NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

Source: Family Records or genealogies of the first settlers of Passaic Valley and Vicinity above Chatham, with their ancestors and descendants, as far as could be ascertained in 1851. By John Littell, 1851.

The parents of Daniel Cooper emigrated from Holland to New-York, in the year 1695. It is said that he was born at sea on their voyage, and that the father never arrived. He was born May 1st, 1695, and married, 17th April, 1726, Grace Runyon, lived in Piscataway, and removed to Passaic Valley, Morris County, in March, 1732. He bought lot No. 2, of the Berkeley tract, containing 500, acres, lying east of and adjoining the quarter owned by Jacob Carle. They had children: (2nd Generation.)

1. Catherine, who was born January, 1728, and married Colonel Cornelius Ludlow.

2. Daniel Cooper, Jun., born 14th January, 1729, and died May, 1787.

3. Agnes, born 15th May, 1732.

4. Peter, born 11th February, 1735, died October, 1755.

5. John, born 20th August, 1738, died 31st March, 1778.

6. Benjamin, born 13th December, 1741, died December, 1794.

7. Rosannah, born 26th March, 1743, died _____ _____ .

8. George, born 20th August, 1745, died 20th September, 1801. [George, d. Sept 30 1801 aged 56 years; Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard Transcriptions]

9. Providence, born 27th March, 1748, died February, 1798.

10. Anne, born 4th October, 1750, died 5th February, 1795. Anne married Jonas Carle, son of Jacob. [See Carle.]

Daniel Cooper had six wives:

1. Grace Runyon, born January, 1706, and died November, 1755. [d. Nov 8 1755 aged 49 years; Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard Transcription]

2. Jane Westbrook.

3. Grace Manning, died April, 1777.

4. Widow Fanny Jones, died January, 1787.

5. Barbara Margaret Gibbs, who died December, 1789.

6. Hannah Martin, widow of Colonel Ephraim Martin.

He died, 2d May, 1795, aged 100 years.

The Anionist=Gasette , Somerville, New Jerseb , 1889. pp573-575

Let us abandon medical talk, and turn again to the "Old Stone House." There was a wedding in its best room in the autumn of 1788, which attracted much attention and caused considerable comment in the neighborhood. It was the marriage of Aaron's wife's cousin Barbara Margaret Gibbs to Daniel Cooper. Many guests were invited--at least we may so conclude, as traditions all concur in speaking of lavish hospitality on such occasions at the "Old Farm." The bidden relatives and neighbors did not find a timid or a blushing bride, for the widow Gibbs was seventy-seven years old and had been married twice before. The lusty groom was in his eighty-ninth year, and was well acquainted with marriage ceremonies, this being the fifth time that he had deliberately placed the matrimonial noose about his neck. We are led to believe, however, that Charlotte opened her house and made the occasion one of as much festivity as if the contracting parties were entering the bonds of wedlock for the first time. Father Graff came over from New Germantown to perform the ceremony, and affix the seal of his blessing to this extraordinary connection. Charlotte's cousin did not journey with her new husband to the end, but, like her four predecessors, fell by the way. The aged Mr. Cooper, however, was not discouraged; evidently he was fond of the sex, and gave to the marriage relation his full countenance. Before receiving his final summons to relinquish wives and all mundane affairs he again led to the altar a blooming bride--his sixth wife, whom, when he died in his one hundred and first year, he left a disconsolate widow.

Daniel Cooper was born at sea, late in the seventeenth century, while his parents were emigrating from Holland. On reaching man's estate he settled on Long Hill, in Morris county, becoming a farmer and a large landowner; at one time he was high sheriff of the county and for many years sat on the bench as magistrate. This inflexible judge--"a second Daniel come to judgment"--had the unhappy experience of sentencing his own son to be hung. On the nineteenth of August, 1773, over a thousand persons were assembled in the old court-house at Morristown, which probably had never held a more interesting audience, nor one that exhibited a deeper sympathy with the course that justice had taken. They were there to hear the dread sentence of death pronounced upon four remarkably finelooking men who were arraigned before the bar of the court. Among them was the son of Daniel Cooper, one of the magistrates sitting on the bench in judgment.

In all Mr. Cooper had eleven children. One of them, Benjamin,(*) was interested with Lord Stirling in the Hibernia iron mine. In 1773 a great number of forged bills began to circulate in Morris county; this led to the arrest and conviction of Doctor Barnabas Budd, Samuel Haines, David Reynolds and Daniel Cooper's son Benjamin, they confessing to having received the bills from one Ford, a clever counterfeiter. This principal, who was also arrested, managed to effect his escape, but his accomplices were not so fortunate; as has been shown, they were sentenced to expiate their crime on the gallows. Only one of them, Reynolds, who seems to have been the least guilty of all, was executed. The influential connections of the others bore with great weight upon the pardoning power, resulting in a reprieve on the very morning set apart for the executions. Cooper's escape was largely due to his having furnished information regarding the robbery of the treasury of the eastern division of the province of six hundred pounds, in the year 1768. He confessed to being an accessory to this crime, Ford, with the aid of two soldiers in the garrison at Amboy, having robbed the treasury, paying him, Cooper, three hundred pounds as his share of the proceeds. For this confession, together with the influence exerted by Lord Stirling, the son of the upright judge and venerable bridegroom was subsequently pardoned.

*Benjamin Cooper married Charity, the daughter of Charles and Mary Hoff of Pittstown, in Hunterdon Co. The wife died on the 17th of May, 1763, after giving birth to a boy, and both mother and child are buried in the old graveyard of the Bethlehem Presbyterian church. They each have separate monuments upon which is inscribed their ages as well as their names, the mother's being given as seventeen and the child's as "4 hours."

