Documents Relating to the Colonial History of NJ Series I Vol 15 (Journal of the Governor Vol III 1738-1748) p. 91 — 1 September 1739 Perth Amboy Council under Gov. Lewis Morris: Daniel Cooper commissioned as one of three Justices of the Quorum for Morris County (alongside Timothy Tuttle + Samuel Swisey), in the FIRST documented Morris Co. judicial commission after the county's 1739 formation. Per image-zoom verification of the printed column structure, Daniel Cooper is bracketed under 'Quor:' (= Quorum), NOT the lower 'Justices' (Justice of the Peace) tier. This is the earliest primary-source attestation in the catalog of Daniel Cooper Sr holding Crown judicial office — 10 years before the 1749 Belcher re-commission per [I.78](I.78.yaml), and 8 years before the April 1747 Newark-Rioter target per [I.94](I.94.yaml). Also Vol 15 p. 563 (December 1747 Council Journal) records 'A Petition of Daniel Cooper and others praying the Same [= relief against the Rioters]' as item N° 2 in a list of papers laid before the House of Assembly in August 1747 — = a NEW catalog primary-source attestation that Daniel Sr PERSONALLY petitioned for rioter relief separately from the 14 August 1747 'Sundry Inhabitants' petition (N° 1). Petition body not yet on disk.

Transcription and notes

Earliest primary-source attestation in the catalog of Daniel Cooper Sr holding Crown judicial office

This entry catalogs two distinct Daniel Cooper Sr references in Vol 15 of the NJ Archives Series I (= Documents Relating to the Colonial History of NJ, Journal of the Governor Vol III, covering the administrations of Lewis Morris through to the eve of Jonathan Belcher's 1747 arrival):

1. Vol 15 p. 91 — 1 September 1739 Perth Amboy Council session: Daniel Cooper commissioned as Justice of the Quorum for Morris County. Earliest primary-source attestation in the catalog of his Crown judicial office.
2. Vol 15 p. 563 — December 1747 list of papers laid before the Assembly: "A Petition of Daniel Cooper and others praying the Same [= relief against the Newark/Horseneck Rioters]." Daniel Sr personally led a petition in August 1747.

This entry resolves the pr.44 corpus-scan's brief Vol 15 1739 reference into a properly catalogued primary-source entry. Per pr.7 maintainer note, an 1895 family tree had given Daniel Sr's Justice tenure as "1739-1759, 1759-1768, 1768"; the 1739 starting date is now primary-source-locked via this entry. Combined with I.94 (April 1747 already-holding Justice rank) and I.78 (1749 Belcher re-commission), the 1739-1749 decade is continuously primary-source-attested for Daniel Sr at Quorum-Justice rank.

Source identification

Verbatim — Vol 15 p. 91 (1 September 1739 Perth Amboy Council, Morris Co. commission)

Header

"At a Council Held at Perth Amboy the 1st day of September 1739.

Present

His Excellency Lewis Morris Esqr Governour &c

John Rodman Robert Hunter Morris Fenwick Lyell"

Resolution

"His Excellency having represented to this Board the necessity of appointing proper Officers for Morris County in Order to prevent a failure of Justice The Board unanimously Recommended the following Persons,"

The Morris Co. commission list (column structure as image-verified)

The page presents the commission list in a two-column tabular format with brace-grouping. Image-zoom of PDF page 98 at 3x LANCZOS upscale (per memory feedback_image_zoom_workflow_local.md workflow) clearly resolves the column structure:

Left column — Judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas:

John Bud John Mott Abraham Kitchin } Judges John Lindsly Jun'r Jacob Ford

Right column upper bracket — Justices of the Quorum (= "Quor:"):

Timothy Tuttle } Samuel Swisey } Quor: Daniel Cooper }

Right column lower bracket — Justices of the Peace:

Ephraim Price } John Orison } Abraham Van Campen } Justices Isaac Vandine }

Officers below the tabular list

"Caleb Fairchild Coroner, Samuel Gouverner Clerk

And His Excellency was pleased to Order the Secretary to make out Commissions accordingly"

Cooper datum: Daniel Cooper is one of THREE named Justices of the Quorum for Morris Co. as of 1 September 1739, alongside Timothy Tuttle and Samuel Swisey. The Quorum-tier designation places him as a senior Justice of the Peace (one whose presence was required for certain CCP business), one rank below the Judges of the CCP and above the lower JPs. This is the foundational Crown judicial commission for Morris Co. after its 1739 formation.

