W. W. Munsell & Co., History of Morris County, New Jersey (1882) — three on-disk chapters with substantial Daniel Sr / Daniel Jr / Benjamin Cooper political-office records: Chapter 31 Passaic Township (Daniel Sr biography verbatim — 6 wives = Grace Runyan, Jane Westbrook, Grace Manning, widow Fanny Jones, Barbara Margaret Gibbs, Hannah Martin widow of Col. Ephraim Martin; removed to Passaic Valley 1732 NOT 1782; Solomon Boyle's daughter Lynche m. John Cooper son of Daniel 1st) + Chapter 13 Political Parties (Daniel Cooper Sheriff 1752-1761 + 1767+; Daniel + Benjamin Cooper as Judges of Common Pleas 1768-1774) + Chapter 25 Chester Township (Nathan A Cooper from Sir Astley Cooper English-LI line, OUT OF SCOPE)

Transcription and notes

Source

• Filename folder: Books/Munsell - History of Morris County New Jersey/
• Title: History of Morris County, New Jersey, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers (W. W. Munsell & Co., New York, 1882)
• On-disk chapters:
• (image held in the family archive)
• (image held in the family archive)
• (image held in the family archive)
• Cover image: (image held in the family archive) on disk
• Date viewed: 2026-05-05 v186.5+

§1 — Chapter 31 Passaic Township: Daniel Cooper Sr biography (verbatim)

"Let us look at another of these ancient worthies. The parents of Daniel Cooper emigrated from Holland to New York in the year 1695. It is said he was born at sea, May 1st 1695. In 1726, when twenty-nine years old, he married Grace Runyon. He removed to Passaic Valley, Morris county, in 1732; bought lot No. 2 of the Berkley tract, containing 500 acres; and had children Catherine, Daniel, Agnes, Peter, John, Benjamin, Rosannah, George, Providence and Anne. He had six wives — Grace Runyan, Jane Westbrook, Grace Manning, widow Fanny Jones, Barbara Margaret Gibbs and Hannah Martin, widow of Colonel Ephraim Martin, and died May 2nd 1795, one day over one hundred years from the day of his birth! John G. Cooper, Esq., fourth child of George Cooper, son of Daniel Cooper (ancient worthy), lived in the valley where his father did. He married Eleanor Perrine, and their son George went to Michigan, and was treasurer of that State."

§1.1 — Direct catalog corrections from Munsell Ch. 31

§1.2 — Solomon Boyle context (verbatim Munsell Ch. 31)

"Solomon Boyle emigrated from Ireland and married a French girl in this country. He purchased of the East Jersey proprietors 600 acres of land crossing Long Hill. He had ten children. One of his daughters has the peculiar name 'Lynche.' She married John Cooper, son of Daniel 1st (ancient worthy). His son John also had a daughter Lynche. Solomon Boyle must have settled here about 1730, as his second child was born in 1734."

This is the same Solomon Boyle whose tract adjoined Elias Coryell's per I.44 Carile Santos Page 66 — confirming the Long Hill / Berkeley Tract neighborhood roster: - Daniel Cooper Sr — Lot No. 2 Berkeley Tract, 500 acres (per I.4 Littell + Munsell Ch. 31) - Solomon Boyle — 600 acres "crossing Long Hill" (per Munsell Ch. 31) - Elias Coryell — Berkeley Tract Lot adjoining Solomon Boyle's tract (per I.44 Carile Santos Page 66) - Daniel Pierce — "next plantation to Elias Coryell" (per J.104 1793 newspaper notice)

This is now the most-detailed primary-source-corroborated picture of the Long Hill / Berkeley Tract neighborhood.

§2 — Chapter 13 Political Parties and Candidates: Cooper political offices

§2.1 — Sheriffs of Morris County (verbatim)

"Thomas CLARK, 1739; Elijah GILLETT, 1744; Caleb FAIRCHILD (filed bond), 1748; John KINNEY, 1749; John FORD, 1752; Daniel COOPER jr., removed April 1761; Samuel TUTHILL, vice COOPER, 1761; Daniel COOPER jr., 1767; Jonathan STILES (in office), 1771; Thomas KINNEY, 1773; Thomas MILLAGE, 1776."

Reading: "Daniel COOPER jr." in this Sheriff context most likely = Daniel Cooper Sr (1695-1795), with Munsell using "jr." informally to disambiguate from an earlier Daniel Cooper or to indicate the younger of two same-name contemporaries. Date alignment with M.24 Honeyman 1912 ("Sheriff of Morris county from about 1753 until removed in 1761, and again at a later date") strongly supports this reading. Daniel Sr was 57-66 during 1752-1761 + 72 in 1767 = age-plausible. Daniel Jr (b. 1729) would have been 23-32 in 1752-1761 = also possible but younger.

