Documents Relating to the Colonial History of NJ Series I Vol 6 (Administrations 1738-1747) pp. 426-427 — David Ogden letter to President John Hamilton, dated Newark 22 April 1747, transmitting affidavits respecting the Newark/Horseneck Riots and reporting that 'It was Currently reported among us the Begining of Last week, that the Mob were Determined on Friday last to turn Justice Daniel Cooper out of the Possession of his House and Plantation, whereupon Several of the Officers of Morris County both Civil and Military, with others, to the number of about 100 went to the House of Justice Cooper well armed with Guns &c. in Order to meet the Rioters.' Original at British Public Record Office (PRO B.T. New Jersey Vol. VI). This is the on-disk primary-source attestation of the maintainer's Vol 6 p. 426 reference per [pr.7](../../projects/pr.7%20Daniel%20Sr%20unsubstantiated%20notes%202026-05-08.md) and is the earliest primary-source attestation in the catalog of Daniel Cooper Sr as Justice + Morris Co. landowner — predating the I.78 Vol 7 affidavit by 2 years.

Transcription and notes

Earliest primary-source attestation in the catalog of Daniel Cooper Sr as Justice + Morris Co. landowner

This entry catalogs the David Ogden 22 April 1747 letter to President John Hamilton (Vol 6 pp. 426-427) — the document the maintainer flagged in pr.7 as a PRIORITY 1 acquisition target. The maintainer's "Vol 6 p. 426" citation was correct; the page is in fact 426-427 of the Vol 6 printed text.

Catalog implication for Daniel Sr's office-holding timeline: Honeyman 1912 (M.24) gives Daniel Sr as Sheriff of Morris Co. 1753-1761 then CCP Judge 1768-1774, with no pre-1753 office named. I.78 primary-source-locks his 28 March 1749 commission to Justice of the Quorum. I.94 now pushes the primary-source attestation of his Justice status back to ≈ 17 April 1747 — Ogden refers to him as "Justice Daniel Cooper" two years before the 1749 commission. This implies either (a) an earlier Justice-of-the-Peace commission in effect by April 1747 (= consistent with the "1895 family tree" maintainer note in pr.7 dating his Justice appointment to 1739), or (b) the 1749 Belcher commission was a re-appointment, not a first appointment. The Vol 15 1739 Quorum-Judge primary-source already identified in pr.44 supports reading (a) — Daniel Sr held judicial office continuously from 1739, was recommissioned by Belcher in 1749.

Source identification

Verbatim — Vol 6 pp. 426-427 (David Ogden to President Hamilton, 22 April 1747)

Header (p. 426)

Letter from David Ogden to President Hamilton —

transmitting affidavits, respecting the Riots.

[From P. R. O. B.T. New Jersey, Vol. VI]

Newark April 22d 1747

Salutation + transmittal

"Sir —

At the Request of Cheif Justice Morris I Drew the 2 Inclosed Affidavits which pursuant to his Desire to Me I send you, the Last was drawn by the Directions of the 2 Deponents therein mentioned, to whom I read the same twice, who approved thereof, and then Signed the Same. I sent it by them to Justice Bonnel, to make Oath to the Same which they have done, this day I received the same from Mr Bonnel, with the Enclosed Letter from said 2 Deponents Desiring me to alter the Addition to Mr Cross's Name therein Mentioned, which I Dont think Proper to take on me to doo, after the Affidavits are Made And Signed, since Said Addition is no ways material. I am Sorry Justice Bonnel did not alter the Same before they Made Oath."

The Daniel Cooper passage

"It was Currently reported among us the Begining of Last week, that the Mob were Determined on Friday last to turn Justice Daniel Cooper out of the Possession of his House and Plantation, whereupon Several of the Officers of Morris County both Civil and Military, with others, to the number of about 100 went to the House of Justice Cooper well armed with Guns &c. in Order to meet the Rioters. And oppose them by force from turning Cooper out of his Possession. the Mob or Rioters hearing of the force Raised against them did Not appear at that Day. but some say it won't be Long before they will turn Justice Cooper and Many more, out of their Possessions, which I believe will be the Case Unless Some Speedy Care be taken to prevent them."

Recommendation + close (p. 427)

"The Rioters have of Late given their Judgment in favour of the [Pork? — OCR unclear] title, Against all others, being the Grant of Mr Sonmans to Fauconier & others which may affect the Possession of a Great number of Inhabitants of Morris County if the Rioters Proceed as they threaten, to turn those settled on the Lands contained within said Grant out of their Possessions. Unless they agree with the Grantees of Sonmans or their Assigns, this Proceeding of the Rioters seems at Present much to animate the People of Morris County agt the Rioters, and I Believe they would in General Assist the Authority in Suppressing them.

