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By Janelle Foster
CARRIZOZO NEWS, JAN 30, 1925
MRS. KIMMONS DIES
Mrs. E. Y. Kimmons, of Duran, whose illness at the Johnson Hospital was reported last week, died Friday night. The body was shipped to Duran the following day for interment.  The deceased was born in Lincoln County, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cleve Bourne, who now live in Grant County, and was related to the Bourne families of this and Torrance counties, and to the Skinner family. She had been married only About six months at the time of her death.  A large circle of friends sympathize with the grief-stricken young husband and other surviving relatives.  

GRANTED A PENSION
Mrs. Maggie Phingsten has been granted a pension by the federal government, according To Frank C. W. Pooler, district Forester, Albuquerque.  The amount of the pension is not stated, but the information is to the effect that it will be sufficient for the support of herself and children. The pension was granted as a result of the death of her husband, Ed C. Pfingsten, who lost his life last summer while in the forest service, and on duty in the White Mountains, as a firefighter.   

FATE AUTO ACCIDENT
One man was killed and another injured in a automobile accident near Duran last Saturday. The occupants, who were related to the E. Y. Kimmons family, and were hastening to the funeral of Mrs. Kimmons, and not far from Duran.   One man lost his life and the other seriously injured. T. E. Kelley, of this place, was called and prepared the body for burial.

Murder at Bonito:
Submitted by Janelle Foster
Daily Bee - Sacramento California
Thursday May 14, 1885
WIRED COAST NEWS
DETAILS OF THE TERRIBLE MURDER AT BONITO, NEW MEXICO.
SANTA FE, May 13 - The remains of Dr. FLYNN, one of the seven victims of Martin NELSON at Bonito, on the 4th instant, was embalmed and shipped to Boston to-day. Undertaker OTTINGER arrived from the scene of the massacre to-day, bringing the Doctor’s remains.
He says Nellie MAYBERRY, the 14-year-old girl shot by NELSON, will probably get well. Her statement of what happened in the house makes it clear that the affair ranks as one of the most diabolical deeds ever perpetrated. She says her father, mother and brothers all begged and prayed NELSON not to kill Dr. FLYNN. Mrs. MAYBERRY was shot twice, but regained consciousness, and attempted to slip past NELSON and get down stairs.
She took her daughter and got down as far as the door yard, when NELSON fired at her a third time, the ball wounding Nellie and piercing Mrs. MAYBERRY’s heart. Nellie struggled to lift her mother up, but finding she was dead ran to the cellar of an adjacent house.
Here NELSON followed, and pulled down his gun to kill her, saying, “I might as well send you to hell with the balance of ‘em.” But the girl pleaded so hard that he spared her upon the condition that she promise to come and see him hung. NELSON’s last deadly shot, which killed BRECK, covered a distance of over 250 yards.
NELSON and his six victims were buried near Bonito on the 6th inst., the remains of the four MAYBERRYS, Herman BRECK and Peter NELSON, occupying nicely trimmed coffins and placed high upon the hillside, while NELSON’s body was dumped into a rough box and placed in the flat at the foot of the hill.
The undertaker confirms the report that NELSON’s desire to get possession of Dr. FLYNN’s watch was the cause of the whole trouble, the thief becoming so enraged when detected in the act as to become insane.

Wife: Mattie Edessa Thompson, Born: August 28, 1858, Shreveport Louisiana
Submitted by Rob DiParedo from research by Karen Mills

The Lincoln County News
Friday, Oct. 26, 1934
Mrs. Mattie Cooper

Saturday morning, October 20, at 8 o'clock, Mrs. Mattie Cooper, one of Lincoln County's best known and most highly respected pioneer women, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Pick Warden, here.  Mrs. Cooper had been in ill health for two years, but, due to her energetic disposition, and her desire to be useful, she had never given up to invalidism. Mrs. Cooper was the widow of the late James Cooper, who at one time was one of the leading stock men of the county.  She was affectionately called "Granny" by many people, and will be greatly missed by everyone.
Mattie Thompson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, August 28, 1858.  She moved to Texas with her parents when quite young.  On December 8, 1877 she was married to James A. Cooper, and they continued to make Texas their home until 1885 when they came to New Mexico.  They settled in the White Mountains and lived there two years; then moved to White Oaks and went into the ranching business on a large scale.  Over a period of forty years the Coopers were well known figures in the business and social affairs of the county.  Four children were born to this union, two girls, Mrs. Maude Warden and Mrs. Effie Wood, and two sons, George and Jimmie Cooper.  Survivors are one daughter, Mrs. Warden; one son, Jimmie Cooper, fourteen grand-children and seven great-grand-children, to whom sympathy is extended. Funeral services were conducted at the Methodist church. Monday afternoon by Rev. Edgar Johnson, followed by interment in White Oaks cemetery. (end)

(Editor's note: Beth Hightower states that Bryan Hightower told her the rock with MC marked on it in Cedarvale is the resting place for Mattie. Headstone to be examined by an expert in coming weeks. Initial inspection shows traditional Spanish markings on stone which brings questions in to play.)

