CLARENCE COOLEY
As a young man of twenty, Clarence Cooley of near Evansport, decided to enlist for service in World War I. It was just before Christmas on December 17th, that he signed his enlistment papers. By December 28, 1917, he was in a barracks in Columbus, Ohio, waiting for his assignment.
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| Clarence Cooley |
Before this, he lived comfortably with his parents, William Sherman and Mary Josephine (Neff) Cooley on a Tiffin Township farm, one of fourteen children.
In 1910, when the family was enumerated for the census, Clarence was aged 12, living at home with nine siblings, including the newborn, Mary Cooley, and his parents. He was a Defiance County farm boy who felt obligated to fulfill his duty as an American citizen.
He entered into Company F of the 49th Infantry where he stayed until September 10, 1918, when he was moved into the MG (Machine Gun) unit of the Infantry, Company 112. Sent to the Western Front in France, Clarence was always in danger as he fought the Germans.
Assigned to the defensive sector in the battle of Meuse Argonne, France, Clarence met his death in action on October 1, 1918.
The Cooley family sacrificed at least two sons to this war. Sgt. Cooley was brought home and buried in Evansport Cemetery, as was his older brother, Ray, who developed pneumonia in France and died. Two other sons, Edgar and Andrew survived.
His tombstone noted that he was a private,
but his obituary named him as a sergeant.
In Memory of Clarence Cooley
Guest Blogger - Rhonda Casler
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