Students conducted interviews with family members, and some were able to gather additional resources and pictures to help tell their story. While there were many great stories written, not all will be published.
This project was a collaborative effort between students’ history classes with Mrs. Kruthoff & Mr. Armstrong, English class with Ms. Baldwin, and their families. It was inspired by the original project that long-time English teacher, Mrs. Wiersema, made a tradition in her 8th grade class.
Students enjoyed getting to know more about their families, and many were surprised to learn how interesting their families were. We hope you all will enjoy their stories, too!
My Ancestor, by Gretta Bradley
Did you know my maternal grandpa is on the Coal Valley sign, Melvin Wooley? I didn’t know either until two weeks ago. Melvin was a very hardworking man and loved the people at Coal Valley. Melvin’s full name is Melvin John Wooley. He is my maternal grandpa. He is my grandma’s grandpa and my mom’s great grandpa, making him my great great grandpa. I picked Melvin for my paper for many reasons. The first reason, I wanted to learn why he is on the Coal Valley sign. The second reason, I wanted to learn what he was like as a person. The last reason, I wanted to learn more about my mom’s side of the family.
Melvin was born on April 16th, 1903 in Coal Valley. His parents were William Wooley and Antonia Pawlikoski. His father was 27 when he was born and his mother was 20. His siblings were William (1899), Robert (1901), Blanche (1905), and Earl (1907). Melvin lived with his father and his grandma. Since his mother sadly passed away when he was younger, his grandma moved in to help raise him and his siblings. Melvin grew up in Coal Valley and his dad was a coal miner there. Melvin helped around the house a lot, since his mother died. He also loved to be outside.
Melvin married Irene Clare Peters in Coal Valley on June 26th, 1922. They lived in the township of Edgington, Rock Island. They had four kids Mary (1923), Melvin (1925), Leroy (1932), and Wayne (1934). Sadly, Irene lived a short life and ended up passing away. A couple years later, Melvin ended up remarrying to Dollie Coon in Morrison on June 12th, 1937. His stepchildren were Myrtle, Honey, and Dolly. Melvin stayed with Dollie for the rest of his life. Melvin didn’t have much school when he was younger. The highest grade he completed was the 6th grade. He went to school in Coal Valley. When Melvin got older he became a farmer and moved to Taylor Ridge. He ended up retiring in 1965 and moved to Keithsburg and lived the rest of his life there. Melvin loved many things in his life, some included people, animals, spending time with family, and all the discoveries he made as a miner. Melvin sadly passed away on January 1st, 1977 in the Monmouth Community Memorial Hospital. He was 73 years old when he passed away. He is now buried in Keithsburg, Greenmount Cemetery in Mercer County.
Melvin had many achievements in his life. One of his biggest achievements is being on the Coal Valley sign, for being one of the first coal miners for Coal Valley. Another accomplishment is he’s on a badge on the Coal Valley’s officers uniform. Melvin was honed to be on the sign and uniform, since he grew up in Coal Valley and loved all the people there. One lesson I learned from Melvin is hard work pays off and can go a long way in life. I also learned even if bad things happen you can still bounce back and make an impact on the world.
Melvin was a very determined person for many reasons. The first reason, when he was hot, sweaty, or tired when he was mining, he kept going. The second reason, when his mom and wife died he didn’t let that stop him, he moved on with his life. The last reason, he didn’t let little education stop him either. I will always remember Melvin when I go to Coal Valley and see the sign. My grandma will always remember Melvin by all the fun memories they made together. One of my grandma’s favorite memories is staying at his house and helping him out on the farm. She loved to help milk the cows, Melvin would squirt the milk into the cat’s mouths. She also loved to go fishing with him. Melvin helped me realize in my future I can accomplish many things in life, even if things go wrong at the start. In Melvin’s life his mother and wife died, but it didn’t let it stop. Melvin still made an impact in his hometown and is still remembered to this day.
Gretta Bradley, Miss Baldwin’s Language Arts class
