Sheldon Forbes Craddock, Craddock, Kinder, Rogers, and Sheldon Families — additional Cooper-relevant biographies on Chart IX (entries 50, 51, 100, 204) at pp. 219 + 223. Daniel¹ Cooper full biography (Benjamin's father, 10 children listed); Mary³ 'Polly' Cooper biography (Benjamin's daughter, d. 1817 Basking Ridge); Joseph³ Cross biography (Polly's husband); Robert² Cross biography (Joseph's father).

Transcription and notes

Companion entry to I.22. Same source book; pp. 220-222 (entries 102, 200, 202) are at I.22, while this entry covers the four further Cooper-relevant biographies at pp. 219 (entries 50, 51, 100) and 223 (entry 204) found when the full PDF was pulled 2026-04-25 (v74).

• Filename: (image held in the family archive) (full digitized book)
• Cross-references:
• I.22 — main Craddock entry (Benjamin² Cooper #102 + John¹ Cross #200 + Bryan Lefferty #202).
• A.9 — Calendar of Wills abstract of Daniel Sr.'s 1791 will + 1792 codicil names only seven of Daniel Sr.'s ten children. Craddock entry 204 lists the full ten and resolves the gap.
• A.10 — Daniel Cooper Jr.'s 1787 admin; Daniel Jr. is child #2 in Craddock's entry 204 enumeration.
• G.4 — Cooper Family Burying Ground at Long Hill where John (#5 in entry 204), Daniel Jr. (#2), and Anna Cross Cooper (Daniel Jr.'s wife) are buried. Craddock places Daniel Sr. + first wife Grace at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard instead — different cemetery from Long Hill.
• F.2 — Charity Hoff (Benjamin's first wife) gravestone Bethlehem Presbyterian Pittstown.
• G.18, G.19 — Amos Dayton + Elizabeth Catharine Cooper Dayton at Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard. Polly Cooper (entry 51) is also buried there per Craddock — the same cemetery as her sister Caty.
• I.4 — Littell First Settlers of Passaic Valley p. 92 names Polly's second husband as "John Annin"; Craddock entry 51 confirms.
• L.9 — Kevin Osborn Geneanet tree lists 10 children of Daniel Sr.; Craddock entry 204 corroborates the count and most names but with different birth-year details.
• L.4 — Hand-drawn family tree.

Verbatim transcription — Entry 51. Mary³ Cooper (page 219, Chart IX Biographies)

51. Mary Cooper

Also known as Polly Cooper.

Born on March 6, 1780.

Died on August 20, 1817 at age thirty-seven. Buried in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Married first, Joseph³ Cross in Basking Ridge on March 13, 1800. He died in 1809.

Married second, John Annin, as his second wife.

Other information:

When Mary died in 1817 she left four orphans, her four children by her first husband, Joseph³ Cross. These four orphans included my ancestor, Caroline Cross, who was the youngest child and ten years old at the time. After Mary's death the four orphans were cared for by James³ Cross who was the younger brother of Joseph Cross.

References: #1, #57, and #77.

Verbatim transcription — Entry 50. Joseph³ Cross (page 219, Chart IX Biographies)

50. Joseph Cross

Born on his father's plantation near Basking Ridge, Somerset, New Jersey on December 6, 1773.

Died on February 10, 1809 at age thirty-five. Buried in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard.

Married Mary Cooper in Basking Ridge on March 13, 1800.

The children of Joseph and Mary, all born in Basking Ridge, were:

    1. John⁴, bapt. 1802.

    2. James⁴, bapt. 1803.

    3. Harriett⁴, bapt. 1804.

    4. Caroline⁴, b. September 1, 1806, m. Horace Sheldon.

Other information:

In his will dated December 25, 1808 Joseph Cross mentions his wife, Mary (Polly), and all of his four "dear little children." From the inventory of his estate he was apparently wealthy. His estate even included six Negro slaves with a stated dollar value for each.

References: #1, #57, and #77.

Verbatim transcription — Entry 100. Robert² Cross (page 219, Chart IX Biographies)

100. Robert² Cross

Born about 1732, probably in Hopewell which is in New Jersey twenty-five miles south, southwest of Basking Ridge.

Died in Basking Ridge, Somerset, New Jersey on April 26, 1798.

Married Mary Lefferty about 1755. She died about 1802.