DANIEL COOPER, Jun., Esq, (son of Daniel, 1st,) married, 1st, Miss Conover; 2. Nancy Cross, daughter of the Rev. Mr. Cross. He lived in Passaic Valley, on the 500 acre tract of his father. (3rd Generation.)

By his first wife he had a daughter, Catherine Cooper, who married [19 Oct 1772 by Rev. Jonathan Elmer; Presbyterian Church at New Providence, NJ GMNJ Vol 18 No 4 October 1943] her cousin, John Ludlow, of Long Hill, son of Colonel Cornelius Ludlow;

And by his 2d wife, Nancy Cross, had children:

2. Lydia, who married Samuel Annin.

3. Polly, who married Mr. _____ Crane.

4. Peter married [14 Dec 1808 by Rev. Robert Finley, Baskinridge; Morris County Marriages Book B] Susan Boyle, daughter of Joseph, of Long Hill.

5. William went to Kentucky.

6. Doctor John, who settled at Easton, Pennsylvania.

7. Stephen married Mahetabel, widow of John Colwell, and daughter of Colonel Israel Day. [Mehitable (w/o Stephen, former w/o John Colwell, dec�d) d. 24 Mar 1827 in 39^th year; Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard Transcription]

8. Anne married Alexander Richards, of Rahway.

9. Betsey married Henry Freeman, of Elizabethtown.

10. Sally married [14 Nov 1804 by Rev. Robert Finley, Baskinridge; Morris County Marriages Book B] Capt. David Kirkpatrick, of Mine Brook, as his 2d wife.

11. Daniel, 3d, who went to Kentucky.

12. Joseph also went to Kentucky.

PETER COOPER, (4th child of Daniel Cooper, Jun.,) lived on Long Hill, on the 500 acre tract of his father. He and Susan Boyle had children: (4th Generation.) [m. 14 Dec 1808 by Rev. Robert Finley, Baskinridge; Morris County Marriages Book B] [Peter Cooper d. Feb 3 1847 in 86th years; Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard Inscriptions]

1. William, who married [28 Aug 1844, Both of Longhill, Morris Co., by Morgan R. Cox, Minister at Mt. Bethel; Morris County Marriages Book E (her name is listed as Sarah Ann)] his cousin, Sally Anne Cooper, only child of Stephen Cooper and Mahetabel Day. And she, Sally Anne Cooper, died 25th October, 1846, without children: and he married _____ _____ , daughter of Elias Brown, Esq., of Pluckemin.

2. Caty Anne, who married [26 Sep 1835 by Morgan R. Cox, Minister of the Gospel; Morris County Marriages Book D] Abraham Dunn.

3. Joseph, who died in youth.

4. John, who also died in youth.
[John, son of Peter & Susan, d. Aug 11 1836 aged 49 years 1 mo & 3 days
Magdalen (widow of John) d. June 25 1869 aged 63 years; Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard Transcription]

5. Alexander married, 31st December, 1849, Abby Parrot daughter of Squier Parrot.

JOHN COOPER, (5th child of Daniel Cooper, Sen.,) married Lynche Boyle, daughter of Solomon Boyle, 1st, and had children: (4th Generation.)

1. Lynche, who married William Annin.

2. Susan married Squier Martin, son of Colonel Ephraim Martin.

3. Charity married [15 Oct 1801 by Rev. Robert Finley, Baskinridge; Morris County Marriages Book B] Samuel Sayre, of Madison.

4. Daniel married Sally Manning.

5. Solomon, who lived and died on Long Hill, unmarried. He owned part of the 500 acre tract; he was an Elder in the Basking Ridge church.

6. Neaty married David Crane, of Union, in Essex County. They had no children.

BENJAMIN COOPER, (6th child of Daniel Cooper, Sen.,) married and had children:

1. Polly, who married, 1st, Mr. Cross [Mary Cooper m. 13 Mar 1800 Joseph Cross; Morris County Marriage Book B], 2d, John Annin, as his 2d wife.

2. Caty married Amos Dayton, son of Jonathan, of Basking Ridge.

GEORGE COOPER, (8th child of Daniel Cooper, Sen.,) lived where his father and grandfather did. He married Margaret Lafferty, and had children: (4th Generation.)

1. Daniel C. Cooper, who went to Dayton, Ohio, and settled. He was the principal proprietor of the town. He was born 21st November, 1773; married Miss Green, in Ohio; had several children; and died, 13th July, 1818; and his wife and children have all died.

2. Bryan Lafferty Cooper, born 6th January, 1775, died 12th June, 1798, unmarried.

3. Mary Cooper, born 30th March, 1778, and died 27th Jan., 1794, unmarried.

4. John G. Cooper, born 24th March, 1780, and died 24th October, 1822, at 42 years and 7 months.

5. Fanny Cooper, born 20th November, 1782, and died 28th September, 1811, unmarried.

JOHN G. COOPER, Esq., (4th child of George Cooper, son of Daniel Cooper, Sen.,) lived in the valley where his father did. (5th Generation.) He married Eleanor Perrine, and had children:
[Eleanor, d. Jan 6 1863, aged 79 years
John G., d. Oct 24 1822 aged 42 years 7 mo.; Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard Transcription]

1. George, who went to Michigan; is Treasurer of that State.

2. John.

3. Harriet, who married Calvin Bonnel, son of Enos, son of Benjamin.

4. Catherine.

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