The Coopers of Long Hill

Document C.12 · Marriage Bonds · transcription: verbatim

Morris Co. NJ Marriage Records — Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church minister's register (Rev. Robert Finley) July 1795 - Oct 1804 — entry #16 Ebenezer Sayre to Charity Cooper 15 Oct 1801. Bride identified 2026-07-06 = [p.730] Charity dau of John of Long Hill (per Banta I.173), NOT Benjamin's daughter.

Transcription and notes

BRIDE IDENTIFIED / prior hypothesis REFUTED (2026-07-06). The verbatim register data below is correct ("Ebenezer Sayre to Charity Cooper, 15 Oct 1801"). But this entry's original interpretation — that the bride was Benjamin's daughter Charity ([p.664]), widowed-Sayre-then-Haas — is wrong. Per Banta Sayre Family ([I.173]), the groom Ebenezer Sayre (#281) married as his 2nd wife "Charity Cooper, daughter of John Cooper and Lynche (Boyle) Cooper, b. 16 May 1767" = [p.730], Daniel Sr's granddaughter via son John of Long Hill — the same "granddaughter Charity Cooper daughter of my son John" in Daniel Sr's 1791 will ([A.8]/[A.9]). Benjamin's daughter (b. 1789) was 12 in 1801 and married only Jacob Haas (1813). ⇒ the "same-Charity-as-Benjamin's-daughter" reasoning in the KEY FINDINGS / OPEN QUESTIONS below is superseded — read them as historical; the resolution lives at [p.730] + [pr.12]. The Ebenezer-Sayre-death + Sayre-Cooper-offspring searches below are moot (Banta: he d. 27 Jul 1822; no issue by Charity).

Same register as C.41 (added 2026-06-09). C.41 is a fuller two-page image ((image held in the family archive)) of this same Basking Ridge Presbyterian register — its header identifies the officiating minister as Rev. Robert Finley (resolving this entry's "[name not legible]"), and its numbering matches (Charity × Sayre = entry #16). C.41 adds 4 more Cooper marriages (#11 Joseph Cross × Mary Cooper, #25 Kirkpatrick × Sally Cooper, #31 Cooper × Horton, #35 Peter Cooper × Susan Boyle). Groom-name discrepancy: C.41's image reads the Sayre groom as "Eleazer[?]"; this entry reads "Ebenezer." Some non-Cooper entry readings also differ between the two images (cursive); C.12's readings here were taken from a clean view and are the more reliable for the overlapping entries.

Verbatim — page header

List of Marriages solemnized by the Rev[d.] [Mr.] [___ surname not legible at this resolution]

but [only?] of the Congregation of Basking Ridge

In the County of Morris

(Note: Basking Ridge village is in Bernards Twp Somerset Co. NJ; the register's "In the County of Morris" notation may indicate the recording county [Morris County clerk's office] rather than the church location, OR the minister served both Basking Ridge AND a Morris Co. congregation. Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church 1795-1804 minister was likely Rev. Robert Finley (1772-1817, prominent NJ Presbyterian, served Basking Ridge 1795-1817) — to be primary-source-confirmed via higher-resolution scan or Basking Ridge church history records.)

Verbatim — visible numbered marriage entries

(Per memory feedback_full_transcription_policy.md, full transcription:)

# Date Names
1 July 12 1795 Daniel Woods to Jemimah Hands[?]
2 March 9 1796 Solomon Doty to Mary Pearson
3 Dec 22 1796 Daniel Runyan to Phebe Lewis
4 Jany 3 1797 Abraham Cowell to Deborah Runyan
5 Nov 22 1797 Abraham Woods to Hetty Bras[?]
6 Dec 5 1797 Mitchell Bridges to Phebe Miller
7 Aple 3 1798 Joseph Benjamin to Phebe Roxwell[?]
8 Aug[?] 29 1799 Mathias[?] Burnet to Susan Goercen[?]
9 Jany 7 1800 Samuel Johnson Junr to Abigail Bockoven[?]
10 March 6 1800 Moses Rogers to Nancy Wright
11 May 13 1800 Joseph Cuts[?] to Mary Lampson[?]
12 April [?] 1800 Stephen Sutton to Sally Bedell
13 Jany 7 1801 John Ayers to Mary Miller
14 Jany 7 1801 Charles Ogden to Sarah Smedly
15 June 11 1801 Solomon Boyle to Eliza[?] Pierson
16 Octr 15 1801 Ebenezer Sayre to Charity Cooper ← OUR TARGET
17 Decr 17 1801 Isaac Wiggins to Betsy Hoffat[?]
18 Jany 30 1802 Samuel Young to Anne Fairchild
19 Feby 4 1802 Henry [Cary?] to Sally Day
20 Nov [?] 1802 James Johnson to [?] Babbitt
(unnumbered) Nov [?] 1802 Peter Doughty[?] to Phebe[?] Hewt[?]
21 Jany 7 1804 [?] Johnson to Polly Sutton
22 Feby 7 1804 Benjamin Hathaway to Hilly Turner
23 Feby 16 1804 [?] Hand[?] to Abby Pyrott[?]
(unnumbered) June [?] 1804 William Cross to Sally Perry
(unnumbered) Sept [?] 1804 Bayley[?] Brus[?] to Deborah Anniss[?]
(unnumbered) October 30 1804 [text continues below crop]

