This book is about the life of my maternal Great Grandfather, Little Berry Cooley. from the death of his first wife Milly Ann Arrington, in Mississippi through his second marriage to Lovenia Arrington, Milly's niece, and their lives in Texas and Louisiana until his death in 1903. It includes my research of my Cooley family. LB was a farmer, born in Wayne County Mississippi in 1821, a slave owner who fought in the Civil War, moved his family to Texas for a few years with his brothers; Ira and Middleton and eventually ended up around Long Acre in Beauregard Parish Louisiana, a part of Old Imperial Calcasieu Parish in 1880. Little Berry was the grandson of John Cooley. John fought in the Revolutionary War and LB in the CW: John for South Carolina and LB for Mississippi. LB's brother Ira and another brother Middleton both married Arrington women. The story contains real dates and history but narrative added to explain the details of everyday life and events surrounding the Cooley families. . Their land and homes in Mississippi were in bad shape after the CW and land opened up in Texas so the three brothers with their families and many Arrington kin followed the popular saying "Gone to Texas". All were in Texas by the 1870 US census but in Louisiana by 1880 census. Reports say that in this new land, they were always considered "newcomers", robbed and mistreated. So the adventure from MS to LA was quite a journey for the group, with LB's mysterious friend, Rachele Abigaile, traveling right along; both helping and interfering much of the time. They finally settled in SW LA and most all of the present day Cooley's come from these three brother's families. I am a "Double Cooley" as both my father and mother come from children of William Cooley, Little Berry's father. The fifth son of LB was John Eugene Cooley. He was my maternal grandfather, born on October 13, 1868 in Mississippi and died December 12, 1921 in Beauregard Parish at the age of 53 and buried in Hopewell Cemetery. His death certificate states that he died of pellagra. John Eugene married Emma Harriott Adeline Bailey, daughter of Alfred Bailey, and they had five children, one boy and four girls. My mother, Ermel Vuel Cooley was their second daughter . Ermel was born in Sugartown, La. on November 13, 1906 and lived in DeRidder, La, the parish seat of Beauregard Parish until she died in 2005. She was 15 years old when her father died and her mother, Emma, and the children moved into the City of DeRidder soon after to live with one of Emma's brothers. Ermel married first, Ben Henderson giving birth to one child and later married Marshal J.B. Cooley on April 6, 1927. JB who was also a descendant of William Cooley through a son Nelson, was best known as the Fire Chief of DeRidder, Louisiana for many years; his fire fighting career in DeRidder spanning 42 years. J.B. and Ermel had three children. My father, J. B. died on February 7, 1988 in DeRidder, La. and is buried in DeRidder at the Woodlawn Cemetery. My mother, Ermel, died March 12, 2005 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. Life was tough for the Cooley's and Arringtons in Texas after the CW. Many of the Cooley's and Arrington's moved to Louisiana before 1880. LB eventually settled around Sugartown LA and Ira around Ragley LA. Middleton died on one of their trips to LA searching for home land. "It will be for all of you who have a hankering to move to Louisiana." LB said to his family. "Those of you who want to stay behind may want to be on the buying side of the deal". LB repeated. LB, Ira and Middleton Cooley were the ones to tackle the task of traveling to Louisiana to find the families good farm land. Texas had turned out to be to "wild" for them considering the weather, outlaws, insects and pests, and just the loneliness of settling their families from Mississippi to various parts of Texas. But they survived. . I am a "Double Cooley" as both my father and mother children of William
About the Author: Jimmy Earl Cooley was an employee of NASA/GSFC as a Space Scientists/Engineer developing space flight mass spectrometer instruments that measured Planetary Atmospheric gas composition plus overseeing the development of satellites spacecraft to measure incoming gamma rays into the earth's atmosphere. Spectrometer measurements were made of the Venus and Jupiter atmospheres and gamma rays incoming from the universe to the earth. He retired in 1992. Since then he has done extensive genealogy paper research and DNA studies on his family resulting in two eBooks; "Little Berry Cooley" and "A collection of Short Stories." The author spent 30 years at NASA and used his background, experience and training tools gained to interpret his thought into short stories and books on his family. He tackled the births, deaths, and marriages of family members much like the research discipline, analysis, and interpretation of recorded data from instrument flight data from earth and distant planets. The author's books and short stories reflect a lot of his early life adventures and upbringing in the deep south of the USA. After retirement from NASA, the author moved to Louisiana with his wife to Beauregard Parish, Louisiana where they purchased forty acres of land and become farmers. We raise vegetables, flowers, muscadine grapes, blueberries, peaches, and are beekeepers. My genealogy research and DNA studies have traced our family back to John Cooley who fought in the Revolutionary War from South Carolina. The DNA studies also traced the Cooley family to the "Clan Colla" in Ireland around 300 AD (Family Tree DNA). He is a volunteer with the LSU Master Gardener Program and a former volunteer with the Univ. of Maryland Master Gardener Program. He enjoys photographing the plants and wildlife around their farm and hopes, once again, to get his darkroom in operation. His personal achievements include: College Degree in EE and physics, employee of NASA/GSFC, volunteer fireman, private pilot, photographer, genealogy and DNA studies, Amateur Radio Operator (KA3BIO), Master Gardener, author, farmer, artist, and beekeeper. His wife enjoys the outdoors, growing flowers, visiting friends, eating Cajun food, and is an avid quilter, having won ribbons at the local Beauregard Parish Fair. She is a loyal, loving wife and special companion and friend and takes loving care of our health and well-being as we move into our senior years. He enjoys working with his tractor.