More Coopery: George Emrick & Family

AMOS COOPER > CHALKELY JARED COOPER, SR >  MARGARET ANNA "ANNIE"

Click to
increase size

COOPER m George Emrick

You can read earlier information about Alice here. The Emrick's resided in Stephenson County, Illinois when George and Annie married. In 1892, the couple, joined other Cooper relations in Seward, Nebraska. George plied a variety of businesses, among them a restaurant and later, a long-lasting florist shop he opened in 1917. In 1914, his wife Annie had died, leaving son Bert and daughter Cora Alice "Alice" along with her husband to carry on without her. Bert (b. 13 Aug 1879) and Alice (b. 03 Oct 1882) had both been born in Stephenson County, Illinois.

George was named Justice of the Peace by the county and Justice of Police by the City of Seward in 1917. He seemed to keep busy. The family was fairly well off, owning a 9-room home in town. Alice worked as a clerk for one of the county superintendents, EH Koch, who also encouraged her and put her forth for the additional job as County Truant and Attendance Officer for Seward County in 1923. Nice of him, since she got no more pay for the extra work. Long a spinster woman, Alice surprised the townsfolk when she married widower Ira Moler, a man from Litchfield, who once lived near Bee in Seward County, but now farmed in the western side of the state. The wedding took place in Seward 01 Sep 1926 in Seward, with JP G. A. Emrick, her father, presiding as officiant.

The couple took off for Litchfield and spent a lot of time visiting Seward. On 31 Oct 1927, Ira was walking back from town to the Emrick residence when he fell over dead of a heart attack. He was predeceased by his first wife, Vada Church, and was survived by his daughter Ruby Margaret Deifenbach.

In May of 1927, Alice's brother Bert and his family made the big decision to head West, packing up and moving to Glendale, Los Angeles, California. Almost immediately after their arrival, their youngest daughter Marion became gravely ill and remained ill for many months. Soon after their removal, George and Alice made their first steps to moving west themselves.

In June 1927, George sold off the fixtures of his floral shop and retired. Alice and George held a sale of their property and in November, their household goods. George resigned from his position with the county and right before Thanksgiving of 1927, the two headed west to join Bert and his family in Glendale.

Love would strike Alice again and on 03 Oct 1936, she married widower Robert John Breen. When she died at the age of 57, he survived her by mere months, dying 17 Nov 1941.

I have put much of this up on Ancestry, in addition to the obituaries for George Emrick and Ira Moler and other information on the Emrick's. I would very much like to track down the daughters of Bert Emrick, both gone now, but I'm sure there are family members somewhere. That's another project for the list.

The Neverending Job: Robert Thompson Cooper, Again

AMOS COOPER > WILLIAM LLOYD COOPER > CHALKLEY JARED COOPER > ROBERT T

COOPER

Many moons ago, I had researched Capt Robert T. Cooper, stalwart and engaged citizen in some detail. You can read about it here. Doing the research is NEVER done. I do a round of research and then start all over again to see what new tidbits have been added to the volumes I've already collected.

I had already discovered that he lost his wife early in their marriage. I knew of some of his business dealings and his war record, but discovering his obituary recently filled in some of the blanks.

If you remember from reading about the Cooper's trip west, they were a Quaker family who left Pennsyvlania to go to a Quaker settlement at the edge of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois, where the pioneering journey of the family begins.

Nephew WW Fisher, a veterinarian, seems to have enjoyed his uncle's company. Joseph Cooper had early on worked with his brother Robert in the milling business when he was a tinsmith. He lived a full, fruitful life, but one without a life's companion by his side. Always kind of made me sad for him.

Walton Ward Fisher, DVM in Seward, Nebraska

WILLIAM COOPER > AMOS COOPER > CHALKLEY JARED COOPER > MARY E COOPER > Joseph Fisher > WALTON WARD FISHER, DVM

Seward Courthouse & Fire Dept 1910

Joseph Fisher was the son of Jacob and Mary Fisher who had come from Berks County, Pennsylvania to Oneco, Stephenson County, Illinois prior to 1850. In about 1860, he married Mary Ellen Cooper, daughter of Chalkley Jared Cooper and his wife Margaret Ann Thompson. Mary Ellen was the second of nine known children, born 19 Mar 1843 in Clark County, Illinois.

Mary Ellen and Joseph had one known surviving son, Walton Ward Fisher, born on 29 Jun 1868, prior to her death in 1873. In 1880, W W Fisher was not living with his father, but with his Grandfather C J Cooper, Great Grandmother Susan Gourley Thompson, and aunt Susan Lavica Cooper. His father died on 22 Sep 1881. Both of his parents were buried in Rock Grove Union Cemetery in Stephenson County.

The next sight of Walton is in 1896 when he's living in Nebraska and has married Ruth Hill. Ruth's family was from Cole County, Illinois and her parents had come to Nebraska when she was seven years old.

Walton Ward Fisher, DVM

In 1900, the couple are living in Madison Township in Fillmore County, Nebraska where they are farming. In 1910 they are living in Seward and Walton is working as a contractor. Seward is located just West of Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1913, most of the town's people were attending "the big ball game" south of town when a tornado decimated over 15 blocks, killing 13. In 1918, a modern high school was built. The population reached nearly 2,000 after the rebuilding.

At some point, he attends college (possible UNL) and receives his veterinary degree. In 1918, he is listed in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association Journal as practicing n Seward, Nebraska.

Walton Bruce

This also launches him into the "professional" category in town which gave them a higher social standing. Mrs. Fisher was very active in community affairs, but particularly the Order of the Eastern Star. They had three children: Rebecca Louise "Louise", Meda Hill, and Walton Bruce.

In 1927, Walton and his daughters returned to Stephenson County for their first visit since he left for Nebraska to visit a Fisher relative.

The daughters would both become schoolteachers. In 1931, Louise went to Chicago high schools to teach and Meda first went to Idaho, but then also joined Louise in Chicago. Neither would ever marry.

R Louise

Son Walton Bruce "Bud" Fisher married Mary Louise McCreavey and became an insurance salesman and moved to Ft Wayne, Indiana. By the mid-1940s, the growing family would be living in Oak Park, Illinois.

WW and Ruth moved to River Forest, Illinois in about 1940 to be near the rest of the family. WW Fisher died 18 Mar 1953 in Cook County. Ruth would die suddenly on 21 July 1955 while traveling with her daughters in Greeley, Colorado.

All of the children of the Fisher's would eventually end up in Florida. R Louise died 21 Dec 1996 in New Port Richey, Meda Hill died in Dec 1965 in Sarasota, and Walton Bruce 27 Feb 1971 in Brooksville. Walton Bruce and his wife had seven children, One would died at age 9 of illness in Illinois and Walton Thomas "Tom" would die in an auto accident on 24 Mar 1966. He was a junior linebacker for the University of Tennessee who died in a car-semi accident on his way back from Spring Break. Another player was killed and one very gravely injured in the crash. The Tom Fisher Memorial Stadium was built in his honor at Hernando High School, where he attended, in his honor.