The children of Robert and Mary, all probably born in Basking Ridge, were:

    1. Bryan, b. about 1756.

    2. William³, b. about 1757.

    3. Catherine³, b. 1759.

    4. John³, b. 1760.

    5. Martha³, b. about 1762.

    6. Robert³, b. 1763.

    7. Mary³, b. 1765.

    8. John Lefferty³, b. about 1769.

    9. Joseph³, b. December 6, 1773, m. Mary³ Cooper.

    10. James³, b. about 1775.

Other information:

Robert and Mary and their children are all buried in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard.

References: #1, #57, and #77.

Verbatim transcription — Entry 204. Daniel¹ Cooper (page 223, Chart IX Biographies)

204. Daniel Cooper

Also known as Daniel Kuper and Daniel Korpur.

Born in Holland or at sea on the way from Holland on May 1, 1695.

Died in Long Hill, Morris, New Jersey on May 2, 1795 at age 100. Buried beside his first wife in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Married first, Grace Runyon (a.k.a. Creesje Runjen) in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey on April 17, 1726. She died in 1755 at age forty-nine.

The children of Daniel and Grace were:

    1. Catherine², b. 1727.

    2. Daniel², b. 1729.

    3. Agnes (a.k.a. Agnietje), b. 1732, d.y.

    4. Peter², b. 1735.

    5. John², b. 1738.

    6. Benjamin², b. December 13, 1741, m. Mary _____.

    7. Rosannah², b. 1743.

    8. George², b. 1745.

    9. Providence², b. 1748.

    10. Anne², b. 1750.

After Grace died Daniel married five times more. All except the last wife, Hannah, predeceased him. There were no children by any of the last five wives.

Other information:

Daniel's parents (names unknown) emigrated from Holland to New York in the year 1695 but his father apparently died at sea while coming to America. Daniel lived in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey but moved to Passaic Valley, Morris, New Jersey in 1732.

One theory holds that Daniel's parents were English because many Englishmen went to Holland during the reigns of Kings Charles I and II to escape persecution. However, from the alternate spellings of his name, Daniel Kuper or Korpur, and from his association with people of Dutch descent including his first wife, Grace Runyon (a.k.a. Creesje Runjen), it is likely that Daniel was of Dutch descent.

Daniel was a farmer and large land owner. He also sat on the bench as a magistrate in the Morris County courts for many years and had the unhappy experience of sentencing his own son, (102) Benjamin² Cooper, my ancestor, to be hanged. However, Benjamin was pardoned by the governor.

References: #77, #97, pp. 90-92, #98, pp. 574-575, #99, pp. 155-156, and #100, pp. 63 and 88.

Verbatim transcription — Sheldon charts: Caroline⁴ Cross's descent to the author (added 2026-06-18)

The book's Sheldon charts (Chart I / Chart VIII biographies) trace the author's own maternal-Sheldon ancestry — the line down from Polly's daughter Caroline⁴ Cross to Sheldon Forbes Craddock himself. Extracted 2026-06-18 (OCR lightly cleaned; […] = editorial). These resolve the catalog's Caroline-Cross-×-Horace-Sheldon question → see p.670 Caroline (Cross) Sheldon, G.235, G.236.

24. Horace Sheldon — Born in West Suffield, Hartford, Connecticut on September 21, 1802. Died in Suffield, Connecticut on January 19, 1888. Married Caroline⁴ Cross in Liberty Corner, Somerset, New Jersey on September 21, 1830. Children: Joseph Erastus (b. 21 Jul 1832 Basking Ridge), Harriet Caroline (1839–1907), Mary Clarissa (1840–1880?), Francis Horace (1846–1871). "Horace went to New Jersey in April 1824 and remained there until September 1840 when he returned to Suffield."

48. Arastus Sheldon [Horace's father] — Born in West Suffield … October 29, 1770. Died … March 27, 1840. Married Eunice King in Suffield on November 16, 1796. Children incl. James (1798), Obadiah (1800), Horace (1802), Jairus (1804–1833).

25. Caroline Cross — Born in Basking Ridge, Somerset, New Jersey on September 1, 1806. Died in Suffield, Connecticut on December 3, 1873. Married Horace Sheldon … September 21, 1830. "Caroline's father, [Joseph] Cross, died in 1809 when Caroline was only three years old. Her mother, Mary, remarried John Annin but then she died in 1817 leaving Caroline an orphan when she was eleven. Thereafter, Caroline and her … brothers and … sister were raised by their uncle, [James] Cross, who was the younger brother of Joseph Cross."