Verbatim — Vol 15 pp. 562-563 (17 December 1747 Council, papers list including Daniel Cooper petition)

Context

The 17 December 1747 NJ Council session reviewed the package of papers that Gov. Belcher had laid before the House of Assembly in August 1747 (= during the peak of the Newark/Horseneck Rioter crisis). The Council asked the Secretary to enter the full list into the minutes. Vol 15 pp. 562-563 reproduce that list, item by item, including 15 affidavits + 2 petitions.

Verbatim list excerpt (Cooper-relevant items)

"Ordered that a list of the Papers laid before the House of Assembly by His Excellency in August last and which were sent to this House from the House of Assembly be Entered in the Minutes of this House and that the said Papers be referred to the Committee appointed by this House to Conferr with the Committee of the House of Assembly. Which list is as follows: (Vizt)

N° 1. A Petition of Sundry Inhabitants of the Counties of Morris and Somerset for Relief against the Rioters Dated August the 14th 1747.

N° 2. A Petition of Daniel Cooper and others praying the Same

N° 3. Ralph Smiths Affidavit giving Information of some Combinations of People to dispossess persons of their Lands taken May 5th 1746.

N° 4. Burgoons Brocaws Affidavit concerning breaking open Somerset Goal by Rioters taken December the 8th 1746.

N° 5. David Drakes Affidavit concerning the same and also threatning Mr Nevill dated December the 8th 1746.

N° 6. Francis Hollinsheads Affidavit concerning breaking open Somerset Goal by the Rioters taken December the 8th 1746.

N° 7. John Bennets Affidavit concerning the same, Same Date.

N° 8. Elisha Parkers Affidavit about Rioters turning out Burnets Tenants taken December 18th 1746.

N° 9. Joseph Dalrymples Affidavit concerning the Rioters going to turn him out of possession of his Lands taken April 4th 1747. [= same affidavit enclosed with David Ogden's 22 April 1747 letter per I.94]

N° 10. Thomas Miller and Thomas McDonnells Affidavit concerning the same taken April 15th 1747. [= same affidavit enclosed with Ogden letter per I.94; note Vol 15's date '15th April' vs Vol 6's date '8th April' = transcription/date discrepancy to verify]

N° 11. Solomon Boyles Affidavit concerning the Rioters their devices and purposes &c taken 13th May 1747.

N° 12. Solomon Boyle's 2d Affidavit concerning the same taken June the 1st 1747.

N° 13. Richard Fitzrandolphs Affirmation concerning the Riot at Amboy breaking open the Goal &c taken July 20th 1747.

N° 14. William Dear and Jarret Walls Affidavit concerning John Bainbridge his Threatning after the Riot at Amboy taken July 20th 1747.

N° 15. Jediah Higgins and William Hutchinson's Affidavit..."

Cooper data: - N° 2 is a separate Daniel Cooper petition for rioter relief, distinct from N° 1's Sundry-Inhabitants petition. Body of petition not transcribed in Vol 15 (only listed); not yet on disk; acquisition target. - N° 9 + N° 10 + N° 11 + N° 12 are the four Newark-Riots affidavits which are catalog-relevant: N° 9 + N° 10 already identified at I.94 as enclosed in Vol 6 with the Ogden 22 April 1747 letter; N° 11 + N° 12 (the TWO Solomon Boyle affidavits of May + June 1747) are PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN catalog items — distinct from the October 1749 Solomon Boyle deposition already catalogued at I.78. The May 13 1747 + June 1 1747 Boyle affidavits would predate the 1749 deposition by 2.5+ years and should be searched in Vol 6 or other NJ Archives volumes.

What this source establishes

1. Daniel Sr was Justice of the Quorum, Morris Co., from 1 September 1739

Image-zoom-verified column reading places Daniel Cooper in the Quorum bracket, NOT the lower JP bracket. He held senior Justice rank from Morris Co.'s second year of existence (county formed March 1739). This establishes a 10-year continuous Quorum-Justice tenure through to the 1749 Belcher re-commission per I.78, in turn supporting the pr.3 officeholder-oath reading of the 1749 oath as a renewal-of-office formality, NOT an initial commissioning event.

2. Daniel Sr personally led a petition for rioter relief in August 1747

Daniel Sr did not just appear in others' affidavits during the Newark Rioter crisis — he was a named petitioner heading "Daniel Cooper and others" petitioning the Assembly + Council for relief. This is consistent with his Justice rank making him a natural leader of Morris Co. inhabitants seeking redress. Petition body not yet on disk; should be searched at NJ State Archives Trenton in the August 1747 Assembly/Council papers.

