The Coopers of Long Hill

Document L.63 · Family Tree Charts and Manuscripts · transcription: verbatim

Maintainer Chris Cooper compiler-notes 2026-05-09 on Dr John Cooper Jr 1799-1863 of Coopers Plains Steuben Co. NY = Chris's 4-greats-grandfather + Generation -4 of his documented chain. Synthesizes 8 underlying primary + secondary sources: (1) Marion Springer (Steuben Co. Clerk's Office, Bath NY) deeds + newspaper-clipping research; (2) Stirling Cooper Sr's personal notes 'When Dr. John Cooper, Jr. died in 1863 he left each surviving son and daughter 500 acres of land. His mother, Mary Erwin, had inherited 5,000 acres in New York State'; (3) The Erwin Family book p. 151 + W.W. Clayton, History of Steuben Co., NY (Philadelphia 1879) p. 294 — village-of-Coopers-Plains-founder narrative + 1841 farm-residence at Meads Creek Valley + Conhocton + uncle Dr. John Erwin's military accoutrements bequest; (4) Roberts, 1891 Historical Gazateer of Steuben County — Coopers in Erwin Town 1891 directory; (5) USGenWeb extraction by Dan Wilson of Centennial History of the First Presbyterian Church of Easton PA 1811-1911 — John Cooper signed 1811 founding petition (probably John Sr, possibly John Jr); (6) Dictionary of American Biography Vol II Theodore Cooper entry — 'Both his father and mother were from Pennsylvania'; (7) 1860 Federal Census Erwin Steuben Co. NY July 11 (= [D.151](../D-Federal-Census/D.151.yaml)) full transcription including 2 Irish domestics; (8) Death notices from Steuben County NY newspapers 1797-1884 [LDS Family History Library call number G929.374783 J136de] indexing John Jr's death. NEW catalog datums: John Jr was a Civil-War-era physician (= father of 4 sons in Union Army March 1862); 1841 founding of Coopers Plains village by laying out farm into lots; 500-acre-each-child bequest; Mary Erwin's 5,000-acre NY State land inheritance from her father Col. Arthur Erwin (1726-1791) [B.45](../B-Military/B.45.yaml) Patriot; Steuben County Court bench service; uncle Dr. John Erwin's military-accoutrements bequest.

Transcription and notes

Data — verbatim transcription of maintainer-notes 2026-05-09

Header

Notes

My second-great grandfather!

Medical School of Pa.

Marion Springer's research findings (Steuben Co. Clerk's Office, Bath NY)

Marion Springer (Steuben County Clerk's Office, Bath, NY, 14810, [number removed] x3207) did a lot of research and found (among other things):

p. 225 Corning & Vicinity: July 1865 — Dr. John Cooper - son of the late Dr. Cooper of Coopers Plains has located at Painted Post. He was a surgeon in the Army.

Mar - 1862 p. 214 — Dr. Cooper of Coopers Plains has 4 sons in the army

Stirling Cooper Sr's personal notes

"When Dr. John Cooper, Jr. died in 1863 he left each surviving son and daughter 500 acres of land. His mother, Mary Erwin, had inherited 5,000 acres in New York State" — personal notes of Stirling Cooper Sr.

The Erwin Family book p. 151

Dr. John Cooper Jr. was for many years a leading physician of Cooper's Plains, NY and also served for a number of years on the bench of the County Court of Steuben County, NY. At his death each surviving child received 500 acres.

They moved to "Cooper's Plains" Steuben County. Dr. Cooper Jr became the founder of the village of Cooper's Plains. In 1841 he build a large residence on his farm near the junction of Meads Creek Valley with Conhocton, and laid out a portion of his farm into village lots. The place soon begain to attract settlers. (W.W. Clayton, History of Steuben Co., NY, Philadelphia 1879, p. 294)

He inherited from his uncle, Dr. John Erwin "sword, holsters and pistols, silver chains, epaulettes, chapeau and all other my military accoutrements."

Roberts 1891 Historical Gazateer of Steuben County (Kevin [email removed] research)

John Cooper, Jr. was a noted physician and founder of village of Coopers Plains.

Another early Cooper settler in the county was Edward C. Cooper who came to Painted Post in 1803.

The Roberts book also has a directory of citizens in 1891. The Coopers in Erwin (Coopers Plains is part of Erwin) are as follows: - Alfred — farmer - Arthur E. — tobacco grower (Cooper Plains post office) - David — farmer (Cooper Plains post office) - Frank — farmer (Cooper Plains post office) - John — farmer (Cooper Plains post office) - John — laborer (Cooper Plains post office) - Martha A., widow Charles J. (Cooper Plains post office)

Easton PA First Presbyterian Church 1811 founders' petition (Dan Wilson USGenWeb extraction)

On ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/northampton/church/presby0002.txt I saw this:

Church: Officers And Members Of The First Presbyterian Church, Easton, Northampton Co. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Dan Wilson ([email removed])

OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, 1812-1911 extracted from CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, 1811-1911.

The following members signed the original petition to the Presbytery of New Brunswick, NJ in April 1811:

Brown, Henry — Green, Enoch — Lambert, Charles — Burke, Joseph — Green, Benjamin — Mettler, Benjamin — Burnside, J.M. — Green, John — McCarthy Samuel — Cooper, John

Dictionary of American Biography Vol II — Theodore Cooper entry

The Dictionary of American Biography, Volume II, says "Both his [Theodore Cooper]'s father and mother were from Pennsylvania"

1860 Federal Census — Erwin Steuben Co. NY, July 11, Post Office: Coopers Plains

John Cooper, Jr. — 61, m, farmer, born Penn Elizabeth — 53, f, born Penn Theodore — 21, m, Engineer, born NY Thomas W. — 23, m, Farmer, born NY Samuel — 19, m, Student, born NY, attending school Frederick — 17, m, born NY, attending school Charlotte — 15, f, born NY, attending school Arthur — 12, m, born NY, attending school Francis — 31, m, Lawyer, born NY Catherine Cartrel? — 35, f, domestic, born Ireland Bradysrdgens? — 18, f, domestic, born Ireland

(Note: This is the same census as D.151. The 2 Irish domestics at the bottom are NEW to the catalog vs the existing D.151 entry which captured 9 Cooper-family members but may not have listed the domestics. Catherine Cartrel? and Bradysrdgens? — both surnames OCR-uncertain in maintainer's transcription.)

LDS Family History Library death-notice index

"Death notices from Steuben County, New York, newspapers, 1797-1884" [G929.374783 J136de] lists his death

(Note: LDS Family History Library call number G929.374783 J136de = published index of newspaper death notices in Steuben Co. NY 1797-1884. John Jr's 1863 death is among the indexed notices. NEW catalog research path: pull the underlying newspaper death notice from this index.)

Significance

PRIMARY-SOURCE BREAKTHROUGH: 4 of John Cooper Jr's sons in Union Army March 1862

Per Marion Springer's Mar 1862 Corning & Vicinity p. 214 newspaper item: "Dr. Cooper of Coopers Plains has 4 sons in the army" = primary-source-published attestation that 4 of John Cooper Jr's sons were in Union Army by March 1862.

Per I.59 p. 7-8 + A.30 family-internal enumeration, John Jr × Elizabeth M. Evans's sons: - #1 Francis Erwin Cooper b. 1829 Lawyer (age 33 in 1862) - #3 John III Cooper b. 1833 Physician (age 29 in 1862; = 'son of the late Dr. Cooper of Coopers Plains has located at Painted Post' Army surgeon per Marion Springer July 1865 Corning & Vicinity p. 225 → primary-source-confirmed Civil War Army service) - #4 Thomas Wallis Cooper b. 1837 (age 25 in 1862; d. 31 Oct 1862 unmarried — likely Civil-War-period death) - #5 Theodore Cooper b. 12 Jan 1839 Engineer (age 23 in 1862; possibly Civil War service) - #6 Samuel Erwin Cooper b. 1841 (age 21 in 1862; d. 3 Aug 1864 unmarried — likely Civil-War-period death) - #7 Frederic Stephen Cooper b. 1842 (age 19 in 1862; 2nd Lt. Co. F 4th Missouri Cavalry, primary-source attested at G.95 + B.45) - #9 Arthur Erwin Cooper b. 12 Apr 1848 (age 13 in 1862 — too young)

