BEDFORD COUNTY, TN - BIOGRAPHIES - Abraham Cooper Family ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Q. Gallagher gallagherj@cafes.net ==================================================================== A Biographical Sketch of the Abraham Cooper Family by John L. Cooper, December 1886 The father of Abraham Cooper came from England and settled Culpepper County, Virginia, most probably between the dates 1750 and 1760. He had five sons, among whom was Abraham, the direct ancestor of our branch of the family. The names of the other four sons are unknown or not remembered. One of these four sons went from Virginia to South Carolina, one to Georgia, another to Kentucky, and the fourth remained in Virginia. It is most likely that the brother who settled in South Carolina was the founder of that branch of the Cooper family of which Hon. Edmund Cooper of Shelbyville, Tennessee, and Hon. William F. Cooper of Nashville, Tennessee, are representatives, as their immediate ancestors came from South Carolina. The Hon. Mark Cooper of Georgia, who was long a prominent politician of that State, was in all probability a son, or grandson, of the brother who settled in that State. The Rev. D. B. Cooper, a prominent member of the Kentucky Conference of the M. E. Church South, may be a descendant of the brother who settled in Kentucky. These statements concerning the South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky Coopers are not positive, but are suggestions which, at some future time, may aid in bringing out a fuller history of the Cooper family. Abraham Cooper, our ancestor, married Miss Browning in Virginia about the year 1775. They removed from Virginia to Tennessee soon afterward and settled in Carter County, where they brought up a family of five sons and two daughters, viz.: John, James, William, Robert, Charles, Sarah, and Jane. The ages of the sons come in the order they are written. Sarah was the third child and Jane the fifth. Abraham Cooper, with his family, removed from Carter County and settled in Smith County on the Caney Fork River about three miles above Carthage. This removal was about the year 1805. Abraham Cooper's wife had died at their home in Carter County before this time. His son, Robert Cooper, did not come to Smith County until two years later, 1807. John L. Cooper, the eldest child of Robert Cooper, was born prematurely upon this journey. About the year 1812, Abraham Cooper, with his daughters Sarah and Jane and three sons, William, Robert, and Charles, came from Smith County and settled in Bedford County. In 1820 Abraham's son, James, came to Bedford, leaving only one member of the family, the eldest son, John, in Smith County, where he lived and died. This John Cooper in early life, while yet in Carter County, married a Miss Moffitt and brought up a family of two sons and five daughters. His son, Abram, married a Miss Hale. His son, Bluford, removed to West Tennessee and, while hunting, was thrown from his horse and killed. This was the supposition concerning his death. He married in West Tennessee. The oldest daughter of John Cooper, Lavina, married a Mr. Jones. Jane, the second daughter, was the second wife of William Sharp of Bedford County. Sarah, the third daughter, married Green Moore of Bedford County, who was a brother of Col. John A. Moore, long a well-known citizen of this county. The fourth daughter, Letha, married John Sharp, the son of William Sharp, her sister's husband. Thomas Sharp and his sister, Mrs. T. F. Bates of Shelbyville, are children of Jane Cooper Sharp. I have lost sight of the fifth daughter and do not remember whether she ever married or not. James Cooper, familiarly called "Uncle Jimmy", the second son of Abraham Cooper, while a young man in Carter County, Tennessee, married Elizabeth Bogart. As has been stated, he settled in Bedford County in 1820. His children were all born in Smith County, the eldest of whom at this time (1820) had reached manhood and womanhood. His eldest child, Polly, married John Tune, and was the mother of a large family of sons and daughters. Of these, John B. Tune, K. L. Tune, Mrs. Mat Williams, and Mrs. Mary Boman, reside in Bedford County. The second daughter, Sally, married Dennis Springer. They had several children, all of whom went to Hickman and Dickson Counties. The third daughter, Jane, married Alsea, otherwise known as "York," Harris and died without children. The fourth daughter, Elizabeth, married Price Coldwell Steele. The fifth daughter, Catherine, married Carlos D. Steele. The sixth daughter, Malinda, married Caswell Puckett of Rutherford County. Of Elizabeth Steele's children, only four survive: Rev. Marion Steele of Arkansas, Hon. John W. Steele, Miss Fanny Steele, and Mrs. T. N. McCord of Bedford County. Of Catherine Steele's children, only two remain: Capt. B. P. Steele of Tullahoma, and John Bell Steele of Arkansas. Mrs. Puckett left three sons and five daughters, all living in Rutherford County. Washington Bogart Cooper, the oldest son of James Cooper, is an artist by profession. He has long been a resident of Nashville, Tennessee, and is now about eighty-four years of age. He married in 1839 Miss Ann Litton, a native of Dublin, Ireland. They have