I have thought of the following Step to be taken at this Juncture vizr. That a special Warrant Issue from the Government, for the Aprehending those Persons now in the Possession of Joseph Dalrimples Plantation with an [Act?] of Committment to Morris County Goal, and also an Order to the Sheriff of said County, to Keep a Strong Guard at the Goal, which I hope will have good Effect, not only to stop further Riots, in that County, but also to Convince the Rioters in the Several parts of this Province, that there are Men in the County of Morris that Dare Oppose them, which is Submitted to the Consideration of you and others concerned in Suppressing those Rioters, by

                                     Your Most Humble Servt
                                                  DAVID OGDEN."

Editorial footnote on David Ogden (p. 427)

"was a grandson of John Ogden, one of the original associates of Elizabethtown, and the ancestor of several prominent men of New Jersey in subsequent years. At the time under review he was a resident of Newark, and a distinguished practitioner of the Law. Under his guidance and instruction several eminent lawyers, connected with matters of importance to the Province, attained to eminence in their profession — Hatfield's Elizabeth. Lamb's New York."

Enclosed affidavits — Vol 6 pp. 427-431+ (NOT transcribed here per entry-scope rule)

The Ogden letter enclosed two affidavits:

1. Joseph Dalrimple of Morris Co., sworn 4 April 1747 before Joseph Bonnel Esq, Second Justice of the Supreme Court (Vol 6 pp. 427-430): Dalrimple deposes that he had for upwards of two years been in possession of part of the William-Dockwra 2000-acre Pasaick River tract under the East Jersey Proprietors, having given bond to yield possession to Dockwra's heirs on demand; that on 30 March 1747 between 10–11 PM rioters led by Abraham Hendricks, Nathaniel Davis, James Hampton, William Brested, and others (numbering ~35) came to his house, broke down the door, ordered him + his pregnant wife + their one-year-old child out, gave them 14 days to vacate, then declared they "Give you [Mr Cross] the Possession of this Upper Lott, and to one William or Mr Brested, take you possession of the other Lott." The deposition is about Dalrimple, not Daniel Cooper — but the rioter cohort (Davis, Hampton, Brested, Hendricks) is the same cohort named in Solomon Boyle's October 1749 deposition at I.78 threatening Daniel Cooper + Moses Ayres on the adjacent Robert-Barclay-2000-acre tract.

2. Thomas Miller + Thomas McConnell of Basking Ridge, Somerset Co., sworn 8 April 1747 before Joseph Bonnel Esq (Vol 6 pp. 430-431+): corroborating witnesses to the Dalrimple eviction, present in his house at the time.

These two affidavits are catalog-relevant only as context for the rioter pattern that targeted Daniel Sr next. They are NOT transcribed in this entry per the "Entry scope = one source only" rule (memory feedback_entry_scope_one_source_only.md). If a future research thread on the Newark Land Riots requires verbatim text, they should become their own entries.

What this source establishes

1. Daniel Cooper Sr held Justice rank in Morris Co. by 17 April 1747

The 22 April 1747 Ogden letter refers to "Justice Daniel Cooper" as established usage, with no introduction or commissioning context. The previous Friday's planned attack (≈ 17 April 1747) and the 100-armed-men defense were already past events when Ogden wrote. Daniel Sr was therefore a sitting Justice in Morris Co. by mid-April 1747. This pushes the primary-source attestation of his Justice rank back from 28 March 1749 (per I.78 Belcher commission) by approximately 2 years.

Combined with pr.44's identification of an earlier 1739 Quorum-Judge appointment in Vol 15 (Journal of the Governor 1738–1748), the picture is: Daniel Sr held Morris Co. judicial office continuously from 1739 onward, was re-commissioned by Gov. Belcher in 1749, and continued through Honeyman's 1912-attested sheriffship (1753-1761), CCP judgeship (1768-1774), and JP role (1776-1786).

2. Daniel Sr was settled on the disputed Robert-Barclay tract by April 1747

The Mob's threat to "turn Justice Daniel Cooper out of the Possession of his House and Plantation" implies Daniel Sr was occupying land under a title the rioters disputed. The rioters' MO (per the Dalrymple deposition + the Solomon Boyle October 1749 deposition at I.78) was to evict East Jersey Proprietor tenants in favor of Indian-purchase claimants. Daniel Sr being on the Robert Barclay 2000-acre Pasaick River patent (per Boyle Oct 1749 at I.78) is consistent with him being a Proprietor tenant in April 1747. This is the earliest primary-source attestation of Daniel Sr's Long Hill / Pasaick-River residence, predating his 1749 Vol 7 affidavit at I.78 by 2 years.

