T. FRANK COOLEY of Plover, Portage County, Wisconsinformer resident of New London, Waupaca County, WisconsinContributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Bill Cooley.spade@northlink.com[From "Soldiers' and Citizens' Album of Biographical Record ContainingPersonal Sketches of Army Men and Citizens Prominent in Loyalty to theUnion."  Chicago, Illinois:  Grand Army Publishing Company, 1888.]USGENWEB NOTICE:  In keeping with our policy of providingfree genealogy information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT bereproduced in any format for profit or presentation by otherorganizations." Persons or organizations desiring to use this material forpurposes other than as stated above, must contact the submitter or thelisted USGenWeb archivist.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -T. FRANK COOLEY, of Plover, Wis., member of the G.A.R. Post 149, was born Sept. 8, 1823,at Pompey, Onondaga County, New York.  His parents, Lewis and Sophia (Brewer) Cooley,were residents of Massachusetts, and removed from Long Meadow in that State before 1800locating at Pompey, where they were among the first settlers, and where they passed theremainder of their lives.  Their father was about 95 years old at the time of his death, andhis wife, who survived him a few years, was about the same age at the time of her decease.  Mr.Cooley of this sketch was the youngest  of eight children, and he passed his early days on hisfather's farm.  He was sent later to the academy at Manlius, an adjoining town, and wasgraduated.  He secured a position as clerk in a store in that place and, when about 18 years old,accepted a situation in the office of his cousin [believed to be Aaron Boardman Cooley], a shipowner in Phildelphia, and remained in his employ as a collecting clerk, and performing clericalduty about two years.     At the request of his brother, who was a contractor of extended business relations, hereturned to the homestead to manage the interests of his parents, and take care of them in theirold age, and when he was  about 21years old, he married Rosetta B. Benedict, who lived in theadjoining town of Fabius.  The next year, Mr. Cooley came to Wisconsin and engaged in themanagement of the agricultural interest of his brother-in-law, who had purchased a tract of landnear the present city of Kenosha, and conducted the relations of the estate three years succeedingthe admission of Wisconsin to the Union.  He had a wife and child and started from his nativeState, travelling on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, where a took a steamer and proceeding  the lengthof Lake Erie, traversing Lakes Huron and Michigan to Kenosha, or, as it was then called,Southport..  He conducted his agricultural duties in the proper season and taught school winters,during which time he was elected Superintendent of the schools of Kenosha county.  He followedthese alternate employments seven years, when he became proprietary owner of a tract of land inthe same township, and continued teaching winters.  By this time he was quite at home, inconsideration of the fact that many of his former neighbors in the East resumed the same relationsby a removal to his vicinity.  He sold his interest there about 1855, and went to New London withhis family  and household effects, moving with his ox-teams.  The now attractive and progressiveplace was a small trading-post on the Wolf River, which was visited at intervals by a smallsteamer running from Oshkosh.  He built  a number of houses there, and in the following winterengaged in teaching, in which he was occupied until he enlisted, Jan. 4, 1864, at Appleton, andwas assigned to Company I, 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, Captain Conkey.  (See sketch.)  Soon afterhis enrollment he was sent by his commanding officer to Madison, and there opened a recruitingoffice and continued to operate as head clerk for Captain Conkey, and was occupied in the workof preparing muster rolls until he was detailed by the Provost Marshall to assist the Paymaster,Major Morgan L. Martin, his specific duty being the payment of the Wisconsin soldiers, who werere-enlisting as veterans.  On one occasion he was sent with another clerk to the bankkk to borrow$10,000 for this purpose, and it was obtained in State money of all denominations, and Mr.Cooley and his associate were engaged about three weeks in counting it.      April 19, 1864, the order for all able-bodied men to report to their respective commands,for duty was promulgated, and Mr. Cooley was sent with a squad to Fort Leavenworth, where hearrived with his charge and reported to the officer in command.  He was detailed to act in thecapacity of chief clerk in A. G. O.  of the Department of Kansas, Major Gen. Curtiss,commanding.  He was in that position when Lincoln was assassinated and, soon after, received anorder from the Secretary of War to report to Washington for duty.  Upon his arrival, he wasordered to report toQuartermaster General Meigs for duty, and was assigned to service in theclothing department under that official.  He acted as a clerk in the settlement of accounts, and wasso employed until the expiration of his term of enlistment, when he was mustered out at Madison,and discharged in October, 1865.  He returned to New London, and was variously engaged thereas book-keeper and clerk and operating as contractor for the M. L.S. & W.R.R. from NewLondon to Clintonville.  In September, 1877, he removed to Plover and engaged in his presentbusiness as hotel-keeper, purchasing the Empire House there.  He has conducted a popular andprosperous business in that line ever since.Mr. and Mrs. Cooley have five children.  Charles F. is a carpenter at Rhinelander.  W. H. Cooleyis a prominent conductor on the C. & N. W. R. R. Emma N. married Charles Vezey, of Plover. Frank L. is a decorator and lives in Plover.  Addie is also residing with her parents.  Mr. Cooley isa prominent and efficient member of the G. A. R. Post at Plover, and is interested in all matterspertaining to the affairs of the old soldiers. He has held numerous offices in his town and is at present (1889) a Justice of the Peace.  [In 1891he retired to Appleton and died there in 1901.][From "Soldiers' and Citizens' Album of Biographical Record ContainingPersonal Sketches of Army Men and Citizens Prominent in Loyalty to theUnion."  Chicago, Illinois:  Grand Army Publishing Company, 1888.]