§2.2 — Judges of Common Pleas (verbatim)

"Sept. 16 1740, Gershom MOTT, Daniel COOPER, Isaac VANDINE, Ephriam PRICE, Abraham VANACKEN..." (= 1740 commission)

"The commission issued April 30 1768 seems to include all the above who were still acting, and was as follows: Joseph TUTTLE, Daniel COOPER (superseded Aug. 18 1774), Robert GOBLE, Samuel TUTHILL, Robert GOULD, Joseph KITCHEL, Jacob FORD, David LUCE, Samuel BOWERS, John CARLE jr., Benjamin DAY, Josiah BROADWELL, Samuel WELLS; Benjamin COOPER (superseded Jan. 22 1774), William KELLY, Samuel GRANDINE, Moses TUTTLE, Jacob FORD, jr.; Aug. 26 1768, Peter KEMBLE, Lord Stirling; March 29 1770, David THOMPSON, Samuel OGDEN; Feb. 15 1771, Constant KING; March 24 1773, Robert ERSKINE, John Jacob FAESCH, Henry MANDEVILLE; March 19 1774, Johathan STILES; March 18 1775, Philip VAN CORTLAND; April 28 1775, Abraham OGDEN; May 31 1775, Thomas ECKLEY, Thomas MILLIGE; July 27 1775, Daniel COOPER jr."

§2.2.1 — Benjamin Cooper as Morris Co. Judge of Common Pleas 1768-1774 — NEW CATALOG DATUM

** First catalog-grade primary-source-published-secondary attestation that Benjamin Cooper held a Morris County judicial office.** Catalog had Benjamin as: - 4th Hunterdon militia captain (B.7) - Hibernia Iron Mines partner with Lord Stirling (per M.24 Honeyman 1912) - 1773 counterfeiting arrestee + 1768 Treasury robbery accomplice (per I.4 Littell + I.22 Craddock + M.24) - Co-defendant on Stirling-debt judgments (per project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md + J.33)

NOW ADDED: Benjamin Cooper appointed Judge of Common Pleas Morris Co. 30 Apr 1768; superseded 22 Jan 1774.

Critical chronological alignment: - 30 Apr 1768: Benjamin appointed Judge - 1768: NJ State Treasury robbery at Perth Amboy; Benjamin received £800 share (per M.24) - 1773: Benjamin arrested for counterfeiting NJ bills of credit - 22 Jan 1774: Benjamin SUPERSEDED as Judge (= 6 months after 1773 counterfeiting arrest; almost certainly DIRECT CONSEQUENCE) - 18 Aug 1774: Daniel Sr (Benjamin's father) ALSO superseded as Judge — possibly related to Benjamin's situation OR independent - After 1774: Benjamin convicted, sentenced, then reprieved + pardoned

The "court that tried him, says several accounts, was his father" quote in M.24 is now structurally clear: Daniel Sr was a sitting Judge of Common Pleas Morris Co. when Benjamin (also a sitting Judge until just before the trial) was tried for counterfeiting in 1773. The dual-judge family relationship makes the trial-by-father scenario more historically grounded than a coincidence.

§2.2.2 — Daniel Cooper Jr appointed Judge 27 Jul 1775

The literal Daniel Cooper Jr (b. 1729 d. 1787, son of Daniel Sr) appointed to the Morris Co. Judges of Common Pleas bench 27 Jul 1775. He served alongside (or after) his still-serving father Daniel Sr (until 18 Aug 1774 when Daniel Sr was superseded). Daniel Jr's own term length not stated in this Munsell text but presumably ran to his 1787 death or constitutional change.

§2.3 — 1776+ Common Pleas judges (verbatim, Cooper-relevant subset)

After 1776 county judges were appointed in joint meeting for 5-year terms. Munsell list includes: - 1776, 1788, 1793, 1798: Samuel TUTHILL - 1782: Jonathan STILES (= same Jonathan Stiles who held the Cooper-Stirling judgments per project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md!) - ... - (Daniel Sr's name NOT in the post-1776 list — consistent with M.24's "Justice of the Peace 1776 to (probably) 1786" implying he held JP not Common Pleas judge after 1776)

§3 — Chapter 25 Chester Township: Nathan A. Cooper — OUT OF SCOPE

"The Cooper family of which Nathan A. was a member descended from Sir Astley Cooper, the celebrated surgeon, of England. Some of the family in 1700 settled on Long Island, whence Nathan Cooper came to Roxiticus, which... son, Nathan Cooper, was born February 22nd 1725, and was married in 1748... son, Abraham Cooper, was born February 18th 1762... Nathan A. Cooper, the subject of this article, was born April 29th 1802."

