Mary Isabelle Dyer was born August 18, 1861 in Denton County, Texas to John Richard Dyer and Perlina Ann (Powell) Dyer.  Her father was killed on September 27, 1865 in a Confederate civil war camp near Stonewall, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.  Her mother being left with small children to raise on her own, married her deceased husband's younger brother, Martin VanBuren Dyer.  Mart was the father she knew all her life.  Belle married Louis C. Cooper on July 17, 1878 in Denton County, Texas.  Their first child James was born August 10, 1881 near Denton.  Their second child Otis was born February 16, 1883 and John Dee was born July 16, 1886.  In 1886 Louis and two other farmers traveled to Roff, Indian Territory in the Chickasaw Nation and located farms to rent.  They returned to Denton to move their families to their new home.  It is said when they forded the Red River that Lewis and his family were in the leading wagon, he somehow missed the ford and gave his young family quite a scare.  They arrived at the Laxton community near Roff.   Their new farm had better land then their old farm had.  Martin was born April 19, 1888 and died May 5, 1988.  Their son Marshall wa sborn August 9, 1889.  Lula was born Mardch 19, 1892 and died February 1898 and was buried at Roff.  Zula was born April 23, 1893.  Their daughter Gladys was born January 2, 1898 and died April 5, 1899 and is also buried at Roff cemetery.  The last child was Faye who was born August 2, 1900.  They remained at this location until about 1903 when they moved to the Pleasant Hill community south of Ada, where they remained for a year.  They then relocated to the Pecan Grove community about five miles south of Ada where they lived from 1904 to 1927 when health forced them to move to Ada.  Their daughter Faye Cooper Oliver remembers that the farming and ranching were the industries of the Pecan Grove community, and that the land was very fertile and bountiful crops of cotton, corn and alfalfa was raised.  Alot of native pecan trees brought added extra income as they were good producers.  She also recalled that the Pecan Grove school began in 1907 in a one-room school house and that Bascum Lawson was the first teacher.  The school was also used as a community center.  There was an all-day singing once each month.  A Literary Society was held once each month.  Belle and her husband were the backbone of both of their families.  They personally paid for her brother, Charles William Dyer and his wife Lillie Morvin Dyer's funeral's when they died in the later part of 1909 from typhoid fever.  They buried them at Rosedale cemetery in Ada.  When I was searching for my grandfather's (Dock David Dyer) family I new I was on the right track when I obtained a copy of the civil war headstone that had Belle's name on it for Martin (her step-father) who died in May 1900 and was buried at the East Hill cemetery.  Belle, Dock, and another sister Delia and Bell's children stepped in to help raise their other brothers small children, ranging in age from 16 down to an infant.  Belle had belonged to a homemaker's club in Pecan Grove, and was one of the older members.   She also helped take care of her sister, Elgy Dyer Jennings, children after her death.  I have not found documentation yet, but I am almost positive that when they came to Indian Territory, her parents (Martin and Perlina) and her siblings accompanied them, or possibly arrived not long after.  My grandfather married his first wife, Nory Wright, in the Chickasaw Nation prior to statehood. Most of the Cooper's surviving children remained near the Ada area. 

Above is the printed death notice from the Ada Weekly News, was printed on Wednesday after his death on Friday, April 19, 1929.

Mrs. Belle Cooper, 74, died Monday at 214 East Twenteth.  Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the Freewill Baptist Church on West Fifteenth, Rev. Nettles and Rev. Ragland officiating.  Buried in Rosedale cemetery.Criswell funeral home in charge. Mrs.Cooper is survived by three sons, J. R. Cooper of Ada, Dee Cooper of  Coalgate and Marshall Cooper of Fort Townsend; two daughter's Mrs. Zola Chapman and Mrs. A. W. Oliver of Ada, and a brother, Dock David Dyer of Oklahoma City.