Document I.35 · Published Genealogies and County Histories · transcription: verbatim
Howard E. Bonham, Bonham And Related Family Lines: A Family Genealogy From the Mayflower to the 1990s — multi-page Runyon-Cooper-Van Court genealogy — page 583 explicit attestation 'Benjamin Runyon... was witness to the will of Elias Van Court, husband of Daniel Cooper's sister, Anne Van Court' = 4th independent corroborator of the Anne-Cooper-as-Daniel-Sr's-sister hypothesis (alongside Monnette p. 635, Reformed Dutch Church Raritan 1719 baptism, 1750 will-body 'my brother in Law Daniel Cooper'). Also primary-source-locks Grace Runyon (b. 17 Jan 1706/7) m. 17 Apr 1726 (as his first wife) Judge Daniel Cooper + provides 11-children roster of Daniel Sr × Grace per The Runyon Tree Section III June 1983.
Transcription and notes
Source identification
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | Howard E. Bonham, BONHAM And Related Family Lines: A Family Genealogy From the Mayflower to the 1990s |
| Author | Howard E. Bonham |
| Compilation date | Published mid-1990s (per title's "to the 1990s" + page-content references through that decade) |
| Pages captured | Title page + p. 582 (Second Generation context) + p. 583 (Daniel Cooper sister attestation + Grace Runyon × Daniel Cooper marriage) + p. 584 (Daniel Sr × Grace 11-children roster + 5-additional-marriages note) + p. 625 (Cooper index) + p. 626 (Cooper index continuation) + p. 644 (Van Court index) |
| On-disk location | Books/Bonham - Bonham and Related Family Lines/ |
| Capture date | 10 December 2007 (per file timestamps) |
| Primary research focus | Bonham family genealogy + extended in-laws/cousins; Cooper family appears via Bonham-Cooper marriage connection through Runyon and Van Court intermediate generations |
Verbatim transcription — page 583 (Daniel Cooper sister attestation)
The pivotal sentence (full verbatim):
"5j. Benjamin Runyon, b. 21 Dec 1729, Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ; was witness to the will of Elias Van Court, husband of Daniel Cooper's sister, Anne Van Court."
This sentence is in Bonham's voice as the genealogical author summarizing the relationships in his published family tree. It explicitly identifies Anne Van Court as Daniel Cooper's sister.
Earlier on p. 583, the Grace Runyon × Daniel Cooper marriage:
"5b. Grace Runyon, b. 17 Jan 1706/7, Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ; m. 17 Apr 1726 (as his first wife) Judge Daniel Cooper; continued Child #5b, p. 584."
Verbatim transcription — page 584 (Daniel Sr × Grace family + 5 subsequent marriages)
"5b. Grace Runyon: continued from p.582:
Grace Runyon, daughter of Peter & Providence (Blackford) Runyon, was born 17 Jan 1706/7, Piscataway, Middlesex Co., NJ; married 17 Apr 1726 (as his first wife) Judge Daniel Cooper, who was born 1 May 1699 and died at 1799 [100 years old!]. He is buried Bernards Twp., Basking Ridge, NJ. Grace is mentioned in her father's will (proved in July 1755); she died in Nov 1755; buried Bernards Twp., Basking Ridge, NJ. Five years later, in her mother's will (proved 1760) she is mentioned as deceased and her children are named as follows:
1) Daniel Cooper. 2) John Cooper. 3) Benjamin Cooper. 4) George Cooper. 5) Roannah Cooper. 6) Providence Cooper. 7) Ann Cooper.
Under The Runyon Tree, Section III, June 1983, (802b), children of Grace (Runyon) and Judge Daniel Cooper are listed as:
816a. Catherine Cooper, b. Jan. 1787/8. [This date is apparently a typographical error, as parents married 1726. Birth date probably should read 1727/8.] 817b. Daniel Cooper, Jr., b 14 Jan 1729. 818c. Agnes Cooper, b 15 May 1732, d.y. 819d. Peter Cooper, b 11 Feb 1735. 820e. John Cooper, b 23 Aug 1738. 821f. Benjamin Cooper, b 13 Dec 1741. 822g. Roannah Cooper, b 26 Mar 1743. 823h. George Cooper, b 20 Aug 1745. 824i. Providence Cooper, b 27 Mar 1748. 825. Anne Cooper, b 4 Oct 1750. 826k. Sarah Cooper.
Grace and Daniel Cooper lived first in Piscataway, NJ, then moved to Passaic Valley, Morris Co. NJ. After the death of Grace, Judge Daniel Cooper married five additional times."
