Joseph L. Cooper

When Joseph Cooper he was 13, he ran off to join the Army during the Civil War, but was caught and sent home. Joseph, like most of his siblings, headed west from Stephenson County, Illinois. He joined his brother Capt Robert Cooper in his milling ventures in Seward County in 1874. He married Carrie L. Miles, originally from Marengo, Iowa on 26 Dec 1881 in Buffalo, Nebraska. Joseph was a tinner by trade and plied his trade in several cities including Seward, David City, Bloomington, Kearney, and Grand Island.

He enlisted in Company E of the First Nebraska infantry and served in the Spanish-American War and the Phillippines Insurrection. He was a member of William Lewis Camp of the Spanish War Veterans.

The Cooper’s had three children. Two of them, Fred and Jennie, predeceased both parents. The Cooper’s moved to Lincoln in 1896 where Joseph did day labor. By 1920, he was operating a second-hand store. His wife was a past president of the US War Veterans’ Auxiliary.

Joseph died on 13 Dec 1930 in Lincoln, leaving his wife Carrie, and his daughter Jessie. Jessie was married former professional baseball player, Leslie Mann, who played on two different World Series teams. His brothers Chalkley “Jay” Cooper and Barton Cooper and sister Susie Jones survived him. He was buried in Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery.