Margaret Elisabeth (Cooper) Johnson 1832–1896

Catalog ID p.166 · Cite this page: njcoopers.com/p/166/

Margaret Elisabeth (Cooper) Johnson was born on 20 Apr 1832 in Warren, Warren, New Jersey, the daughter of Joseph Cooper. She married William R. Johnson. She died on 11 Oct 1896 in Franklin Furnace [Hardyston Twp], Sussex Co., NJ and was buried at Tranquility Cemetery, Green Twp, Sussex Co., NJ. Eleven children are recorded.

Facts

Event	Date	Place / detail	Certainty	Sources
birth	20 Apr 1832	Warren, Warren, New Jersey	certain	L.90
residence	1 Jun 1850	Township of Newton, Sussex Co., NJ	probable	D.826
residence	1860	Independence Twp, Warren Co., NJ	certain	D.469
residence	1870	Frelinghuysen Twp (P.O. Vienna), Warren Co., NJ	probable	D.839
residence	1880	Green Twp, Sussex Co., NJ	certain	D.660
death	11 Oct 1896	Franklin Furnace [Hardyston Twp], Sussex Co., NJ	certain	L.90, G.588
burial		Tranquility Cemetery, Green Twp, Sussex Co., NJ	certain	G.588

Family

Parents

Father Joseph Cooper 1785–1852

Spouses

William R. Johnson 1826–1890 G.588, A.211

Siblings

Children

M. Jane Johnson 1851–1932 probable G.588, G.656
Robert C. Johnson 1861–1954 probable G.588, D.660, G.654
Elizabeth V. (Johnson) Daley 1873–1957 probable G.588, G.655
Marietta J. Johnson about 1851 probable D.839
Sarah E. Johnson about 1864 probable D.839
Ida A. Johnson about 1866 D.660
Oris Edgar Johnson 23 Mar 1855 F.318, D.469
Else A. Johnson about 1853 probable D.469
Emma Johnson about 1857 probable D.469
Minerva Johnson about 1859 probable D.469
Addie Adelia Johnson 29 Nov 1865 F.318

Family tree

Solid lines and outlines: certain. Dashed: probable or weaker. Open the full tree (four generations)

In the documents

Every published document that names Margaret Elisabeth (Cooper) Johnson, in date order, with what that document itself records.

Date	Document	Role	What it records
1826	G.592 cemetery memorial Find a Grave memorial 14874342, William R. Johnson (1826-1890), Tranquility Cemetery, Green Twp, Sussex Co., New Jersey	spouse as "Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Johnson"
1832	G.588 cemetery memorial Find a Grave memorial 14874347, Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Johnson (1832-1896), Tranquility Cemetery, Green Twp, Sussex Co., New Jersey	deceased as "Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Johnson"
1850	D.826 federal census 1850 US Federal Census, Township of Newton, Sussex Co., New Jersey, page 133a, lines 1-2 (family 411) - a two-person household, "William R Johnson" and "Margare…	spouse as "—, Margaret"	residence: 1 Jun 1850, Township of Newton, Sussex Co., New Jersey probable
1853-06	F.364 birth register New Jersey return of births, Township of Newton, Sussex Co., 1848 - 1853, page 77, entry for Elsey Ann Johnson	mother as "Elizabeth Cooper"	residence: 1853, Newton Twp, Sussex Co., NJ
9 Jun 1854	A.211 probate receipts Warren Co., N.J. Surrogate — Receipts and Discharges 1825-1867 vol. 1-3, book pages 140-143 and 449-452: seven receipts to Edward Chandler, administrator of Jos…	distributee as "Margaret Elizabeth Johnson"
23 Mar 1855	F.318 birth index New Jersey birth index rows, 1855-1865, for three children of Wm. R. Johnson and Margaret (Elisabeth / E.) — FamilySearch "New Jersey, Births and Christenings, …	mother as "Margaret Elisabeth / Margaret / Margaret E."
1870	D.839 federal census 1870 US Federal Census, Schedule 1, Frelinghuysen Township, Warren Co., New Jersey — P.O. Vienna, page 65A, lines 14-23, dwelling 4 / family 4 — the William R. …	spouse as "Margaret E."	residence: 1870, Frelinghuysen Twp, Warren Co., New Jersey occupation: Keeping House
15 Jun 1880	D.660 census population 1880 1880 U.S. census, Green Township, Sussex Co., New Jersey, ED 177, page 11 line 50 and page 12 lines 1-4 (dwelling 108, family 111) — NARA T9 roll 798	spouse as "Margaret E [Johnson]"	residence: 1880, Green Twp, Sussex Co., NJ

3 further documents not published (they may name living people).

