Document A.53 · estate inventory · transcription: partial
Inventory of Joseph Cooper of Independence Twp., Warren Co., made 5 November 1852 — Warren Surrogate Inventories Vol. 6 p. 87. A substantial farmer's goods; no family named.
- repository
- Warren County Surrogate's Court, Belvidere N.J. (via FamilySearch)
- collection
- Warren Co. Surrogate, Inventories vol. 6, page 87
- identifier
- Docket 1051U per [A.37]; the inventory is image 64, physical page 87
- date
- 1852-11-05
What is transcribed: The inventory heading, the itemised body (partially) and the appraisers' signatures. No will, no letters of administration, no account — only the inventory.
People named
| As written | Role | Identified as | What this document says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Cooper | deceased | Joseph Cooper 1785–1852 | residence: Independence Twp., Warren Co., New Jersey death: before 5 Nov 1852 |
| Robert L. Garrison | appraiser | ||
| Job J. Shaw | appraiser | ||
| Lewis C. Reed | official |
What this document records
It names no family
AN INVENTORY ENUMERATES GOODS, NOT PEOPLE. THIS ONE NAMES NO PARENT, SPOUSE, CHILD OR HEIR. ⇒ it can establish that he existed, was substantial, and died by 5 November 1852 — and nothing about his kinship. A companion will or letters of administration would name an executor and heirs; neither has been located.
What it does show
A substantial working farmer — 5 cows, 12 swine, 13 sheep, draft animals, large grain stores, and bedding for a household of several. Household size inferred from bedding, which is a soft inference.
The aaron proximity is only proximity
HE DIED SIX MONTHS AFTER AARON COOPER SR, IN AN ADJACENT TOWNSHIP, AND THAT IS ALL THAT IS KNOWN. Aaron Cooper Sr Aaron Sr died April 1851 in Frelinghuysen Twp ([F.60]); Joseph's inventory is November 1852 in Independence Twp. Geographic and temporal proximity is circumstantial and is not evidence of kinship — recorded here precisely so the coincidence is not quietly upgraded into a relationship.
The total
THE GRAND TOTAL IS UNRESOLVED — $372.30[?] or $372.50[?], pending a re-zoom of the final line. A one-digit ambiguity, but an inventory total is the sort of figure that gets quoted.
Transcription and notes
Provenance, the fact that an inventory names no family, the unresolved total, and the warning
about reading proximity to Aaron Sr as kinship are all in the source: and coverage: headers
and are not repeated here.
Verbatim — inventory heading (image 64 left, physical p. 87)
Inventory of Joseph Cooper dec'd
A true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods and chattels, rights and credits of Joseph Cooper late of the Township of Independence in the County of Warren and State of New Jersey, deceased made the 5th day of November 1852
Verbatim — itemized inventory (image 64 left lower + image 64 right; partial transcription)
Itemization is line-by-line with dollar valuations in right margin. Categories of property present (line-item-level transcription pending where critical for genealogical inference — most line items are routine 1850s NJ farm goods):
Livestock (left page p. 87): - 5 Cows - 12 Swine - 13 Sheep - 2 Yearling Calves - 3 Two-year-old Heifers - 1 Two-year-old Bull - 1 Mare - 1 Bay [horse?] - 1 Working horse[?] - 1 Young Calf
Grain + crops (left page p. 87): - ~75-1/4 Bushels Corn at 25c (= ~$79.50? or similar; per-bushel rate visible) - 1 Stack Rye - 4 Stacks Hay (in barn / in bay?) - 200 Bushels Potatoes - Set Wheat in Burrock[?]
Farm equipment (right page p. 88): - 3 Sleds - 1 Two-horse wagon & body - 1 Small wagon & body - 1 Hand Sleigh - 1 Fanning Mill - 1 Cutter Box & Feed Box[?] - Rakes, Flails, Forks &c - 1 Salt Hamps[?] - 1 Churning Machine - 3 Hayhooks - Axe, Hoes, Shovels & Scythes - 1 Grain Cradle - 1 Iron Pot &c - 1 Half Bushel [measure] - 1 Big Hake[?] - 1 Grind Stone - 1 Set Barrels &c - 1 Barrel Vinegar - Wheel & Reel - Saddle & Bridle - 3 Bells & Straps
Household goods (right page p. 88): - 5 Stove Fixtures[?] - 1 Clock - 1 Candle Stand - 3 Tables - 5 Chairs (one row) + 10 Chairs (another row) - 4 Beds & Bedding - 1 Set [bedding pieces — illegible] - 1 Six Bed Clothes [= bedding for 6 beds] - 1 Shot gun - 1 Barrel & Cider - 1 Churn - 1 Bottle & Stopper[?] - 1 Iron[?] - 1 Pickles & Pickled [provisions] - 1 Copper Vessel[?] (= cooking pot, not a person) - Pots, Kettles &c - 13 Clothes[?] - 1 Box of Sand - Accounts [= ledger / book debts] - Notes [= promissory notes held by decedent — also at right side of page]
Verbatim — appraisers' signatures (image 64 right page bottom, physical p. 88)
Appraised by us
Robert L. Garrison
Job J. Shaw
Inventory total
Per zoomed right-margin numerals on image 64 right page bottom: total visible as $372.30[?] or $372.50[?] — pending re-zoom verification on the final-total line. (Multiple subtotal lines for grouped categories visible; final grand-total at very bottom right.)