Together Forever: Alta and Elva Cooper

William Cooper > Amos Cooper > John L Cooper > Alfred James Cooper > Alfred D Cooper > Elva & Alta Cooper

The girls were raised in Traverse City, MI, depicted here from 1908.

Elva (16 Oct 1885, Kansas) and Alta (18 May 1887, Traverse City, Michigan) COOPER were the daughters and only children of Alfred D Cooper and Martha “Mattie” Cline. Their mother died prior to 1900 and unlike many men who found themselves a single parent during that era, Alfred managed to keep the family together by living in a boarding house with the girls while he worked as a machinist. The home at 820 Randolph St in Traverse City was owned by Mina Packard, who was also widowed and living with her child.

In 1906, Alfred married Diana AUTEN Calkins Kempton. Diana had at one time been a dressmaker. She had recently lost her second husband, John Kempton, a farmer, who was 79 at the age of his marriage to Diana in 1900 (she was 43).

The girls completed their schooling and became school teachers, teaching in the same communities beginning in 1908. They lived at home for some little while, being noted in the 1920 Census as living together with Alfred and Diana while both teaching school in Ridgeway, Lenawee, Michigan.

In 1930, the girls were residing together in Athens, Ohio, where they were instructors in education classes to training teachers at Ohio State-Athens. They were grade supervisors at the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education. The school, like many teaching colleges, created a laboratory school called the Rufus Putnam School. The ladies supervised teachers doing their practicum until at least 1937. By 1940, the ladies were living in Cleveland, Ohio, but returned by the mid-1940s to Athens Township, in The Plains, where they remained. They also taught at The Plains Elementary School in Athens, where they taught until at least 1958 (in their 70s).

Together their entire lives and into death

The ladies were incredibly active in the community. hosting and holding numerous events for the Plains Women's Methodist Society, The Plain Garden Club, The Plains Women's Society for Christian Service, and later, the Naomi Study Group.

Upon retirement, they continued to reside together until they could no longer remain at home, moving to the same long-term care facility in Athens, where they died within 24 hours of each other on 06 (Alta) and 07 (Elva) Mar 1980. They were buried together at Athens County Memory Garden.

Elva and Alta Cooper by grapevine. They were first cousins of noted historian
Angie Debo and kept in touch with each other.