Arthur Lincoln Cooper was the fourth child and third son of Austin Cooper and Elizabeth Gibson. born 20 Jan 1856, in the Canterbury Barracks.
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Cooper, Arthur Lincoln. Family Bible Records. 1848-1868. The Holy Bible. [Cover page torn out.] Privately held by Mary R. Cooper. San Diego, California. 2005.
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Above is a copy of the Cooper family Bible stating Arthur’s birth date and location. This location led me to search birth records from England. Arthur and his younger sister, Elizabeth “Bessie,” were the only two of the thirteen children of Austin and Elizabeth born in England.
I found his name in the BMD website and ordered a copy of the birth registration from www.freebmd.org.uk
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FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
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A few weeks later, I receive a copy of Arthur’s birth registration from the United Kingdom's General Registration Office.
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Cooper, Arthur Lincoln. Vol. 2a. Page 557. No. 481. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth, 1837-1915. General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. London, England: General Register Office. © Crown copyright. Accessed 3 Sep 2008.
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A closer up view of the document.
This gives a few more details of the family situation. Arthur is born at 8:30 AM in the Northgate Barracks in Canterbury. Why in the barracks? His father, Austin, is serving as a Lieutenant in the Royal North Lincoln Militia. See Austin Cooper blogpost to read more about Austin’s time in England.
Two years later, the family is back in Ireland for Arthur to be baptized by his G[rand] Uncle in August 1858. This grand uncle is his father’s uncle, the Rev. Austin Cooper, younger brother to his grandfather, Samuel Cooper.
Sadly, I know nothing more about the short lifetime of Arthur Lincoln Cooper. He died twenty years later, 9 Feb 1876, of consumption or pulmonary tuberculosis struggling with for the last four years of his life. His father was present at death. He died in Riversdale, a part of the village of Finglas Bridge, of Glasnevin in Dublin North. Interesting to see another Cooper in my family as a telegraph clerk.
Is this where Arthur lived and died in Dublin? He was the fifth adult child of Austin and Elizabeth Cooper. His three older brothers were also living and working in Dublin. Was his father visiting because of his son's illness? Austin had nine other children at home with his wife in Co. Galway or was it Co. Cavan in 1876?
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Ireland. Death Records. Arthur Lincoln Cooper. 9 February 1876. Volume 2. Page 573. No. 247. Accessed from the Civil Registration Office, Roscommon, Ireland, 24 July 2017.
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Map found on Ordinance Survey Ireland www.osi.ie website. Map dated around 1900.
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In searching for the Riversdale House in Finglas Bridge, I found the Glasnevin Heritage Page on Facebook. They were very helpful with helping me find exactly where Arthur Lincoln Cooper died. This map drawn around 1900 shows the location of the Riversdale House in the central area.
This house, along with Tolka Lodge and Rivermount House, were demolished many years ago with the updating of Ballyboggan Road with new housing currently in this location.
