My great-great-grandmother Louisa Bookless is the ancestor closest to me with the surname of Bookless. She was born to David Bookless and Mary Cartmell in Coshocton, Ohio on April 13, 1834. She was the fourth of five children; the others were Anna, an unnamed infant daughter, William, and James Scott. In early Coshocton county records, the surname was often spelled Buckless. At the age of 5, Louisa lost her mother and at 12 her father. She was living in the James Rice household at the time of the 1850 census along with her older brother William. When she was 18, she married William Washington Werts. The couple had 2 chidren – my great-grandmother Mary Angeline Werts and George Wesley Werts. In April 1857, Louisa’s husband died leaving her with a 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Louisa sent her children to live with relatives as she was unable to provide for them.
Louisa married John Simon on April 28, 1861, and the couple had one daughter, Sarah Ellen Simon – my great-grandmother’s half-sister. Louisa died on July 26, 1912 at the age of 78. The obituary in the Coshocton Tribune on July 27, 1812 on page 8 is filled with errors. She is listed as “Mrs. Eliza Simmons” instead of Mrs. Louisa Simon. My great-grandmother often went by a shortened version of her middle name – Annie – but she is listed as Anna, and her widower is not listed in the obituary even though he also lived with my great-grandmother. John died two years later. The couple are buried together at St. Paul Cemetery in Coshocton, Ohio.
David Bookless was born in Coshocton county in 1808 and only lived to the age of 40. While in Coshocton, David became it’s very first coroner as referenced by a news article in the Coshocton Tribune on May 6, 1952. Before he died, David moved to Iroquois county, Illinois – even though he still had minor children in Coshocton. Perhaps he went looking for work. He and his wife Mary are buried in the Bookless Cemetery in Iroquois county.
David’s father was William Bookless, and presently I do not have any documented information on him.
All My Branches Genealogy 
Hello to person posting about surname Bookless and Cartmell. See my email below. I hope we may be able to connect. I have a Bookless Around the World page on FB. Sincerely, Teri Bookless
Teri – we’ve messaged on facebook (this is Wendy). Thanks!
Hi, cousin! Your GGGrandmother was sister to my GGGrandfather James Scott Bookless. I’m working on the Bookless tree this week. At the same time (1850) Louisa and her brother William were living with the James Rice family (do you know of any family connection with them?) in Iroquois IL, her younger brother James Scott (9) was living with Oliver Perry Bookless and this wife in Coshocton OH. As to David and his interest in Iroquois County IL, his older brother William (Jr) had by 1834 purchased 200 acres and moved there to what would later be called Concord Township. David purchased, in 1835, 80 acres in what would become Middleport Township. He satisfied the warrants and received deeds in 1837 and in Nov 1839. He was on Coshocton tax rolls through at least 1836, so he probably moved his family to Middleport, Iroquois IL in 1838-39 after my GGGrandfather was born. His wife Mary, our GGGGrandmother, is said to have died in Iroquois Co, IL in 1839 in childbirth, leaving David alone to raise Anna (10), William (8), Louisa (5) and James Scott (1). David then married Isabella ? formerly of Coshocton OH. But in 1844, she and David’s brothers Henry and William died the same day of Milk Sickness, probably caused by eating meat from animals who have grazed on snake-root aka milkweed. Then 9 years later both David and Anna died, leaving three orphaned siblings. (And I wonder if Isabella may have had minor children from a previous marriage that were also now orphans?)