Somerset County Historical Quarterly Vol. VI (1917) — Daniel Cooper × Sarah Manning + dau. Agnes Cooper (= primary-source-published kinship via John Manning's 1804 will) + Capt. Benjamin Cooper signs Lamington (Bedminster) Presbyterian Church 1792 petition + Reformed Dutch Church Raritan baptism continuations + Cooper marriage register continuation (Laforge × Margaret Cooper 1807; Lane × Jenny Cooper 1871; Langstaff × Miriam H. Cooper 1858) + Cooper-Cubberly + miscellaneous Cooper attestations

Transcription and notes

Source identification

Why this entry exists

Vol. VI 1917 yields two highest-priority new findings:

1. John Manning of Barnardstown's 1804 will names a Daniel Cooper × Sarah Manning marriage with daughter Agnes Cooper — primary-source-published Cooper-Manning kinship at a generation likely matching Daniel Cooper Sr's grandson generation
2. Capt. Benjamin Cooper signs the 1792 Lamington (Bedminster) Presbyterian Church charter-amendment petition — primary-source documentation of Benjamin Cooper of Hunterdon's church-affiliation, predating his 1793 documented donations to Lamington + Bethlehem Presbyterian Churches per I.22 Craddock by 1 year

Plus Cooper marriage register continuation, Reformed Dutch Church Raritan baptism continuations, and miscellaneous Cooper-resident attestations.

Verbatim — John Manning of Barnardstown 1804 will (NJ Wills A. p. 18-19)

The volume reproduces Somerset Co. NJ probate records 1804. The Manning entry:

Manning, John, of Barnardstown. Date May 17, 1804. Probat. July 27, 1804. Names "wife;" grandson James Manning Kelly; daughter Mary Kelly; "gr. daus. (John Kelly's children)," viz., Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary and Rachel Kelly; dau. Rachel French and her two sons, John and Philip; Robert French, husband of Rachel; daughter Sarah Cooper; gr. dau. Agnes Cooper (dau. of Daniel Cooper). Refers to his land "in the Muskingdom" and "in Vermount state." Executors Samuel F. Randolph, Esq., and Elijah Smith. Witnesses Benjamin Jennings, John Pcniton. (A., p. 19).

Catalog implications — TWO candidate readings

The will primary-source-publishes a Cooper-Manning kinship: John Manning had a daughter who married a Cooper, and a granddaughter Agnes Cooper (daughter of "Daniel Cooper" — name not further qualified in the will text).

Reading A — original M.29 hypothesis (grandson-generation Daniel Cooper × Sarah Manning):

• "daughter Sarah Cooper" = John Manning's daughter Sarah (alive 1804) who married a grandson-generation Daniel Cooper
• "gr. dau. Agnes Cooper (dau. of Daniel Cooper)" = Sarah × Daniel grandson's daughter Agnes
• Daniel Cooper here = a grandson candidate (b. ~1769 per M.24 cemetery roll d. 1826 age 57)
• Locks Sarah Manning's father John as potentially related to Daniel Sr's 3rd wife Grace Manning (m. 11 Mar 1768 per L.30)

Reading B — maintainer's reading 2026-05-08 (Daniel Sr direct, Grace Manning as wife):

• "daughter Sarah Cooper" = a separate John Manning daughter Sarah who married a different Cooper (alive 1804, name unspecified)
• "gr. dau. Agnes Cooper (dau. of Daniel Cooper)" = Agnes Cooper b. 1732, daughter of Daniel Cooper Sr × Grace Manning (Grace = John Manning's other daughter, deceased before 1804 will-writing → not named in will)
• Per project pr.5 Daniel Sr Grace Manning Agnes 1732 (RESOLVED).md, the Agnes 1732 birth year is independently corroborated by L.9 Geneanet kdosborn tree (Agnes Cooper #3 of Daniel Sr's 10 children; b. 1732)
• Agnes in 1804 = age 72 (old for an heir but not impossible); = the same Agnes as A.9 "Agness Ludlow dec'd" (per L.9 cross-reference) — but A.9 says she was deceased by 1791, conflicting with John Manning 1804's "gr. dau. Agnes Cooper" naming. Either Reading B's Agnes ≠ Agness Ludlow (= different Agnes), OR the A.9 abstract's "deceased" reading was wrong.

