Minutes of the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey (Jersey City: John H. Lyon, 1872) Vol I — Newly downloaded primary-source state-papers volume covering the NJ Council of Safety 18 March 1777 – 8 October 1778. Founding 12 members of the Council named on the title page; Daniel Cooper Sr / Daniel Cooper Jr / Benjamin Cooper / John Cooper of Long Hill are NOT among them. Catalog-relevant content: (1) 'Mr Cooper' attending Council frequently from May 1777 onwards = added later as a Council member; identification = Joseph Cooper of Gloucester (Camden Quaker line, [fam.3](../../families/fam.3%20Camden%20NJ%20Quaker%20Cooper.md)), NOT our Daniel-Sr-line — this is the primary disambiguation-risk Cooper for the Rev War period; (2) John Cooper paid as 'a wounded Soldier' in the Militia, ~Nov 1777, via Mr Condict (= Silas Condict, Morris Co. Council member) — POSSIBLE identification with [p.8 John Cooper of Long Hill 1738-1778](../../people/p.8%20John%20Cooper%201738-1778.md), Daniel Sr's 5th son, who died 27 January 1778 (plausible wounded-then-died-of-wounds timeline); (3) William Cooper took Oaths of Abjuration and Allegiance before Council 22 April 1777 Bordentown — unidentified William Cooper, possible research lead; (4) Jacob Cooper a POW captured by Major Mifflin, paroled 29 May 1777 with Thomas Curtis of Shrewsbury as £100 surety — Monmouth Co. context, unidentified. NO primary-source Daniel Sr or Benjamin Cooper appearances.

Transcription and notes

Newly-acquired Council of Safety Minutes Volume I — Cooper sweep summary

This entry catalogs the Minutes of the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey, Volume I, published Jersey City 1872, downloaded by the maintainer 2026-05-19 and stored at (image held in the family archive). The volume covers the NJ Council of Safety's first 18 months of operation: 18 March 1777 (Haddonfield) → 8 October 1778 (Princeton).

Why this matters for the Cooper catalog:

The NJ Council of Safety was a wartime emergency executive body, created by the NJ Legislature to handle Loyalist suppression, prisoner-of-war administration, Militia logistics, and oath-of-allegiance enforcement during the British military presence in NJ 1776-1782. Any Cooper-family member who (a) signed an oath of allegiance, (b) was suspected of Loyalism, (c) was a POW, (d) served as a Council member, or (e) interacted with Council business would appear in this volume.

Result of the Cooper sweep (43 surname-Cooper hits + several trade-Cooper hits):

1. NONE of our Daniel-Sr-line Coopers appear by individual name (Daniel Sr / Daniel Jr / Benjamin / George / Rosannah / Providence / Anna or their spouses).
2. One Daniel-Sr-line possible attestation: John Cooper as wounded Militia soldier ~Nov 1777, paid via Silas Condict of Morris Co. — POSSIBLE p.8 John Cooper of Long Hill (d. 27 Jan 1778) but not primary-source-locked.
3. One catalog-conflation-risk Cooper: "Mr Cooper" attending Council frequently = Joseph Cooper of Gloucester (Camden Quaker, fam.3). Per maintainer instruction 2026-05-19: Camden Daniel/Joseph Cooper conflation is the most important disambiguation hazard for our line in NJ Archives sources.
4. Two unidentified Coopers: William Cooper (oath-taker 22 April 1777 Bordentown), Jacob Cooper (POW 29 May 1777 Monmouth context).

Source identification

Verbatim — Title page + founding members (PDF page 4)

"MINUTES OF THE Council of Safety OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.

JERSEY CITY: Printed by John H. Lyon. 1872.

Volume I.

MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF SAFETY.

JOHN CLEVES SYMMES. WILLIAM PATERSON. NATHANIEL SCUDDER. THEOPHILUS ELMER. SILAS CONDICT. JOHN HART. JOHN MEHELM. SAMUEL DICK. JOHN COMBS. CALEB CAMP. EDMUND WETHERBY. BENJAMIN MANNING."

Verbatim — William Cooper oath, 22 April 1777 Bordentown (printed p. 31)

"Benjamin Woolley was called before the Board, and being Examined, took the Oaths of Abjuration and Allegiance as established by the Legislature, and was accordingly discharged.

Jacob Harvey was called before the Board, and, being examined, took the Oaths as above, &c.

John Riddle, Richard Jeffrey and Daniel Stukey, were brought before the Board, and being Examined took the Oaths of Abjuration and Allegiance as established by the Legislature, and were thereupon dismissed.

Mr Hart attended & took his seat at the Board.

William Cooper, and Jedediah Lippincot were called before the Board, and being Examined, took the Oaths of Abjuration and Allegiance and were thereupon dismissed.

Adj'd till 3 O'clock P.M."

Cooper datum: William Cooper (unidentified) took the NJ Rev War Oath of Abjuration and Allegiance before the Council of Safety at Bordentown 22 April 1777. The Oath required swearing off allegiance to King George III + swearing loyalty to the State of NJ. Identification of this William Cooper would require: (a) cross-reference to NJ Loyalty Oath master lists (NJ State Archives), (b) county-of-residence inference (Bordentown = Burlington Co., though attendees came from across the state).

