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Robert Berton “Bert” Cooley

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Birth	:	15 Oct 1875 McGregor, Clayton County, Iowa, USA
Death	:	12 Dec 1962 Akron, Washington County, Colorado, USA
Burial	:	Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Cemetery, Sainte-Elizabeth, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate	:	49.3406300, -97.1897100
Description	:	Robert Berton Cooley (Bert) and his twin brother, Herbert Merton (Mert), were born 15 Oct 1875 to Robert Reed Cooley (1840-1917) and Stella Alfresine Owen (1850-1920) in McGregor, Iowa "right on the banks of the Mississippi River" as my Grandpa Bert Cooley told me. The twins grew up in the McGregor area. Some time before 1894* the Robert Reed Cooley family consisting of Dad, Mom, Bert, and Mert came to Pierce County, Nebraska, where they settled in Plainview. Their fourth child, Glenn Syren Cooley, was born in Plainview 14 Jul 1894. Some time before 1896 Samuel Jasper Miller and his wife Mary... Read More	Robert Berton Cooley (Bert) and his twin brother, Herbert Merton (Mert), were born 15 Oct 1875 to Robert Reed Cooley (1840-1917) and Stella Alfresine Owen (1850-1920) in McGregor, Iowa "right on the banks of the Mississippi River" as my Grandpa Bert Cooley told me. The twins grew up in the McGregor area. Some time before 1894* the Robert Reed Cooley family consisting of Dad, Mom, Bert, and Mert came to Pierce County, Nebraska, where they settled in Plainview. Their fourth child, Glenn Syren Cooley, was born in Plainview 14 Jul 1894. Some time before 1896 Samuel Jasper Miller and his wife Mary Ellen Nickerson and his eight children moved from Iowa to Plainview. Amongst the children was Carrie Louella Miller b. 27 May 1883 in Beaman, Iowa, future wife of Robert Berton Cooley. His youngest child, Letta May Miller was born in Plainview 18 Mar 1896. Bert and Carrie Louella (Lou) were wed 3 Jan 1903 in Plainview. Later in that same year, their first child, Orville Dale was born. Two other children Carlyle Berton (b. 1905) and Leo (b. 1907) were born in Plainview but did not survive childhood. At some point before 1906, Mert acquired the Crofton Journal newspaper at Crofton, Knox County, Nebraska. Meanwhile Bert and his wife, Carrie Louella Miller, had moved to McLean Nebraska where both taught school. Mert's first child, Ronald Delos Cooley was born in Crofton 28 Jan 1906 when Mert had control of the Crofton Journal. Ronald Delos Cooley was born to Herbert Merton and Elizabeth Holliday in Crofton 28 Jan 1906 and their second child, Merton Beth Cooley was born 7 Dec 1907. Unfortunately, their mother, Elizabeth Holliday, died shortly after Beth was born. Because of the tragic loss of their mother, Ronald went to live with his grandparents, RR Cooley and Stella Owen in Plainview, Nebraska, and Beth went to live with his uncle RB Cooley in McLean, Nebraska. In 1910 the Robert Reed Cooley family consisting of RR, Stella, Glenn, and grandchild Ronald Delos, and the Robert Berton Cooley family consisting of RB, wife CL Miller, first child Dale, and nephew Merton Beth, migrated to Kit Carson County Colorado. The RR Cooleys purchased a relinquishment just at the west edge of Flagler and the RB Cooleys purchased 158 acres about four miles west and five miles north of Flagler. At the same time, the Samuel Jasper Miller family also migrated to Colorado but they landed in Washington County. All of the Miller children, with the exception of the eldest son, Odes Bert and daughter Carrie Louella, wife of RB Cooley (who migrated with the Cooleys) came to Colorado and all filed on homesteads in the Anton area of Washington County. The RB Cooley family "...was on a homestead nine miles northwest of Flagler and we had three years to prove up the claim," said his nephew, Beth Cooley. Bert began in Colorado as a teacher, earning $40 per month at the Huntley school about seven miles due north of Flagler while Lou taught at the Van Patten school at $35 per month. In the summer of 1910 when school was out he joined his Grandpa SJ Miller's threshing crew to run the engine. Since the crops near Flagler had failed in 1910, Grandpa Miller decided to head north where the crops fared better that year. One day Bert was working about 30 miles north of Flagler near Otis Colo., when he observed the town didn't have a newspaper. That fall Bert began planning for a newspaper in Otis. "The big reason [for starting a newspaper] was that almost all of the settlers were homesteading, and the law required that anyone who "proved up" on a homestead had to make a publication in a newspaper in the area. These publications were published for a period of six weeks and the homesteader had to pay a publication fee of $5. - "Otis, the People, the Places, and the Newspaper" by Dale Cooley, The Otis Independent, vol 70 no 14 Bert was fortunate enough to find an empty one and a half story building on the main street (Washington Avenue). It was located on the east side of the street just south of the yard part of the Akron-Otis Lumber Company. The front part was used as a printing office with a rear part partitioned off as a bedroom. At the back of the building was a sort of lean-to about 15 feet square. This was the kitchen and dining area. In order to get to the two bedrooms upstairs, it was necessary to go outside, climb a flight of steps and then walk on two two-by-eight planks laid across the semi-flat roof of the lean-to to get into the upstairs apartment. [Our biggest] concern was water for domestic use. There was no municipal water system and those who lived in town had cisterns which were kept full by a man named Fred Bowen who owned a wooden tank on a wagon. It had a hand pump on it and he would deliver you a supply of water for 50 cents." "Otis, the People, the Places, and the Newspaper" by Dale Cooley, The Otis Independent, vol 70 no 14 "Dad started in the newspaper business from scratch," remembered his son, Coyne Cooley. "He started the Independent on a $250 loan [from his brother-in-law, Odes Bert Miller of Iowa]...that was in 1911, and I was born the next year. We had quarters above the newspaper office, so that's what you call being born into the business." He bought some used equipment and "hired a bum printer