Somerset County Historical Quarterly Vol. I (1912) pp. 155-156 — The Husband of Six Wives and a Centenarian (anonymous editorial, ed. A. Van Doren Honeyman) — substantial published-secondary biographical entry on Judge Daniel Cooper of Long Hill: PRIMARY-source-grade office dates (Sheriff of Morris co. ~1753-1761 + later; Judge of Common Pleas 1768-1774; JP 1776-~1786) + Munsell 1882 six-wives list (Grace Runyon, Jane Westbrook, Grace Manning, Fannie Jones, Barbara Margaret Gibbs, Hannah Mather) + Rankin 1872 conflicting first-wife reading (Jane Cross dau. of Rev. John Cross) + Daniel Sr's son Dr. John Cooper of Easton + Benjamin = 4th of 10 children + Benjamin's Hibernia Iron Mines partnership with Lord Stirling + Benjamin's 1773 counterfeiting arrest + 1768 Treasury robbery share £800 + reprieve + pardon

Transcription and notes

Cross-reference: cited by Craddock 1999 as ref #99

Added 2026-05-17 via I.22 full-bibliography pull: M.24 (Honeyman SCHQ Vol I 1912 pp. 155-156) = Craddock's bibliography reference #99. Craddock entry 102 Benjamin² Cooper AND entry 204 Daniel¹ Cooper both cite "#99 pp. 155-156" — = exactly this M.24 article. Confirms M.24 was one of Craddock's underlying sources for the Cooper biographical narrative. See I.22 "Complete bibliography enumeration" section for the full citation chain.

Source

• Filename: (image held in the family archive)
• Title: Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Vol. I, 1912. Editor: A. Van Doren Honeyman. Publisher: Somerset County Historical Society, Somerville NJ
• Article: "The Husband of Six Wives and a Centenarian" — anonymous editorial (likely Honeyman as editor), pp. 155-156
• Significance: This is the underlying biographical source that Honeyman's 1916 article (M.23) cross-references at "see Quarterly, Vol. I, p. 155". It expands on Daniel Sr's biography substantially beyond the 1916 summary.
• Date viewed: 2026-05-05 v186.5

Verbatim — pp. 155-156 (full article)

The Husband of Six Wives and a Centenarian

Judge Daniel Cooper, whose tombstone is in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian churchyard, where his age at death is stated to have been "100 years and 2 days" (as appears in the inscriptions from that churchyard on another page), was a resident, for the most of his life, in Morris county. He was noted not only for his longevity but for the number of his wives, and also from having been one of the Judges who sat on the trial of his son, who was condemned to death. He was a large landowner and farmer, whose first wife, says Rev. Dr. Rankin in his carefully prepared "Historical Discourse" on the Basking Ridge church (1872), was Jane Cross, a daughter of the Rev. John Cross, pastor from 1732 to 1742 of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian church. This differs from another record, as we shall presently note. He was Sheriff of Morris county from about 1753 until removed in 1761, and again at a later date. He was a Judge of the Common Pleas from 1768 to 1774, and then a Justice of the Peace from 1776 to (probably) 1786. One of his sons was Dr. John Cooper, of Easton, Pa., who had large and important family connections, and who died in 1851 at the age of eighty-six.

When Judge Cooper died in May, 1799 [SIC — clearly 1795 not 1799], an obituary notice of him said: "On the 7th of May he was one hundred years old. He has buried five wives, and the sixth, whom he married four years ago, is now left a disconsolate widow."

The "History of Morris County," (1882), by Munsell, gives the names of his six wives as follows: 1. Grace Runyon, whom he married in 1726. 2. Jane Westbrook. [Could she have been the Jane Cross before alluded to and Cooper her second husband?] 3. Grace Manning. 4. Fannie Jones, a widow. 5. Barbara Margaret Gibbs. 6. Hannah Mather. The work last referred to also states he died "May 2, 1795, one year over 100 years of age." His tombstone says, as stated, "100 years and 2 days." Judge Cooper's parents are said to have come over from Holland in 1695, and he was born at sea "May 1, 1695," (which would make him over 104 years old at the time of his death). It would appear from the name that his parents must have been English, and it is known that many English went to Holland about the time of King Charles I. and II., to escape from persecutions and charges of treason. For example, the Emmons family, and many others.

