The Coopers of Long Hill

Document I.111 · Published Genealogies and County Histories · transcription: verbatim

Morris County NJ Court of Common Pleas Minute Book Vol 4-6 (1766-1778) (FamilySearch DGS 7903185), image 299 of 669, December Term 1771 — King's-bench (criminal) case row image-verified: 'The King v George Cooper [+ Camp co-defendant?] / John Cooper Surety' = first image-verified primary-source court attestation of George Cooper (Daniel Sr's son per pr.44 1759 Providence Runyon will family roster), alive Dec 1771; John Cooper as surety on George's recognizance bond = likely John of Long Hill (brother, [p.8](../../people/p.8%20John%20Cooper%201738-1778.md)) acting as fraternal surety. George Cooper NOT named in Daniel Sr's 1791 will [A.9](../A-Probate/A.9.yaml) = died between Dec 1771 and Apr 1791.

Transcription and notes

First image-verified primary-source attestation of George Cooper

This entry catalogs Morris CCP Vol 4-6 image 299 = printed pp. 156-157 = December Term 1771 sealing docket. The catalog-critical record:

"The King [v] George Cooper [+] Camp [co-defendant or 'Capt' title] John Cooper Surety"

= criminal case prosecuted by the Crown (= NJ Province in 1771) against George Cooper; recognizance bond entered with John Cooper as surety.

Catalog significance:

  1. First image-verified primary-source court attestation of George Cooper in the catalog. George Cooper is named as a son of Daniel Sr × Grace Runyon per pr.44 Vol 33 Wills Providence Runyon 1759 will family roster, but otherwise rarely appears in primary sources.
  2. Alive Dec 1771; NOT named in Daniel Sr's 1791 will A.9 = died between Dec 1771 and Apr 1791 (20-year bracket).
  3. John Cooper as surety = likely George's brother John of Long Hill (p.8) acting as fraternal surety — parallel to Daniel Sr + Benjamin joint surety pattern at I.103.

Source

Verbatim — page 156 (left page mid-section, King's-bench criminal docket)

The page is laid out as a King's-bench criminal recognizance docket:

"The King [v] James Douglas, principal — Recog in proc £30 [+] £20 0.0 surety

The King [v] Henry [], principal — Recog in proc £20 [+] £10 0.0 surety, Francis [] surety

The King [v] Anne Bedell, principal — Recog in proc £50 [+] £25 0.0 surety, John Roll surety

The King [v] George Cooper [+ Camp?] — Recog in proc £2 0.0 — John Cooper Surety

The King [v] Mathias Brant + Sarah Dond + William Dixon + Elijah Stiles for Betty his Wife + Phebekitchel + Jemima Kitchel — Recog 5-0-0 to give Evidence"

The recognizance amounts are typically Principal at higher amount + Surety at lower amount (= surety pledges half or one-quarter of the principal's bond). George Cooper's bond is the LOWEST amount on this page (£2) = minor offense or low-bail amount.

What this source establishes

1. George Cooper alive in Dec 1771 — first primary-source-image attestation

George Cooper is documented in 2 prior catalog sources: - pr.44 Vol 33 Wills = Providence Runyon's 1759 will names "Grandchildren of dec'd daughter Grace Cooper, viz., Daniel, John, Benjamin, George, Rosannah, Providence and Ann" — confirms George as one of the 7 Daniel Sr × Grace Runyon surviving children as of 1759 - A.9 = Daniel Sr's 1791 will names 3 sons (Daniel Jr dec'd, John dec'd, Benjamin) + 4 daughters (Agness Ludlow dec'd, Rosanna Gaston, Providence Manning, Anna Carle) — George is NOT named

The 1791 omission could mean George (a) died, (b) was excluded for some reason, or (c) was named in the 1792 codicil (not in our catalog). The most parsimonious reading = George died between 1759-1791. I.111 narrows the death window to Dec 1771-Apr 1791 = the 1791 will testator-date sets the upper bound.

2. The criminal case + £2 bond

George Cooper had a recognizance bond of £2 (= 40 shillings) in proclamation money for some King's-bench (= criminal) matter. Low amount = likely minor offense (peace bond, disorderly conduct, minor debt-to-King) rather than felony. No specific charge mentioned in this docket summary.

3. John Cooper as fraternal surety

John Cooper as surety on George's recognizance bond. Identity: - Most likely: John Cooper of Long Hill (p.8, Daniel Sr's son, age 33 in 1771, alive until 27 Jan 1778) = George's brother - Alternative: A different John Cooper (Hunterdon, fam.2, fam.3 Camden, etc.)

The Cooper-family fraternal-surety pattern at I.103 (Daniel Sr + Benjamin 1768) + I.104 (Daniel Jr for Brother Benjamin 1768) + I.99 (Daniel Sr for Daniel Jr 1758) suggests this is John of Long Hill acting fraternally for George — same pattern.

4. "Camp" reading — ambiguous

The second word in the OCR string "George Cooper Camp" could be: - (a) "Capt" = abbreviation for Captain (= military rank for George Cooper) - (b) "Camp" = surname of a co-defendant Joseph Camp or similar (= Morris Co. Camp family) - (c) Compound surname (unusual)

If (a) "Capt" — would document George Cooper as a Captain (likely Morris Co. militia) in 1771 = catalog-significant. If (b) co-defendant — would name a Camp family co-defendant.

Image-zoom of cursive needed to resolve. The cursive letters could be either.

5. Daniel Sr absent from this session bench

December Term 1771 bench (page header per OCR): Jacob Ford Esq Judge + Josiah Broadwell + Lemuel Bowers + John Carl + Constant King + David Thomson + Benjamin Day Esq Justices. Daniel Sr (Daniel Cooper Esq) NOT named in this session. Per I.101 Daniel Sr was Judge of CCP through 1773+; absence from Dec 1771 may reflect: - Recusal due to son George being defendant in same session (parallel pattern to I.110 Dec 1772 Daniel Sr absent when son Benjamin was joint plaintiff) - Age/illness (Daniel Sr age 76) - Just-this-session absence

The recusal hypothesis = strongest reading. Documents Cooper-family-conflict-of-interest awareness in Morris Co. courts.

What this source does NOT establish

Cross-references

Open questions / follow-up