KEY FINDINGS

  1. ** BASKING RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATION AFFILIATION — the register heading explicitly states "of the Congregation of Basking Ridge." This is the same church where: - Daniel Cooper Sr. (1695-1795) is buried with Grace Runyon (per project pr.4 Daniel Sr buried Basking Ridge (RESOLVED).md) - Polly Cooper Cross Annin (1780-1817), Benjamin's daughter, is buried in plot 341 (per project pr.15 Polly Cooper Annin WikiTree (RESOLVED).md) - The Daniel-Sr.-Cooper extended family had documented Presbyterian church affiliation - → Charity Cooper marrying AT Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church on 15 Oct 1801 = STRONGLY supports the hypothesis that this Charity = Benjamin Cooper's daughter Charity per Craddock I.22, who later m. Jacob Haas 18 May 1813 (C.6)**

  2. ** SAME-CHARITY HYPOTHESIS now PROBABLE (was POSSIBLE pre-C.12). Charity (Benjamin's daughter, b. ~1782-1790) married first to Ebenezer Sayre at Basking Ridge Presbyterian Oct 1801, was widowed 1801-1813, then married Jacob Haas 18 May 1813 (C.6). Sayre death sometime 1801-1813. → NEW research line: search for Ebenezer Sayre death record 1801-1813 Morris/Somerset NJ** to primary-source-confirm widowing.

  3. ** Implication for project pr.12 Benjamin daughters per Littell.md:** Charity's biographical sketch needs to be updated to include first marriage to Ebenezer Sayre 1801, widowing 1801-1813, second marriage to Jacob Haas 1813. Sayre family becomes autosomal-Cooper kindred IF Sayre had children with Charity (= research lead — search Sayre family Morris/Somerset NJ 1801-1813 for any Charity-Sayre offspring).

  4. ** William Cross × Sally Perry June 1804 (entry visible)** — Cross surname relevant to project pr.15 Polly Cooper Annin WikiTree (RESOLVED).md (Polly Cooper Cross Annin = Benjamin's daughter Polly's first marriage was to a Cross). The William Cross of this 1804 entry may be Polly's husband Joseph Cross's father or brother — Joseph Cross was Polly's first husband per the memory, with Polly's second marriage to Joseph Annin (after Cross died c. 1804-1812 likely). Worth investigating Sally Perry-Cross 1804 marriage as part of the broader Cross-Cooper family network.

  5. ** John Ayers × Mary Miller 7 Jan 1801 (entry #13)** — Ayers/Ayres surname relevant to C.7/C.8 David Cooper × Anna AYRES 22 Feb 1823. The 1801 John Ayers may be a relative of Anna Sabina Ayres (b. 1803 Sussex Co. NJ per G.40) — Daniel Ayers (Anna's father, b. 1778) had documented siblings; this 1801 John Ayers could be one. Investigation lead.

  6. ** Solomon Boyle × Eliza Pierson 11 June 1801 (entry #15)** — Boyle surname connects to the 1808 Peter Cooper × Susan Boyle marriage (C.10 entry #35). Local Boyle family may have multiple Cooper-line marriages.

  7. ** Daniel Runyan × Phebe Lewis 22 Dec 1796 (entry #3) + Abraham Cowell × Deborah Runyan 3 Jan 1797 (entry #4) — Runyan surname relevant to memory note: Daniel Cooper Sr.'s wife = Grace Runyon**. Phonetic/spelling variant — Runyan vs Runyon. The Daniel Runyan + Deborah Runyan of 1796-1797 may be Cooper kin via Grace Runyon's family.

  8. ** NO PARENTS NAMED + NO TOWNSHIP NAMED on register entries. The minister's register format (chronological list with date + names only) doesn't surface biographical detail. The strongest evidence for same-Charity hypothesis is the church-affiliation argument** (Basking Ridge Presbyterian = Cooper family church), not direct parent identification.

Catalog impact

Open questions / follow-up

Cross-references