12. Joseph Erastus Sheldon [Horace × Caroline's son] — Born in Basking Ridge … July 21, 1832. Died in Hamburg, Sussex, New Jersey on February 24, 1900; buried in Suffield. Married Frances Catherine Rising of Suffield on January 23, 1867. [Hardware merchant in NYC, firm "Sheldon, Hoyt & Co."] Children: Walter Seymour (b. 10 Feb 1869 Suffield, m. Jennie Kinder); Ella (1873–1954, unmarried).

6. Walter Seymour Sheldon — Born in Suffield … February 10, 1869. Died in Los Angeles … February 25, 1948. Married first, Jennie Kinder in Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey on October 4, 1892. Children incl. Edith (b. 10 Dec 1896 Brooklyn, m. Warren Nicholas Craddock; their children Sheldon, Roger, Marian), Marian Louise, Alan Forbes, Frederic Horace.

Resolved chain (Benjamin Cooper → the author): Benjamin² Cooper → Mary³ "Polly" Cooper (p.5) → Caroline⁴ Cross (p.670) × Horace⁶ Sheldon → Joseph Erastus Sheldon → Walter Seymour Sheldon → Edith (Sheldon) × Warren Nicholas Craddock → Sheldon Forbes Craddock (author of this book). ⇒ Craddock is Caroline's great-great-grandson; his "my ancestor, Caroline Cross" is now fully chained — and this is why I.22/I.23 carry such deep Cooper–Cross–Annin detail.

Key new findings (vs. prior catalog state)

Entry 204 Daniel¹ Cooper — corrects/extends A.9:

1. Daniel Sr.'s ten children fully named with birth years 1727-1750. A.9 (Calendar of Wills 1791-1792) named only the seven who were either still living in 1791 OR had grandchildren via that line. The complete birth-order:

2. Daniel Sr.'s six wives — all named or numbered: 1st = Grace Runyon (m. 17 Apr 1726, d. 1755 at 49); wives 2-5 unnamed and predeceased him; 6th = "Hannah" (= Hannah Martin per project pr.6 Daniel Sr Hannah Martin sixth wife.md and Littell I.4 p. 90). No children by any of the last five wives.

3. Daniel Sr.'s burial at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard, beside his first wife Grace — not at the Long Hill Cooper Family Burying Ground (G.4 photographed 2026-04-24) where his sons John + Daniel Jr. + Anna Cross Cooper are buried. Resolves G.4's note "Daniel Sr.'s own 1795 stone NOT identified among photographed headstones." Daniel Sr. is NOT at Long Hill — he is at Basking Ridge alongside Grace. Same cemetery as his granddaughter Caty (G.19), her husband Amos Dayton (G.18), and his great-granddaughter Polly (entry 51).

4. Daniel Sr.'s residence trail: Holland → Piscataway, Middlesex, NJ → Passaic Valley, Morris, NJ in 1732 → Long Hill at death 1795. Locates the family at Long Hill from 1732 onward (~63 years).

5. Birth-on-ship vs. in-Holland ambiguity — Craddock equivocates "Holland or at sea on the way from Holland." Mellick I.14 had the firmer "born at sea." The exact birthplace remains unverifiable.

Entries 50 + 51 + 100 — supersede / extend I.4 Littell on Polly's family:

6. Polly's exact birth date 6 March 1780 + death date 20 August 1817 + age 37 — birth date matches Craddock entry 102 (already in I.22); death date is NEW (Littell did not give one).

7. Polly's burial: Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard. Same cemetery as her sister Caty + brother-in-law Amos Dayton + Robert² Cross (her father-in-law) + Joseph³ Cross (her first husband) + Daniel¹ Cooper (her grandfather). This is now the second-most-important Cooper-relevant cemetery for our catalog, behind the Long Hill Cooper Family Burying Ground (G.4). Highest-priority follow-up: physically search Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard plot listings for "Mary Cooper Cross" / "Polly Cross" / "Polly Annin" stones — at least one should exist (1817 burial would have been marked).

8. Polly + Joseph Cross's four children: John⁴ bapt. 1802, James⁴ bapt. 1803, Harriett⁴ bapt. 1804, Caroline⁴ b. 1 Sep 1806. These are Benjamin Cooper's grandchildren — the only documented grandchildren via the Polly branch. Craddock's own ancestry runs through Caroline⁴.

9. Joseph Cross's December 25, 1808 will mentions wife Polly and four "dear little children." RESOLVED 2026-06-18 → A.88: the will abstract was found on disk in the NJ Archives Calendar of Wills Vol XI (1806–1809), File 1394 R — names wife Polly (Mary) + the four children John, James, Harriet, Caroline, executors incl. John G. Cooper (p.127), witness Eliza C. Cooper, ½ pew in Basking Ridge Meeting House, proved 17 Feb 1809.

