yet another John Cooley, was Irish. From what I’ve been able to gather on the Addison side, the English descent seems rock solid. But as you all know, not so much on the Cooley/Irish side.

Yet, there seems to also be a recurring thread in some of our family stories of an Irish origin, even though there is little evidence to show for it. The tumultuous history of the British Isles has stirred the crystal ball sufficiently enough that we may never know exactly where OUR John Cooley was born, not to mention his parents and so on. And though we do have written histories of John’s descendants that suggest a somewhat equally murky English descent, I’m also reminded that John’s 5th grandfather could have called anywhere from Western Ireland to Southwestern Norway “home”. Or maybe that man’s 15th grandfather. The Scottish tartan, the Norse blood line, all ebb and flow into the water-road of our journey to America.

But maybe there is some truth to the Irish Cooley. What I do know, 7 years later, is that I come from a long line of farmers and laborers, most of whom signed their names with an X. And while I certainly wouldn’t ascribe any amount of “Luck” to them, the fact that I am here, over 250 years after John first laid eyes on America, gives me an overwhelming feeling of awe and gratitude and, yes, Luck. The hardship and struggles, the tragedies and early ends of our Cooleys make me feel privileged to be alive. My three sons and, with any luck, their children and grandchildren, inspire me to keep digging, turning over old & new rocks and continuing to ask (sometimes roll-your-eyes, unbearably dumb) old & new questions.

Before there was the written word, We told stories. In my family, where written words were seldom used, there is a story to be told. Could the idea of our Cooleys being Irish be an ancient memory, passed down through the generations, across national and physical borders, across seas, across time?

Whenever I’ve got a spare minute or two in this new year, I hope to be thinking about this question and finding some better words to help tell the story.

Best of Luck to all of you,

Jim Cooley
Las Vegas, NV
Received on Fri Jan 02 2015 - 16:27:45 CST