Verbatim — Jacob Cooper POW, 26-29 May 1777 (printed p. 55-56)

"Jacob Cooper a Prisoner taken by Major Mifflin appeared before the Board and was examined, and as it appeared that he had joined the Enemy & was enlisted with them, before the Publication of the Act for punishing Traitors &c, he was considered as a Prisoner of War."

Then (May 29, 1777):

"Jacob Cooper being considered as a Prisoner of War, was put on his Parole, & Thomas Curtis of Shrewsbury became Security in £100 for his keeping it."

Cooper datum: Jacob Cooper, captured by Major Mifflin (Major John Mifflin of NJ militia / Continental Line), had enlisted with the British prior to the NJ Act for Punishing Traitors taking effect — so was treated as POW rather than traitor. Paroled with Thomas Curtis of Shrewsbury (Monmouth Co.) as £100 security. Identification of this Jacob Cooper unknown; the Shrewsbury (Monmouth Co.) surety context places him in Monmouth Co. or its kin-network = NOT our Daniel-Sr line (whose geographic anchor is Morris Co. / Long Hill).

Verbatim — John Cooper "another wounded Soldier", ~Nov 1777 (printed p. 226)

Context: the Council reviewed Court of Oyer & Terminer expenses and approved payments to Militia personnel. The passage is in a list of payment authorizations:

"That there be paid to Philip Young a wounded soldier in the Militia ... 5. 15.

... 15. 2. 6

and to Mr Condict for the use of John Cooper another wounded Soldier, ..."

[Followed by Wednesday 26 November 1777 session header.]

Cooper datum: John Cooper, wounded Militia soldier, payment for whom was being made via Mr Condict — Silas Condict was the Morris Co. Council of Safety member and primary Morris Co. paymaster intermediary. The "another" links John Cooper to Philip Young as a co-wounded Militia soldier. The Morris Co. routing via Condict is the strongest geographic clue.

Identification possibility: p.8 John Cooper of Long Hill 1738-1778, Daniel Sr's 5th son: - Age 39 in Nov 1777 = within Militia eligibility - Morris Co. resident (Long Hill, present-day Long Hill Twp) - Died 27 January 1778 — ~2 months after the Nov 1777 wounded-soldier payment - 1778 will at A.29 does not state death cause - 1778 will at pr.44 (Vol 34 Wills): "lands and mills on Pusiak River" + "my father, Daniel Cooper" + sons Daniel and Solomon. Consistent with a Morris Co. Long Hill resident.

This is the strongest possible primary-source-published Rev War military-service attestation for any Daniel-Sr-line Cooper. Status: POSSIBLE but not primary-source-locked — the surname John Cooper alone is insufficient (could be a different John Cooper). Highest-leverage next steps: 1. NJ militia roster records 1777 (Stryker Rolls of Continental Officers and Soldiers in the Revolutionary War on disk + NJ Adjutant General records at NJ State Archives) — search for John Cooper in Morris Co. Militia rolls 2. Morris Co. probate file for John Cooper (1778) — check if there's a Rev War military-service note or pension claim 3. Cross-reference with G.4 Long Hill family burying ground stone — does the stone name his cause of death? 4. Cross-reference I.87+I.89 Tuttle Pequannock Whigs petition (1776) — was John Cooper of Long Hill among the 177 signers?

Verbatim — "Mr Cooper" Council attendance pattern (selected sessions)

The phrase "Mr Cooper" appears 38+ times across the volume, indicating regular Council session attendance from approximately June 1777 through October 1778. Representative session listings:

24 December 1777 Princeton (printed p. 188):

"Mr Cooper ... Mr Linn / Mr Condict"

26 December 1777 (printed p. 189):

"Mr Smith & Mr Cooper left the Board & Col Drake, Col Fleming & Mr Camp took their seats."

28 February 1778 Trenton (printed p. 207):

"His Excellency the Governor / Mr Condict / Mr Crane / Col Fleming / Mr Elmer / Mr Cooper / Mr Buck"

11 September 1778 Princeton (printed p. 279):

"His Excellency the Governor / Mr Cooper / Mr Fenimore / Col Drake / Mr Condict / Mr Imlay / Mr Elmer"

12 September 1778 Princeton (printed p. 280):

"His Excellency the Governor / Mr Cooper / Mr Buck / Mr Imlay / Mr Condict / Mr Manning / Mr Houston"

Cooper datum: "Mr Cooper" attends Council sessions in Princeton, Trenton, and other NJ towns alongside other Council members. The most consistent pairing is with Mr Elmer (Theophilus Elmer, Cumberland Co. — also a southern NJ figure) — geographic-cohort suggestive. Both are southern-NJ Council members. Identification = Joseph Cooper of Gloucester (Camden Quaker line, fam.3), who appears as "Mr Cooper" in the NJ Assembly across the colonial period (Vol 6 + Vol 15 NJ Archives per I.94 + I.95 Assembly Journal hits).