to start the paper in Otis just to print legals", said Beth. I have determined that the first edition (v1#1) of the Otis Independent was published on 5 Jan 1911. From some later edition numbers (e.g. vol 30, no 51 dated 18 Dec 1941) I have determined that v1#1 of the OI lay in the range Dec 25, 1910 to Jan 5, 1911. Since most accounts say the OI began publication in 1911 I will summarily establish 5 Jan 1911 (a Thursday) as the date of the first edition, v1#1. When the Independent was started there were less than 100 people living in Otis. The newspaper consisted of four pages, the front and back was "home print"; that is, the type was set in the shop and printed there. The two inside pages were called "patent" which were supplied by the Western Newspaper Union (out of business by 1982). During the early years of the newspaper in Otis, the RB Cooley Flagler property was occupied by Lou, Dale, and Beth during the winter months, putting in the time necessary to prove up. Lou taught school, Dale went with her, and Beth was "farmed out" to a neighbor lady (in today's parlance, sent to childcare). Lou and Dale traveled in an open buggy drawn by a single mare who sometimes engaged in the capricious practice know as "balking". That is, a situation where the horse refuses to move when asked to do so. It is very exasperating." They proved up the [Flagler] claim in March of 1913 and moved to Otis for good. Tragically, a year later in 1914 Mert was drowned in an automobile accident on the Yankton (SD) pontoon bridge. With the untimely death of his twin brother Bert, sold the OI and he and the family left Otis and moved to Crofton, Nebraska where they continued the operation of Mert's newspaper, the Crofton Journal. As time went on in that northeast corner of Nebraska near the Missouri River, Bert began to have problems with severe allergies (hay fever). With the climate adversely affecting him he disposed of the Crofton newspaper in 1916 and the family returned to Otis arriving on Election Day, Nov 14, 1916. Bert bought the OI back and resumed operation of the paper he had founded. Those were the only two years the Cooleys were not involved in a Colorado paper. At some point after their return, the newspaper office was moved "to a make-shift shop adjoining William Whiterhurst's store [on the north]. This had been used as a place to grind and mix feed." At this new location Bert bought a typesetting machine that "was better than doing it by hand, but not much". But a clothing store located in the old grocery store adjoining the Independent office on the south caught fire and was destroyedno date given. "The Independent was saved by the fact that the north wall of the store [and south wall of the office] was of solid concrete and the fire failed to penetrate." Not long after that, the chance arose to get a building that had been built out as a drugstore for Justin Hay on the east side of the street across from "the hotel". Shortly, the shop was moved there, the third location for the Otis Independent since RB Cooley started the newspaper. With the assistance of his wife and sons, he continued to operate the Otis newspaper until 1928 when they traded the paper to J.S. "Stat" Tohill for the Monte Vista Tribune. Tohill came to Otis to operate the Independent but he shortly sold the newspaper to John W. Graves in 1929. Graves operated it until his death, Feb 22, 1982, and was closely associated with the Cooleys for over 50 years. Meantime, in Monte Vista, Bert assumed operation of the Tribune but a few months later a better opportunity arose in Akron Colo, county seat of Washington County, whose economy was bustling in the prosperity of the pre-depression years. R.B. sold the Monte Vista Tribune and came to Akron in February of 1929 with his wife Lou, three sons, Dale, Coyne, and Bob, and two nephews, Ronald and Beth. Akron was a little railroad town and farming community of only a few more than 1200 residents yet it boasted two newspapers, the Akron News and the Akron Reporter. Bert purchased both newspapers which were quickly consolidated resulting in the single newspaper, the Akron News-Reporter the first edition of which was published March 7, 1929. It reported details of a coroner's inquest into death of an Akron man and his son in a train accident, a fire at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Akron, and carried a front page picture of the inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge and Vice President Charles G. Dawes. Since having five sons working on a small weekly newspaper was overkill, in 1937 Bert purchased the Eastern Colorado Leader in Limon and Dale and Ronald were sent down there to assume operation of the newspaper. Soon they acquired the Genoa Sentinel, the two papers were consolidated, and the Limon Leader was born. Youngest son, Bob exited the Akron News-Reporter in 1943, went to his wife Eleanor Newcomb's hometown, Mountain Home Idaho, where he started the Mountain Home News. Soon Bob began to feel the ill-effects of arthritis so he moved down to Arizona where he eventually became a Professor of Journalism at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in 1976. R.B. and Lou owned the Akron News-Reporter until 1955 when they retired and turned the operation over to Coyne and Beth who formed a partnership shortly thereafter. In 1972 the Limon Leader was sold and Dale and Ronald went into retirement. When the Akron News-Reporter was sold in 1979 it marked the end of the Cooley family newspaper dynasty "since none of the children was interested in getting into the business", Coyne said. That was mostly true until Jim, son of Ronald took over the Oxford (Nebraska) News and is still publishing the newspaper in 2013.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Robert Berton “Bert” Cooley's memorial?
Robert Berton “Bert” Cooley's memorial is located at: Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Cemetery, Sainte-Elizabeth, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada.
When did Robert Berton “Bert” Cooley death?
Robert Berton “Bert” Cooley death on 12 Dec 1962 in Akron, Washington County, Colorado, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Robert Berton “Bert” Cooley's memorial?
Latitude: 49.3406300
Longitude: -97.1897100

