The Coopers of Long Hill

Document J.112 · Newspaper Articles and Miscellaneous · transcription: verbatim

Newspaper obituary (paper unidentified), c. 12 July 1920 — Charles Mulford Cooper of Sewaren NJ obituary = (1) family tradition primary-source-attestation: 'direct descendant of Daniel Cooper, who came from Holland in 1735 and settled at Basking Ridge'; (2) NEW SIBLING discovery: 'a brother, Harry Cooper, of Liberty, New York' = previously uncatalogued Y-LINE CARRIER on the George branch; (3) Charles Mulford Y-LINE DEAD-END confirmed (no children named in obit survivors)

Transcription and notes

SIGNIFICANCE

This obituary provides three high-value findings:

  1. ** Family tradition primary-source-attested at newspaper-obit level: "He was born in Freehold September 8, 1851, and was a direct descendant of Daniel Cooper, who came from Holland in 1735 and settled at Basking Ridge." This is an independent published-obit attestation to the family tradition documented in project pr.2 Daniel Sr father search.md. The "1735" arrival date is a specific datable claim worth tracking — older-than-typical-family-tradition specificity. Combined with I.36 Theodore A. Cooper 1946 House of Cooper family tradition, this is now a SECOND independent obit/published-history source for the Holland-arrival-Daniel-Sr tradition.

  2. ** NEW SIBLING Harry Cooper of Liberty NY = previously uncatalogued. Charles Mulford's G.111 Find A Grave family panel listed only George B (deceased 1874) + Eleanor Schuyler Welch as siblings — but the obit names Harry Cooper of Liberty NY as a surviving brother. Harry = NEW Y-LINE CARRIER candidate on the George branch.** Forward-trace Harry's family for Cooper-male descendants → potentially the highest-priority Y-DNA outreach targets in the catalog post-v193.1.

  3. ** Y-LINE DEAD-END for Charles Mulford confirmed: Obit names only wife + Mrs. Hovey + Harry as survivors. No children. Charles Mulford's Y-line ends with him.**

Source

Verbatim — full obituary text

Charles M. Cooper.

SEWAREN, July 12 — Charles Mulford Cooper died at his home in Cliff road Saturday night at eleven o'clock.

Mr. Cooper was born in Freehold September 8, 1851, and was a direct descendant of Daniel Cooper, who came from Holland in 1735 and settled at Basking Ridge. Mr. Cooper was educated at the Freehold Military Academy and at Pennington Seminary. Fifty years ago he entered the photo-engraving business of the Moss Engraving Co. of New York, the first concern in this line. At the time of his death he was connected with the Gill Engraving Co. and was the dean of New York engravers.

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper came to Sewaren over thirty years ago and have always been prominently identified with every movement and organization for the betterment of the community.

Mr. Cooper was one of the charter members of St. John's church and was senior warden and superintendent of the Sunday school at the time of his death.

A charter member of the Land and Water Club and one of the board of governors he was also president of the Free Public Library Association. In all of these organizations Mr. Cooper took a keen interest and in his death Sewaren loses one of its most prominent and public spirited citizens. Mr. Cooper was always surrounded by the children of the community by whom he will be sadly missed.

The funeral services will be held from his late residence tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock and will be conducted by Rev. John Whitney Crowell, rector of St. Mary's church of Brooklyn.

Besides his wife, Mrs. Franklin H. Hovey, of New York, and a brother, Harry Cooper, of Liberty, New York, are Mr. Cooper's survivors.

Catalog implications

Daniel Sr Holland 1735 tradition — independent corroboration

The phrase "a direct descendant of Daniel Cooper, who came from Holland in 1735 and settled at Basking Ridge" is an independent newspaper-obit attestation of the Daniel-Sr-Holland-origin family tradition. Per project pr.2 Daniel Sr father search.md, this tradition has now been tested against 9 record-type traditions + Drake Piscataway Town Records consilience-NEGATIVE search — yet the family tradition persists in independent sources:

The "1735" arrival date is a specific datable claim worth cross-checking against: - 1735 NY/NJ Reformed Dutch Church transfer registers (= newly-arrived Dutch immigrants would join an existing DRC) - 1735 NY ship-arrival manifests (= Holland → NY direct passage; or Holland → London → NY indirect) - 1735-1740 NJ Eastern Division proprietary land grants (= Daniel Sr's pre-Long-Hill acquisition path)

If Daniel Sr really arrived 1735 at age 40, that explains the absence of pre-1735 Cooper-name records in NJ DRC sweeps already conducted (F.69 Bergen 1666-1779, M.1 Bergen, M.2 Hackensack 1686-1799, F.70 Tappan 1694-1720, F.86 Acquackanonck) — Daniel Sr would have been in the Netherlands until 1735.

NEW sibling Harry Cooper of Liberty NY

This is the obit's biggest practical research value. Harry Cooper of Liberty (= Sullivan Co. NY) was alive 12 July 1920 (= age uncertain; if born ~1850-1860 was 60-70 in 1920 = could survive into 1930s). His descendants if any are highest-priority Y-DNA outreach targets per project pr.14 Two paths to Benjamin male descendants.md.

Liberty NY 1920 census + NY death index 1920-1940 + Sullivan Co. NY probate are the first research moves.

Y-line dead-ends through Charles Mulford

Obit lists survivors as: wife + Mrs. Franklin H. Hovey of NY + brother Harry Cooper. No children named. Confirms G.111 Find A Grave implication that Charles Mulford had no biological children. Per memory feedback_dead_end_spouse_families_out_of_scope.md, Charles Mulford's wife Annie Louise Potter's family-of-origin is out of scope (no Cooper Y-DNA carriers).

Mrs. Franklin H. Hovey of New York

Per Find A Grave G.111, Charles Mulford had one known sister Eleanor Schuyler Cooper Welch 1855-1923 (alive 1920). Possibilities for Mrs. Franklin H. Hovey:

Option (b) is most likely if the Find A Grave family panel was constructed from incomplete records. The 1850s census Freehold for John G Jr × Magdalena should resolve.

Career trail — pioneer photo-engraver

"Fifty years ago he entered the photo-engraving business of the Moss Engraving Co. of New York, the first concern in this line" = c. 1870 Charles Mulford joined Moss Engraving Co. NYC at age 19. Per J.113 George B Cooper 1874 obit, George B was at Appleton's Bookstore NY Broadway 1868-1869 — so the brothers were both in NYC mid-1860s before family business succession. By 1920 Charles Mulford was at Gill Engraving Co. and "dean of New York engravers."

Cross-references

Open questions

Status notes