Verbatim — Trade-"Cooper" hits (NOT surname)

Several "Cooper" references in the minutes are to the trade (barrel-makers), not surname. Context-disambiguation examples:

Printed p. 215 (27 February 1778): "1 Cooper 1 Commissary, 1 Clerk, 1 Clerk of the Scales, Superintendent of the Bakehouses & 1 Commissary." = list of Commissary Department functional roles in Princeton; "Cooper" = barrel-making trade.

Printed p. 168 (various 1777 sessions): "Joseph Smith, William Reynolds, Coopers, employed in the Mill near Lewis' Mill" + "Crossley Coopers employed at the Mill near Bordentown" = trade-Coopers exempted from Militia duty due to essential war-industry employment.

These are NOT catalog persons; the surname is the trade designation.

What this source establishes

1. Direct primary-source possible attestation for John Cooper of Long Hill in Rev War service

The Nov 1777 wounded-Militia-soldier payment via Silas Condict is the strongest direct primary-source-published lead for any Daniel-Sr-line Cooper in the Rev War period. Pending corroboration via NJ Militia records.

2. Confirmed disambiguation hazard: Joseph Cooper of Gloucester = "Mr Cooper"

Per maintainer instruction 2026-05-19 (Camden Cooper conflation is the most important disambiguation hazard), this entry primary-source-confirms that "Mr Cooper" in NJ wartime government records is Joseph Cooper of Gloucester (Camden Quaker line), NOT our Daniel-Sr line. Future research encountering "Mr Cooper" in NJ Council / Assembly / wartime records 1740-1780 should default to Joseph Cooper of Gloucester unless explicit county-of-residence or first-name evidence contradicts.

3. Negative finding: Daniel Sr, Daniel Jr, Benjamin Cooper not in Council of Safety Vol I

In the 18 March 1777 → 8 October 1778 window covered by this volume: - Daniel Sr (b. 1695, age 82 in 1777) — does not appear. Consistent with advanced age. - Daniel Jr (b. 1729, age 48 in 1777) — does not appear. Was Morris Co. Sheriff 1768-69 per pr.44 but not in Council of Safety record. - Benjamin Cooper (b. 1741, age 36 in 1777) — does not appear. Per I.22 Craddock had been pardoned 1773 for counterfeiting; his subsequent Rev War posture not addressed by Council of Safety records. - John Cooper of Long Hill (b. 1738, age 39 in 1777) — POSSIBLE attestation at ~Nov 1777 wounded-soldier payment.

Negative findings have catalog value: confirms that the Daniel-Sr family was not significantly engaged with the NJ Council of Safety (whether as oath-takers, suspected Loyalists, or members). The wartime trail for them runs through different channels (Militia rolls, Continental Line records, county court papers).

4. Unidentified Cooper research leads

• William Cooper oath 22 April 1777 Bordentown — possible identification w/ Wm of Kingwood (Hunterdon, p.12), but unverified
• Jacob Cooper POW 29 May 1777 Shrewsbury context — Monmouth Co. Cooper, not our line

Cross-references

• I.87 + I.89 — Tuttle Revolutionary Fragments covering 1776 Pequannock Whigs petition + Robert Gaston biography. Robert Gaston (= our Rosanna Cooper's husband per p.55) was Chairman of the Morris Co. Committee of Safety = a different body from the NJ Council of Safety. The Morris Co. Committee of Safety records (if extant) would be a separate acquisition target.
• I.94 + I.95 — NJ Archives Series I Vols 6 + 15: documented Joseph Cooper of Gloucester ("Mr Cooper") as NJ Assembly member 1738-1747. I.96 continues that same Joseph Cooper of Gloucester into the Council of Safety 1777-1778.
• fam.3 Camden NJ Quaker Cooper — Joseph Cooper's family origin.
• p.8 John Cooper of Long Hill 1738-1778 — POSSIBLE identification with the Nov 1777 wounded Militia soldier.
• p.12 William Cooper of Kingwood — POSSIBLE identification with the 22 April 1777 Bordentown oath-taker.

Open questions / follow-up

• PRIORITY: NJ Militia rolls 1777 (Stryker on disk + NJ Adjutant General records at NJ State Archives) — search for John Cooper in Morris Co. Militia. Would primary-source-lock or disprove the p.8 identification.
• Morris Co. Committee of Safety records — separate body from the NJ Council of Safety; if any minutes survive (Joint Free Public Library of Morristown, NJ Historical Society), would document Robert Gaston's chairmanship + any Daniel-Sr-line Cooper involvement.
• Reconcile William Cooper 22 April 1777 Bordentown identification — cross-reference with NJ Loyalty Oath master lists at NJ State Archives. Burlington Co. context (Bordentown) does not fit p.12 William Cooper of Kingwood (Hunterdon) precisely but oath-takers travelled to attend Council sessions.
• Jacob Cooper POW identification — Shrewsbury (Monmouth Co.) context suggests separate Monmouth Cooper line; possible cross-reference with Long Island English-colonial Cooper line per fam.1 (some LI Coopers migrated to NJ).
• Council of Safety Volume II (if extant) — this volume ends 8 October 1778; check if a Vol II covering 1778-1782 was published. Per NJ State Archives publication catalog, Council of Safety records continue.