The Coopers of Long Hill

Ward Walcott Cooper 1892–1986

Catalog ID p.32 · Cite this page: njcoopers.com/p/32/

Ward Walcott Cooper was born on 16 Sep 1892 in Sylvia, Kansas, the child of Charles Franklin Cooper and Catherine Jeanette (Wiley) Cooper. Ward married Opal Crow (1914). Ward died on 14 Jun 1986 in Nickerson, Reno Co., Kansas and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson, Reno Co., Kansas (plot Memorial 268 3-A). Three children are recorded.

Facts

EventDatePlace / detailCertaintySources
birth 16 Sep 1892 Sylvia, Kansas certain B.131, G.648
residence 1920 Salt Creek Twp, Reno Co., Kansas certain D.787
residence 1 Apr 1930 Salt Creek Twp, Reno Co., Kansas certain D.803
residence 1 Apr 1935 Salt Creek Twp, Reno Co., Kansas certain D.804
residence 1 Apr 1940 Salt Creek Twp, Reno Co., Kansas certain D.804
education 1940 Highest grade completed: 8 certain D.804
residence 1 Apr 1950 Salt Creek Twp, Reno Co., Kansas (Sec 16) certain D.805
occupation 1930 Farmer certain D.803
occupation 1940 farmer certain D.804
occupation 1950 Farmer certain D.805
death 14 Jun 1986 Nickerson, Reno Co., Kansas certain J.422
burial Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson, Reno Co., Kansas (plot Memorial 268 3-A) certain G.648

Family

Parents

Spouses

Siblings

Children

  1. Kenneth Clinton Cooper about 1915
  2. Harland Dale Cooper 31 Mar 1917 J.425, J.429
  3. Eugene Russell "Gene" Cooper 10 Oct 1918 J.422, J.429

Family tree

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

Opal (Crow) CooperOpal (Crow) Cooper1895–1964Ward Walcott CooperWard Walcott Cooper1892–1986Charles Franklin CooperCharles Franklin Cooper1861–1938Lewis Sanford CooperLewis Sanford Cooper1825–1905Mary Jane (Jones) CooperMary Jane (Jones) Cooper1827–1880Catherine Jeanette (Wiley) CooperCatherine Jeanette (Wil…1867–1908George G. Wiley1841–1884Charlottie Ann (Carlile…1844–1930

In the documents

Every published document that names Ward Walcott Cooper, in date order, with what that document itself records.

DateDocumentRoleWhat it records
1892 B.131 draft registration
WWI draft registration card, Form 469 no. 30, Salt Creek precinct, Reno Co., Kansas, registered 5 June [1917] - Ward Walcott Cooper
 registrant
as "Ward Walcott Cooper"
birth: 16 Sep 1892, Sylvia, Kansas, U.S.A.
residence: 5 Jun 1917, R.F.D. #2, Nickerson, Reno Co., Kansas
occupation: 5 Jun 1917, Farmer
7 May 1910 D.769 census population 1910
1910 U.S. census, Salt Creek Township, Reno Co., Kansas, E.D. 155, sheet 7A, lines 10-18
 child
as "Ward, 17"