Catalog flag: This Nathan A. Cooper is from the English Sir-Astley-Cooper / Long-Island / Roxiticus → Roxbury / Chester Cooper line, distinct from Daniel Cooper Sr's Holland-immigrant line. Per project pr.26 Roxbury Cooper family out-of-scope (RESOLVED).md: Roxbury Coopers are a separate Cooper line, OUT OF SCOPE for Daniel Sr / Benjamin descendant research. Catalogued here as primary-source-affirmation of the line separation.

2026-06-08 — this passage is the verbatim source for pr.71 Finding 13. The Sir-Astley-Cooper descent is chronologically impossible (Astley b. 1768; Nathan Cooper I ~1696 + II 1725 predate him) = a demonstrated false famous-Cooper claim by this family (= fam.2; subject p.496 Gen Nathan A Cooper). It makes the lone "relative of Peter Cooper" claim (J.151) most likely the same aspirational name-dropping (pr.71 H5). The companion Lewis 1899 Chester-Cooper sketch (I.129a) is, by contrast, silent on any famous-Cooper kinship.

Open follow-ups

• PRIORITY 1: Investigate Benjamin Cooper's tenure as Judge of Common Pleas 1768-1774 — pull Morris County court minutes for 1768-1774 to identify cases Benjamin presided over; his 22 Jan 1774 supersession is a primary-source data point not currently in catalog
• PRIORITY 2: Investigate Daniel Cooper Jr's tenure as Judge of Common Pleas (appointed 27 Jul 1775) — ditto Morris Co. court minutes
• PRIORITY 3: Resolve Lynche Boyle vs Magdalen as wife of John Cooper (Daniel Sr's son b. 1734 d. 1778) — possible name-equivalence (Dutch nickname), sequential marriages, or Munsell error
• PRIORITY 4: Investigate widow Fanny Jones as Daniel Sr's 4th wife — Munsell named name; primary-source verification needed
• PRIORITY 5: Investigate John G. Cooper Esq (4th child of George Cooper son of Daniel Sr) m. Eleanor Perrine + their son George Cooper Michigan state treasurer — NEW catalog people; Daniel Sr grandchild + great-grandchild branch
• PRIORITY 6: Pull Munsell 1882 History of Morris County additional chapters not on disk — book likely has biographies of other Daniel-Sr-line figures (e.g., Sheriff Aaron K. Hayward, John Cooper Esq descendants); other chapters covering Long Hill / Berkeley Tract land records
• PRIORITY 7: Verify Daniel Sr's removal-to-Passaic-Valley date 1732 (Munsell) vs 1782 (Littell typo) against primary-source land/deed records — the 1732 date is now leading

Catalog impact summary

This single book pull resolves two long-standing catalog-data conflicts + adds two NEW primary-source-grade biographical facts + corrects one Littell typo:

Cross-references

• I.4 — Littell — Daniel Sr biography (Munsell + Littell consilient on Hannah Martin; Munsell corrects Littell's "1782" typo to 1732)
• I.22 — Craddock — Benjamin biography (Munsell adds Benjamin's judgeship 1768-1774)
• I.25 — Daniel Cooper Jr × Ann Cross (Munsell adds Daniel Jr's judgeship 1775+)
• I.36 — House of Cooper — origin narrative (Munsell consilient on Holland-1695 origin)
• M.23 — SCHS Vol V 1916 Honeyman — Cooper + Coriell + Wyckoff Notes
• I.44 — Carile Santos Coriell-Coryell Family — Solomon Boyle's tract adjoining Elias Coryell's (= Munsell-confirmed Long Hill neighborhood)
• M.24 — SCHS Vol I 1912 Honeyman editorial — Munsell-via-Honeyman; I.46 supersedes I.45's Munsell citations with direct-source verbatim
• B.33 — Daniel Sr militia commissioner 1778 (post-judgeship)
• F.32 / F.33 / F.34 — Daniel Sr Basking Ridge Presbyterian pew-holder
• J.33 — Cooper-Stirling joint deeds; Stiles judgments
• J.104 — 1793 NJ Journal Long Hill neighbor notice
• L.30 — Ancestry tree Daniel Sr 6 wives (= same as Munsell once Mather→Martin corrected; needs Fanny Jones added)
• Project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md — Cooper-Stirling joint debts; Munsell-confirmed Hibernia Iron Mines via I.45
• Project pr.6 Daniel Sr Hannah Martin sixth wife.md — Hannah Martin reading now Munsell+Littell+memory consilient
• Project pr.8 Anne Cooper Van Court sister (RESOLVED).md — John Cooper × Magdalen (vs Munsell's Lynche Boyle — open conflict)
• Project pr.26 Roxbury Cooper family out-of-scope (RESOLVED).md — Munsell Ch. 25 confirms Nathan A. Cooper of Chester is Sir-Astley-Cooper-of-England line, NOT Daniel Sr line