Biographies Michigan Biographies Project |
Nathan Cooley was the third in order of birth in the Cooley family and began attending the district school in Lansing township when he was fourteen years of age. At that time there were only two school houses in four townships. At the age of eighteen he worked the father's farm on shares, and continued at this until he was twenty-one. When he was quite young the father gave him forty acres, and here on section 30 he built a house and mae his first home. The land was all timber and he cleared it and added to it, as he prospered, and now owns seventy acres.
For many years our subject was a Democrat, but four years ago changed to the Republican party, with which he now lines up. He was married in December, 1860, to Emaline Garber, whose parents came to Michigan about the year 1850 and settled in Eaton county, south of Charlotte, on eighty acres of raw land. The father of Mrs. Cooley died about fifteen years ago, and the mother about thirty-five. to Mr. and Mrs. Cooley have been born seven children, of whom five are living.
Our subject was elected to the office of Justice of Peace for two terms by the Democratic party and for twenty years was a member of the School Board. He is a member of the G. A. R. and Patrons of Industry.
It is a fact worth noting, that Nathan L. Cooley was the first white child born in Lansing township and never wore a pair shoes until twelve years of age. His uncle Elija Barnes, who was shoemaker, made him a pair shoes out of the tops of his father's old ones, and our subject was so proud of them that whenever he would go across a creek, where he could not jump, would take them off and wade across. Once the father found a bee tree and went with the boys to cut it down, and, coming to a stream our subject took off his shoes, as it was warm and put them on the stump of a tree for safe keeping and after cutting the tree returned hime and forgot the shoes, as he was not used to wearing them. The next morning it was cold and he wanted the shoes but had forgotten where he left them. Our subject and his mother hunted all the day for them, but to no avail, and about a week after, when going through the woods, our subject found the lost shoes and was more than pleased than he would be now with a farm.
Nathan Cooley often accompanied his father at night deer hunting in a boad on Grand river. He would put a candle behind a board and point the gun by it and he could see the sights on his gun and not be seen by the deer. He often stayed out until twelve or oen o'clock, steering the boat for the father. The father was obliged to go to Eaton Rapids for provisions and once upon going there he had to work after reaching the place to get the necessary money for the provisions and after they were bought, made a boat and started down the river with them, and night came on before he reached home and he ran into a rock which split the boat open and everything was dumped into the river. The father waded in and saved the most of the provisions, but the weather was so cold that he was obliged to run up and down the bank to get warm and keep from freezing. While doing this he heard the bark of a dog and following the sound, came to an Indian camp, when he was invited in and given a place in front of the fire in order to dry himself. Here at this camp the father m ade warm friends of the Indians and they were closely associated for many years, as is recorded in the historical part of this volume in the history of the early pioneers.
Our subject was well acquainted with the Indian Cief "Okemos," whose history is given in a pleasing manner elsewhere in the book.
In 1864 Nathan Cooley enlisted in Co. F. 8th Michigan Cavalry and went into camp at Jackson, Michigan, and from there to the front. They were provided with horses and saddles at Fredericksburg, and from there went to Franklin, Tenn., thence to Pulaski, and from there to Shuel Creek and there engaged in a skirmish with Forest's Cavalry and Hood's army, then fell back to Mt. Pleasant and built a barricade across the road, only parts of three regiments being there. They had stampeded them back across a bridge in the rear. Here they were hemmed in by high stone walls and our subject and about twenty-five others were captured. They then were taken to Andersonville Prison, where they were confined from November, 1864, until the close of the war.
After the hardships of the war, in which so many brave men suffered and died, our subject returned to home life.
To our subject and first wife wre born the following children: Allen E., born December 31, 1861, married and lives in Lansing township; Nathan, died in infancy; Riland G., June 5, 1866, married and lives in Lansing; Stella, May 3, 1868, widow of Jay Parker, lives in Lansing; Ruben Lee, born April 4, 1870, married and lives in Lansing; Della, February 9, 1872, married and lives in Lansing township, and Dora Emaline, died in infancy. The mother of this family died March 28, 1875, and July 20, 1876, our subject married Mrs. Adaliza Cadwell at Lansing. Her people were natives of Massachusetts where she lived until fifteen years of age, then with the family moved to Ohio, then to Michigan about 1854, and settled in 1897.
It is undoubtedly a great satisfaction to our subject, who has reached years of maturity, that he can look back over a life spent in struggles to do well for his family and fellowmen and feel that those efforts have been recognized by his friends and children and that the world is better for his having lived in it.
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Biographies Michigan Biographies Project |
 Sondra Higbee
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