Clarency Cleo (Colvin) Cooper

Clarency Cleo (Colvin) Cooper

Clarancy Cleo J. Colvin was born 22 October 1893 near Shellmound, Marion County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Albert Elmore and Dora L. (Berryhill) Colvin, who had married in Dade County, Georgia, in 1892. Cleo married Isaac Cooper on 10 Dec 1911 in Scottsboro, Jackson County, Alabama. Isaac's first wife, Mattie Wigley, had died, leaving him with three little girls: Rosie, Pearl, and Sallie. Cleo became a mother to these children, and loved them as if they were her own. The family lived in Long Island, Jackson County, Alabama, up on the bluff, on Sand Mountain. In 1913, Cleo had her first biological child: Ella Mae Cooper. Five more children followed: Beulah Pauline, Lela Emmaline, Albert Elmore "Bud," Eula Lorene "Tommie," and Nellie Viola Cooper (born Jan. 1926). A few months after Nellie was born, her mother, Cleo, died on 23 May 1926. Nellie died a couple of months later. The photo above, of Cleo, hung on the wall of Grandmother's house (Sallie Cooper Bryant) for all the years that I can recall. She loved Cleo. She didn't remember her own mother, who had died when she was a baby; but she also kept a picture of Isaac and her mother, Mattie (Wigley) Cooper, beside the picture of Cleo. Below is a picture of Isaac and Cleo Cooper. Cleo is holding Ella Mae. Isaac's three daughters by his first marriage are there.

Isaac and Cleo (Colvin) Cooper and family

The Cooper children in the photo above are Pearl (left), Rosie (center), and Sallie (holding Isaac's hand). Ella Mae Cooper is the baby in Cleo's arms. I've had to identify them by presumed ages.

The photos have been retouched some. The photo of Cleo has had the background mat extensively retouched to remove skewing, distortion, corner shadows, and a bad glare caused by photographing the picture under glass. The bottom photo has had sharpening applied, especially to the heads; and some retouching of Pearl's right eye where there was a bad spot. The background behind the girls has been darkened a little to make them stand out a little better. I haven't tried to fix the corners.

Photos shared by D.K. Pritchett: please link back to my blog if you borrow them!