10. Joseph Cross's estate "even included six Negro slaves with a stated dollar value for each" — primary-source slaveholding by Polly's husband. NJ began gradual abolition in 1804; the 1809 inventory predates the gradual emancipation deadlines, so the enslaved persons remained in bondage until they aged out individually (post-1804 children to age 21F/25M; pre-1804 enslaved adults remained for life unless manumitted). Follow-up: Joseph Cross's 1809 inventory is a primary source naming six enslaved people held by Cooper-Cross descendants; pulling this for the catalog is appropriate even though uncomfortable, for both genealogical and historical-completeness reasons.

11. Polly remarried John Annin as his second wife — Craddock confirms Littell I.4 p. 92.

12. After Polly's 1817 death the four Cross orphans were cared for by James³ Cross (Joseph's younger brother) — explains why some 1820s records may show Cross children with James as guardian rather than Annin (Polly's second husband, presumably still living but childless with the Cross step-children).

13. Joseph Cross's parentage: Robert² Cross (b. c. 1732 Hopewell, d. 26 Apr 1798 Basking Ridge) + Mary Lefferty (m. c. 1755, d. c. 1802) — Joseph was the 9th of 10 children (and the youngest son of his father). Robert² Cross is the SON of John¹ Cross of Basking Ridge per I.22 entry 200 — making Joseph³ Cross a GRANDSON of Rev. John¹ Cross. The Polly Cooper-Cross line therefore connects to the Rev. John Cross Presbyterian-minister line that also connects to Daniel² Cooper Jr. (who married Ann/Nancy Cross, Joseph's aunt). Cross-Cooper marriages span two generations: Daniel Jr. + Nancy Cross (Robert² Cross's sister) c. 1750s-60s, then Polly Cooper + Joseph³ Cross (Robert²'s son) 1800.

14. Mary Lefferty (Robert² Cross's wife) was the sister of Margaret Lefferty (George² Cooper's wife) — confirms I.22 entry 202 finding. Bryan Lefferty of Somerset Co. is the common father-in-law of Robert Cross and George Cooper (Benjamin's brother). Cross-Cooper-Lefferty triple-family tie is now fully documented.

Reconciliation pending

• Agnes/Agnietje #3 in entry 204 is shown as "d.y." (died young) by Craddock, but A.9 (Calendar of Wills 1791) names "Agness Ludlow dec'd" as a daughter of Daniel Sr. with a married surname (Ludlow). A child who died young would not have a married surname. Either Craddock is wrong about Agnes dying young, or A.9's "Agness Ludlow" is a different daughter (perhaps a 2nd Agnes named after the deceased first one, common practice). The 10-children list is too tidy to accommodate an additional Agnes; Craddock may simply have erred on the d.y. note. Defer to A.9 on the existence of an Agness Ludlow d. before 1791.
• Geneanet L.9's Catherine 1728-1752 vs. Craddock's Catherine 1727 — one-year discrepancy; both leads independently support Catherine as Daniel Sr.'s eldest child (NEW vs. A.9).

Implications for the catalog

• Catalog grows to TEN documented children of Daniel Sr. (vs. seven in A.9). Sibling-relationship-mapping among Daniel Sr.'s descendants is now substantially complete; the previous gap (Catherine, Peter, George, Anne / Agnes "d.y." vs. married) closes.
• Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard rises to second-tier priority (after Long Hill / G.4) — buries Daniel Sr. + Grace + Caty + Amos + Polly + Robert² Cross + Joseph³ Cross + Mary Lefferty Cross. Physical visit or full Find A Grave / cemetery-list scrape would yield potentially 8-10 Cooper-relevant stones.
• Joseph³ Cross's 25 December 1808 will = high-priority primary-source target. NJ probate records, Somerset or Hunterdon Co.; date constrains the search window.
• The Cross-Cooper-Lefferty triangle opens new grandfather-side research paths: Daniel Sr.'s son George² m. Margaret Lefferty (sister of Mary Lefferty); Daniel Sr.'s son Daniel Jr.² m. Ann/Nancy Cross (sister of Robert² Cross). Polly + Joseph Cross 1800 marriage was the third Cross-Cooper marriage in two generations.
• The Y-DNA forward-trace question for John (Benjamin's son by 2nd wife) remains unresolved — entries 50, 51, 100, 204 do not name him beyond what entry 102 (I.22) already established. Craddock's source #77 (Sisser 1991) is still the most likely repository of additional John Cooper data.