Reading B conflicts with existing catalog readings:

• L.30 Ancestry tree has Grace Manning m. 11 Mar 1768 (= ~36 years AFTER Agnes 1732 birth)
• M.24 Honeyman 1912 (citing Munsell 1882) lists Grace Manning as 3rd wife (after Grace Runyon m. 1726 + Jane Westbrook)
• I.35 Bonham 1990s locks Grace Runyon as "first wife" m. 17 Apr 1726 — = direct conflict with Grace-Manning-as-pre-1726-wife
• L.9 Geneanet has Agnes 1732 with Grace Runyan (not Manning) as mother

Reading B requires at least one of: - Wives ordering revision (Grace Manning was earlier than Grace Runyon) - Two distinct Grace Mannings (early wife + late 3rd wife) - Geneanet L.9 wrong on Agnes's mother attribution - Agness Ludlow A.9 "deceased" reading wrong (= still alive 1804)

** Catalog status: BOTH readings retained pending primary-source resolution.** Per project pr.5 Daniel Sr Grace Manning Agnes 1732 (RESOLVED).md, the maintainer's Reading B is recorded as a hypothesis with explicit conflicts flagged. High-priority follow-up: pull primary-source NJ marriage records 1720-1730 for the Daniel Cooper × Grace Manning OR Daniel Cooper × Grace Runyon 1726 marriage to lock the bride's identity. Reformed Dutch Church Raritan + First Reformed Church Somerville + Basking Ridge Presbyterian baptismal/marriage/death registers for the era would be primary-source-grade.

Verbatim — Benj'n Cooper signs 1792 Lamington Church petition (pp. 180-181)

The volume reproduces a 1792 petition signers list for amendment of the Bedminster Presbyterian Church charter:

[Petitioners list, partial:]

Oliver Barnet Aaron Sutton John WhickolT [John W. Rickoft?] Yellis Dilty Henry Traphagen David Traphagen Thomas Lambert Joseph Ramsey Abram Van doren James Loughman [Loughner?] David Todd John Fisher Benj'n Cooper Nicholas Arrosmith Thomas Alston

Lamingtoti Church Petitions of 1792 181

                             Endorsement on Above

— Petition from Bedminster Church for amendment of their Charter. May 29, 1792, Leave to present a Bill 1st Thursday in the next sitting.

  Thursday morning, Octob. 25, 1792, 2d rd.

 May 16, 1793, Dismissed.

Catalog implications — Benjamin Cooper at Lamington 1792

Per I.22 Craddock + I.4 Littell + project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md, Benjamin Cooper donated to Lamington + Bethlehem Presbyterian Churches in November 1793 (Benjamin's last documented Cooper-line activity before his 1794 death).

This 1792 petition signature predates the 1793 donations by 1 year and is the earliest primary-source-published Benjamin-Cooper-at-Lamington documentation in the catalog. Locks Benjamin's Lamington-affiliation 1792-1793 = the last 2 years of his life (he died 1794). His co-signer cluster (Oliver Barnet, Aaron Sutton, Thomas Lambert, Abram Van Doren, John Fisher, Thomas Alston, Nicholas Arrosmith) = Benjamin's documented Bedminster / Lamington social network.

** Open follow-up**: pull the Lamington Presbyterian Church session/membership records 1790s for any Cooper-family baptism / marriage / burial entries during Benjamin's affiliation period. May surface his 1794 burial location (per I.22 Craddock "probably buried Bethlehem Presbyterian graveyard").

Verbatim — Reformed Dutch Church Raritan baptism continuations (Cooper / Couper / Coper / Coopman)

Vol VI 1917 continues the multi-volume First Reformed Church Raritan (Somerville) baptism transcription series (started Vol I 1912, continued Vol II 1913 entries documented at M.27). The Cooper-name entries:

— Couper, Thomas and Mariya Jannetie and Mariya. (line ~5420)

— Coper, Thomas and Marya Abraham. (line ~5546)

— Cooper, Thomas and Marya Margret (line ~5718)

— Cooper, Abraham and Jane Rynearson Isaac. (line ~5852)

— Cooper, Abraham and Jane Rynearson (unbapt.) Aletta (line ~17122)

May 29. — Rynearson, Jane (adult wife of Abm. Cooper). (line ~17326) [adult-baptism / confirmation entry]

— Cooper, Cornelius and Lavinia Cubberly Isaac. (line ~21796)

— Cooper, Cornelius P. and Lavinia Cubberly Mary Catherine (line ~21882)

Spelling-variant cluster — Thomas Cooper × Mariya/Marya

The same couple Thomas Cooper × Mary appears under 3 spelling variants (Couper / Coper / Cooper) across baptism years, registering 5 children: Jannetie, Mariya, Abraham, Margret, [+possibly more]. Per memory feedback_dutch_records_check_kuyper_for_cooper.md, this is consistent with Dutch-language register orthographic variability for Cooper-family entries.

The "Cooper, Abraham × Jane Rynearson" cluster matches the Vol II 1913 Cooper-marriage-register entry "Cooper, Abraham and Jane Rinearson, Dec. 30, 1818 (Vredenburgh)" (M.27). This couple's First Reformed Church Raritan baptism witnesses + Jane Rynearson's adult-wife confirmation 29 May [year] = primary-source backing for the marriage register entry.