Still unknown, and where we have looked

Searches recorded

ancestry all 2026-10-18 · HER 1870 CENSUS, which had stood at "no search recorded" and was the OLDEST unworked gap on the whole Joseph Cooper descendant sweep...

Searched for: HER 1870 CENSUS, which had stood at "no search recorded" and was the OLDEST unworked gap on the whole Joseph Cooper descendant sweep (generation 1 — the progenitor's own daughter). Run in the one shape that works for this family: a surname-only county list, because [D.826] established in 2026-10-17 that Ancestry indexes the head's middle initial wrongly ("William B Johnson" in 1850), so a given-name search cannot reach him. 1870 census (coll. 7163), the place recipe, three complete county-and-cohort lists, all rows read: (a) ?name=_Johnson&birth=1826&residence=_sussex-new+jersey-usa_2837&residence_x=1-0-0_1-0 — 19 rows (his cohort, Sussex); (b) the same with birth=1832 — 22 rows (her cohort, Sussex); (c) the same with birth=1826&residence=_warren-new+jersey-usa_3036 — 25 rows (Warren).

Result: FOUND → [D.839]. "Johnson William R.", 43, Carpenter, real estate 250, personal 150, P.O. Vienna, dwelling 4 / family 4, page 65A — Frelinghuysen Twp, WARREN Co. — with Margaret E. 38 and eight children: Marietta J. 19, Eley Ann 17, Orris E. 15, Emma P. 13, Minerva 11, Robert C. 9, Sarah E. 6, Ida A. 4, every one born New Jersey. THE REASON THIS GAP SURVIVED SO LONG IS THE COUNTY. (a) and (b) are real nulls — Sussex holds no William-and-Margaret Johnson pair in either cohort — and Sussex is where the gap had always been hunted, because the family is in Green Twp, Sussex in 1865 and again in 1880. ⇒ They were back in Warren for 1870, in the township adjoining the one she grew up in. A third county was never needed; the second list was enough to send the search elsewhere. Two children the catalog had no name for — Marietta J. and Sarah E. — and the 1870 ages corroborate Oris Edgar, Else/Eley Ann, Emma, Minerva, Robert C. and Ida A. from [D.469]/[F.318]. AND ONE READING THAT CORRECTS THE INDEX: line 23 is Ida A. on the plate, not Ancestry's "Jera A" — matching the Ida A. this file already held from [D.660]. ONE THING THE HOUSEHOLD DOES NOT CONTAIN: an elderly woman. Argued at Elsie (Stackhouse) Cooper, not here.

ancestry all 2026-10-17 · HER 1850 CENSUS, WHICH HAD STOOD AT "NO SEARCH RECORDED". 1850 US Federal Census (Ancestry coll. 8054), the place recipe in its...

Searched for: HER 1850 CENSUS, WHICH HAD STOOD AT "NO SEARCH RECORDED". 1850 US Federal Census (Ancestry coll. 8054), the place recipe in its corrected form, run FOUR ways. (a) name=_Johnson&birth=1832 with residence=_warren-new+jersey-usa_3036&residence_x=1-0-0_1-0 - the complete WARREN Co. Johnson list for her age cohort, 34 rows, all read. (b) name=Margaret_Cooper + the same Warren filter - 4 rows, all read. (c) name=Margaret_&birth=1832 + the same Warren filter - 280 rows ranked by birth-year proximity, page 1 read (50). (d) name=William_Johnson with residence=_sussex-new+jersey-usa_2837&residence_x=1-0-0_1-0 - the complete SUSSEX Co. William Johnson list, 7 rows, all read. WHY SUSSEX: her FamilySearch profile gives her 1850 residence as NEWTON, and [F.364] records her daughter's 1853 birth in Newton Twp - both in Sussex, not in the Warren Co. the Coopers lived in. Every earlier attempt had searched Warren.

