Hannah Gould
10 December 1815 – 15 March 1843

       Seth Burr Gould (5 Apr 1775) of Fairfield, Connecticut found his way to Cramahe, New Castle District, Upper Canada (now Northumberland County, Ontario) on the north shore of Lake Ontario in the late 1790's. Hannah Sager (10 Jan 1781) also of Connecticut moved to Canada with her family as a small child when they fled the newly independent United States out of loyalty to King George III. Seth and Hannah were married on August 7, 1799 and made their home in Cramahe and began what would become a large family. Their daughter, Hannah Gould was born on January 10, 1815 in Cramahe where she grew up as the eighth of twelve children.

        At some point in time John William Cooley (29 Nov 1811 from New Haven, Oswego, New York) came to Cramahe as a young man. At the age of 24 he married Hannah on January 10, 1836 which happened to be her 21st birthday. After their marriage they made their home in Cramahe. It was later that year that their first child, Gennette was born on December 20, 1836 at Cramahe, New Castle District, Upper Canada.

        It was in Canada that John and Hannah first heard of and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Hannah's older brother, John, had joined the church five years earlier.* When Hannah joined the church, resentment was high against the Mormons. Her family was so bitter that they disinherited her. She must have had great faith to have left her family and deprived herself of the easy living and comforts of wealth.

        In 1840, John and Hannah decided to move to Nauvoo to be with the Saints there. Their journey took them by way of the many canals and rivers of the Northeast by boat. Just before they landed, one of Hannah's trunks fell overboard. It was recovered and when they came ashore the contents were spread to dry.

        In Nauvoo, Hannah no doubt had the opportunity of meeting Joseph Smith. They were actually distant cousins (fourth cousins twice removed), his great grandmother Priscilla Gould Smith and Hannah's third great grandfather, Nathan Gould were brother and sister.

        While living in Nauvoo John was one of the personal bodyguards of the Prophet Joseph Smith, for which his life was threatened. One day when he was home with an illness, some men wearing masks on their faces burst into their home. They forced Hannah and little Gennette out of the room saying. "You don't want to see what we are going to do to that man." They were armed with long knives and started to slash at him cutting holes in the bedding. John prayed for strength, and springing from his bed, he put the mobbers out of the house. The sheet had many holes in it but he did not have a scratch on him. They truly believed that his Heavenly Father protected him to help in the great work, which was just beginning,.

        They endured the hardships of persecution and in the fall of 1842 or early spring of 1843, Hannah, expecting a second child and being in delicate health, took little Gennette and went to visit her parents in Cincinnati, Ohio. In March she was riding in a carriage drawn by a team of spirited horses. They became frightened and ran, throwing her from the carriage, causing the birth of her child, John Rancler Cooley and resulting in her death.

        When her Hannah was dying, they called Gennette, who was seven years of age, to the bedside. She was reluctant to go into the room where her mother lay, but her grandmother took her hand and led her to the side of the bed. Hannah, knowing her death was near, wanted to tell her little girl goodbye and to make a request. She said "Gennette, you . . ." She died before she could finish the sentence. That was March 15, 1843. She was only 27 years old. Hannah Gould Cooley was buried in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio

        John came for Gennette and little John but the baby had to be left with a wet nurse in order to survive. It was agreed that he would stay until he was one year old, then they would return for him. But it was not to be so. John returned several times to get the child, but there was always some excuse to keep him there. Finally they told him the baby died on April 24, 1846.

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The main source of this story was the life story of Gennette Cooley

* John Gould was born 11 May 1808 in Cramahe, Ontario, Canada, the fifth of twelve children born to Seth Burr Gould and Hannah sager. He married Abigail Harrington. His known children are John Gould, Jr. and Magor G. Gould. He was baptized no later than June 1833 for he was appointed to travel to Jackson County, Missouri, with Orson Hyde on 21 August 1833 to direct Church leaders in Missouri to seek redress for illegal persecution at law. He left Kirtland about 31 August 1833 and arrived in Independence about 28 September 1833. A revelation received by Joseph Smith on 12 October 1833 assured the Prophet that Orson Hyde and John Gould were safe and well (D&C 100:14). He arrived back in Kirtland on 25 November 1833 bringing the "melancholy intelligence of the riot in Zion" the previous July.

Elder Gould accompanied Joseph Smith and others to seek volunteers for Zion's Camp in March 1834. After returning to Kirtland he joined with Evan M. Greene in New York to preach gospel 16 June 1834. He and Elder Greene worked in establishing branches of the Church in Freedom, New York, area in 1834. He served another Mission in Catteraugaus County, New York in 1834-35.

Elder Gould was ordained a Seventy in 1836. He was ordained and set apart as a President of the First Quorum of Seventy 6 April 1837 under the hands of Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith. At a conference held at Kirtland, Sept. 3, 1837; he was objected to as a president of Seventies. Six brethren, instead of five, had been selected to fill vacancies in the council of Seventies in April, 1837, it being supposed at the time that Levi W. Hancock, who was absent from Kirtland, had also been ordained a High Priest. This being a mistake the Prophet requested Bro. Joseph Young to see John Gould and signify to him the desire of the Prophet to have him placed in the High Priests' quorum. Bro. Gould complied with the wishes of the Prophet, and he was consequently ordained a High Priest.

Surviving the persecutions of Missouri, Elder Gould relocated to Nauvoo. There he received his endowment 3 February 1846. After the expulsion of the Saints from Nauvoo John settled at Cooley's Mill in Pottawatamie County, Iowa where he died 9 May 1851.