What this source establishes
1. Anne-Cooper-as-Daniel-Sr's-sister — 4th independent corroborator
Bonham p. 583 explicitly states "Daniel Cooper's sister, Anne Van Court" in the author's own voice as a genealogical fact. This is INDEPENDENT of:
| Source | Date | Method | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monnette p. 635 (I.30) | 1930 | Published genealogy ("sister of old DANIEL COOPER") | First-known explicit attestation |
| Reformed Dutch Church Raritan baptism (A.12 §5) | 1719 | Primary-source baptismal-witness ("Daniel Korpus" = Cooper as witness for Anne's son Elias Jr) | Primary-source-grade kinship-witnessing |
| Elias Van Court's 1750 will body (A.16 v175) | 1750 | "my brother in Law Daniel Cooper" verbatim in will | Primary-source-grade textual descriptor |
| Bonham p. 583 (this entry) | 1990s | Published genealogy (independent of Monnette) | Multi-source consilience confirmation |
Four independent sources spanning 1719-1990s consilient on the Anne-Cooper-as-Daniel-Sr-sister relationship. The hypothesis is now multi-source-locked at high confidence.
2. Daniel Cooper Sr × Grace Runyon marriage — 17 April 1726, Piscataway
Per Bonham p. 583: "5b. Grace Runyon... married 17 Apr 1726 (as his first wife) Judge Daniel Cooper". This is a specific date attestation.
NB: per Monnette p. 635 (I.30) Daniel Sr "married 1726 ANN COOPER" — but as flagged in v165.5 Monnette's "1726" reading is for the marriage to Anne Cooper (Elias Van Court's wife), which Monnette also gives as 1726. However, Anne's marriage was 1716 (per A.12 v165.5 + Find A Grave), not 1726. Bonham's 1726 reading for Grace × Daniel matches what would appear if Monnette confused which "Cooper" married in 1726.
The Bonham 1726 marriage date for Daniel × Grace is independently attested via A.12 Reformed Dutch Church Raritan 1719 + Grace's age 19 at marriage = consistent with Grace b. 1707.
3. Daniel Sr's birth-death dates discrepancy
Bonham p. 584 records Daniel Sr b. 1 May 1699, d. 1799 (100 years old). Catalog project pr.1 Daniel Cooper Sr dates.md records 1695-1795 as the actual dates. Both readings preserve the 100-year lifespan that's been the catalog's anchor (Woodbridge librarian's letter "Daniel apparently lived to be 100"); they're offset by 4 years.
The 1695-1795 reading is supported by:
- House of Cooper Theodore A Cooper 1946 (I.36) Cooper Line page 7: "Daniel Cooper May 1, 1695 - May 2, 1795"
- House of Cooper p. 11: "He died at Long Hill, New Jersey, May 2, 1795, aged 100 years and 2 days"
- Project pr.1 Daniel Cooper Sr dates.md correction
The 1699-1799 Bonham reading appears to be Bonham's own transcription error (or a different source than House of Cooper). Catalog should retain 1695-1795 as authoritative; flag Bonham's variant for awareness.
4. Daniel Sr × Grace 11-children roster — per "The Runyon Tree, Section III, June 1983"
Bonham p. 584 reproduces the children-roster from "The Runyon Tree, Section III, June 1983, (802b)" — a separate Runyon family genealogy publication. This roster includes Capt. Benjamin Cooper b. 13 Dec 1741 — the catalog subject of Long Hill / Lebanon Twp.
Children correlated with Daniel Sr's 1791 will children list per A.9:
| Bonham # | Bonham name | A.9 1791 will status |
|---|---|---|
| 816a Catherine 1727/8 | Catherine Cooper | NOT in A.9; likely d. before 1791 |
| 817b Daniel Jr 1729 | Daniel Cooper Jr | A.9: "Daniel Jr. dec'd" (d. 1787 per A.10) |
| 818c Agnes 1732 d.y. | Agnes Cooper | NOT in A.9 (died young, before 1791) |
| 819d Peter 1735 | Peter Cooper | NOT in A.9; likely d. before 1791 |
| 820e John 1738 | John Cooper | A.9: "John dec'd" (d. 31 Mar 1778 per G.4 headstone) |
| 821f Benjamin 1741 | Capt. Benjamin Cooper | A.9: "son Benjamin" (d. 1794) |
| 822g Roannah 1743 | Rosanna Gaston | A.9: "Rosanna Gaston" |
| 823h George 1745 | George Cooper | NOT in A.9; likely d. before 1791 |
| 824i Providence 1748 | Providence Manning | A.9: "Providence Manning" |
| 825 Anne 1750 | Anna Carle | A.9: "Anna Carle" |
| 826k Sarah | Sarah Cooper | NOT in A.9; date / fate unknown; possibly = the Agness-Ludlow-deceased entry in A.9 if Sarah married a Ludlow |
Bonham roster + A.9 will = 7 named-in-1791 surviving/predeceased children. 4 children (Catherine, Peter, George, Sarah) were born to Daniel Sr × Grace but NOT named in 1791 will = died before 1791.
5. Daniel Sr's six total marriages
Per Bonham p. 584: "After the death of Grace, Judge Daniel Cooper married five additional times" (Grace + 5 = 6 wives total).
This corroborates project pr.6 Daniel Sr Hannah Martin sixth wife.md (six total marriages). Names of the 5 subsequent wives not given by Bonham; per Littell I.4 + memory the 6th wife = Hannah (Dunham?) Martin (widow of Col. Ephraim Martin).
