Cleveland Groo Woolley

Cleveland Groo Wooley was born March 31, 1892, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Amos Mervin Woolley and his wife Isabelle Lyons Groo Woolley. In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census for Salt Lake City, Cleveland was living with his parents and siblings, who were listed as follows in the census record: Amos M., 38, Isabelle G., 32, Wallace, 11, Cleveland G., 8, Leroie, 5, Mellie, 3, and Isabelle, 1 year old.

Amos was born in February of 1862, Isabelle in August of 1867, Wallace in October of 1888, Cleveland in March of 1892, Leroie in October of 1894, Mellie in January of 1897, and Isabelle in September of 1898. Amos and Isabelle had given birth to 6 children, 5 of whom were still living. All family members were born in Utah. Amos' father was born in Ohio and his mother in Pennsylvania; Isabelle's father was born in New York and her mother in England. Amos was working as a produce solicitor. They owned their home free from a mortgage. Their neighbors included a lawyer, a stenographer, a dressmaker, a harness maker, a real estate agent, a grocery salesman, a miner, a freight laborer, a printer, a music teacher and a school teacher.

In the 1910 census for Salt Lake City, their family was living at 316 East 4th South Street, and were listed as follows: Amos M., 50, Isabelle G., 42, Melvin Wallace, 21, Cleveland G., 18, Leroie, 15, Mellie, 13, Isabelle G., 11, Joseph A., 7, Stephen G., 5 years old. Amos and Isabelle had given birth to 9 children, 7 of whom were still living. Amos was working as a carpenter as was Cleveland, and they owned their home free from a mortgage.

Cleveland married Mary Irene Walker in Salt Lake City August 31, 1915. A few years later when Cleveland Groo Wooley completed his U.S. World War I Draft Registration Card in Salt Lake County, Utah, he described himself as being of medium height and build with light blue eyes and light brown hair. He was 25 years old, having been born March 31, 1892, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was married and had a one year old baby and was working as an engineer for Larrour Construction in Wooland, Wyoming. His home address was 315 E. 4th South in Salt Lake City. Regarding his previous military service, he mentioned that he had been a non-commissioned officer in the artillery branch of the Utah National Guard for four years. When asked if he claimed exemption from the draft he answered yes because he had dependents with no other means of support.

Perhaps Cleveland did have to serve in the military during World War I, because in the 1920 census for Salt Lake City, Utah, his wife, Mary Irene Woolley, 24, and their children, Cleveland M., 3 and a half years old, Marion I. one and a half year old, and a one month old un-named "Baby" Woolley, were living with her parents, who were listed in the census as follows: W.A. Walker, 48, Alice S., 46, William F., 19, Erma V., 15, Stella B., 12, Leroy G., 9 years old. W.A. Walker was working as a house painter and his son William F., a truck driver for a floral company. Irene's father was born in Kansas, and his father in England, and mother in the USA, and Irene's mother was born in Utah and her father was born in England and her mother in Denmark. Mr. and Mrs. Walker owned their home located at 1085 West 3rd South Street, but they had a mortgage.

In the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Cleveland, 38, and his wife, Irene, 35, were living at 1630 Blair Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, with their children, Cleveland, Jr., 13, Marion, 11, John, 10, Patricia, 7, and Waneta, 5 years old. He was working as a civil engineer for city government and owned his own home which was valued at $3,500. They had a radio in their home, and Cleveland and Irene had been married for 15 years.

In the 1940 census for Salt Lake City, Cleveland, 48, and Irene, 45, were living at 555 West Capital Street with two of their children Patricia, 17, and Waneta, 15, and they owned their home free from a mortgage, which was valued at $5,000. Cleveland was working as a civil engineer for the city government, and for the 52 weeks he worked at 44 hours per week in 1939 his income was $2,280. Cleveland had 2 years of his college education, Irene had one year of high school, Patricia had 4 years of high school and Waneta had 3 years of high school, and she was working as a clerk for the Kress Company. For the 13 weeks she worked in 1939 her income was $70.

Their neighbors were working as a hardware buyer, a warehouse man for the Utah Liquor Commission, a telephone operator for a hospital, an insurance underwriter, a bank bookkeeper, a district agent for a book company, a hardware clerk, a printer, a lumber company accountant, a locomotive fireman for the railroad, a brakeman for the railroad, a waitress in a cafe, a conductor and brakeman for the railroad, and two locomotive engineers for the railroad.

Cleveland and Irene's son, Cleveland Mervin Woolley, married Merle Madge Whiting on May 23, 1938, in Salt Lake City, and from 1939 to 1941 they were living at 535 West Capitol Street in Salt Lake City, and he was working as a chain man for the city engineering department. His father, Cleveland G., was working as the assistant engineer for the city engineering department and was still living at 555 West Capitol Street.

Cleveland Mervin Woolley, born June 17, 1916, in Salt Lake city, Utah, passed away at the relatively young age of 37 years old on July 31, 1953, in the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. His cause of death was a massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage, following peritoneal lavage, as well as uremia, acute rental failure from an undetermined type of kidney disease as well as hypertensive cardio-vascular disease. He was married to Gwynne H. Woolley, and was working as an engineer at the time of his death according to his Utah Certificate of Death. He was buried in the Rockville Cemetery in Rockville, Washington County, Utah.

Cleveland Mervin Woolley had been inducted into the U.S. Navy on September 8, 1943, as a CM 1st Class. His service was terminated on November 16, 1945, in San Francisco, California. At the time, his parents were living at 555 West Capitol Street in Salt Lake City. His wife was listed as Merle M. Whiting Woolley who was living with his parents home. Sometime between 1943 and 1950 he must have been divorced from Merle and was remarried to Gwynne Hirschi Atherley on April 14, 1951, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was listed as his wife on his death certificate. According to Find A Grave.com, his headstone reads Mervin C. Woolley, not Cleveland Mervin Woolley.

At some point after 1943, Cleveland and Irene left Utah and moved to Southern California. Cleveland Groo Woolley passed away in June of 1955 while living in San Fernando, Los Angeles County, California, and was buried in the Glen Haven Memorial Park Cemetery in Sylmar, Los Angeles County, California. Sometime in 1955 my family and I lived in the town of Kagel Canyon, which is located about 3 miles from the Glen Haven Cemetery. When I was a child, I used to go up to the cemetery with my parents and watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. The cemetery was up on a hill which overlooked the San Fernando Valley, and we had a great view of the fireworks from there.

Cleveland's wife, Mary Irene Walker Woolley, born March 1, 1895, lived another 32 years and passed away on September 16, 1987, in Los Angeles County, California.

Cleveland Groo Woolley was my 3rd cousin once removed's (Rozel Smith Woolley) husband's uncle, but unfortunately, I never met Rozel Smith Woolley, her husband Donald Dunne Woolley or his uncle Cleveland Groo Woolley. But now at least I feel I know a little bit about them.

Della Dale-Smith Pistelli, 2/19/2016