William Matthews Cooley

I began following a hunch in September, 2006 that the William Matthews Cooley mentioned in Surry County, North Carolina records during the 1780s might be the William M Cooley who died in Stewart County, Tennessse in 1823. William's presence in Tennesse during the last decades of his life is well documented but there seemed to be nothing to cover the 20 year period between 1786 and 1806. Although I could not take William M Cooley back to Surry County in 1786 he could be taken back with some reliability to the following year in Kentucky on land very near to where Reuben Cooley later lived. This Reuben was a son of John Cooley of Stokes (formerly Surry) County, North Carolina. However, much has come to light recently, assuring William's place as a member of John's family. This includes that fact that William's patrilineal descendants belong to the haplogroup R1a-YP4491.

The key Joseph Gray, father-in-law of William Cooley, who deeded property to William's son, Joel Cooley, in 1812. Earlier that year, Joseph drew up his will in Stewart County, Tennessee, leaving the land he still owned on the Rolling Fork in Washington County, Kentucky to his son, Joseph Gray Jr. That southeastern part of Washington County later became Marion County and home to Reuben Cooley (the Rubin Cooley Branch is a tributary of the Rolling Fork) and lays adjacent to what was then the Lincoln County border. The Rolling Fork flows out of that region (now Casey County, Kentucky) and into present-day Marion County. This Reuben Cooley was the founder of the Marion County Cooleys. His brother, John Cooley Jr, was the progenitor of the Casey County Cooleys.