Result: FOUND -> [D.826]. "William R Johnson", 23, Labourer, and "Margaret", 18, both born N J - a TWO-PERSON household at family 411, head of page 133a, Township of Newton, Sussex Co., enumerated 20 September 1850 by John H. Johnson, Ass't Marshal. Graded PROBABLE: both ages are exact (he was b. 2 Aug 1826, she b. 20 Apr 1832, so 23 and 18 on the 1 June census day), the middle initial on the plate is R, and the township is the one her own daughter's birth return names three years later. ANCESTRY INDEXES HIM "William B Johnson", WHICH IS WHY NO EARLIER SEARCH FOUND HIM. On the stitch the initial is plainly a looped R. A name search for "William R Johnson" in Sussex does not return this row; the SURNAME-ONLY county list does, because it does not care about initials. AND THE WARREN COUNTY SEARCHES ARE A REAL NULL, NOT A FAILED ONE. The complete Warren Co. Johnson list for her cohort holds no Margaret, and the four Margaret Coopers in the county are an 1792 widow, an 1842 child, and two of her own brothers caught by Ancestry's fuzzy matching. She had left the county. ⇒ The 1850 gap is closed. ONE INCIDENTAL FINDING ON THE WAY, recorded at [D.4] and Elsie (Stackhouse) Cooper: that Margaret Cooper search returned her brothers George M and Robert M with the household's relatives shown as "Joseph, ELSE" - so Ancestry's index of [D.4] reads her mother's name as ELSE, siding with the Eley / Elsy / Elsie group of readings and against that entry's own transcribed "Eloe".

ancestry all 2026-10-14 · NJ Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1711-1878 (62483): Margaret Cooper, marriage 1850 +/-1, spouse William Johnson; William Johnson,...

Searched for: NJ Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1711-1878 (62483): Margaret Cooper, marriage 1850 +/-1, spouse William Johnson; William Johnson, marriage 1850 +/-1, spouse Margaret Cooper.

Result: No marriage row; but a non-primary row led to daughter Elsey Ann Johnson's birth return, Newton Twp, 15 Feb 1853 - parents 'William R Johnson & Elizabeth Cooper', laborer -> [F.364] (image read). The 17 Jan 1850 marriage remains FamilySearch-index only.

familysearch records 2026-10-12 · Records search Margaret Johnson, death 1896, Sussex, New Jersey (23,713; first 100 read).

Searched for: Records search Margaret Johnson, death 1896, Sussex, New Jersey (23,713; first 100 read). (link)

Result: 'New Jersey, Deaths and Burials, 1720-1988': Margaret E. Johnson, female, age 64, birth year (est.) 1832, birthplace Us, widowed, d. 11 Oct 1896, Hardyston, Sussex; father and mother indexed as 'UNKNOWN' (birthplaces Us). Image Unavailable. Attached in the tree to MRWJ-181. Index only - not recorded as an entry.

genealogybank 2026-10-04 · SIGNED IN (chris_2535). Margaret Johnson, New Jersey papers, 11 Oct - 31 Dec 1896 (7 results).

Searched for: SIGNED IN (chris_2535). Margaret Johnson, New Jersey papers, 11 Oct - 31 Dec 1896 (7 results).

Result: NULL: Jersey City News/Journal and Bridgeton Pioneer only - no Sussex title. Not opened.

newspapers com 2026-10-04 · SIGNED IN. (a) Johnson, New Jersey, 11 Oct - 31 Dec 1896 (2,519 - too broad); (b) Johnson "Franklin Furnace", same range (2 matches).

Searched for: SIGNED IN. (a) Johnson, New Jersey, 11 Oct - 31 Dec 1896 (2,519 - too broad); (b) Johnson "Franklin Furnace", same range (2 matches).

Result: NULL. New Jersey Herald 14 Oct 1896 p. 3 opened and its MARRIED/DIED column read at 2x: no Johnson death (the hit is the Hiles-Woodward wedding). Herald 21 Oct 1896 p. 3 = a Franklin Furnace political-meeting notice. Sussex Register not checked.

ancestry all 2026-10-04 · Margaret Johnson, b. 1832 +/- 1 New Jersey, d. 1896 Sussex Co., NJ, spouse William Johnson (36 results; 2 pages read).

Searched for: Margaret Johnson, b. 1832 +/- 1 New Jersey, d. 1896 Sussex Co., NJ, spouse William Johnson (36 results; 2 pages read).

Result: Find a Grave index (= [G.588]); 'New Jersey, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971': Margaret E Johnson, b. abt 1832, d. 11 Oct 1896 Hardyston, Sussex (index row, not opened - see todo); English look-alikes.

familysearch tree 2026-10-04 · Opened MRWJ-181 from the parents' profile G5G8-KQ2.

Searched for: Opened MRWJ-181 from the parents' profile G5G8-KQ2. (link)

Result: Margaret Elizabeth Cooper, married name Johnson; 20 Apr 1832 NJ - 11 Oct 1896 Hardyston Twp; burial Tranquility; m. William R Johnson (MR7G-111, 2 Aug 1826 - 3 Apr 1889, Frelinghuysen; carpenter) 17 Jan 1850 Warren Co.; 9 children; residences 1850 Newton, 1860 Independence, 1870 Frelinghuysen, 1880 Green. 18 sources incl. the 1850-1880 censuses, a NJ death/burial entry and NJ birth entries for children Elsey Ann, Oris/Cris Edgar, Robert Calvin, Addie Adelia Johnson. THIS FILE PREVIOUSLY HAD NO SPOUSE.

findagrave 2026-10-04 · (a) Margaret, b. 1832 +/- 1, d. 1896 +/- 1, New Jersey (28 results, no Cooper/Johnson match on page 1); (b) Margaret Johnson, d. 1896...

