Pearl Tippit Cooley, Vernon Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Jane Parker McManus Date: October 20, 2005 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Pearl Tippit Cooley Pearl Cooley was born 16 April 1911 in Simpson LA, daughter of Samuel Clinton Tippit and Eliza Jane (Bass) Lawrence, and she died 18 October 2005 in Leesville LA. Burial was in Antioch Cemetery in Slagle beside her husband of many years, Edmund Cooley, her son, Calvin Cooley, and grandson, Wesley Cooley. Pearl spent her early years in Simpson, where she attended school. She had many fond memories of those school years, and loved to tell about the earliest school bus that she rode. In the early 1910’s, the school bus was a covered wagon drawn by a team of mules. The stories Pearl told about those wagon rides and the early days in Simpson School would have filled a book. Pearl married Edmund Edker Cooley on 26 February 1938 in Vernon Parish. They moved to Slagle, where their three children, Calvin, Ross, and Karolyne were born. After Edmund died in 1993, Pearl remained in the family home in Slagle until an illness necessitated her move to the nursing home where she could get proper nursing care, and where she eventually died. Pearl always worked, much of the time outside the family home, even though she had to care for her three young children, a husband, and a home. There were many days in those early years that Pearl had to work with Edmund in the woods. She helped him cut and load timber onto a wagon just as any partner would do, and for many years the old crosscut saw she & Edmund had used was kept in the shed at their home. In the 40’s, Pearl began her work as a nurse's aide at Broyles Clinic in Leesville. It did not take long for Dr. Joe Broyles to see a potential in Pearl, and he offered her an opportunity to train with him and become a nurse. She studied and trained for several years, and finally Dr. Broyles told her she should sit for the nurse’s exam. Since Shreveport was closer than New Orleans, Pearl and one other young woman rode the bus to Shreveport to take the exam. Both women passed the test with flying colors. Dr. Broyles always said he’d rather have his 2 nurses working with him, than anyone else who had gone to school. Pearl’s career lasted for the next 30 years, and it was a profession that she served well. During her long career, there were probably few people in Vernon Parish that did not end up being cared for by Pearl Cooley. Without the extensive medical achievements of the recent past, many patients were beyond help when they arrived at the clinic. As the doctors tried to make the last days of their patients as painless as possible, it was Pearl’s responsibility to carry out the doctor’s instructions that also included the emotional needs of the patient’s family. She personified the “Florence Nightingale image” of her era. It was probably during her nursing years that Pearl gleaned most of her genealogical knowledge. With time on their hands, her patients and their families loved to talk about the past. Pearl was usually familiar with the family background and she soaked up the new information like a sponge. She was enthusiastic and eager to help others trace their Vernon Parish ancestors. She recorded genealogical information on many Vernon Parish families. She also collected photographs of the older residents and neighborhoods -- a collection that grew over the years to an impressive sight. Many of those photographs now reside on the Louisiana Roots Genealogical Website of the Internet, and people from all over the world now have access to ancestors that they never had the privilege of knowing. When she retired, Pearl spent hours researching and extending family histories of Vernon Parish residents for people who wrote to her from all across the state and country. The harder the challenge (of the genealogy maze), the more satisfying the result was for Pearl. She never dreamed of charging a fee for her efforts; she did it because she wanted to help. Perhaps in her nursing years, she had come to love these old timers, and felt their sacrifices and their stories should not be forgotten. She was only too willing to help perpetuate their accomplishments -- even if was only their existence in this area when it was a wilderness. Not one to stay passive as she aged, Pearl embarked on a new career when she was 86 years old – she published some of her collection in a book. In 1997, the Simpson Church of God celebrated 100 years of continued existence, of which Pearl had first- hand knowledge of at least 75 plus years. Pearl’s book contained not only the history of the early church and biography of its earlier members, it also contained photographs of many of the pastors and members to the present day. Pearl was a charter member the Genealogical & Historical Society of Vernon Parish, a strong supporter of the Antioch Baptist Church and a life-long member of the Simpson Church of God. A debt of gratitude is due this amazing woman -- and it is long overdue. Death may have taken Pearl Cooley, but I suspect she has just begun a new era in close contact with her God, Edmund, and the rest of her family who have been waiting for her arrival.