Ohio County, West Virginia    Biography of William R. COOEY

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Submitted by Sue Schell <ms_schell@hotmail.com>, March 2000
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume II,
Pg 328 & 329

BIO: William R. Cooey, Ohio Co., WV

	William R. Cooey, president of the Cooey-Bentz Company, of Wheeling, whose 
retail furniture business represents one of the two largest enterprises of 
the kind in West Virginia, holds a place of much prominence in connection 
with the industrial and commercial life of the City of Wheeling.  He was 
born at McMechen, Marshall County, this state, on the 1st of September, 
1860, and is a son of Matthew and Nancy (McCombs) Cooey, the former of whom 
was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and the latter was born in 
what is now Marshall County, West Virginia, in 1830.  The parents passed the 
closing years of their lives at Martins Ferry, Ohio, where the death of the 
mother occurred in 1895 and that of the father in 1901.  Of the children the 
eldest was John, who became a farmer in Marshall County, West Virginia, and 
later a huckster at Martins Ferry, Ohio, where he died at the age of 
fifty-five years; Mary Rachel, who became the wife of William Minden, 
likewise died at Martins Ferry, and Mr. Minden is now a farmer near 
Clarington, Ohio; William R., of this sketch, was the next in order of 
birth; Ella is the wife of Thomas Hasson, a farmer near Zoar, Ohio; Everett 
is engaged in the shoe business at Martins Ferry.
	William R. Cooey was reared on the farm which his father owned and operated 
in Wetzel County, West Virginia, where he remained until he was twenty-five 
years of age, his educational advantages having been those of the local 
schools.  After leaving the farm he was variously employed until 1887, when 
he came to Wheeling where for the ensuing five years he was employed in the 
furniture store of John Arbenz, the following four years having found him 
similarly engaged with the Altmeyer in 1897 Mr. Cooey and Herman Bentz 
purchased the business, which was then one of small order, and their vigor 
and food management played full part in the development of the enterprise to 
its present extensive and substantial proportions.  The large and modern 
store building of the company is situated at the corner of Thirty-sixth 
Street, and the personel of the official corps is as follows: President, 
William R. Cooey; vice president, Herman Bentz; secretary and general 
manager, Charles Kettler; manager of branch store at Benwood, Marshall 
County, Edward Cooey.  In addition to full lines of furniture the company 
also handles house furnishings and has an undertaking department of the most 
modern equipment and service.  Mr. Cooey is a director of the McConnell Box 
& Barrel Company,  conducting one of the important manufacturing industries 
of Wheeling; is a stockholder in the South Side Bank of Wheeling, the 
Community Loan Bank of this city, the Uneeda Match Company,  the Wheeling 
Milling & Grain Company, brass manufactory at Fairmont and the North 
Wheeling Glass Works.
	Mr. Cooey, a democrat in politics, served one term as a member of the City 
Council of Wheeling, but is essentially a business man and has not cared to 
enter the arena of practical politics.  He is a trustee of the Wesleyan 
Methodist Episcopal Church in his home city, and in the Masonic fraternity 
his basic affiliation is with Nelson Lodge No. 30, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, while in the Scottish Rite he has received the thirty-second degree 
in West Virginia Sovereign Consistory No. 1, besides being a member of 
Osiris Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Wheeling.  He is the owner not only of 
his modern and beautiful home property, at 3740 Woods Street, but also of 
two other houses on that street and near his own residence.
	In 1885 was solemnized  the marriage of Mr. Cooey and Miss Mary Sengenwalt, 
daughter of Frederick and Wilhelmina (Kupfer) Sengenwalt, both now deceased. 
  In conclusion is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and 
Mrs. Cooey:  Walter is a salesman in the store of Cooey-Bentz Company; 
Edward has the management  of the ranch store at Benwood and is individually 
mentioned in the sketch following; Wilbert, who is associated with the Block 
Brothers tobacco Company of Wheeling, resides at McMechen, Marshall Ccounty; 
Bertha is the wife of Roy Black, and they reside at McMechen, Mr. Black 
being connected with the Coory-Benz branch store at Benwood; Archibald was 
graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1919, 
just prior to the signing of the armistice that brought the World war to a 
close, and as a member of the United States Army he is now (1921 stationed 
at Camp Sherman, Ohio with the rank of first lieutenant; Wilma is the wife 
of Mr. Elmer Burrall, who is  a skilled machinist at the Uneeda Match 
Factory in Wheeling; and Mary is a student in the Wheeling High School.
	John Cooey, grandfather of the subject of this review, was born in County 
Tyrone, Ireland, and died at Elm Grove, Ohio County, West Virginia, in 1875. 
  He came to the United States as a youth of sixteen years, established his 
residence at Wheeling, West Virginia, and after his marriage he engaged in 
farming in Greene County, Pennsylvania, which vocation he later followed in 
Marshall and Wetzel counties, West Virginia, in which latter county he 
established his residence in 1865.  After retiring from the farm he passed 
the remainder of his life at Elm Grove, Ohio County.  His wife whose maiden 
name was Mary Porter, was born near West Alexander, Pennsylvania, and died 
at Elm Grove, West Virginia.  Both were active members of the Presbyterian 
Church, and Mr. Cooey was a democrat in political allegiance.