The "4 sons in the army" most plausibly = Francis (33) + John III (29, Army surgeon) + Frederic Stephen (19, 4th MO Cav) + one of Thomas Wallis (25), Theodore (23), or Samuel Erwin (21). Per maintainer-notes Frederic Stephen's surviving Civil War letters mention "poor Tom in the mud below Lebanon" (= brother Tom = Thomas Wallis present in army) + "Sam is the greatest coon. He refuses a Capt-s in an Illinois regiment" (= brother Sam = Samuel Erwin present in army declining Captain commission). So plausibly all 5 brothers Francis + John III + Thomas Wallis + Samuel Erwin + Frederic Stephen served in Civil War; the March 1862 newspaper "4 sons" may have predated Frederic Stephen's enlistment (Feb 1 1862 was just before Mar 1862, but Fred was discharged July 1862 = his enlistment may not have been counted in the local March 1862 newspaper).

This catalog datum sharply contextualizes John Cooper Jr's 1863 death: he died in Oct 1863 having sent at least 4 sons to the Civil War, with 2 (Tom + Sam) dying in/just-after the war (Oct 1862 + Aug 1864). The 1865 A.30 family agreement listing surviving children (5 of 9 = Francis E + John III + Theodore + Charlotte E + Arthur E + Mary E) reflects this Civil War attrition.

1841 Founding of Coopers Plains Village by Dr. John Cooper Jr

Per The Erwin Family book p. 151 + W.W. Clayton 1879 History of Steuben Co. NY p. 294: In 1841, John Cooper Jr built a large residence on his farm near the junction of Meads Creek Valley with Cohocton [River], and laid out a portion of his farm into village lots. The place soon began to attract settlers. The village then took his name = "Coopers Plains".

This places the village founding at 1841 and confirms John Jr as the namesake. Per Roberts 1891 Historical Gazateer "John Cooper, Jr. was a noted physician and founder of village of Coopers Plains." But per Roberts 1891 + maintainer-notes "Another early Cooper settler in the county was Edward C. Cooper who came to Painted Post in 1803" — there was a separate Cooper family in Steuben Co. preceding John Jr by 25+ years. The "Coopers" in "Coopers Plains" is John Jr's family specifically (= the village he laid out 1841), not Edward C. Cooper's earlier 1803 Painted Post settlement.

500-acre-each-child bequest at John Jr's 1863 death

Per Stirling Cooper Sr's personal notes + The Erwin Family book p. 151: "At his death each surviving child received 500 acres." Per I.59 p. 7-8 John Jr × Elizabeth M. Evans had 9 children; per A.30 5 of 9 had survived to 1865 (Francis E + Mary E + John III + Theodore + Charlotte + Arthur E) plus Frederic Stephen (omitted from I.59 but attested at A.30 + B.45) = at least 6 surviving children = at least 6 × 500 acres = 3,000+ acres distributed.

The land source: per maintainer-notes Stirling Sr "His mother, Mary Erwin, had inherited 5,000 acres in New York State" (from Col. Arthur Erwin's 86-sq-mile Bucks Co. PA + NY State estate per I.59 p. 11). Mary Erwin Cooper's 5,000 NY acres → her son John Cooper Jr → 500-acre-each to John Jr's 6+ surviving children = the Erwin family's NY State land transmitted through the Cooper line.

NEW research path: Steuben Co. NY land records + Erwin family land patent records would document the 5,000-acre transfer Mary Erwin → John Cooper Jr → John Jr's children.

Steuben County Court bench service

Per The Erwin Family book p. 151: John Cooper Jr "served for a number of years on the bench of the County Court of Steuben County, NY". Per I.59 p. 7 he was Associate Judge Steuben Co. by 1 Oct 1828 (immediate appointment after his 1828 migration), reappointed 26 May 1834 + Justice of the Peace 14 Nov 1832 + Supervisor 1833.

Combined with the 1841 village founding + 1863 death: John Jr's career arc Steuben Co. NY 1828-1863 was 35 years of physician + jurist + civic founder. Distinguished enough to merit Dictionary of American Biography Vol II Theodore Cooper biographical entry and Roberts 1891 + Clayton 1879 county-history mentions.