three children: James Litton, Kate Litton, and Joe Litton. Jonathan J., the second son of James Cooper, married Mary Ann Young, a Kentuckian by birth and a schoolmistress. In 1860 he removed from Bedford County to Arkansas, first to Benton County and then to White County, where he died. His widow and two daughters reside in Fayetteville, Arkansas, while the three sons, as I am informed, are in Benton County, Arkansas. William Browning, the third son of James Cooper, is also an artist of distinction and resides in Nashville. His wife was first a Miss Berkeley of Williamson County, then Mrs. Reddy, then Mrs. Breckenridge, and as Mrs. Cooper is the mother of two children: John L. and Mrs. Slaughter of Louisville, Kentucky. The two brothers, Washington B. and William B., are the only survivors of James Cooper's family. The third son of Abraham Cooper was William H., who married Sarah Jamison of Dixon Springs, Smith County. They reared five daughters and one son. The oldest daughter, Betsy, as the second wife of John Woods of Bedford County. Her five children are all dead except Jesse. She died in August 1883. The second daughter, Clarissa, died while young. The third daughter, Jane, married Robert Brooks of Giles County, a first cousin to Bishop Paine of the Southern Methodist Church. Brooks removed from Giles County to Yalobusha County, Mississippi, where he reared his family. The fourth daughter, Mary, died unmarried at Mrs. Woods'. The fifth daughter, Nancy, married Mr. Dodson of Mississippi and is the only surviving member of the family. Thomas Jamison, the only son, married in Giles County, went to Leake County, Mississippi, settled there and died in 1882. He left some children, all of whom live in Mississippi. Robert Cooper, the fourth son of Abraham Cooper, married Rebecca McInturf in Carter County, Tennessee. They were both born in Carter County in 1784. They had nine children: eight sons and one daughter, the daughter having died when six months old. All the sons grew to manhood except Abram, who died at three years of age. John Linzapher Cooper, the oldest son of Robert Cooper, was born November 20, 1807, as has been stated, upon the trip from Carter to Smith County, and therefore cannot claim any county as the place of his nativity, but has been a citizen of Bedford County since 1812. He was married May 15, 1834, to Frances G. Lindsey of Rutherford County. She was the daughter of Caleb and Temperance House Lindsey and was born June 28, 1813, in Granville County, North Carolina. They were the parents of five children: Caleb Lindsey, Adelaide Rebecca, John Summerfield, Temperance Elizabeth, and Robert Browning. Caleb L. married Miss Isabella Smith of Rutherford County, November 14, 1860. They had no children. Adelaide R. was married August 17, 1858, to Rev. J. S. Malone of the Southern Methodist Church and died December 24, 1876, leaving no children. John S. was married October 15, 1879, to Miss Anna Hess, a daughter of Dr. Nelson I. Hess, long a prominent physician of Trenton, Tennessee. They have two children: Arthur F. and Gussie Lee. Frances Green, the wife of John L. Cooper, and mother of his children, died March 25, 1874. He married Sarah W. Jamison of Rutherford County in December 1875. The second son of Robert Cooper was Abner James. He was born in 1810 and died in ‘28 or ‘29. William Browning was the third son. He was born in 1812 and died of dropsy in 1834. The fourth son, Abram, died in childhood. The fifth son, Charles Dickson, was born in 1814 and died in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi in 1862. He first married Elizabeth Lindsey, a sister of his brother John's wife, in June 1835. She died in June 1840. He next married Elizabeth Rogers of Bedford County, and after her death he married Mrs. Crenshaw of Mississippi who survived him, but who is now dead. Elizabeth Lindsey left three children: William H., Sally T. E., and Wise A. Cooper. William H. became a surgeon of distinction in the Confederate Army and died unmarried July 10, 1866. Sally T. E. married Lewis Sims of Rutherford County and died in October 1881, leaving one child, Bessie Sims. Wise A Cooper married in September 1866 Miss Senie Shaw of Gibson County, Tennessee. They have a large family of children and now reside in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The second wife of C. D. Cooper left a son, John F., whose whereabouts are unknown. Bedford Campbell was the sixth son of Robert Cooper. He was born about 1816. I am not positive as to dates, not having a record. His first wife was Elizabeth Tinnin. She died, leaving three children, and he then married her sister, Laura Tinnin. He and his wife are both living near Bloomfield, Missouri. His oldest son, William, was a Confederate soldier and was killed at Tupelo, Mississippi. Robert, the second son, received a wound in the same battle, from the effects of which he died a year or so afterward. Robert Caldwell was the seventh son. He was born about 1820 and is still living, unmarried. Thomas Price was the eighth and youngest son. He was born in 1827 and died February 3, 1877. He married Lucretia W. Rogers, and they had seven children, all sons. Their names were: Samuel Morgan, Robert Linzapher, William, John