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

Still unknown, and where we have looked

Searches recorded

ancestry all 2026-10-16 · NOT A SEARCH FOR HIM - A BY-CATCH, recorded so the route is visible. The WWI draft collection (Ancestry coll. 6482) was searched with...
Searched for: NOT A SEARCH FOR HIM - A BY-CATCH, recorded so the route is visible. The WWI draft collection (Ancestry coll. 6482) was searched with the PLACE RECIPE - surname Cooper, NO given name, NO birth year, residence RENO, KANSAS - while looking for Elden Cooper Elden Cooper's card. That returns the COMPLETE Reno County list of Cooper registrants: 15 men.
Result: FOUND -> [B.131], his own card, which the catalog did not have: 'Ward Walcott Cooper', 24, R.F.D. #2 Nickerson, b. SEPTEMBER 16 1892 at SYLVIA, KANSAS, Farmer, By Self, married, wife and two children, exemption claimed on support of family; medium build, blue eyes, light hair; registered before J. W. Adams in the SALT CREEK precinct. IT CARRIES HIS SIGNATURE, which is now his first image of any kind. The birth DAY matched his memorial [G.648] already; the BIRTHPLACE is new. The other 14 Reno Co. Cooper registrants were read. Two more are catalog people and their cards are already held: 'Charles Levitt Cooper, 22 May 1890' = Charles Levitt Cooper ([B.120]) and 'Ernest F Cooper, 21 Aug 1887' = Ernest F Cooper ([B.127]). The remaining twelve - Birt, Clarence Abram, Edward Franklin, Ersy Lloyd, Fred R, Hugh, John Everett, Lyle Allen, Simeon Leslie, Thomas Clyde, Virgil Otto and William Lloyd - are not catalog people.
findagrave 2026-10-13 · Find a Grave: Ward Cooper, d. 1986 exact, any place.
Searched for: Find a Grave: Ward Cooper, d. 1986 exact, any place.
Result: FOUND: memorial 37109288 'Ward W. Cooper', 16 Sep 1892 - 14 Jun 1986, Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson -> [G.648]; wife Opal Crow Cooper Opal (Crow) Cooper ([G.649]); sons Kenneth Clinton, Harland Dale, Gene R.
ancestry all 2026-10-07 · Ward Cooper, b. 1892 +/-2, Kansas; then each census collection with residence Kansas
Searched for: Ward Cooper, b. 1892 +/-2, Kansas; then each census collection with residence Kansas
Result: FOUND (index only): WWI and WWII draft cards (Ward Walcott Cooper, b. 16 Sep 1892); marriage index c.1914 to Opal Crow; censuses 1920 (Kenneth 5, Harland D 2, Eugene 1), 1930 (Kenneth C 15, Harland D 13, Eugene R 11), 1940 (Harland 23, Eugene 21, daughter-in-law Vester Lee 22), 1950 (Ward and Opal only); Find a Grave, d. 14 Jun 1986 Hutchinson; obituary index -> [J.422].
familysearch tree 2026-10-07 · Ward Cooper, b. 1891-1893
Searched for: Ward Cooper, b. 1891-1893
Result: KVW5-B6K Ward Walcott Cooper, 16 Sep 1892 Plevna - 14 Jun 1986 Nickerson; parents Charles Franklin Cooper and Esther Jeanette 'Nettie' Wiley; wife Opal Crow; sons Kenneth Clinton, Harland Dale, Eugene Russell.
genealogybank 2026-10-07 · SIGNED IN (chris_2535). Harland Cooper, keyword Hutchinson; Eugene Cooper, keyword Hutchinson; Eugene Cooper, keyword Nickerson
Searched for: SIGNED IN (chris_2535). Harland Cooper, keyword Hutchinson; Eugene Cooper, keyword Hutchinson; Eugene Cooper, keyword Nickerson
Result: No obituary for Harland (1983) or Eugene (1996); the Eugene hits were other men (Eugene Vale Cooper 1923-2005, Roy Don Eugene Cooper 1936-2025).
newspapers com 2026-10-07 · Via Ancestry's Newspapers.com obituary index: Ward Cooper, d. 1986 +/-1
Searched for: Via Ancestry's Newspapers.com obituary index: Ward Cooper, d. 1986 +/-1
Result: FOUND: Wichita Eagle-Beacon 16 Jun 1986 [J.422], downloaded.
newspapers com 2026-10-07 · SIGNED IN. Harland Cooper, 31 Oct - 10 Nov 1983 (all papers; then region us-ks + county reno). Gene/Eugene Cooper, 7-25 Jan 1996, region...
Searched for: SIGNED IN. Harland Cooper, 31 Oct - 10 Nov 1983 (all papers; then region us-ks + county reno). Gene/Eugene Cooper, 7-25 Jan 1996, region us-ks: 'Eugene Cooper', 'Gene Cooper' (quoted), 'Eugene R. Cooper' (quoted), Cooper Nickerson, Cooper Gustafson.