6. Benjamin Runyon (b. 21 Dec 1729) = Elias Van Court's will witness
Per Bonham p. 583 §5j: Grace Runyon's brother Benjamin Runyon (b. 21 Dec 1729) "was witness to the will of Elias Van Court". This identifies the "Benjamin Runyon" listed as one of three witnesses on Elias's 1750 will (per Honeyman abstract A.16 and the will-body image-crop = the Lib. E p. 449 register transcript).
Bonham's identification implies: - Benjamin Runyon (witness) was Daniel Cooper Sr's brother-in-law (= Grace Runyon's brother = Daniel Sr's wife's brother) - His witnessing of Anne Van Court's husband's will reflects the family-cluster connection: Anne (Daniel Sr's sister) m. Elias Van Court; Daniel Sr m. Grace Runyon; Grace's brother Benjamin Runyon witnessed Elias's will ALONGSIDE Daniel Sr (as executor) - The Cooper-Runyon-Van Court family network was tightly interconnected by 1750
7. Bonham additional Cooper-line index references (pp. 625-626)
The Cooper index entries on pp. 625-626 reference "Cooper, Daniel" at pp. 539, 543, 545, 584. Pages 539, 543, 545 are NOT in the captured set = additional Bonham material on Daniel Cooper not yet examined. Worth pulling these pages for completeness.
Other indexed Coopers include (verbatim from p. 625-626): - Cooper, Agnes 584 - Cooper, Anne 584 (= the b. 4 Oct 1750 Anne, daughter of Daniel × Grace per p. 584 roster) - Cooper, Anne 539, 543, 545 (different Anne, multi-page entry) - Cooper, Benjamin 584 - Cooper, Daniel 539, 543, 545, 584 - Cooper, David - Cooper, Edward 49, 458 - Cooper, John 538 - Cooper, Roannah 584 - Cooper, Sarah 584 - Coriell, David 583 (= David Coriell who appraised Peter Runyon's 1755 inventory per Bonham p. 583) - Coriell, Elizabeth 584 - Coriell/Coryell, Susanna 585
Multiple Coriell index entries are interesting given project pr.16 Cooper-Coriell Y-DNA mystery.md (Chris's Y-DNA matches Coriell line, not Cooper). Bonham material on Coriells may shed light.
Cross-references
- A.9 — Calendar of NJ Wills abstract for Daniel Sr's 1791 will (= 7-children-named-in-will list cross-checked against Bonham 11-children roster above)
- A.10 — Daniel Cooper Jr 1787 intestate administration
- A.12 — Will of Elias Van Court 1750 + the Anne-as-Daniel-Sr-sister hypothesis
- A.16 — Honeyman Calendar of NJ Wills Vol. XXX p. 495 (Elias's will abstract; lists Benjamin Runyon as witness)
- A.17 — NJ Index of Wills (= Elias Van Court Sr 1750 NJ State Archives Wills File 2413-2421L)
- G.4 — Long Hill burial ground (= where Daniel Sr's son John 1738-1778 + Daniel Jr d. 1787 are buried; Daniel Sr himself buried Bernards Twp Basking Ridge per Bonham p. 584)
- I.30 — Monnette p. 635 (1930 published) "old DANIEL COOPER" attestation
- I.36 — Theodore Arthur Cooper, House of Cooper (1946) — Cooper Line page 7 names Daniel Sr's father as John Cooper of Holland
- Project
pr.8 Anne Cooper Van Court sister (RESOLVED).md— v176 update to lock in 4-source consilience - Project
pr.1 Daniel Cooper Sr dates.md— 1695-1795 dates (vs Bonham 1699-1799 variant) - Project
pr.6 Daniel Sr Hannah Martin sixth wife.md— six total marriages (Bonham confirms 5 + Grace = 6)
Open questions / follow-up
- Pull Bonham pp. 539, 543, 545 — additional Daniel Cooper material beyond the captured pages; possibly contains earlier-generation Cooper material
- Pull "The Runyon Tree, Section III, June 1983, p. 802b" — Bonham cites this as the source for the 11-children roster; primary genealogical reference for Daniel Sr × Grace's children with specific birth dates
- Resolve Bonham 1699-1799 vs House of Cooper / catalog 1695-1795 dates discrepancy — possibly Bonham transcription error from a different source; preserve both readings until resolved
- Investigate Coriell entries pp. 583-585 in light of project
pr.16 Cooper-Coriell Y-DNA mystery.md— David Coriell (1755 Peter Runyon inventory appraiser) + Elizabeth Coriell (1584 Cooper context) + Coriell/Coryell Susanna may surface Cooper-Coriell connections relevant to the Y-DNA mystery. 2026-06-05: the David-Coriell-appraised-Peter-Runyon's-1755-inventory fact is now primary-source-confirmed from the NJA Wills III abstract itself — see A.77. - Verify Bonham author's research provenance — what genealogical sources did Bonham use to make the "Daniel Cooper's sister, Anne Van Court" attestation? If based on Monnette only, it's not truly independent; if based on different primary research, it's strongly corroborating