More facts concerning Judge Cooper's life would probably make interesting reading. As to his son's trial, it is to be noted that the son was Benjamin, fourth son (out of ten children in all). He was part owner, with Lord Stirling, of the Hibernia Iron Mines in Morris county. In 1773 he was arrested, with four others, charged with counterfeiting the New Jersey bills of credit. One of the members of the court which tried him, says several accounts, was his father. He was convicted and sentenced to be hung. He then confessed, and also stated that he was privy to the robbery of the State Treasury at Perth Amboy in 1768, receiving £800 as his share of the plunder. On the morning of the day set for his execution he was reprieved and afterward pardoned, because he gave information concerning his accomplices which was useful to the state.

Catalog implications

NEW office-date data on Daniel Sr — primary-source-grade for Morris Co. records

Three offices with date ranges: - Sheriff of Morris co. ~1753 - removed 1761 + 'again at a later date' — Honeyman 1912 attribution. ** CATALOG CORRECTION v201 2026-05-19 via I.99 + I.100: image-verified primary source establishes Honeyman conflated father + son. Daniel Sr held Sheriff briefly c. 1753-1757; Daniel Cooper Junior was formally commissioned Sheriff of Morris County by John Reading Esq, Acting Governor, on 4 July 1758 per I.100 Morris CCP Vol 2-3 image 66 (image-verified). Daniel Jr exercised the office continuously through at least 1769 per pr.44 Vol 26 Newspapers. By July 1762 Daniel Sr was referenced as "Late High Sheriff" per Img128/129 = past-tense confirming his earlier tenure. Honeyman's "1761 removed" date is unverified — likely his own conflation. Best reconstruction: Daniel Sr Sheriff c. 1753-1757; Daniel Jr Sheriff 1758-1769+. - Judge of the Common Pleas 1768-1774 — Honeyman 1912 attribution. ** CATALOG CORRECTION v201 2026-05-19 via I.101 + Img088 image-verification: image-verified primary source establishes Daniel Sr was already Judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas by 11 March 1760 (Img088) — bracketed against 4 July 1758 (still Justice per I.100), giving promotion window of 20 months: July 1758 → March 1760. Honeyman's 1768 start date is 8 years too late. Daniel Sr's actual Judge tenure: ≈ 1759-1774+ (Honeyman's end date 1774 not yet verified; pr.44 Vol 26 has him still Judge 1768-69). - JP 1776 to (probably) 1786 = consistent with later JP-era references; matches F.34 1783-1786 Basking Ridge Presbyterian pew-holder "Daniel Cooper, Esq." Honeyman's start date 1776 not yet primary-source-image-verified; needs Vol 4-6 (1766-1778) Morris CCP minute-book check for the Judge→JP transition.

Corrected timeline (per primary-source image evidence):

These office spans cover 47 years of Daniel Sr's mature career as a Morris Co. judicial-administrative officeholder (ages 44-91). Most spans now primary-source-image-verified via the pr.55 Morris CCP minute book thread.

Daniel Jr office timeline (companion correction):

Munsell 1882 wives list — CONFLICTS with current catalog readings

** RESOLVED 2026-05-05 v186.5+ via direct Munsell pull: Per I.46 Munsell 1882 History of Morris County NJ Chapter 31 verbatim text on disk: Munsell's 6th wife reads "Hannah Martin, widow of Colonel Ephraim Martin" — confirms Littell + project pr.6 Daniel Sr Hannah Martin sixth wife.md. Honeyman's 1912 SCHS Vol I "Hannah Mather" was a transcription error (likely OCR or typo when Honeyman quoted Munsell). Munsell + Littell are now consilient on Hannah Martin** at high published-secondary confidence; "Mather" reading retired.

Rankin 1872 "Jane Cross daughter of Rev. John Cross" — likely confusion with Daniel Jr × Ann Cross

Honeyman editorial flags Rankin 1872 Historical Discourse on Basking Ridge Church as claiming Daniel Sr's first wife = Jane Cross, daughter of Rev. John Cross. This conflicts with all other catalog sources (Littell I.4, House of Cooper I.36, Munsell 1882, Geneanet L.9, Ancestry tree L.30) which agree on Grace Runyon as Daniel Sr's first wife.

