The Coopers of Long Hill

Document I.180 · Published Genealogies and County Histories · transcription: verbatim

Somerset Co. Historical Quarterly Vol. VII (1918) p. 28 — 'Daniel Cooper and his Fifth Marriage' — (1) father-origin tradition: 'Daniel Cooper's father came to America, and settled just above New York on the Hudson'; (2) the Zion Lutheran (New Germantown) record of his 27 Oct 1788 5th marriage to Mrs. Barbara Mary Gibbs (age 77, twice-widowed); (3) Dr. John Cooper's medical training.

Transcription and notes

Data from the document [verbatim]

Daniel Cooper and his Fifth Marriage

"Daniel Cooper's father came to America, and settled just above New York on the Hudson. Daniel's son, the well-known Dr. John Cooper, commenced the study of medicine with Doctors Caleb Halstead of Connecticut Farms, and Melancthon Freeman of Middlesex County, and completed his course in New York City. He first prac[ti]ced in Greenwich, Warren Co., but afterwards moved to Easton, Pa., where he practiced till his death in 1851, at the age of eighty-six. (From Wickes' 'History of Medicine')."

"1788, Oct. 27th, were married at the house of Aaron Moelich, Mr. Daniel Cooper of Long Hill, in the 89th year of his age, to his fifth wife, Mrs. Barbara Mary Gibbs, age 77, she having been married twice before." (From Zion church book, New Germantown).

Notes (interpretation — flagged, not asserted)

1. Father-origin tradition — "settled just above New York on the Hudson" (pr.2, the #1 goal)

This is a published (1918) statement of where Daniel Sr's father settled on immigrating: "just above New York on the Hudson" — i.e. the lower Hudson Valley (Westchester / Rockland / the Dutch river towns), not Piscataway. Significance: - It is an independent origin tradition to weigh against the [pr.2] favored reconstruction (Daniel Sr as an orphaned Coriell of the Piscataway kin). A Hudson-Valley arrival is consistent with the Sephardic-Curiel/Dutch pathway (Amsterdam → New Amsterdam/Hudson) — it corroborates the premise of [pr.64] (Hudson Valley Cooper-Kuyper-Coriell sweep), which looks for the family exactly there. - Tradition-tier, not primary. The item cites no source for the father claim (the marriage is sourced to the Zion church book; the father + Dr. John sentences read as compiled family/medical lore). Treat as a lead that names a search region, not a fact. It does not name the father. - Actionable for pr.2/pr.64: search Hudson-Valley Dutch/Sephardic records (Cooper/Kuyper/Coriell/Curiel) "just above New York" ~1690–1710 for a father-generation immigrant.

2. The 5th-marriage record — SCHQ quotes the Zion churchbook; we ALSO hold that churchbook page ([F.1a])

This SCHQ item quotes the Zion Lutheran (New Germantown/Oldwick) church book for Daniel Sr's actual 5th-marriage record — SCHQ renders it "Barbara Mary Gibbs," age 77, "married twice before," dated 27 Oct 1788. Witnesses: - [F.1a] — the primary churchbook page itself (same scan as [F.1]; the Daniel entry is at the page bottom): "Octobr 27th, were married at the House of Mr Aaron [Melick], Mr Dan.l Cooper from Long Hill in the 89th year, to his fifth Wife Mrs Barbara Margar[et]…" The register reads "Barbara MARGAR[ET]," so SCHQ's "Barbara MARY" is a mis-transcription — the register vindicates [p.280]'s "Barbara Margaretta." (The bottom-edge crop cuts off the age + "married twice before," which SCHQ preserves.) - [J.152] NJ Journal (12 Nov 1788): "Mrs. Gibb of New-Brunswick… the latter [aged] 79… fifth helpmate," notice ~3 Nov 1788. - [I.146] Genealogy journal (1914): "Daniel Cooper… Miss Gibb, relict of Richard Gibb, aged 79." - [p.280 Barbara Margaretta Gibb Cooper] — the wife-#5 person file. ⇒ One marriage (his fifth), 27 Oct 1788, to Barbara Margaret(ta) Gibb, a twice-widowed woman of New Brunswick, age 77–79 (⇒ b. ~1709–1711). This resolves the "#5 vs #5/6 ordering" inconsistency in [p.1]'s wife table — the F.1a register entry and the J.152 notice are the same fifth marriage, not two. "Married twice before" ⇒ a husband BEFORE Richard Gibb (catalog knew only Richard) — a lead for [pr.73].

3. Dr. John Cooper's medical training (corroborates [p.27])

"Dr. John Cooper… studied with Caleb Halstead (Connecticut Farms) + Melancthon Freeman (Middlesex), completed in NYC; practiced Greenwich, Warren Co. → Easton PA; d. 1851, age 86." Matches [p.27 Dr. John Cooper Sr.] (d. 2 Feb 1851 Easton, per Bible-tier [B.58]; the Bible gives "aged 85 y 10 m" ≈ the article's "86"). The article calls him "Daniel's son" — a telescoped generation: p.27 is Daniel Sr's grandson via Daniel Jr [p.79] (Bible-locked, B.58). The medical-mentor names (Halstead, Freeman) are new biographical detail for p.27.

Cross-references