Cooley, Albert & family died 1886

COOLEY, COOK, MILES

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 3/19/2013 at 19:25:59

Postville Review, Sat., 13 Feb. 1886.

A whole family, (Albert Cooley's) consisting of husband, wife and three children, were burned to death in their residence, two miles south of McGregor, on Friday morning of last week. It seems they all slept up stairs and the fire caught on the ground floor. It is supposed they were not aroused in time to escape. - This is a terrible warning for families not to all sleep up stairs as many do. We have always considered it dangerous and very seldom have practiced it. Always have some member of the household sleep on the first floor.

-Submitter is not related.

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Added by S. Ferrall 10/05/2019:

A Terrible Affair
On Friday morning about six o'clock the log residence, a one story structure, situated three miles south of this city, and owned and occupied by Albert Cooley and family, was discovered on fire by neighbors in the near vicinity. When discovered the house was completely wrapped in flames.

The building was constructed of [illegible] popular, facing to the north. On the south side was an addition or shed-like, in which Mr. Cooley labored during the winter months, making axe-helves and doing odd jobs. The living room was about square, containing two beds, the cook stove, chairs, table, etc. A garret over-head of the main building answered the purpose of a store-room.

The evidence goes to show that Mr. and Mrs. Cooley were up most of the night previous attending a sick child, that Mrs. Cooley and the baby were in bed and that he renewed the fire in the stove, and probably took up the ashes which he placed in the corner of the shed, and when he had started the fire, retired again to bed.

The facts lead to the conclusion that about six o'clock he awoke to find the house on fire and calling his wife ran up into the garret and pitched a trunk out of the window and then returned to help his family out. The front door had been barred and banked up to keep out the cold, and the windows, three in number, were closed in tight, so that there was but one way out, and that through the rear shed. While Mr. Cooley was up stairs his wife doubtless opened the door to the shed and was met with a dense smoke and forks of flames which prostrated her and the baby she carried in her arms.

Mr. Cooley reached the bottom of the stairs and near a window where he was prostrated. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooley were seen, the former leaning upon the window-sill and the latter apparently between the outer door and the stove, as the dense smoke and flame was lifted by the heavy south-wind from the burning building. The two elder boys were doubtless burned in the bed or near to it.

County Coroner J.W. Cain, was here during Friday, and secured a jury composed of W.A. Benton, W.C. Austin and David Caweitl [sic], and on Saturday the inquest was held, the jury returning a verdict that Albert Cooley, Nancy Cooley, his wife, and their three children, came to their death by the accidental burning of their house. Mr. Owens, Arthur Flexman and A.P. Rhoda were before the jury as witnesses of the burning and they detailed the matter about as stated above. G. Henry Freese, deputy sheriff, attended the coroner in the subpoena of jurors and witnesses.

The remains of the family were gathered as best could be, and the funeral took place on Sunday.

~North Iowa Times, Thursday, February 11, 1886

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The Elkader Weekly Register, Thursday, February 11, 1886 also printed an account of the tragedy. A large portion of the article was the same as the North Iowa Times story, with the following additional info. included:
-the family consisted of Albert Cooley, aged 32 years; his wife Nancy Cooley, aged 22 years; and their children, Albert, Elinor and Ross, aged 4 years, 3 years and three months, respectively

-a transcription of the testimony given in the inquest

-Mr. Cooley was a poor man, earning his living by day's work, but he and his family were respected by all who knew them. They were relatives of Mr. Fred Cook, of Garnavillo and we believe of Riley Miles, who formerly resided here.

-Albert Cooley was a grandson of A.S. Cooley, of this place (in the Garnavillo column)

Submitter's Notes:
--Clayton Co. -Register of Deaths, Book 1 - pages 46 & 47 include
Ross Harrison Cooley, aged 3m 3d
Elmore W. Cooley, aged 3y (record states bur. Mendon twp.)
Albert Ray Cooley, aged 4y
Saucy Cooley, age 22y
Albert Cooley, age 32y (record states remains given to friends)

--Albert is an infant son of S.W. Cooley & his wife Maria, enumerated on the 1856 Iowa State census in the town of Clayton, Clayton co. IA

--Albert is a 4 y/o son of Stephen W. Cooley & his wife Marian and brother of Andrew F. (10y) enumerated on the 1860 U.S. census, Garnavillo.

--Albert & family are enumerated on the 1885 Iowa State census in the household of Warren & Moriah Cooley (Stephen Warren Cooley).

--The Albert Cooley family burial place is unknown to the contributor of this information, but their remains possibly are buried in the Old Garnavillo cemetery where Albert's brother Peter and his grandparents are buried. Clara Cook (Mrs. Fred Cook), mentioned as a relative in the Elkader Weekly News article, was a 1st cousin of Albert.

Of interest: Sisters pardoned, attend Cooley funeral
 

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