Family:James Cooper and Nancy Shoemaker (1)

Article from Our Cooper Family

Note - Information beyond the second generation redacted due to reference to living people

James Henry Cooper, the ninth child of James and Lucinda was born in Delaware Co. Ohio March 11, 1846 and came with his parents to Fountain Co, In. where he met and married on November 11, 1866, Nancy Jane Shoemaker who was born December 26, 1846 the daughter of Isaac Thomas and Catherine (Bever) Shoemaker. Some time around 1880 they removed to Kansas with his sister Joanna who had married, I assume her brother. This is part of why I added the Bever family History to this because the Bevers were very prominent in James and Lucinda’s family. I don't have a lot on this family but what I do have was sent to me a few years ago when Yvonne Hawley ran a query in our Montgomery magazine and she is a descendant of James Henry. They were the parents of six children that I know of. There is some discrepancy between her story and Grandpa Coopers. From what information they had one child Joette Cooper who was named for her Mother "Nancy Joetta" so I don't know which is right. Anyway James passed away October 16, 1883 in Gerard Kansas, and she passed away October 17, 1885. They were both laid to rest in Gerard, Cemetery in the same one that Joanna and George were buried and after having some research done on Joanna's family the belief of the people out there was that James Henry was Joanna's Father, so I did get this straightened out for them. Nancy's parents are buried in the same cemetery. Their children, as far as I know are:
1. Lillie Annette Cooper was born February 11, 1868 in Fountain Co, In and on February 25, 1888 she married Charles Isaac Shoemaker who was born February 11, 1854 in Alvin Ill. (Vermillion Co.) The son of Simon Shoemaker. No knowledge of who his Mother was. Lillie passed away July 11, 1957 and Charles March 14, 1922 and both were laid to rest in Santa Maria S.B. Co. Calif. They were the parents of seven children. Lillie was also married to a Fry. The children are:
a. Simon Guy Shoemaker, born June 18, 1888 in Alvin, III and passed away, May 4, 1890
b. Minnie Elizabeth Shoemaker was born October 24, 1890 in Alvin and on December 6, 1907 or 8 she married Roy D. Saulsbury. She passed away August 4, 1914. c. Marion Henry Shoemaker was born May 10, 1896 and was married in 1915 and divorced in 1920 and passed away December 19, 1930
d. Charles Walter Shoemaker was born December, 11, 1904 or 5 in Milo, Vernon Co. Missouri and on December 22, 1926 he married Violet Pearl Clark who was born August 26, 1909 in, Creston, San Louis Abispo the daughter of James Carl and Rose Elizabeth (Twitchell) Clark. He passed away February 12, 1974 and was laid to rest in Bakersfield Ca. They had two children:
e. A baby boy was stillborn January 21 1909
f. Dorothy May (Dolly) Shoemaker was born June 16, 1886 in Vermillion Co. Ill.
g. Lula Grace Fry Palmer, I presume, was born November 16, 1886 in Gerard Kansas, married Joe Barber and passed away April 4, 1956.
This finishes the children of James Henry Cooper and Nancy Shoemaker. I have done this one the same way as the others but this one may be harder to understand, I don't know. Anyway this is the last five children of theirs:

2. Myrtie E. Cooper was born September 8, 1869 and passed away November 8, 1869.

3. Kitty Rosetta Cooper was born November 11, 1874 and on April 21, 1892 married Albert Ransom. She passed away November 4, 1913.

4. Walter Thompson Cooper was born February 20, 1877 and on April 7, 1896 was united in marriage with Nell Sparks and he passed away July 8, 1961.

5. Henry Owen Cooper was born May 23, 1877, married Myrtle Bunker and passed away October 14, 1973.

6. Miles Cooper was born April 4, 1881 in Crawford Co. Kansas and passed away April 22, 1881 and I assume is buried in the Gerard Cemetery where most or at least a lot of John Henry and Joanna's families are buried. This concludes the family of James Henry Cooper and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yvonne Hawley for her help, as in the first printing of this I only had one child that I knew of.

1.   Author Unknown. Our Cooper Family. (Genealogy, Unpublished).