Person:Hugh Copperwaithe (1)

Records in Monthly Meeting of Friends for Woodbridge, Rahway, and Plainfield, NJ. Housed at SDB library. Quaker.

Hugh was the first Cowperthwaite of record in the Colonies. He was born in 1648, a native of Kentmore, Westmoreland, England. He arrived at Long Island, NY with his wife, Elizabeth, about 1674 and settled at Flushing where he acquired considerable property by his work as a schoolmaster and tailor. He was a minister of the Society of Friend sand made frequent visits to meetings in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When he died the Flushing Monthly Meeting described him as "A substantial Friend, a minister nearly fourty years and universally beloved."

Woodbridge includes a note about the different spellings of Cowperthwaite: The name Cowperthwaite has been found as: Cooperthwaite, Copersthwaith, Coperthaite, Coperthrite, Coperthwait, Coperthwiate, Copertwate, Copethwaite, Copperthwait, Copperthwaite, Coppertwait, Copperwaithe, Coppotite, Couperthwait, Cowperthwait, Cowperthwaite, Coperthwart, Cowperthwate, Cowperthwest, Cowperwiat. The form "Cowperthwaite" has been used unless specifically quoted, even though a few branches have dropped the final "e" believing that thirteen letters in a name are unlucky. The "Cowper" portion of the name would appear to mean "one who raises cows." The "thwaite" portion of the name is a noun of Scandinavian origin and means "cleared land" -e.g., "cattle rancher."

From "Cowperthwaite, Seven Generations from Hugh born 1648" by J Eliot Woodbridge, 1983, privately printed Princeton, NJ: "Hugh came about1674 from Kentmore, Westmoreland, England, to Flushing, Long Island,NY, with his wife, Elizabeth. He acquired considerable property by his work as a schoolmaster and tailor. He was a minister of the Society of Friends."

From GenealogyLibrary.com, "First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodsridge Olde East New Jersey Part 5": "Hugh Cowperthwaite was b. in England, 1648, and d. at Flushing, L. I., 20May 1720 [sic, a typo in the book apparently, should say 1730]; his wife, Elizabeth d. there 15 Dec. 1697. They first settled there, 1674. Their leading child was John Cowperthwaite, who by his children contributed to the W. N. J. progeny. Susannah Cowperthwaite was one of these children and m. William Webster.

Will . . . naming brother, John Cowperthwaite, "my beloved cousin, Hugh Cowperthwaite" -- "I leave to my cousin, Elizabeth Shotwell, and to her daughter, Elizabeth, and to all the rest of her children, etc., to my cousin, Susanna Webster. To my cousin, Abraham Shotwell, etc. .. The term "cousins" in the will probably meant nephews and nieces . .. ."

From the "Genealogy of the Stokes Family, Descendants from Thomas and Mary Stokes who Settled in Burlington County, N.J." -Hugh Cowperthwait, a native of England, was born in 1648, and emigrated to Long Island in 1674, and settled at Flushing, where he followed tailoring and taught school. He acquired a considerable estate. He was a minister of good repute in the Society of Friends, as appears from the minutes of Flushing monthly meetings - "A substancial friend, a minister for nearly forty years, and universally beloved." He died May the 20th, 1730, and by the minutes of the meeting at Flushing, he devised to that body a legacy of ?100. He married first, in England, Elizabeth ______, who died at Flushing, Long Island, December5th,1697. In February, 1698, he obtained a certificate to travel in the New England, where he married his second wife, another Elizabeth, who died August 27th, 1707.

From "First Settlers Of Ye Plantations Of Piscataway and Woodbridge, Olde East New Jersey - 1664-1714: A Period Of Fifty Years"- Part Five, by Orra Eugen Monnette, B.A., The Leroy Carman Press, Los Angeles, CA, 1933, pgs. 811-812: "HUGH COWPERTHWAITE was b. in England, 1648, and d. at Flushing, L. I., 20 May 1720 [sic, a typo in the book apparently, should say 1730]; his wife, Elizabeth d. there 15 Dec. 1697. They first settled there, 1674.Their leading child was JOHN COWPERTHWAITE, who by his children contributed to the W. N. J. progeny. SUSANNAH COWPERTHWAITE was one of these children and m. WILLIAM WEBSTER., (qui videt)...Will of HUGH COWPERTHWAITE at Flushing in Queens County, (L. I.), dated, April28,1730, proved, June 3, 1730, naming brother JOHN COWPERTHWAITE," my beloved cousin, HUGH COWPERTHWAITE"--"I leave to my cousin, ELIZABETH SHOTWELL, and to her daughter, Elizabeth, and to all the rest of her children, etc., to my cousin, SUSANNA WEBSTER. To my cousin, ABRAHAM SHOTWELL, etc. with editor's note: The seal attached to the signature of the testator has H. C. impressed on it. The term 'cousins' in the will probably means nephews and nieces. The books mentioned were all noted works, written in defense of the Quakers and their doctrines. (N. Y. HIST. COLL., 1902, Vol. XI, pp. 107-9). Of course, this HUGH COWPERTHWAITE was the second and his brother, JOHN COWPERTHWAITE went into WEST JERSEY."

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1. ↑ Cowperthwaite — Seven Generations from Hugh born 1648.

   Place from J. Eliot Woodbridge entitled "Cowperthwaite
   — Seven Generations from Hugh born 1648" housed at Burlington NJ historical society and referenced at http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~mek344/eport/images/cowperthwaite-eakins.pdf

2. ↑ "Records of the Society of Friends of the City of New York and Vicinity, from 1640 to 1800", in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. (New York, New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society)
   Vol. 7, p. 86.

   "Hugh Cowperthwite of flushing A substantial friend came out of England and dwelt in said town about 56 years a minister near 40 years lived to the age of about 82 years in good credit being vneuersally [i.e., universally] beloued and dyed the twentieth day of ye 3 month 1730."
   [Note: In old-styles dates, the third month is May. More info may be found here.]