We are looking for someone who can enlighten us on the seemingly incorrect date of death on the headstone of Celia Prater, wife of David M. Cooper. They are buried in the Cooper Cemetery at the Mouth of Buffalo Creek here in Magoffin County. We would prefer taking a trip to the cemetery to check the info that has been distributed but for the time being have to rely on pictures.
David M. Cooper was born 21 Feb 1802 and died 3 Oct 1854 when that part of Magoffin was still Morgan County. He was the son of John Cooper and Patsy McDaniel. David married 14 Apr 1823 in Floyd Co. KY to Celia Prater, a daughter of Archibald Prater and Sarah Fugate. Celia’s marker, which appears to be the same design and age as her husband’s, records her birth as 25 Oct 1807 and death as 27 May 1844.
The 1844 date is apparently wrong as Celia (age 51 and head of household) appears in the first census of Magoffin County (1860) with sons David C. and Milton. Also in the house was daughter Lucinda and two of her children. Lucinda had first married William Prater and later married Jeremiah Fitchpatrick.
Celia at age 62 and her daughter Lucinda (age 40 and head of household) were listed in the 1870 Magoffin census. Celia was not located in 1880 so we assume she died prior to that time.
This discrepancy in dates was an inquiry from Susan C. Lakotos who is a descendant. If someone has an explanation, please write Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email:
[email protected])
There are many descendants of David M. Cooper and Celia Prater. A list of their children is given here: (1) Thomas M. Cooper b. ca. 1824 m. Mary J. Bays, (2) Archibald Prater Cooper b. 1827 m. Mary Minerva Litteral, m. 2nd Manerva "Belle" Picklesimer and m. 3rd Arizona Davis. A. P. Cooper was Magoffin County’s second County Judge. (3) Richard Lee Cooper (Civil War soldier) m. 1st Katherine Salyer and m. 2nd Lillie Rice, (4) Lucinda Cooper m. 1st William Prater and m. 2nd Jeremiah Fitchpatrick, (5) Nancy Jane Cooper b. 1832 m. Rev. John Bayes, (6) Gillian Cooper m. William Amos Lacy, (7) John E. Cooper b. 1837 m. Margaret Turner, (8) William P. Cooper b. ca. 1839 died during Civil War, (9) Rebecca Cooper b. 1840, (10) David Crocket Cooper b. 1842 m. Elizabeth Jane Nickell (a Civil War Union soldier, captured at Ivy Point in Salyersville and died while in captivity), and (11) Milton C. Cooper b. 1846 m. Elizabeth Jane May.
A visitor, Emma Carol Conley from Ohio, came to research her family and, at the same time, helped us add info to some of our Magoffin County families. She is a granddaughter of Clay Conley and Emma Gullett. Clay Conley (1887-1906) was a son of John D. Conley and 2nd wife Mary Alifair Sparks. John D. was a son of Civil War Union soldier William Smith Conley (1828-1895) and 2nd wife Rebecca Caudill. Alifair was a daughter of Henry Sparks b. 1835 Lawrence Co. KY d. 1923. Henry married Mary Conley in Johnson County in 1857.
Emma Carol’s grandmother Emma Gullett Conley was born in 1876 and died in 1943. Emma and her husband Clay Conley are buried in the Caudill Cemetery on State Road here in Magoffin.
Emma was a dau of William Gullett, Jr. and Rachel Tackett. William was born in 1828 to William Gullett and Tempy Hopper. William was born in 1795 Wilkes Co. NC and died in the mid-1840s on State Road Fork, then a part of Morgan County, KY.
Tempy was widowed by 1850 as shown in the Johnson Co. KY census. Her age was given as 54 at that time. In her household were her children Elizabeth Gullett age 23, William Gullett age 22, Polly Anna Gullett age 17 and Andrew T. Gullett age 15.
Her son William Gullett at age 31 was alone in a household in the 1860 Magoffin census. Two houses away was the home of Edmond (age 85) and Nancy Conley. In their home was Rachel Centers age 30 "washerwoman" and her son Jesse I. Centers. William Gullett received a license to marry Rachel Centers on 29 Mar 1862 in Magoffin Co. KY.
Rachel’s maiden name was given as Tackett when her son Jesse was born 20 Dec 1859. In all records, including his death certificate, that we could find afterwards Jesse Irvin’s surname is Gullett. He was married to Clarinda Hall. Jesse died at age 75 on 1 Jul 1934.
Other children of William Gullett, Jr. and Rachel were (2) Gincy Gullett b. 1861, (3) Margaret Gullett b. 1863, (4) Martha Gullett b. 1864, (5) Amanda E. Gullett b. 1869 m. Joseph J. Devault, (6) Joseph H. Gullett b. 1873 d. 1952 Flat Fork of Magoffin County, (7) Drusilla Gullett b. 1876, (8) Lindsey Gullett b. 1877 and our visitor’s ancestor (9) Emma Gullett b. 1879.
By 1900 Magoffin census Rachel was age 64 and widowed. In her home were children Druzilla Gullett b. 1876, Linzy Gullett b. 1877 and Emma Gullett b. 1879.
The late Verlin Gullett contributed much info on this branch of the family for our Gullett family books in 2003.
We will follow up on this family in the Winter Journal of the Magoffin County Historical Society and invite any descendant to contact us with more info.