Harris, Thomas Oliver, George Franklin, and Rob. All are dead but John H., who is a resident of Nashville. Robert Cooper, the son of Abraham, died suddenly of heart disease in June 1833 and is buried at the old home in Rutherford County, Tennessee. His wife, Rebecca, died in December 1862. Charles Cooper was the fifth son of Abraham Cooper. He married Sarah Brooks of Bedford County and died in 1822, leaving three sons and five daughters. John B., the oldest of these, first married Miss Sivley of Alabama, and after her death he married Miss Jane McGuffin of Middletown, Rutherford County. They reared a family of children, one of whom, Mrs. James L. Goodrum, resides in Bedford County. John B. died at his home in Alabama in ‘82 or ‘83. Abram was the second son of Charles Cooper. His first wife was Miss Martha Sample of Bedford County. His second wife was a lady of Giles County, Tennessee. They removed to Crawley's Ridge, Arkansas, where he died. William Franklin was the third son of Charles Cooper. His first wife was Mary Morton, who left him three children: Sarah (Mrs. Claxton), Mary (Mrs. Hunter), and W. C. Cooper of Bell Buckle, Tennessee. His second wife was Miss McCrory. His third wife was Miss Hunter of Marshall County, who was the mother of four children: Sue (Mrs. Claxton), John T., Virgil E., and Maggie Cooper. Frank Cooper, as he was called, was killed instantly by the accidental discharge of a soldier's gun in camp near Shelbyville, Tennessee, in March 1862. He had gone to the camp to visit his son, W. C. Cooper, who was one of the most daring of Confederate soldiers. Charles Cooper's oldest daughter was Maria B. who is still living in Nashville, Tennessee. She was born in 1814 and was married while young to Learner Knott, who died in 1871. They were the parents of eleven children, only three of whom survive: Mrs. R. D. Reed, and Mrs. Landon Hollowell of Nashville, and W. C. Knott. Their oldest son, Rufus, was a Confederate soldier and was killed at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. Matilda was Charles Cooper's second daughter. She was married while young to Anderson J. Goodrum of Williamson County, Tennessee. They made their home in Bedford County, where they brought up a large family of sons and daughters, all of whom are living except the oldest son, Charles, who was killed by lightening at his home in Kentucky. The second son, James L., was a gallant Confederate soldier and left a leg on the field of Chickamauga. He has three times filled the office of Trustee of Bedford County. Malinda and Adeline were the third and fourth daughters of Charles Cooper. They married brothers, William and Sam Phillips, and removed to Illinois. I know nothing of their families. Elizabeth was the fifth daughter of Charles Cooper and was born after her father's death. She married William Holt, and they reside near Wartrace, Tennessee. They have several children. The oldest daughter of Abraham Cooper was Sarah. She married Richard Coop of Bedford County. In 1821 they removed to Gibson County and settled near Eaton. I remember the names of only the four oldest children: Jane, William, Elizabeth, and Henderson, and I also remember Mrs. Hays, another daughter, who once visited us. Richard Coop and his wife both died in West Tennessee. Jane was the second daughter of Abraham Cooper. She married John Montgomery of Rutherford County, Tennessee. They removed to Gibson County, in company with Richard Coop's family, and settled in the same neighborhood. There John Montgomery died, and after his death his widow and children removed to Arkansas. John Cooper, the eldest son of Abraham, outlived all his brothers and died about 1840. I omitted to mention in the proper connection that he married the second time. I do not remember the lady's name. She had two children: Timothy Walton and a daughter who married a Walton. They both reside in Smith County, Tennessee. James Cooper, the second son of Abraham, died in 1832 in Bedford County, and is buried on what is known as the Steele Farm, where he had lived some years. William, the third son of Abraham, died about 1818 at his home in the northeast part of Bedford County, three or four miles from Bell Buckle, and was buried there. His father, Abraham Cooper, was also buried there. Charles, the fifth son of Abraham, as stated, died in 1822 and was buried on his home place five miles from Shelbyville on the Fairfield Pike. These statements are all made from memory and may be inaccurate in some respects, not having any record of family history by which to be governed. This December 8, 1886 John Linzapher Cooper Bedford County, Tennessee The foregoing Biographical Sketch was dictated by my father, John L. Cooper, to my sister, Tempie E. Cooper, and reduced to writing by her. At the time it was prepared my father was seventy-nine years of age and had become nervous to such an extent that he could not write very well himself, and his eyesight was not very good; but his mental faculties were well preserved. The manuscript written by my sister is fading badly, and I have had it copied to preserve it. My father died in May 1895, aged about eighty-seven and one-half years. John S. Cooper Trenton, Tennessee May 9th, 1917