James A. Cooper Dies in California
Submitted By Rob DiParedo from research by Karen Mills
Transcribed by C. W. Barnum

Carrizozo News (Lincoln County News, NM) November 16, 1923
Dies In California
James A. Cooper, Sr., died at the home of a daughter in Fanger, (editor's note, Sanger is correct, not Fanger.) California, Wednesday, November 14. The body will be brought here for burial and is expected to reach her Sunday afternoon on No. 4.  Interment will be made in white Oaks cemetery. The deceased went to California about six months ago, following a lingering illness here, in the hope of deriving a benefit by change, and made his home with an elder daughter. Mrs. Cooper remained here to look after business affairs, while her husband sought to better his physical condition by a stay in California. His age, however, was against him and the relief he sought was not substantial enough to overcome his infirmity.
James A. Cooper was born in Mitchell County, Kentucky, January 7, 1841. At the age of 4 he moved to Fannin County, Texas; there grew to manhood, and was married in 1877 to Miss Mattie Thompson, who survives him. He came to Lincoln County in 1885 and, until going to California last spring, continuously resided here. He devoted his attention to ranching and until overtaken by illness and weighted down by the accumulated years, was ne of the most prosperous stockman of the county.
A widow and three children are left, two daughters, one in California, at whose home he breathed his last, and Mrs. R. E. P. Warden, Ancho; and a son, James Cooper, Jr., Ancho. The deceased was one of the sturdy old characters in the early ranch life of this country, a typical old-time cowman whose ranks are rapidly thinning. Another old citizen cast loose his moorings, an old land mark is gone and entire county feels sorrow at his passing. A bountiful life has led to restful sleep. (end)
(Editor's note: No. 4 was the Sunset Limited Southern Pacific RR eastbound train that operated out of Las Angeles.)
(Editor's note: This is Cedarvale Cemetery, now a historic cemetery, where the first Statehood Governor of NM in buried.)
(Editor's note: Ancho played an important part in rebuilding San Francisco after the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The Ancho RR siding factory produced millions of fired bricks. Endless train cars of bricks departed on express freight trains bound for San Francisco.)
(Editor's note: It appears to this editor that the older obituary or newspaper death notices were much richer than today's. They gave detailed leads for future genealogists. Rob and I have common ancestors in this Cooper family. These two breakthroughs have broken through  brick walls. We now are concentrating on finding he family of Mattie Edessa Thompson. One can not always trust the census data. The 1900 census lists Mattie being born in Aug. of 1860. We now know she was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, August 28, 1858.

James A. Henry Cooper, continued:

From records of Leslye Eleanor Cooper Van Schoyck
Relayed by Karen Mills - Historical Records Clerk, Carrizozo, NM
(Transcribed by C. W. Barnum; format slightly edited from original.)

“Cooper Family record compiled by George T. Cooper from the James A. H. Cooper’s and wife’s Bible and all other known sources.”
Henry Cooper and Maria Robins were married Dec 4, 1833 in Mariam (Marion County) County, Kentucky.

John Henry Cooper was born Jan. 25, 1812 and died ........ (blank)
Maria Robins was born Feb. 14, 1808 and died Aug. 19, 1856.

Sara Ann Cooper was born Aug. 15, 1834; no other information known.
Frances Maria Cooper was born Jul. 26. 1836, died Sept. 5, 1836; Age 1 month 11 days.
Nancy Elizabeth Cooper was born was born Mar. 9, 1838, death date not known.
Mary Margaret Cooper was born Sept. 7, 1939, died Aug. 7, 1840 age 11 months.
James A. H. Cooper was born Jan. 7, 1841, died in California. Buried in White Oaks, N. Mex.
John Hillary Cooper and Mary Ann Cooper (twins) were born Oct. 9, 1846.
 ……… John Hillary Cooper died Mar. 31, 1889.
Sara Ann Cooper, (unknown)
Frances Maria Cooper died at age 1 Month 11 days.
Nancy Elizabeth Cooper was married Alford Davis May 5, 1854, no death information known.
…..a.  Alexander Davis was born May 6, 1855, no death information known.
…..b. Low Davis was born Sept. 19, 1857, no death information known.
Mary Margaret Cooper died age 11 months.

“James A. H. Cooper married four times. The first two times to twin sisters and the second two times to other twin sisters whose first names were the same as the ones he married the first two times. The 4th marriage was to Mattie Thompson from Louisiana, born Aug 28, 1858.

“The family of James A. H. Cooper and Mattie Thompson married Dec, 8. 1877” .

(End of Bible record transcribing, format slightly edited. Some verbs added such as the word “was”. Some punctuation was added such as periods and commas. C. W. Barnum.)