Samuel Penrose Cooper (1861-1893) Part 3

I did find Samuel COOPER and a Mary BUNWORTH listed together on a family tree on Ancestry.com. I contacted Ashley Brown, who I discover is my third cousin. We were both excited to find each other. We scheduled a Skype conversation which lasted ninety minutes. He answered many questions for me about his grandmother, Mary Elizabeth or 'Lily' COOPER, the only daughter of Sam and Mary Bunworth Cooper. Mary and young Lily returned to Ireland after the death of Samuel. Lily was born in Chicago, Illinois. 

I found Mary and Lily back home living with Mary's mother, Elizabeth BUNWORTH, in the 1901 Ireland census in Co. Cork, on Baldwin Street in Mitchelstown.

1901 Census of Ireland, County Cork, Mitchelstown District Electoral Division (DED), unpaginated, Baldwin Street, household no. 5, Elizabeth Bunworth; digital image, National Archives of Ireland, Census of Ireland 1901/1911 (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie : accessed 29 June 2017).

Widow Mary would travel to various post offices to teach Morse Code as her livelihood. This is possibly how Mary met
Thomas Henry BROWN, a fellow postmaster. They were married on 29 April 1903, in Rossmine church of County Waterford.

Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 8 Aug 2017), image, marriage registration of Thomas Henry Brown and Mary Rebecca Cooper Bunworth (29 April 1903, Rossmine Church, Rossmine Parish, County of Waterford) citing Group Registration ID 1908479; registration filed 30 June 1903  by Edward James Staunton, Clergyman, in Waterford, unidentified register, folio 343, “First page,” stamped no. 05726717, entry 10.

Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 23 Sept 2016), image, death registration of Mary Rebecca Brown (23 April 1912, Main Street, Macroom), citing Group Registration ID 5240291; registration filed 21 May 1912 by R. Donohue, in Macroom Registration District, Co. Cork, undignified register, folio 284, "Second Page," stamped number 04494808, entry 337.

Mary Bunworth Cooper Brown died in 1912 of Bright’s disease or chronic inflammation of the kidneys. 
The following year, on 23 June 1913, Lily married her stepfather's younger brother, George Jason BROWN in Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Cousin Ashley sent me a picture of their wedding day. I love her bouquet. 

George Brown and Lily Cooper on their wedding day.
Photo in possession of Ashley Brown.

Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 25 Sept 2016), image, marriage registration of George Jason Brown and Mary Elizabeth Cooper (23 June 1913, The Abbey Church Parish of Kilculliheen, Country Waterford), citing Group Registration ID 1734012; registration filed 1 July 1913 by William Rutherford, Rector of Abbey Church, folio number 383, "First Page," stamped number 05590971, entry 43.

I find it interesting to see Mary or Lily's father, Samuel Cooper (coal merchant) assuming to be alive. Most deceased fathers are listed as deceased.

George and Lily had four children named Joseph, Mary, Thomas and Sarah. Three of the children are pictured below.

Lily and George with their first three children, Joseph, Mary and Tom. 
Photo in possession of Ashley Brown.

Their eldest son, Joseph, died at the age of six of diptheria and heart failure according to his death registration. He died on 2 July 1921. Joseph Samuel Brown (named after both grandfathers) was born on 15 Sept 1914 in Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford. 

Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ : accessed 30 Sept 2017), image, death registration of Joseph Samuel Brown (2 July 1921, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford), citing Group Registration ID 3340568; registration filed 21 January 1922 by Thomas Power, in           Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford undignified register, folio 360, “Second Page,” stamped no. 04394662, entry 352.

My Quilting History

Mary and Eleanor at the Temecula Outdoor Quilt Show in 2008.

It all started with Eleanor….Eleanor Burns that is. Happy 40th Anniversary El! Ten years later, I remember turning on my local San Diego PBS station one Saturday morning to find this crazy humorous lady teaching practical sewing skills for “quickly” making a quilt. I was mesmerized. l also discovered that she had a local quilt shop not too far from my location. I called and discovered they gave classes. I asked for a catalogue to be mailed to me. I was amazed by my choices. I decided to make Christmas gifts for my two nieces. I started with the Log Cabin during the summer of 1987…30 years ago for me.

My first class was a weekend class starting on a Friday afternoon and ending on a Sunday afternoon for 48 hours non-stop! Almost a “quilt in a day!”

I remember walking into the front door of the small fabric shop. The rest of the building was a huge warehouse area with long tables set up for sewing machines. I brought my mother’s Sears Kenmore machine. I also purchased my first cutting board, a ruler and a cutting tool that looked like a pizza cutter.

I bought my fabric. I also learned how to choose colors that worked well together and the different tones and patterns of the same colors. Eleanor was not the teacher, which was OK with me as I was sewing again since the late 60s in junior high school. 

Here are my color choices for The Log Cabin pasted on a page in the book so I could see how they all worked together.

The Log Cabin block

I was taught how to iron, fold and cut fabric in a new way that was quicker from my earlier experience. I also learned a faster way to sew the strips together. Wow!

The twin size top was completed by late Saturday night. I also learned a rare way putting the quilt together using her ‘birthing’ method rolling the quilt with the batting, a unique experience. Eleanor calls it her Quick Turn Method. The quilt was finished with the tying the layers together.

I had so much fun, I decided to make another quilt, yet more challenging…The May Basket. I signed up for another weekend class a few weeks later.

I found the receipts. Fabric was $4 to $5 A YARD! 

The May Basket block

Both quilts and matching pillow shams were completed by the fall. 

The twin size quilts were displayed on a full size bed for photo purposes only. They were not made for this bed.

My nieces, Lola and Sara, were so excited to receive homemade quilts from their Auntie Mary at Christmas. My brother knew about the packages and took these photos as the girls opened their gifts. 

My brother even sent me these pics of the girls faking their sleep in bed with their school clothes on one morning!

                                 Sleeping Beauties!

Now 30 years later, my nieces tell me that one quilt was loved “to death” and the other quilt was loved to preservation. I love both reasons. 

I did not sew again until 2000. A dear friend, who was a quilter also, took me on a quilt run, visiting all the local quilt shops in our area. I found Quilt In A Day again. The store had grown and I loved its new look. I have not stopped SINCE. I now have many more finished and unfinished projects to share.

I have had the opportunity to meet Eleanor several times at many quilt shows and guilds. 

Happy Anniversary and Thank you, Eleanor!

World War II Letters - February 15, 1943 - Written by Stan Cooper

Stan surprises his family by announcing his plans to go back to school! He should have listened to mom to finish Brooklyn Tech High School with two months to spare! He has been studying in preparation for the Naval Preparatory College of Annapolis.