#4 in the Dunbar Saga – Eliza, One ‘Cool’ lady!

Eliza Dunbar was born in Ross County, Ohio the 4th day of 1827 and moved to upper Montgomery County when she was about three with her parents (Lewis and Polly Powers Dunbar), three brothers, William, Silas and John Adam and her tiny baby sister, Susan. She grew up here and met and married Calvin Harker Cooley (25 Nov 1821 – 9 Oct 1894) at the age of 15 (May 1842). Calvin had learned to be a brick maker and also threshed with his brother, owning a large eight horse powered thresher, having no competition in the area, so it was a profitable endeavor. His parents were Joseph and Elizabeth (Allen), who purchased land in the early days, property that was partially in Tippecanoe and partly in Clinton County, but not too far away from the Dunbar family’s property in MoCo. He had at least three brothers and a sister, plus three more half brothers. Thus, the Cooley family was also early comers to the Bowers – Colfax area and were also from Ross County, Ohio. Eliza passed away 3 Feb 1911 in White County, but they as much of her family, are also buried in Union Cemetery at Clarks Hill in Tippecanoe County. A very pretty lady, Mr. Cooley was quite handsome as well. In the census records, several Kious families lived near them in White County and I imagine they stem from the same Kious Ross County settlers in the upper Franklin Township area of MoCo.

Eliza and Calvin lived on rented property in Clinton County, then moved to Montgomery purchasing 80 acres (History of White and Pulaski Indiana) which they sold later and moved to their long-time home near Brookston (thanks Dana and Mary Jo). Their home was brick of course, Calvin molding each himself. They were active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Eliza being a life-time member.

Six children were born to this couple with only two growing to adulthood. Harrison was born not long after their marriage and died at age nine months. William and Moses were both born in 1846 and imagine they are twins, as there are other twins born in the Dunbar families, William passing at age seven and Moses not living to an old age, either, passing before both parents (1890) but marrying (Lucretia Meek) and leaving three grandsons for the Cooleys (Edward, Jesse and Sanderson).

Luther Cooley lived 14 months and Mary C. passed in November 1851 at age seven months. They are pretty much all buried in Union Cemetery, Clarks Hill (photo from FindAGrave added by Gean Jenkins-Dunbar – love it).

Then they had the longest living child, Martha Alice born 30 November 1854 and passing early in the flu epidemic (October 20th, 1918). She and her husband Charles Boeye, a Frenchman lived in Brookston and after Eliza’s husband died suddenly in 1894 (her brother, Rev. Lewis, and sister, Bettie Bowers were called to her home as she was literally prostrated at his death notice – didn’t find what happened exactly but it was quick and she was obviously and rightfully devastated). Afterwards, Eliza lived at her daughter and son-in-law’s home, helping with their only child, daughter Grace.

I can imagine losing a child as our daughter Suzie was given very little chance to make it at her birth. It was touch and go for several days and we weren’t real sure for weeks after her birth, but she showed ‘em of course, and it was indeed devastating, as the other mothers were brought their babies to feed and I just lay there or would get up and go watch her try to breathe in the incubator. Eliza Dunbar Cooley lost five of her six children before her own passing. Having lived through the horror of almost losing one baby, it would be so very hard for her to endure each of those. Luckily, she was blessed with four grandchildren and I imagine quite close to Grace since she grew-up with gma’ Eliza so to speak living in their home. While living with the Boeye family, she made many friends there and still had many in the Darlington area who mourned her demise. RIP Eliza, you were a pretty, “cool” lady!

– Karen Zach is the editor of Montgomery Memories, our monthly magazine all about Montgomery County. Her column, Around the County, appears each Thursday in The Paper of Montgomery County. You can reach her at [email protected]