Most parsimonious explanation: Rankin confused Daniel Sr × Grace Runyon with his SON Daniel Jr × Ann Cross (per I.25 + L.30). Daniel Jr m. Ann Cross — likely Rev. John Cross's daughter or relative — making Rankin's "Jane Cross daughter of Rev. John Cross" a misidentification of Daniel Jr's wife as Daniel Sr's. The Basking Ridge churchyard burial of Daniel Sr alongside the Cross family per project pr.4 Daniel Sr buried Basking Ridge (RESOLVED).md may have led Rankin to assume Daniel Sr was the Cross-family-married Cooper, when actually it was his son.

Open follow-up: Pull Rankin 1872 Historical Discourse on Basking Ridge Church directly to verify the Jane Cross claim verbatim and check whether Rankin attributes the marriage to Daniel Sr or Daniel Jr.

Benjamin Cooper biographical detail — Hibernia Iron Mines + Treasury robbery

The 1912 article confirms primary biographical details about Benjamin Cooper: - "Fourth son (out of ten children in all)" of Daniel Sr — matches I.4 Littell + I.22 Craddock - "Part owner, with Lord Stirling, of the Hibernia Iron Mines in Morris county" = NEW catalog datum (catalog has Cooper-Stirling joint debts per project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md + J.33, but the Hibernia Iron Mines partnership is a fresh specific datum naming the joint enterprise) - 1773 counterfeiting arrest with four others — matches Craddock + Littell narratives - Father (Daniel Sr) on the court that tried Benjamin — confirms Craddock I.22's "the unhappy experience of sentencing his own son" - State Treasury robbery at Perth Amboy 1768 + £800 share — NEW specific monetary figure; the 1768 NJ State Treasury robbery is a well-documented colonial event; £800 is a substantial sum (= ~$200,000+ in 2026 USD) - Reprieved + pardoned for testifying against accomplices

NEW research direction: investigate Benjamin's Hibernia Iron Mines partnership with Lord Stirling. Sources: - NJ Supreme Court records 1768-1773 for the Treasury robbery + counterfeiting cases - Lord Stirling papers (NYHS / NJHS / NYPL) - Hibernia Iron Mines historical records — the mines are well-documented Revolutionary-era industrial site in Morris Co.

Origin narrative — 3-gen England→Holland→sea-birth

The 1912 article preserves the same 3-generation origin narrative as I.36 House of Cooper p. 7 (1946) + I.22 Craddock. 1912 Vol I p. 156 is the EARLIEST catalog-grade published-secondary source for this 3-gen narrative. The narrative chain is: - Gen 1: parents (English, fled to Holland during Charles I/II persecutions) - Gen 2: parents emigrated Holland → America 1695 - Gen 3: Daniel Sr born at sea May 1, 1695

Honeyman editorial cites no underlying primary source for this narrative — likely family-tradition material that Munsell 1882 + Littell 1851 + earlier sources had also rendered. The 1912 Vol I article is therefore a mid-point in the published-secondary chain between primary family tradition (oral, pre-1851) and 1946 House of Cooper synthesis.

Open follow-ups

• PRIORITY 1: Verify Daniel Sr's office dates 1753-1761 + 1768-1774 + 1776-1786 against primary-source NJ colonial / state records
• PRIORITY 2: Investigate "Fannie Jones, a widow" — Daniel Sr's possible 4th wife per Munsell — primary-source verification needed; conflicts with L.30 Ancestry tree's wives list
• PRIORITY 3: Pull Munsell 1882 History of Morris County directly to verify Honeyman's six-wives transcription (Mather vs Martin question)
• PRIORITY 4: Pull Rankin 1872 Historical Discourse on Basking Ridge Church directly for Jane Cross claim
• PRIORITY 5: Investigate Hibernia Iron Mines records 1760s-1780s for Benjamin Cooper × Lord Stirling partnership documentation
• PRIORITY 6: Investigate the May 1799 obituary notice — likely date is 1795 (Daniel Sr's actual death year) but Honeyman's 1912 editorial says "May, 1799" — could be Honeyman error OR Honeyman quoting a delayed obituary

Verbatim — Vol I 1912 Basking Ridge Presbyterian cemetery roll (Cooper section, ~pp. 125-126) [added v190.5x9 2026-05-08]

A separate article in the SAME Vol. I 1912 issue contains a Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church cemetery transcript. The full Cooper-section run is verbatim below. Source extracted via pdftotext from (image held in the family archive) (the alternate-named copy of the same volume; the bracket-named copy (image held in the family archive) failed pdftotext extraction but is image-content-equivalent).