3. Two PREVIOUSLY UNCATALOGUED Solomon Boyle affidavits 1747

Vol 15's list at N° 11 + N° 12 names Solomon Boyle affidavits of 13 May 1747 and 1 June 1747 — distinct from the October 1749 Boyle deposition catalogued at I.78. These would document Boyle's earlier observations of the Newark Rioters and may directly name Daniel Sr or his neighbors. Acquisition target — search Vol 6 + Vol 7 for the bodies, or NJ State Archives for original manuscripts.

4. Cohort context for Daniel Sr's judicial network 1739-1749

The 1 September 1739 Morris Co. commission lists 11 named officers (5 Judges of the CCP + 3 Quorum Justices + 4 lower Justices + Coroner + Clerk). This is the Cooper-family judicial network at the moment of Morris Co.'s legal infrastructure being built out. Of these 11 names, the I.78 Vol 16 1749 commission re-appoints several (Jacob Ford, John Bud, Abraham Vancompen — same as Van Campen) — establishing continuity of the Morris Co. judicial cohort across the 1739-1749 decade.

What this source does NOT establish

• Daniel Sr's birthplace, parentage, or naturalization status — the commission says nothing beyond his name and rank.
• The body of Daniel Sr's August 1747 petition — Vol 15 only lists it as N° 2; petition text not reproduced.
• The bodies of the 13 May + 1 June 1747 Solomon Boyle affidavits — listed but not reproduced.
• The exact circumstances of Daniel Sr's 1739 oath ceremony — Vol 15 records the commission; the literal oath was taken before Morris CCP at its next session (per the standard procedure). Would be recorded in Morris CCP minute book 1739+ at NJ State Archives or Joint Free Public Library of Morristown.

Cross-references

• I.78 — NJ Archives Series I Vol 16 + Vol 7 1749 records: 28 March 1749 Belcher commission + 14 April 1749 Daniel Sr affidavit + October 1749 Solomon Boyle deposition. The 1739 commission catalogued here is the predecessor to the 1749 commission catalogued at I.78.
• I.94 — NJ Archives Series I Vol 6 pp. 426-427: David Ogden 22 April 1747 letter naming "Justice Daniel Cooper" of Morris Co.; the enclosed Joseph Dalrymple + Thomas Miller + Thomas McConnell affidavits are listed as N° 9 + N° 10 of Vol 15's papers-list. I.95 + I.94 + I.78 together = continuous primary-source coverage of Daniel Sr's Quorum-Justice tenure 1739 → 1749.
• pr.3 — Daniel Sr's 1749 oath of allegiance research thread. I.95 supports the officeholder-oath reading by establishing Daniel Sr held continuous Quorum-Justice status 1739 → 1749.
• pr.7 — Maintainer notes dump. The "1895 family tree 1739-1759 office tenure" claim is now primary-source-confirmed for the 1739 starting date.
• pr.44 — 2026-05-08 corpus scan that briefly identified the Vol 15 1739 Daniel Cooper reference without column-structure precision. I.95 properly catalogues with image-zoom verification.

Open questions / follow-up

• Body of the August 1747 Daniel Cooper petition (Vol 15 p. 563 N° 2) — would document Daniel Sr's personal grievance against the Newark Rioters in his own voice. Search Vol 6 next, then NJ State Archives Trenton for the Assembly/Council papers August 1747.
• Bodies of the 13 May + 1 June 1747 Solomon Boyle affidavits (Vol 15 p. 563 N° 11 + N° 12) — Boyle is a known Daniel-Sr-adjacent witness per his October 1749 deposition at I.78; his earlier 1747 affidavits may name Daniel Sr directly.
• Morris CCP minute book 1739–1750 at NJ State Archives Trenton — Daniel Sr's actual 1 September 1739 swearing-in + early court-business participation. Same acquisition target as identified at I.94.
• Reconcile Thomas Miller + Thomas McConnell deposition date — Vol 6 I.94 gave it as 8 April 1747; Vol 15 here gives N° 10 as "taken April 15th 1747." Image-scan check of Vol 6 page header would resolve.
• Vol 15 "Mr Cooper" hits in the Assembly Journal 1738-1748 (lines 1444, 1755, 1808, 2069, 2257, 2512, 2676, 2854, 2891, 2927, 3051 + more) — these are NJ Assembly member "Mr Cooper" who messages the Council on legislative business. Almost certainly Joseph Cooper of Gloucester (Camden Quaker line) per fam.3 — same person as the "Joseph Cooper, a profess'd Quaker" named in Vol 6's 1744 Assembly Quaker-vote rolls per I.94's sweep. Disambiguation: distinct from Daniel Sr; out-of-scope per fam.3.