Result: FOUND: Harland's one-line notice, Wichita Eagle-Beacon 2 Nov 1983 [J.425]. Gene: no notice; the Cooper/Nickerson hits are high-school sports listings. COVERAGE: the Hutchinson News did not appear in any Kansas result for these dates (only the Wichita Eagle, Salina Journal and small weeklies) - so the absence of the full obituaries is a coverage gap, not a null.
genealogybank 2026-10-07 · SIGNED IN. Harland Cooper, Kansas papers (all dates); Eugene Cooper, keyword Nickerson; obituaries Harland/Eugene Cooper keyword Hutchinson.
Searched for: SIGNED IN. Harland Cooper, Kansas papers (all dates); Eugene Cooper, keyword Nickerson; obituaries Harland/Eugene Cooper keyword Hutchinson.
Result: No 1983 or 1996 item. GenealogyBank's Kansas hits for Harland Cooper are two 1897 Topeka State Journal items - it does not hold the Hutchinson News for these years.
ancestry all 2026-10-16 · SIGNED IN. HIS 1930 CENSUS SHEET - the 2026-10-07 pass had read the index row but never pulled the image. 1930 US Federal Census (coll....
Searched for: SIGNED IN. HIS 1930 CENSUS SHEET - the 2026-10-07 pass had read the index row but never pulled the image. 1930 US Federal Census (coll. 6224): (a) 'Ward Cooper' with BOTH names marked exact, b. Kansas 1889-1895 -> ZERO; (b) surname Cooper, no given name, residence Nickerson, Reno, Kansas (50 read) -> he is not in Nickerson; (c) 'Kenneth C Cooper', b. Kansas 1913-1917, no place - his son's given name is the distinctive one. Row 1 of 82.
Result: FOUND -> [D.803], image downloaded and filed. Salt Creek Twp, Reno Co., ED 78-52, sheet 5B, dwelling 101 / family 107, enumerated 15 Apr 1930 by Jesse H. Arbuckle: Ward W. 37, Opal 35, Kenneth C. 15, Harland D. 13, Eugene R. 11. He is in SALT CREEK TWP in 1930, not Nickerson - which is why (b) found nothing and why a Nickerson-first search would keep missing him. (a)'s zero is itself informative: he is not indexed as a 'Ward Cooper' born in Kansas, and the sheet shows why the index is awkward for him - see the father's-birthplace note below.
ancestry all 2026-10-16 · SIGNED IN. HIS 1940 CENSUS SHEET, same problem and same solution as 1930: the head's own name does not retrieve the row, so the 1940 US...
Searched for: SIGNED IN. HIS 1940 CENSUS SHEET, same problem and same solution as 1930: the head's own name does not retrieve the row, so the 1940 US Federal Census (coll. 2442) was searched for his son 'Harland Cooper', b. Kansas 1915-1919, no place. 36 results; row 1.
Result: FOUND -> [D.804], image downloaded and filed. Salt Creek Twp, ED 78-52, sheet 6B, household 122, enumerated 1 May 1940 by Gordon H. Davies: Ward W. 47, Opal 45, Eugene 21, Harland 23, and Harland's wife Vester Lee 22. His line is one of the sheet's two SUPPLEMENTARY-QUESTIONS lines, so it also gives his parents' birthplaces, his mother tongue (English), his veteran status (No), that he had no Social Security number, and his usual occupation/industry/class (Farmer / Farm / OA).
ancestry all 2026-10-16 · SIGNED IN. HIS 1950 CENSUS SHEET. 'Ward Cooper' b. Kansas 1889-1895 in the 1950 US Federal Census (coll. 62308) returns 65 rows of Fred...
Searched for: SIGNED IN. HIS 1950 CENSUS SHEET. 'Ward Cooper' b. Kansas 1889-1895 in the 1950 US Federal Census (coll. 62308) returns 65 rows of Fred / Freda / Frieda Coopers and not him - Ancestry's ranked search treats 'Ward' as a phonetic match for 'Fred'. Re-run as surname Cooper, NO given name, residence Salt Creek, Reno, Kansas (exact): he is row 1.
Result: FOUND -> [D.805], image downloaded and filed. Salt Creek Twp, ED 78-83, sheet 12, lines 29-30, enumerated from 14 Apr 1950 by Lottie D. Costello: Ward 57 and Opal 55, the two of them alone, still farming on his own account. The house-number column gives 'Sec 16' - a legal land description, the first the catalog has for him.

Documents