Name:

Misc. Notes

(See biography of Elsie Walker Coffey for Aunt Geraldine's description of life in the Walker family. See also files on her parents, Everett WALKER and Linnie MACHLAN. Most of the text and photos for these people came from Geraldine.)

Following is from a letter written by Geraldine in 1983 -

Lynn & Joyce have their own business in Marshalltown - sell TV, stereo, radar ranges & repair them. Jan Dee is working in an office in Old Soldiers home in Marshalltown. Julie is a senior in University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, specializing in teaching slow readers from 1st thru 8th grade. Steve is a Freshman at Marshalltown Community College.

Benny Woolley teaches industrial arts in Independence Iowa High School, has been there 20 years. Marcia Anne teaches second gradce in the Independence school. Benny & Marcia wee married December 20, 1969, in her home town of Eldora, Iowa.

Bert and I now live on the farm South of Van Wert, where he was born.

P.S. Hope you had a nice birthday, Fred. I'll never forget the cold nite you were born. Was 10 below zero. I got out of a warm bed, went up to your folks to help if I could. Our drive way was so full of snow, the car was parked out near the road. And was extreme weather when your mom was with me when Joyce was born. Temperature 113 in the shade, in 1934, that hot-dry summer.

Obituary, Leon Iowa Newspaper

"Geraldine Luella Binning was born Nov. 29, 1905, in Decatur County, Iowa, the daughter of Everett and Linnie (Machlan) Walker, and died April 26, 1990, at her home near Van Wert, Iowa.

Geraldine grew up on a farm near Van Wert and attended Garden Grove High School. Following graduation she took normal training and taught in Iowa and Missouri.

On Nov. 23, 1927, she married Cecil Wooley. They made their home on a farm near Garden Grove where Geraldine was active in the community. She was pianist for the High Point Methodist Church for many years. Later they moved to Leon where they owned and operated a farm implement business and an automobile dealership. Cecil died Oct. 26, 1973.

On Jan. 22, 1977, Geraldine married Bert Binning. They made their home near Van Wert and enjoyed gardening, traveling and visiting their children. Geraldine was a member of Loving Chapel United Methodist Church in Leon, Iowa.

Spouses

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1: Cecil Kermit WOOLEY

Birth: 8 Oct 1906 South Of Garden Grove

Death: 25 Oct 1973 Leon, Iowa

Burial: Leon Cemetery

Marriage: 23 Nov 1927 Farmington, Iowa

Cecil Kermit WOOLEY (8 Oct 1906 - 25 Oct 1973) & Geraldine Luella WALKER (29 Nov 1905 - 26 Apr 1990)

Barbara Joyce WOOLEY (24 Jul 1934 - ) & Lynn Eugene BLEVINS (19 Mar 1931 - )

Jan Dee BLEVINS (15 Jun 1957 - ) & Walter Marvin WILKINSON (22 Aug 1954 - )

Caleb John WILKINSON (31 Jan 1993 - )

Julie Lynn BLEVINS* (12 Jun 1961 - ) & Michael Thomas LENZ ( - 27 Mar 1988)

Emily Marie LENZ (2 Apr 1987 - )

Julie Lynn BLEVINS* (12 Jun 1961 - ) & Steve Alan HAY (5 Aug 1954 - )

Steve Eugene BLEVINS (18 Jan 1964 - ) & Lisa Kay MOORE (21 Jan 1973 - )

Benny Everett WOOLEY (19 Mar 1938 - ) & Marcia Anne STEWART (2 Mar 1947 - )

The Wooley Family, by Fred Coffey

Thought it might be interesting to see how far I could trace the Wooley family in a single afternoon of research:

WILLIAM KENDALL WOOLEY (1795-1864):

I believe the patriarch of the family is Wm. Kendall Wooley, who was born in 1795 and died in 1864. He is buried in the High Point (Iowa) cemetery. However I have been able to find nothing else about him. (He and his wife were born in New Jersey, according to son Benjamin's report in the 1880 census.)

BENJAMIN WOOLEY (1819-1896):

The next oldest ancestor found was Benjamin Wooley. He was born in 1819 in New Jersey. He died in 1896, and is also buried in the High Point (IA) cemetery. His wife was Mary, born in NJ in about 1823. The earliest I can find him is in the 1850 census for McDonough County, IL, where his family got indexed as "Wally". He is next found in the 1856 Iowa Census, and again in the 1860 Federal census. In 1870 he is found indexed as "Woolsey". And finally found in the 1880 and 1885 (Iowa) census. He is always found in High Point, IA. There is some inconsistency in the birth locations reported for his children, but it would appear that he started his family in Ohio in about 1840, then passed through Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. He settled in Iowa sometime between 1852 and 1856.

From what I can find, he and his wife Mary Ann (1823 – 1876) had 12 Children: William (1840, OH), John (1842, MI), Abner (1844, IN), Hester A (1847, IN), Elizabeth (1849, IN), Lydia (1852, IL), Henrietta (1857, IA), Henry (1857, IA), Frederic (1859, IA), Lucy (1861, IA), Winnie (1864, IA), and Ella (1868, IA).

Benjamin apparently lost a son in the Civil War: Second son John Wooley, born 1843 died 1863, was a private in Co. B of the 10^th Missouri Infantry, indicated on grave marker in High Point as "buried in the south". (The 10^th Missouri Infantry was very active in the War. In 1863 they fought at Champion Hills, MS; at Vicksburg, MS; and at Missionary Ridge, TN. The obituary of his brother Abner says John was killed at Missionary Ridge.)

His first and third sons also served, apparently together:

William K. Wooley: Residence: Garden Grove, Iowa

Enlistment Date: 15 Aug 1861. Enlisted as a Private on 15 August 1861 at the age of 20. Enlisted in Company L, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Iowa on 12 Sep 1861. Promoted to Full 6th Sergeant on 1 Jan 1864. Mustered Out Company L, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Iowa on 9 Aug 1865 at Atlanta, GA. (The obituary of brother Abner says William died in 1867 "of disease contracted while in the service".)

Abner Wooley: Residence: Garden Grove, Iowa

Enlistment Date: 15 Aug 1861

Enlisted as a Private on 15 August 1861 at the age of 18. Enlisted in Company L, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Iowa on 12 Sep 1861. Mustered Out Company L, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Iowa on 9 Aug 1865 at Atlanta, GA. (Obituary: "Was born in Elkhart, Ind., April 20, l845, and came to Iowa with his parents in l853." Died 1905 in Oregon.)

FREDERIC WOOLEY (1859-1933):

He is first found with his father in the 1860 census, name "Frederic", age 1. In the 1880 census, he is still single, age 21. In 1900 and 1910 his wife is "Fanny L", born about 1860. In the 1930 census he is in Garden Grove, and has a new wife "Alice B", age 40. He is buried in the Garden Grove Cemetery, with his first wife Fanny (Chase) Wooley (1859 – 1930).

BEN WOOLEY (1884 - 1965):

First found in the 1900 census, age 15, in the household of his father. In the 1910 and 1920 and 1930 census his wife is Ethyl M (1885 – 1958). They are always in High Point. Both are buried at High Point Cemetery.

CECIL KERMIT WOOLEY (8 Oct 1906 – 25 Oct 1973):

First found in the 1910 census with his father, at age 3, and again in 1920 age 13. As always, the family is in High Point. In 1930 he is found in High Point with wife Geraldine.

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2: Bert BINNING

Birth: 13 Sep 1901 Nr Van Wert, Iowa

Marriage: 22 Jan 1977 Leon, Iowa

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