Biographical Sketch of R. C. Cooper, Johnson County, Missouri,
Jefferson Township.

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
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R. C. Cooper, a successful and highly esteemed farmer and stockman of
Jefferson township, is a member of one of the prominent pioneer famil-
ies of Johnson county.  He was born in Johnson county in 1867, a son of
Thomas J. and Nanie E. Cooper.  Thomas J. Cooper was a son of Albert J.
and Eliza J. (McDonald) Cooper, the former a son of David Cooper, who
came to Missouri from Kentucky in 1832.  Eliza J. (McDonald) Cooper was
born in 1820 in Howard county, Missouri, daughter of Isaac McDonald, 
who settled in Missouri in a very early day and in 1830 moved with his
family from Howard county to Johnson county.  A. J. Cooper was one of
the wealthiest men in Johnson county in his time, owning at one time
more than six hundred acres of land.  His death occurred in 1888 and
five years later he was followed in death by his wife, who died in 
1893.  Thomas J. Cooper was reared and educated in Johnson county and 
he has spent most of his life in this county, engaged in the pursuits
of agriculture.  Mrs. Thomas J. Cooper was born in Virginia, the daugh-
ter of T. J. Davis, a well known and prosperous farmer.  Miss Celeste 
Scott taught the school held at Valley Grove, which R. C. Cooper first
attended.  Another teacher, who came some time later, was George Aber.
Mr. Cooper clearly recalls many of the incidents of his school days,
but he likes best to remember the pleasures and not the troubles.  He
has a vivid recollection of the pleasant times the children had at re-
cess.  They had no little gravel-covered yard, where they dared not run
for fear of knocking someone down, but the whole, wide prairie for 
their playground.  They might go as far as they liked, provided they 
were within hearing distance when the teacher shouted, "Books!"  That
was the way of ringing the bell at recess.  "Town Ball" was the favor-
ite game played, but it had many close competitors.  When a boy, Mr.
Cooper always attended church with his father.  People enjoyed church
more then than now, for everyone went, many having to travel long dis-
tances in ox-wagons or on horseback.  The early preachers, whom he knew
personally were Reverends Frank Goodwin and A. M. Cockrell and "Uncle
Bob" Harris.  Reverend Goodwin had a peculiar habit of putting his 
little finger in his ear and keeping it wiggling while praying.  Quite
naturally, this was not lost on the bright, keen eyed Cooper lad, who
found the preacher's idiosyncrasy very amusing.  His grandfather Davis
always cleaned old High Point church on Saturdays to be ready for the
large meetings invariably held the ensuing day.  The settlers followed
trails to church, for there were no roads, most of the land being open
prairie.  Wild game abounded and Mr. Cooper has killed hundreds of
prairie chickens.  At the age of twenty-three years, R. C. Cooper began
life for himself.  For many years, he traveled in various states and
worked at many different occupations.  He was employed as deputy sher-
iff at Conejos county, Colorado at one time and while serving in this
position, Mr. Cooper had countless interesting and thrilling exper-
iences with Western robbers and thieves.  On his return to Johnson
county, he engaged in the more quiet and less exciting pursuits of 
farming and later, stock raising.  At the present time, he is owner of
one hundred thirty-three acres of land, which have been made to pay for
themselves.  In 1904, R. C. Cooper was united in marriage with Frances
Calvert, daughter of W. A. Calvert, of Johnson county.  To R. C. and 
Frances (Calvert) Cooper has been born one child, a son, Robert Lee.
Mrs. Cooper has complete charge of the poultry raised on the Cooper
place and she has established a name for herself as a remarkably succ-
essful woman in regard to fine turkeys.  She has raised and sold more
than a thousand dollars worth of these birds and with the proceeds 
paid for a small farm of twenty acres in Johnson county.  Mr. Cooper is
now in hcarge of his father's farm.  He is rated highly among the pro-
gressive and well to do farmers and stockmen of this section of the
state.

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