Cooper, Bryan (son of George and Margaret), d. June 10, 1798, in 23rd yr.

Cooper, Daniel, Esq., d. May 2, 1795, aged 100 yrs., 2 dys.

Cooper, Daniel, d. Sept. 24, 1826, aged 57 yrs., 1 mo., 9 dys.

Cooper, Eleanor W. (wife of John G.), d. Jan. 6, 1863, aged 79 yrs.

Cooper, George, d. Sept. 30, 1801, aged 56 yrs.

Cooper, Grace (first wife of Daniel, Esq.), d. Nov. 8, 1755, aged 49 yrs.

Cooper, John G., d. Oct. 24, 1822, aged 42 yrs., 7 mos.

Cooper, John (son of Peter and Susan), d. Aug. 11, 1836, aged 49 yrs., 1 mo., 3 dys.

Cooper, Magdalen (widow of John), d. June 25, 1869, in 63rd yr.

Cooper, Mary (dau. of George and Margaret), d. Jan. 27, 1794, aged 16 yrs.

Cooper, Mehitable (wife of Stephen, and formerly wife of John Colwell, dec'd), d. Mar. 24, 1827, in 39th yr.

Cooper, Peter, d. Feb. 3, 1847, 86th yr.

Cooper, Solomon, d. Oct. 31, 1844, aged 74 yrs., 19 dys.

Coriell, Dr. Israel L., d. Aug. 8, 1829, in 31st yr.

[adjacent Cross family entries:]

Cross, Alexander, d. Sept. 18, 1830, aged 32 yrs., 9 mos., 8 dys.

Cross, Bryan (son of Robert and Mary), d. Apr. 8, 1789, in 33rd yr.

Cross, Elizabeth (relict of Robert), d. Sept. 5, 1849, 73rd yr.

Cross, Eliphalet J. (son of Samuel B. and Jemima), d. Aug. 22, 1797, aged 7 yrs.

Cross, Israel (son of James and Gittie), d. Feb. 3, 1835, aged 18 yrs, 1 mo., 2 dys.

Cross, Dr. James, d. at Elizabethtown, Mar. 6, 1829, in 27th yr.

NEW catalog data from the cemetery roll

Daniel Sr (1695-1795): tombstone reading reproduced — d. May 2, 1795, aged 100 yrs., 2 dys. Confirms G.27 photo-based reading at primary-source-published level.

** Grace Runyon Cooper (Daniel Sr's first wife): NEW catalog death-date datum. d. Nov. 8, 1755, aged 49 yrs. This was missing from the catalog — I.35 Bonham locks her birth as 17 Jan 1706/7 (= matches age 49 at 8 Nov 1755 death). Her burial at Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church beside Daniel Sr (per project pr.4 Daniel Sr buried Basking Ridge (RESOLVED).md + G.27) is corroborated. Daniel Sr remarried his 2nd wife Jane Westbrook 3 Jul 1757 Machackemeck (per L.30)** — = 21-month interval between Grace's death and Jane's marriage, consistent.

** George Cooper (Daniel Sr's son, 6th of 10 per I.23 Craddock): d. Sept. 30, 1801, aged 56 yrs. = b. ~1745. Matches Craddock I.23's birth-year reading. First primary-source-published death date for George.**

** NEW catalog persons via George × Margaret (Daniel Sr's grandchildren): - Bryan Cooper (son of George × Margaret): d. June 10, 1798, in 23rd yr. = b. ~1775-1776. NEW catalog person, not previously named. - Mary Cooper (dau. of George × Margaret)**: d. Jan. 27, 1794, aged 16 yrs. = b. ~1777-1778. NEW catalog person.

Both children predeceased their father George (d. 1801) — Mary at age 16 (1794) and Bryan at age 22-23 (1798). George's wife was named Margaret (not previously locked in catalog). Per I.22 Craddock entry 200 / I.23, George Cooper m. Margaret Lefferty (sister of Mary Lefferty who married Robert Cross). The Cooper-Lefferty-Cross triple-family-tie at Long Hill is corroborated by Bryan + Mary's Basking Ridge burials adjacent to the Cross family in the cemetery roll.

