NJ Abstracts of Wills, Vol. XXXXI (1810-1813), p. 81 — Six Cooper probate entries 1809-1813, including 1811 Nathan M. Cooper of Chester admin + 1812 Mehitable Cooper of Chester will

Transcription and notes

• Source files:
• User-supplied screenshot 2026-04-25 of the Ancestry result page "New Jersey, U.S., Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817 for Nathan M Cooper" — Volume XXXXI, Abstracts of Wills, 1810-1813, displaying p. 81. Image visible from mid-prior-entry through partial-Mehitable-Cooper-will (continues off bottom).
• Identification: Published abstracts of six Cooper-related Morris-Co. and other-county probate files from the calendar volume covering 1810-1813. Source surfaced via the same Ancestry "NJ, U.S., Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817" search (J.34) and the user's targeted lookup of "Nathan M Cooper" 2026-04-25.

Data from the document (verbatim, all entries on visible portion of p. 81)

Top of frame — close of an unrelated will (Monmouth Co.)

"[…anvil, lot of iron, 2 gun barrels, 1 brass barrel and hammers. James Jolly's order on William Egbert for $50 not in above account. Sworn to by Benjamin Coon and John A. Brewer, Feb. 11, 1813, before Richard Throckmorton, Surrogate of Monmouth Co. File 9016 M. Signed by mark.]"

(Close of a Monmouth Co. testator's will — name on prior page, not visible. Inventory included gunsmith / blacksmith equipment. NOT a Cooper testator — but witness/administrator named "Benjamin Coon" — note the surname "Coon" which is sometimes a Cook / Coon / Cooper variant in 18th-c. NJ records. Flagged for completeness; out-of-scope.)

Entry 1 — Cooper, Abraham, of Hillsborough Twsp., Somerset Co. — 1811 admin [Cooper-not-related]

"1811, Sept. 4. Cooper, Abraham, of Hillsborough Twsp., Somerset Co. Int. Inventory, $987.53; made by Urias VanCleef, James Hageman. Sworn to by John Band, Adm'r, Oct. 2, 1811. File 1454 R."

Out-of-scope: Hillsborough, Somerset Co. — different township, different county. NOT the same Abraham Cooper as Mehitable's son Abraham (who was of Chester Morris Co.). Likely an unrelated Somerset Co. Cooper family.

Entry 2 — Cooper, Amos, of Woodbury, Gloucester Co. — 1813 admin [Cooper-not-related]

"1813, July 3. Cooper, Amos, of Woodbury, Gloucester Co. Int. Inventory, $1,620.08; made by Ephraim Miller, James Saunders. Sworn to by Samuel Webster, David Cooper, Adm'rs, Dec. 11, 1813. File 2905 R."

Out-of-scope: Gloucester Co. — different region of NJ. The "David Cooper" co-administrator suggests a separate Gloucester Cooper family. Note: a 1789 James Cooper of Roxbury intestate admin (J.35) was administered by Phebe Cooper + David Thompson — different David. Captured for completeness.

Entry 3 — Cooper, John, of Bridgewater Twsp., Somerset Co. — 1812 admin [Cooper-not-related]

"1812, June 24. Cooper, John, of Bridgewater Twsp., Somerset Co. Int. Inventory, $116.19; made by Peter Van Nest, Rynier Van Nest. Includes gun and accoutrements, carpenter's tools. Sworn to by Isaac Cooper, Adm'r, July 28, 1812. File 1500 R."

Out-of-scope: Bridgewater, Somerset Co. — different county. The "Isaac Cooper" administrator suggests a Bridgewater Cooper family separate from the Roxbury / Chester / Long Hill clusters. Captured for completeness.

Entry 4 — Cooper, Mary, of Camden, Gloucester Co. — 1809 will (widow of Daniel Cooper) [Cooper-not-related]

"1809, June 17. Cooper, Mary*, of Camden, Gloucester Co., widow of Daniel Cooper late of same place; will of. Grandson, Richard M. Cooper, $26.66. Granddaughters by law, Deborah Cooper (widow of Daniel Cooper) and Susannah Cooper (widow of Charles Cooper), all my wearing apparel. Son, Joshua Cooper, silver tankard, 2 silver porringers, 10 silver teaspoons also residue of my estate composed of money and chattels. Executors—son, Joshua and grandson, Richard M. Cooper. Witnesses—William Newton, Jonah Atkinson.

1811, Jan. 5. Codicil. Revoking bequest of money to grandson, Richard M. Cooper and he is not to be executor. Revoking also bequest to granddaughter in law, Deborah Cooper. Witnesses—same. Proved Mar. 18, 1811. File 2796 H. *Signed by mark."

Out-of-scope: Camden, Gloucester Co. — different region. Mary Cooper was the widow of a different Daniel Cooper (NOT our Daniel Cooper Sr. of Long Hill, who d. 1795 with surviving wife Hannah Martin per Littell I.4). This Daniel Cooper was a Camden Gloucester resident; his estate had family disputes leading to the codicil revoking bequests. Captured for completeness.

Entry 5 — Cooper, Nathan M., of Chester Twsp., Morris Co. — 1811 admin [Cooper-Roxbury-cluster] [verbatim]

"1811, July 29. Cooper, Nathan, M., of Chester, Morris Co. Int. Inventory, $224.11½; made by Jacob Mesler, Stephen Luse. Sworn to by William Hunt, Adm'r, July 30, 1811. File 1442 N."