Dr. John Erwin's military-accoutrements bequest to John Cooper Jr

Per The Erwin Family book p. 151: John Cooper Jr "inherited from his uncle, Dr. John Erwin 'sword, holsters and pistols, silver chains, epaulettes, chapeau and all other my military accoutrements.'"

Identification of Dr. John Erwin: per I.59 p. 11 Col. Arthur Erwin's children include "John b. ~1785 unm." (= a child of Arthur's 2nd marriage to Mary Kennedy). This unmarried John, if a doctor, would be Mary Erwin Cooper's brother and thus John Cooper Jr's uncle. Probable identification: Dr. John Erwin = John Erwin b. ~1785, unmarried (per I.59 p. 11), brother of Mary Erwin Cooper, uncle of John Cooper Jr. Death year unknown.

The military accoutrements ("sword, holsters and pistols, silver chains, epaulettes, chapeau") suggest Dr. John Erwin had military rank — possibly inherited from his father Col. Arthur Erwin (1726-1791) the Revolutionary War commander, or from his own service.

Possible Easton PA First Presbyterian Church 1811 founder identification

Per Dan Wilson USGenWeb extraction of Centennial History of the First Presbyterian Church of Easton PA 1811-1911: "Cooper, John" signed the original 1811 petition to the Presbytery of New Brunswick NJ. Two candidates:

Most plausible identification: John Cooper Sr 1765-1851 (= Dr. John Lewis Cooper Sr, Chris's 5-greats-grandfather). NEW catalog research path: pull the actual 1811 petition document or the Centennial History of First Presbyterian Easton PA 1811-1911 to identify whether the John Cooper signer was Sr or Jr.

This is significant for Chris's chain attestation: Dr. John Cooper Sr as 1811 Easton First Presbyterian founder would primary-source-attest his Easton PA residence + civic role + denominational affiliation (= Presbyterian, matching the G.27 Daniel Sr Basking Ridge Presbyterian burial pattern + F.35 Sarah Ann Cooper baptism Basking Ridge Presbyterian).

Dictionary of American Biography Vol II Theodore Cooper entry

Per maintainer-notes: "Both his [Theodore Cooper]'s father and mother were from Pennsylvania" = the DAB entry's father+mother attribution. This corroborates the 1860 Federal Census D.151 "John Cooper Jr 61, born Penn + Elizabeth 53, born Penn" = both PA-born, matching DAB.

Identification of subject Theodore Cooper: per maintainer-notes context this is Theodore Cooper b. 12 Jan 1839 (= John Jr's #5 child per I.59, 1860 Erwin Census D.151 "Theodore 21 Engineer"). Per maintainer earlier note "Theodore Cooper naming-pattern documented: Chris's grandfather Theodore Cooper (1883-1972) named for his GREAT-UNCLE Theodore Cooper (b. ~1839 NY, age 21 Engineer in 1860 census)". So this DAB Theodore = the great-uncle Theodore.

NEW research path: pull Dictionary of American Biography Vol II Theodore Cooper entry (likely a notable civil engineer; the DAB is a national biographical encyclopedia covering distinguished Americans). Would document Theodore's career + provide additional family genealogical attribution.

1860 Federal Census Domestics

The 1860 census household at the time of John Jr's death contained 2 Irish domestics: "Catherine Cartrel?" + "Bradysrdgens?" (both surname-readings uncertain in maintainer notes). The first — Catherine — could match a Catherine Carroll, Cartrell, or similar. The second — phonetic "Brady-something" — possibly "Bridget" first name with "S R D Gens" being unrelated initials/middle-initials/surname.

NEW catalog datum: 2 Irish domestic servants in John Jr's 1860 household = household-economic-context for the Cooper family at Coopers Plains immediately pre-Civil-War. Follow-up: re-read 1860 census image for clearer Irish domestics' names.

LDS death-notices index G929.374783 J136de

Death notices from Steuben County, New York, newspapers, 1797-1884 — LDS Family History Library call number G929.374783 J136de. This index documents that John Cooper Jr's 1863 death was published in a Steuben Co. NY newspaper but the underlying newspaper is not yet in the catalog. NEW research path: pull the index page for John Cooper Jr's death notice + the underlying 1863 newspaper.

Caveats and follow-up

Cross-references