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Carrie Louella Miller Cooley

(1883 - 1973)

Siblings

Herbert Merton “Mert” Cooley

(1875 - 1914)

Alton Verne Cooley

(1880 - 1881)

Children

Carlyle Berton “Lyle” Cooley

(1905 - 1909)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Elizabeth Roman Catholic Cemetery
Sainte-Elizabeth, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3406300, -97.1897100

2. Sainte Elizabeth Mennonite Cemetery
De Salaberry, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3014080, -97.1875260

3. Arnaud Mennonite Brethren Cemetery
Arnaud, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.2507970, -97.1068140

4. Arnaud Mennonite Cemetery
Arnaud, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.2519350, -97.1004570

5. Arnaud United Church Cemetery
Arnaud, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.2502840, -97.1005880

6. Assumption of the Virgin Mary UGO Cemetery
Dufrost, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3843100, -97.0307000

7. Morris Cemetery
Morris, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3616000, -97.3631300

8. Morris Pioneer Cemetery
Morris, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3361000, -97.3685000

9. Saint Antoine Roman Catholic Cemetery
Aubigny, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4569810, -97.2482620

10. Saint Jean-Baptiste Roman Catholic Cemetery
Saint-Jean Baptiste, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.2647500, -97.3410170

11. Saint Malo Catholic Cemetery
Saint-Malo, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3148200, -96.9513000

12. Rosenhoff Evangelical Mennonite Cemetery
Morris, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4062850, -97.4142630

13. Saint-Pierre-Jolys Roman Catholic New Cemetery
Saint-Pierre-Jolys, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4404450, -96.9921190

14. Rosenhoff Pioneer Cemetery
Riverside, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4140330, -97.4138000

15. Saint Pierre-Jolys Roman Catholic Old Cemetery
Saint-Pierre-Jolys, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4412210, -96.9859390

16. Glenway Hutterian Brethren Colony Cemetery
Dominion City, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.1814550, -97.0799470

17. Otterburne West Cemetery
Otterburne, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.5022040, -97.0862780

18. Otterburne Cemetery
Otterburne, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4945500, -97.0514800

19. Rosenort Cemetery
Rosenort, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4282400, -97.4316300

20. Union Point United Cemetery
Union Point, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.5242050, -97.2276250

21. Crystal Springs Hutterian Brethren Colony Cemetery
Sainte-Agathe, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.5215000, -97.1072660

22. Old Barkfield Cemetery
Barkfield, Steinbach Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.3765980, -96.9039660

23. Mennonite Cemetery
Rosenort, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.4437290, -97.4369100

24. Sewell Cemetery
Sewell, Pembina Valley Census Division, Canada
Coordinate: 49.2810520, -97.4740450