Significance for the Roxbury-cluster Cooper family:

• Decedent: Nathan M. Cooper of Chester Twsp., Morris Co. Died intestate; admin granted 30 July 1811 (date of admin sworn-to one day after the file date — typical for posted-bond / sworn-Adm'r workflow).
• Inventory: $224.11½ — modest estate, consistent with a younger man or one without substantial real-property holdings.
• Inventory appraisers: Jacob Mesler, Stephen Luse — Chester-area appraisers.
• Administrator: William Hunt (not a Cooper — likely a relative-by-marriage or a creditor/in-law administering by court appointment).
• Identification (working hypothesis): Nathan M. Cooper of Chester is plausibly a son of Nathan Cooper Sr. of Roxbury (1797 testator per J.36) + Mehitabel — the eldest son Nathan Cooper of Mehitable's 1812 will (which lists three Cooper sons of Chester: Nathan, Samuel, Abraham). The "M" middle initial is unexplained by the existing Roxbury-cluster data — Mehitable's son was simply "Nathan" in her March 1812 will, with no middle initial. Either the abstract clerk added "M" (perhaps for "M[ehitabel]" or "M[artin]" patronymic), OR Nathan M. is a different Nathan Cooper of Chester. Reading is provisional pending more data.
• Timeline note: if Nathan M. was Mehitable's son, he died 6-7 months before Mehitable made her own will (19 March 1812). Mehitable's will lists "Son, Nathan Cooper, $250 in obligations" — but if her son Nathan was already dead by March 1812, the bequest would have to pass to his children (under colonial NJ intestate succession). The will language "Son, Nathan Cooper, $250 in obligations" treats Nathan as a living beneficiary, contradicting the Nathan-M-as-son hypothesis. Suggests Nathan M. was a DIFFERENT Nathan Cooper of Chester — possibly a nephew or cousin, or unrelated.

Entry 6 — Cooper, Mehitable, of Chester Twsp., Morris Co. — 1812 will [Cooper-Roxbury-cluster] [verbatim] (partial — text continues off bottom)

"1812, Mar. 19. Cooper, Mehitable, of Chester Twsp., Morris Co.; will of. Son, Nathan Cooper, $250 in obligations. Son, Samuel Cooper, $600 in obligations. Son, Abraham Cooper, $250. Said three sons to have my part of plantation purchased of C. Victor King. Son, Abraham, also to have negro boy, Paris, a bed & bedding. Son, Samuel, also to have negroes, Clock, Jude and Rose; also bed and bedding, wearing apparel, which he…" [text continues off bottom of visible image]

Cross-link: see J.36 "Mehitabel's 1812 will — primary-source corroboration of the family structure" subsection for full analysis of this entry. Briefly: Mehitable Cooper of Chester was the widow of Nathan Cooper Sr. of Roxbury (per J.36's 1797 will). She had at least three sons (Nathan + Samuel + Abraham) all of Chester by 1812. Her plantation was separately purchased of C. Victor King.

Summary — what J.37 adds to the catalog

• Six Cooper-name probate entries on a single page of NJ Calendar of Wills Vol. XXXXI — captured per the full-transcription policy.
• Two are in the Roxbury-cluster scope (Nathan M. of Chester 1811 admin; Mehitable of Chester 1812 will).
• Four are out-of-scope Cooper families (Abraham of Hillsborough Somerset; Amos of Woodbury Gloucester; John of Bridgewater Somerset; Mary of Camden Gloucester) — captured for completeness; flagged as [Cooper-not-related] in case future cross-references arise.
• Net new finding: the Mehitable Cooper of Chester 1812 will primary-source-corroborates J.34 Ancestry tree's claim of Nathan I. Cooper × Mehitabel Seward → sons including Abraham (b. 1762 Chester); the will adds a previously-unknown third son Samuel to the family structure.
• Lingering question: is "Nathan M. Cooper" of Chester (Entry 5, d. 1811) the same as Mehitable's son Nathan? Probably NOT (Mehitable's March 1812 will treats Nathan as living and able to receive a $250 obligation bequest). Likely a different Nathan Cooper of Chester. Identification deferred.

Status / follow-up

• Filed [verbatim] for all six entries on the visible portion of p. 81. The Mehitable Cooper of Chester will continues off the bottom — full transcription requires the next page (p. 82, of which a separate image was supplied earlier 2026-04-25 — see J.36 for context).
• Roxbury-cluster Cooper line declared out-of-scope per project pr.26 Roxbury Cooper family out-of-scope (RESOLVED).md. The two in-cluster entries here are catalogued for completeness; no follow-up research priorities.
• The four out-of-scope Cooper families (Hillsborough Somerset Abraham, Woodbury Gloucester Amos, Bridgewater Somerset John, Camden Gloucester Mary) are catalogued solely so that future Cooper cross-references in other entries can resolve correctly.
• Open question: is "Benjamin Coon" (witness on the Monmouth Co. testator at top of p. 81) related to the Cooper / Cook surname variant network? Likely not (different family; Coon is a distinct Dutch-origin surname). Flagged but not pursued.