** Solomon Cooper: d. Oct. 31, 1844, aged 74 yrs., 19 dys. = b. ~Oct 1770. Per A.9 Daniel Sr's 1791 will + 1792 codicil names "grandchildren via John (Daniel, Solomon, Charity Cooper)". This Solomon Cooper d. 1844 likely = the Solomon Cooper named as Daniel Sr's grandson via son John. First primary-source-published death date for the John-grandson Solomon.**

** Daniel Cooper (the second one, d. 24 Sept 1826 age 57)**: b. ~Sept 1769. Could be a grandson via either John or Daniel Jr. Per A.10 Daniel Jr d. 1787 had administrators "Peter Cooper + William Cooper" with "fellow bondsman: John Cooper" — all of Morristown — these three Coopers are most plausibly Daniel Jr's adult sons. None named Daniel. Could be a grandson via John, alternative reading of A.9's "grandchildren via John (Daniel, Solomon, Charity Cooper)".

** Peter Cooper (d. 3 Feb 1847 in 86th yr = b. ~1761)**: Matches A.10 Peter Cooper of Morristown, administrator of Daniel Jr's estate 1787. Born ~1761 = Daniel Jr's son aged 26 at father's 1787 death.

** Magdalen Cooper (widow of John, d. 25 June 1869 in 63rd yr = b. ~1806)**: Per project pr.45 A.5 1868 document deprioritized (RETIRED).md and I.46 Munsell, "Lynche" or "Magdalen" Cooper widow of John. Same person? The 1869 death age 63 = b. ~1806; her husband John would have predeceased her by some interval. Possible match for one of Daniel Sr's John-grandsons.

** Mehitable Cooper (wife of Stephen, formerly wife of John Colwell dec'd, d. 24 Mar 1827 in 39th yr)**: b. ~1788. Consistent with a Cooper-family-marrying woman, possibly a Daniel-Sr-line spouse.

** Eleanor W. Cooper (wife of John G., d. 6 Jan 1863 age 79)**: b. ~1784.

** John G. Cooper (d. 24 Oct 1822 age 42 yrs 7 mos)**: b. ~Mar 1780. Husband of Eleanor W. above. Could be a Daniel-Sr-line grandson-generation member.

** John Cooper (son of Peter × Susan, d. 11 Aug 1836 age 49 yrs 1 mo 3 dys)**: b. ~Jul 1787. Son of a Peter Cooper × Susan. Could be son of the Peter Cooper d. 1847 (b. ~1761) above; would need Peter × Susan marriage record to confirm.

NEW family-cluster picture

Combining the cemetery-roll Coopers with the wives and children data already in the catalog:

Net: 5 NEW or upgraded primary-source-published Cooper death dates for Daniel Sr's family across two generations, all from a single article in Vol. I 1912.

Article context

The cemetery roll is part of a multi-article series transcribing Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church gravestones, starting in earlier issues and continuing into Vol. I 1912 (article begins ~p. 117 of the volume; Cooper section at ~p. 125-126 by the volume's internal pagination, lines 8966-8995 of the pdftotext extract). Editor: A. Van Doren Honeyman.

Cross-references

• M.23 — SCHS Quarterly Vol. V (1916) Honeyman pp. 188-189 — cross-references this Vol. I 1912 entry at "see Quarterly, Vol. I, p. 155"
• I.4 — Littell — Daniel Sr's six wives + Hannah-Martin reading
• I.22 — Craddock — Benjamin's biography + father-as-judge narrative
• I.25 — Daniel Cooper Jr × Ann Cross
• I.36 — House of Cooper — 3-gen England→Holland→sea-birth narrative
• B.33 — Daniel Sr militia commissioner 1778
• F.32 / F.33 / F.34 — Daniel Sr Basking Ridge Presbyterian pew-holder records
• J.33 — Cooper-Stirling joint deeds
• L.30 — Ancestry tree Daniel Sr full wives list
• Project pr.1 Daniel Cooper Sr dates.md — 1695-1795 dates
• Project pr.4 Daniel Sr buried Basking Ridge (RESOLVED).md — Basking Ridge burial
• Project pr.6 Daniel Sr Hannah Martin sixth wife.md — Hannah Martin (vs Munsell's "Mather")
• Project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md — Cooper-Stirling joint debts; Hibernia Iron Mines = the underlying joint enterprise