1782	A William Cooley and a James Grey appear in a list for Captain James Downing's Company of militia in Lincoln County, Kentucky. (Joseph Gray did have a brother named James.)
1784	Joseph Gray granted 400 acres along the Rolling Fork, Jefferson co VA (now KY). This area was later Nelson co, later Washington co, later Marion co KY. (Kentucky Land Grants, bk 9, p357, 15 Mar 1784.)
1784	John Cooley Sr, William Matthews Cooley & John Cooley Jr app Constable of Willis Dist. 1784, 85, 86. (Surry Co Deeds, Book C p257)
c1785	Richard Cooley of Stewart County, Tennessee, son of William M Cooley, is born in North Carolina.
1785	John Douglas to John Bryson for £5, 2½ A on E side Loving Creek, middle fork of Arrarat River in sd Bryson's line, wit: Wm Matthews Cooley, John Cooley, Junr. (SCDB C:258, 8 Feb 1785; quoted in Jo White Linn, Surry County, North Carolina Will Abstracts, 1992, p. 126.)
1785	Joseph Goode to Morgan Davis, south side Dan River below mouth Flat Shoal Cr. Witnessed by John Cooley, Sr, John Cooley Jr, and William Matthews Cooley; 17 Apr 1785 (Deed Book C page 257.)
1785	Joseph Goode to Morgan Davis 30 pds 100 ac S side Dan River below mouth Flat Shoal Creek. John Cooley, Senr.; William Matthews Cooley; John Cooley, Junr.; 17 Apr 1785 (Surry County Deeds Book C, page 264; from notes received from Sandra Stanton.)
1786	Mark Hardin, Senr. Guilford County to Robert Dearing, Orange County, VA 150 pds 400 ac both sides Evans Creek adj Isaac Vernon & Thompson. William M. Cooley; Joseph Vaughn; George Ray; (Surry County, North Carolina County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1790-1795, Vol 1. Compiled by Agnes M. Wells.)
1786	William M Cooley mentioned in Surry County records. (North Carolina County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1790-1795 Vol. 1.)
1786	Joseph Gray appointed Justice of the Peace, 1 Aug 1786. (Mercer co KY Order Book #1, 1786-1790)
1787	Last mention of William Cooley in Surry County: that it be "Ordered by the Court that William Cooley be Exempted from paying a poll Tax for himself for the future." (Feb 16, Surry county court minutes, p 79.) Note that one of the conditions by which a taxpayer could be exempt is that he is in the process of relocating.
1787	"Willm Cooley" first appears on the tax list for Madison County, Virginia (now Kentucky).3
1789	In Nelson County, Joseph Gray and William "Cooly" sign a petition to the Virginia government. (Remember, Kentucky was still part of Virginia. Washington County was later formed out of Nelson County.)
1789	"W.M. Cooley purchased land on Dyers Creek in present day Stewart County, from Robert Fenner in 1789." (Jeff Clark's website, no longer extant.)
1789	William Cooley v Jeremiah Gray on debt, 25 Nov 1789, Mercer co KY. Several appearances in court. Suit was dismissed 24 Aug 1790.
1794	Washington co KY tax list, 22 May 1794, William Cooley, 15 cattle, 2 horses.6
1795	Washington co tax list: William Cooley, 1 white male above 21, 20 cattle, 3 horses.6
1796	Washington co KY tax list: William Cooley, 52 acres, Rolling Fork, land was entered by Jonathon Ingram, land was surveyed for Joseph Gray and grant issued to Joseph Gray. 1 white male over 21, 2 horses, 9 cattle.6
1797	William Cooley and Joseph Cooley appear on the Washington co KY tax lists.6
1800	Will Cooley appears on the tax list for Washington County, Kentucky.
1800	Joseph Gray commissioned Captain of the 4th Regiment of the Kentucky Militia (1 Apr 1800).
1800	William Cooley and John Cooley are witnesses to the will of John Good of Lincoln county KY. John's "trusty and well beloved friend" Major Joseph Gray of Washington county is one of the executors. John's son, Timothy Good and father, Thomas Good, are named.5 Note that the Goodes and Cooleys were closely aligned in Surry (later Stokes) county NC. The senior John Cooley and Richard Goode, nephew of Thomas, served together 1755 from Caroline co VA.
1801-1804	William Cooley appears on Washington co tax list for each year.
1803	Joseph Gray of Washington County, Kentucky sells "negroe Girl Slave named Betty" to Anne Cooley, wife of William Cooley of the same county. [link]
1803	Court Order Book 2 for 7 Nov 1803, p 67: "For reasons appearing to the Court it is ordered that William Cooley be released from the payment of county levies in the future."6 Again, he had probably made claim that his residence had moved, this time to TN.
1804	Joseph Gray sells to Bird Lawless land that is adjacent to "William Cooleys line."1 [link] Eula Ray Kirkland states, "This land is located south of Gravel Switch about 1 1/2 miles on Hwy. 337." That would place it near to or right at the Rubin Cooley Branch. That same year, John Cooley Sr deeds land (Stokes County NC) to sons Reuben and James Cooley.
1804	William Cooley sells Washington County, Kentucky land to Bird Lawless (Washington County Kentucky Deed Book C). [link]
1804	William Cooly, Joseph Gray and Richard Cooly witness deed of John Butler of Washington co KY to William Crowdes of Washington co KY for land in Mercer co KY. (Bk 5 p 340 19 Oct 1804).
1805	Hezekiah Boyce vs. Isaac Brunson - "This day comes into court, by their consent their suit is taken out of court, and let to the award of William Cooley, Thomas French, William Haggard and Aaron Fletcher as arbitrators, to settle and adjust all the accounts and disputes between the said Boyce and Brunson now depending in said court. And the said arbitrators come into court and are sworn as such proceeds." (Minutes of the Stewart County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Minutes of the Stewart County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 11 June 1805).
1806	John and Reuben Cooley taxed for land on the Rolling Fork, Lincoln County, KY. Perrin Cooley appears on the Washington co tax lists for 1806-1809 and 1811, the year he moved to Missouri with brothers Joseph and James Cooley. Joseph Cooley appears on the Washington co tax lists for 1806 and 1811.
1806	"William Cooley records his ear mark, a crop and a hole in each ear." (Minutes of the Stewart County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 10 March 1806).
1806	Joseph Gray deeds Stewart co TN land to William Cooley, witnessed by A Atkins and Richard Cooley (Stewart co TN deed bk 2 pg 25, 4 Nov 1806).
1812	Joseph Gray, now of Stewart County, Tennessee wills his Rolling Fork, Washington County, KY land to son Joseph Gray Jr: "...gets land in Washington Co., KY on the Rolling Fork of the Salt River, and gets part of land shared with Peter R Booker (originally granted to Joseph Gray Sr and his brother James Gray)." Earlier that year he gifts land in Stewart County to Joel Cooley, son of William M Cooley.

Robert Fenner, from whom William Cooley purchased his land in Stewart County, received the land from his father Richard, one of the original military grantees in Tennessee following the end of the Revolution.² The land that Joseph Gray granted to Joel Cooley was originally owned by James Cole Montflorence, also an original military grantee.

Jeanette Pollard notes (website now defunct) that the Stewart County Cooleys found themselves in Houston county when it was carved out of Stewart county in 1871. She visited the gravesite there of Richard W Cooley's son, William Mathis Cooley. (Note that Mathis and Matthews are alternate spellings of the same.) The Houston county 1880 census record for this William states that his father (Richard) was born in North Carolina. That places his birth at the time and place of William Matthews Cooley's presence in Surry county, North Carolina.

                   William M Cooley, d. 1823
                         m Anna (Gray?)
                               |
          |-------|------- ----|---------|-------|
         Ann  Richard W     Jonathan   Joel   William
                  |                   d 1812
               Simeon W

A compilation of notes for Williams descendants is found at Patrilineal Descendants of John Cooley.

And here's a collection of Stewart County, Tennessee records for the Cooleys