Document A.30 · family agreement · transcription: verbatim
1865 family agreement, Erwin, Steuben Co., N.Y. — five siblings acknowledge Frederic S. Cooper as their agent for the estate of John Cooper Jr., who died 23 October 1863.
- repository
- Maintainer's family papers
- identifier
- Single-sheet manuscript agreement with five signatures and embossed seals
- date
- 1865
What is transcribed: The complete one-page agreement: body, five signatures, and the seals.
People named
| As written | Role | Identified as | What this document says |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Cooper Jr | deceased | ||
| Fredric S Cooper | agent | ||
| Francis E Cooper | signatory | ||
| John Cooper | signatory | ||
| Charlotte E Cooper | signatory | ||
| Arthur W Cooper | signatory | ||
| Theodore Cooper | signatory | ||
| Mary E Morse | mentioned |
What this document records
Five not fifteen
RESOLVED 2026-09-01: THE TERM IS "FIVE YEARS", NOT FIFTEEN. The clause reads "and so to remain for five years from his death" — read at 4x on the 2431x2959 scan; the word is four letters with no -teen. The earlier "fifteen years" reading is withdrawn. It matters because it dates the partition: five years from 23 October 1863 puts the property's division due about 1868, not 1878 — a decade's difference in where to look for the partition record.
Three scans and which is best
THE PRIMARY FILE IS THE HIGHEST-RESOLUTION ONE, AND IT IS NOT THE COLOUR SCAN. Death/Fred S Cooper, agent…png is 2431x2959; both Real Estate copies are 1570x1957. The colour scan's larger byte size is misleading. ⇒ read from the greyscale primary.
What it attests
A FAMILY-INTERNAL IDENTIFICATION OF SIBLINGS, SIGNED BY THEM. The body names Francis E, John, Mary E Morse, Fred S, Arthur E and Charlotte E Cooper as the undersigned heirs of John Cooper Jr. ⇒ that is a sibling set attested by the people in it, not by a compiler.
A signer not in the body
THE SIGNATURES AND THE BODY LIST DO NOT MATCH, AND NOBODY HAS EXPLAINED IT. Signed: Francis E Cooper, Arthur W Cooper, Theodore Cooper, Charlotte E Cooper, John Cooper. "Theodore Cooper" signs but is NOT named in the body; Mary E Morse and Fred S are named but did not sign — Fred S. being the agent, he would not sign as a principal. Also note Arthur E in the body against Arthur W in the signature. Recorded as a discrepancy; not resolved.
The estate dates
John Cooper Jr. died 23 October 1863; Frederic S. Cooper acted as agent from 23 October 1863 to 1 November 1865, which is the period this agreement ratifies.
Transcription and notes
Provenance and which of the three scans to read, the settled "five years" clause, and the
signature-versus-body discrepancy are all in the source: and coverage: headers and are not
repeated here.
Data — verbatim transcription
Document body (handwritten cursive; some words uncertain)
Know all men by these presents that whereas John Cooper Jr [late?] of the town of Erwin Steuben County NY died on the 23 October 1863 leaving in [property?] or untrusted [or intrusted] money certain at his children and as [trustees?] [is?] to remain for fifteen years from his Death and as Cretun J Coffey [name uncertain] by counsel of said Heirs acted as agent in the place of and for said Heirs in the management of said Estate from Octr 23 1863 to Nov 1[?] 1865 — Now therefore we the [undersigned?] Francis E. John [W?] Mary E [Munn? Morse?] Fred S. Arthur E. and Charlotte E. Cooper do hereby acknowledge that in S [= said] Management of S [= said] Estate the S [= said] Frederic S. Cooper [acts?] [as?] our Agent and for our [behoof?] and benefit — for which act we are severally as [jointly?] [responsible?] in [proportion?] to our [respective?] interests in S [= said] Estate As witness our hands & seals this [date 1865]
Signatures (5 visible)
(Document has signature blocks distributed across the bottom half; each signature has an embossed-seal stamp visible to its right or beside.)
- Francis E. Cooper — top-left signing block, large signature
- Theodore Cooper — middle-left signing block (below Francis E.)
- John Cooper — bottom-left signing block, smaller signature
- Arthur E. Cooper — middle-right signing block, with embossed-seal
- Charlotte E. Cooper — bottom-right signing block, with embossed-seal
Parties named in body-text but not among visible signatures
- Mary E. [surname uncertain — possibly Munn, Morse, Mum, or other] — listed in body-text "Francis E. John [W?] Mary E [Munn?] Fred S. Arthur E. and Charlotte E. Cooper" between John and Fred S. Probable identity = Mary Erwin Cooper b. 6 June 1831 m. Willard C. Morse per I.59 child #2 (which would make the surname Morse, written cursive could read "Munn"). Possibly signed elsewhere or signed in a separate document.
- Frederic S. Cooper himself — does NOT need to sign because he is named AS THE AGENT acting for the others; his role is acceptance of agency, evidenced separately or implicit in subsequent estate administration.
Body-text date span
The text says "from Octr 23 1863 to Nov 1[?] 1865" = the period during which "Cretun J Coffey" (= prior agent, identity uncertain) served. The document itself replaces him with Frederic S. Cooper going forward = signed sometime around or after Nov 1, 1865.