Searched for: (a) Margaret, b. 1832 +/- 1, d. 1896 +/- 1, New Jersey (28 results, no Cooper/Johnson match on page 1); (b) Margaret Johnson, d. 1896 +/- 1, New Jersey (11 results). (link)

Result: FOUND: memorial 14874347 Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Johnson, Tranquility Cemetery - fetched with the parser, [G.588]. Panel: spouse William R. Johnson, children M. Jane, Robert C., Elizabeth V. Johnson Daley.

Documents

F.364 New Jersey return of births, Township of Newton, Sussex Co., 1848 - 1853, page 77, entry for Elsey Ann Johnson
L.90 Ancestry public tree — George Monroe COOPER (1830-1913) — Tree ID 33965336 / Person ID 18621242437 — names full sibling roster + parents Joseph Ellis Cooper × Elsie/Elcy Stackhouse + spouses (Martha E Stackhouse + Rachel Nancy Janes) + children (Mary L, Sarah, Laura Elbertine, Belle Florilla, George Ile Melvill). 11 timeline sources cited. = the keystone Ancestry-tree corroborating [F.139](../F-Church-Vital/F.139.yaml) PA death certificate primary-source-locking of Joseph Ellis Cooper × Elsie Stackhouse parentage [verbatim]
F.139 PA Death Certificate File No. 95246 — Calvin C. Cooper, b. 31 Mar 1836 NJ, d. 7 Sept 1919 Northampton Co. PA, age 83y 6m 7d, Laborer, Widower. Parents given as Joseph Cooper (b. NJ) and Elsie Stackhouse (b. NJ); informant his son Samuel S. [Jones] Cooper of Portland PA. [verbatim]
L.129 Ancestry public tree — Caleb Swayze COOPER (1834–1913) — Tree ID 28515039 / Person ID 12054847630 — Caleb-rooted tree (distinct from the [L.90](L.90.yaml)–[L.94](L.94.yaml) tree 33965336). Names parents Joseph Ellis Cooper × Elsie Stackhouse + spouse Amanda Jane Batley + 7 children, with a specific marriage date 30 Jan 1858 (4 sources) and birthplace Johnsonburg, Warren (cf. L.90's 'Vienna'). Timeline cites 1850–1910 censuses + NJ Marriage Records + 1863 Civil War Draft Registration + Find A Grave. [verbatim]
G.588 Find a Grave memorial 14874347, Margaret Elizabeth Cooper Johnson (1832-1896), Tranquility Cemetery, Green Twp, Sussex Co., New Jersey
D.660 1880 U.S. census, Green Township, Sussex Co., New Jersey, ED 177, page 11 line 50 and page 12 lines 1-4 (dwelling 108, family 111) — NARA T9 roll 798
D.469 1860 US Federal Census, Schedule 1, Independence Twp., Warren Co., NJ - Page No. 49 (stamped 687), PO Danville, enumerated 21 June 1860; 40 lines covering dwellings 331-338, incl. the Derrick Deats household (dw.334) and two Cooper households (dw.335, dw.336).
F.318 New Jersey birth index rows, 1855-1865, for three children of Wm. R. Johnson and Margaret (Elisabeth / E.) — FamilySearch "New Jersey, Births and Christenings, 1660-1980" index records only (no images)
A.211 Warren Co., N.J. Surrogate — Receipts and Discharges 1825-1867 vol. 1-3, book pages 140-143 and 449-452: seven receipts to Edward Chandler, administrator of Joseph Cooper, dated 9 June 1854, 15 December 1856, 6 April 1857 and 14 May 1859, with acknowledgments
D.826 1850 US Federal Census, Township of Newton, Sussex Co., New Jersey, page 133a, lines 1-2 (family 411) - a two-person household, "William R Johnson" and "Margaret"; enumerated 20 September 1850 by John H. Johnson, Ass't Marshal; NARA M432 roll 464.
D.839 1870 US Federal Census, Schedule 1, Frelinghuysen Township, Warren Co., New Jersey — P.O. Vienna, page 65A, lines 14-23, dwelling 4 / family 4 — the William R. Johnson household of ten.