FAMILIES A-C: COOLEY ~ William Cooley

"Birth: Mar. 3, 1756

Goshen, Orange County, New York, USA

Death: Aug. 11, 1837

Darrtown, Butler County, Ohio, USA

William Cooley was the son of Jabez Cooley. He was born in Goshen, Orange County, New York.

He served as a private in the New York Militia during the Revolutionary War. [1]

He was married to Nancy Jones, on January 8, 1793, in Madison County, Kentucky, by the Reverend Feathergill Adams, Baptist preacher. By 1799, William and Nancy moved to Pleasant Run, in Hamilton County, Ohio.

In 1804, the Butler County Commissioners recorded that William had killed two wolves for a two dollar bounty.

He moved to the lower end of Darrtown [2] by 1815, where he lived until his death in 1837.

He was a soldier, a weaver and a farmer.

Both William and Nancy were members of the Baptist Church that was located next to Darrtown Cemetery. He and his wife left no children.

Burial: Darrtown Cemetery

Darrtown, Butler County, Ohio, USA"

Webmaster Notes:

[1] The Hamilton Evening Journal article that appears immediately below, confirms that William Cooley was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

[2] The "lower end of Darrtown" is a reference to the stone house that William Cooley built at the southern edge of Darrtown, on the west side of the Hamilton-Richmond Road (State Route 177). A photo of his house appears below and more images of the stone structure are available on the Wagonfield Family page; scroll to the section titled, "Before the Wagonfield Era."

"ASSOCIATES OF WASHINGTON

Graves of Many Found In Butler County, Search Continues For Others

As the time approaches when the bicentennial of the birth of George Washington is to be celebrated, it becomes know that many of the associates of Washington in the war of the Revolution or in the early development of the United States, became residents of Butler county and that many of them found their last resting place within its borders.

Many of these associates of Washington are positively known, as well as their residences and the places of their burial. But, there are still some whose place of burial still remain unrevealed, although it is known that they too sleep in Butler county.

Every possible effort is being made this year to gain all information possible concerning these early settlers, some of whom no doubt knew Washington; and others who were intimately acquainted with the early development of the territory, west of the Alleghenies. Many of these found their way to the Great Miami Valley and, of these, many settled in Butler county to become the pioneers in the development of the county.

The Known Associates

The associates of Washington, who became residents of Butler county and found their last resting place here and who are positively know are the following:

A list of 59 "known associates of George Washington appeared.

The unknown associates of Washington, who also came to Butler county, but trace of whose whereabouts and whose places of burial are still unknown, were as follows:

A list of 39 "unknown associates of George Washington appeared.

NOTE: William Cooley was included in the list of 59 "Known Associates," as "Capt. Cooley, Darrtown."

The item at the right

is a reprint of a

news article that

appeared in the February 13, 1932 edition of the

Hamilton Evening Journal,

in a section devoted

to the topic of

"Associates of Washington."

CHAPS is defined as the

Citizens for Historic And Preservation Services.

According to the CHAPS newsletter masthead (above), the organization has been communicating and recording news about local preservation efforts in Butler County (Ohio) for 30 years. As noted in the CHAP's column at the left, William Cooley was the original owner of the property, which later became the property of Gottlieb Wagonfield.

Families A-C       Families D-H       Families I-L       Families M-P       Families Q-U       Families V-Z

Families A-C       Families D-H       Families I-L       Families M-P       Families Q-U       Families V-Z

Death of a Centenarian. — The Hamilton Telegram announces the death, at Darrtown, Butler County, Ohio., on the 10th, of Mrs. Nancy Cooley, at the age of 108 years and 17 days. She was born in Virginia, in December, 1759, and emigrated to Kentucky while still young. She married there Wm. Cooley, who had been a Revolutionary soldier. They removed to Ohio when it was a wilderness, settling upon the banks of Four Mile Creek. Her husband, who was familiarly known as " Uncle Billy Cooley," was never known to own a man a dollar, never allowed any one to become indebted to him, and would not receive paper money for any of the products of his farm. His wife, who long survived him, resembled him in the fact that she never contracted a debt. Mrs. Cooley received pension during her life on account of her husband’s services in the Revolution. She leaves no descendants and it is not known that she had any relatives in Ohio.