3. Morris Co. social network rallying around Daniel Sr

The "100 Officers of Morris County both Civil and Military, with others" who assembled at Daniel Sr's house ≈ 17 April 1747 = unnamed in this letter, but is consistent with the Morris Co. judicial cohort named in I.78 (John Budd, John Lindsley, Jacob Ford, Timothy Tuttle, Ebenezer Biram, Abraham Vancompen + the Justices of the Peace David Line, Isaac Vandyne, Joseph Ketchell, Robert Gobel, Robert Gould, Benjamin Pierson, Benjamin Hathaway, Benjamin Smith, Jonathan Pettit, Richard Lunday, William Henry). The "Military" officers would include the Morris Co. militia under Col. Jacob Ford Sr. (whose grandson Daniel-Cooper-Jr's son Daniel III later marries into via the Ford-Ephraim-Martin-Hannah-Martin web).

4. The April 1747 events frame the 1749 Vol 7 affidavit context

I.78 records Daniel Sr's sworn affidavit dated 14 April 1749 — exactly 2 years after the events Ogden describes here. The 1749 affidavit references continued rioter timber destruction "during the Six Months while the Pardon Act was last Year in Being & in Force" — the Pardon Act being the colonial-government response to the 1747 unrest that I.94 documents. I.94 + I.78 are therefore two installments of the same Newark Riots primary-source record at the Cooper-family-relevance level, 1747 → 1749.

What this source does NOT establish

• Daniel Sr's birthplace, parentage, or naturalization status — the letter says nothing on these points.
• The exact date of Daniel Sr's first Justice commission — the Vol 15 1739 Quorum-Judge primary-source per pr.44 remains the earliest catalog reference, but no commissioning instrument is yet on disk.
• Daniel Sr's land title — Ogden does not specify under which Proprietor patent Daniel Sr held his land. The Boyle Oct 1749 deposition at I.78 names the Robert Barclay 2000-acre patent for Daniel Sr; whether the same patent held in April 1747 is presumed but not stated in I.94.

Cross-references

• I.78 — NJ Archives Series I Vol 7 + Vol 16, the 1749 Daniel Sr affidavit + Belcher commission. Two-year continuation of the same Newark-Land-Riots / Justice-Daniel-Cooper primary-source thread.
• pr.3 — Daniel Sr's 1749 Morris Co. oath of allegiance (officeholder oath, NOT naturalization). I.94 supports the officeholder-oath reading by establishing Daniel Sr already held Justice rank in 1747.
• pr.7 — Maintainer's notes dump including the Vol 6 p. 426 1747 rioter-letter citation. PRIORITY 1 acquisition target now CLOSED via this entry.
• pr.44 — 43-volume NJ Colonial Documents corpus scan, which had identified the Vol 15 1739 Quorum-Judge primary source and (correctly) noted the August 14 1747 rioter-petition was in Vol 15, not Vol 6. I.94 now adds the Vol 6 April 22 1747 letter as a separate Cooper-line primary source.
• M.24 — Honeyman 1912 office-date summary; I.94 + pr.44's Vol 15 finding together provide primary-source backing for an earlier-than-Honeyman first-Justice date.
• I.29a — Stryker-Rodda 1749 Morris Twp ear-mark register; primary-source for Daniel Sr's same-year (1749) ear-mark registration in Morris Twp.

Open questions / follow-up

• Vol 15 1739 Quorum-Judge primary source verbatim transcription — pr.44 identified this in passing but it does not have its own catalog entry yet. Should be filed as I.95 (or similar) before further use.
• Morris Co. CCP minute book 1739–1750 at NJ State Archives Trenton OR Joint Free Public Library of Morristown — would document Daniel Sr's actual oath ceremonies + court-business across the 1739-1749 window covered by I.94 + the Vol 15 1739 + I.78 1749 documents. Best single primary-source acquisition target for building Daniel Sr's pre-1749 Morris Co. presence chain.
• East Jersey Proprietor patent records 1740s — under which patent did Daniel Sr hold his April 1747 "House and Plantation"? Per I.78 it was the Robert Barclay 2000-acre tract in October 1749; whether the same in April 1747 is presumed but unstated.
• The "Pork title" / "Sonmans-Fauconier grant" reference at p. 427 — Ogden mentions the rioters' alternative title claim "the Grant of Mr Sonmans to Fauconier & others" affecting "a Great number of Inhabitants of Morris County." The Sonmans/Fauconier proprietary chain may be relevant to Daniel Sr's title security; needs cross-reference to NJ Proprietary records.