Verbatim — Cooper marriage register continuation (alphabetical L-section)

Laforge, Jacob and Margaret Cooper, Nov. 12, 1807 (Vredenburgh). Lane, Theodore (col.) and Jenny Cooper, July 22, 1871 (Blauvelt). Langstaff, James and Miriam H. Cooper, June 24, 1858 (Rodgers).

= continuation of the alphabetical Cooper-spouse marriage register from M.27 Vol II 1913 (Cooper- rows) and M.28 Vol III 1914 (Dauser-, Dayton- rows). Vol VI 1917 carries Laforge-, Lane-, Langstaff- rows.

The "Lane, Theodore (col.) and Jenny Cooper" 1871 entry has parenthetical "(col.)" = colored = African-American. = unrelated to Daniel-Sr-line Cooper but documented for completeness.

Verbatim — Sarah Cooper × Daniel Cooper (separate entry, line ~23354)

... daughter Sarah Cooper; gr. dau. Agnes Cooper (dau. of Daniel Cooper). ...

(Same line as quoted above in John Manning's will section — appears at line 23354 in pdftotext extract.)

Verbatim — Cooper residents in Somerville/Raritan (lines 20798-20801)

Burke, John, (West) Somerville Cooper, Albert P., Raritan Cooper, Theodore, Raritan Burke, John, (North) Somerville Cooper, Cornelius, Somerville Burke, Cornelius, Somerville Cooper, Abraham, Somerville

= early-20th-c. Somerville / Raritan NJ Cooper-resident roster (probably Holland Society or other organizational membership list / town directory). Albert P. Cooper of Raritan + Theodore Cooper of Raritan + Cornelius Cooper of Somerville + Abraham Cooper of Somerville. Albert P. Cooper matches M.27 Vol II 1913 marriage entry (Albert P. Cooper × Hannah Jane Cubberly 1841).

Verbatim — A. S. Coriell of Bound Brook editor's note (line 18579)

[Mr. A. S. Coriell, of Bound Brook, says the house was burned in 1839. Editor].

= early-20th-c. Coriell-line resident A. S. Coriell of Bound Brook NJ as a Vol VI 1917 contributor. Bound Brook NJ.

Other Cooper hits (peripheral)

• Line 577: "Adams, Atwood, Barbour, Brown, Cannon, Garke, Cook, Cooper, Craw-" = surname index list, not specific person
• Line 779: similar surname index
• Line 2042: "the mother of Ericsson, the Swede. Peter Cooper was Scotch, and so was..." = Peter Cooper (industrialist 1791-1883) reference, not Daniel-Sr-line
• Line 3117: "Cooper, John ... Logan, Wi..." = membership index
• Line 7715: "Peter Coriell, 1806; John Carle Cross, 1837; Imley Dalglish, 1806, '09" = officeholder roster
• Line 8761-8763: "Pleasants, who m. Cooper, of Tennessee, and had one ch., Kate Weldon Cooper." = Tennessee Cooper line
• Line 20429: "W. Camfield, J. Condit, I. Condit, J. Cooper, W. Coxe, Jr., W. Crane." = signers list (different signature than Benjamin's 1792 petition)
• Line 24851 (volume index): "Cooper. 1. 5. 22. 3-" = page references for Cooper hits in volume

Catalog implications — summary

2 catalog-changing finds + several supporting:

1. Daniel Cooper × Sarah Manning + Agnes Cooper (1804 John Manning will) = NEW Cooper-Manning marriage; the Daniel = Daniel-Sr-grandson candidate (b. ~Aug 1769 d. 24 Sept 1826 per M.24)
2. Benj'n Cooper at Lamington 1792 petition = primary-source predates Craddock's 1793 donation by 1 year
3. Reformed Dutch Church Raritan baptism continuations confirming earlier Cooper-marriage-register entries
4. Sarah Manning's father John Manning of Barnardstown = potential link to Daniel Sr's 3rd wife Grace Manning (m. 1768)

Cross-references

• M.24 — SCHQ Vol. I (1912) — Daniel Cooper d. 1826 age 57 = candidate for the John-Manning-will Daniel
• M.27 — SCHQ Vol. II (1913) — Cooper marriage register starts (alphabetical Cooper-, Compton-)
• M.28 — SCHQ Vol. III (1914) — Cooper marriage register continues (alphabetical Dauser-, Dayton-)
• I.22 — Craddock — Benjamin's 1793 donations to Lamington + Bethlehem
• I.4 — Littell — Daniel Sr's 3rd wife Grace Manning
• L.30 — Daniel Sr × Grace Manning m. 11 Mar 1768
• F.67 — Reformed Dutch Church Raritan baptismal sweep
• A.9 — Daniel Sr's will — Agnes Cooper / Agness Ludlow as daughter
• A.10 — Daniel Cooper Jr 1787 administration
• Project pr.13 Benjamin Cooper Stirling debt (RESOLVED).md — Benjamin's 1793 donations