Going Home to Ireland - Part 1

Keeping a travel journal on my trips helps me
remember everything.

In the spring of 2010, I had the honor of  seeing the places where my grandfather was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. I traveled with the Sew Many Places travel group led by Jim West. I am a quilter, so I was excited to see Ireland with a combination of my craft and family history interests. 

At the end of my nine day trip was three days in Dublin. One of those days, I hired a taxi driver, Peter, to take me to nine addresses within a 5-mile range around the center of the city. 

I prepared a guide on Google Maps with over thirty with the closet and most relevant finds for my driver. With my two hour limit, the list was reduced to nine locations. What an adventure I had seeing the places where my ancestors lived!

I have or will write about the ancestors associated with these places.

1. 12 Annesley Place is where my mysterious cousin, Sheelagh, lived in 1917.  She wrote her letter to her "Uncle Jack," my grandfather, John Carrick Cooper, filling him in with activities going on in the homefront during World War l. Jack had emigrated to the United States in 1906.

12 Annesley Place

2. 142 North Strand Road was the birthplace of first Elizabeth Cooper who was born on 4 April 1878 and died that same year to parents of Alexander Sisson Cooper and Laura Jane Boyd.

142 North Strand Road

3. 18 Leinster Avenue was the birth place of first daughter, Laura Jane or "Jinnie" Cooper Dawes born on 29 January 1876, to parents of Alexander Sisson Cooper and Laura Jane Boyd.

18 Leinster Ave.

4.  61 Charlieville Avenue was the birthplace of Austin Sisson Cooper born on 27 April 1879, to parents Alexander Sisson Cooper and Laura Jane Boyd.

61 Charlieville Ave.

5.  34 Carlingford Road. Home of Jane Carrick Boyd, mother of Laura Jane Boyd Cooper. Jane Carrick Boyd was found here in 1901. This is the same address listed for Jane Carrick Boyd's granddaughter, Elizabeth Cooper, when she married George Corcoran in 1900.

34 Carlingford Road

6. 17 Portland St. Home of the Cooper family on 5 November 1886, when son, John Carrick Cooper, was born in Rotunda Hospital, to parents of Alexander Sisson Cooper and Laura Jane Boyd.

17 Portland St.

7. 139 Ranelagh South. We could not find the exact location of this address. This is where Alexander Sisson Cooper and family lived during the 1901 Ireland Census.

8.  12 Poplar Road - This is where the Corcoran family lived in the 1911 Ireland Census. Today there is a modern apartment complex built in its place. 

9. 14 S. Frederick Street, today, hosts the Dunne and Crescenzi Italian Restaurant where the Boyds were living in 1875. This is the home address listed for the bride on the marriage record of Alexander Sisson Cooper and Laura Jane Boyd.

14 South Frederick St.

I felt this was a successful excursion seeing the places where my grandfather's family resided at the turn of the century over a hundred years ago.

Time Will Tell

Pocket Watch and Rings

My grand uncle, Edwin Irwin COOPER, 1889-1935, inherited his father's pocket watch which was engraved with his initials, ASC for Alexander Sisson COOPER. Look closely in the center to find all three letters engraved on top of each other. Who had this made for him & for what occasion?

Open the watch cover and engraved inside is the COOPER crest seen here. It has the bull with words LOVE and SERVE.

Edwin also possessed two family rings with the family crest.

Edwin passed these on to his son, John David COOPER (1921-2011) who took these pictures of the watch and crest rings for me. John’s daughter, my 2nd cousin, now has the honor of possessing these heirlooms.

This got me curious about our family crest. I will share about our crest in a future post.

Alexander Sisson Cooper (1854-1927) Part 2

Alexander Sisson COOPER is my great grandfather. My favorite photo of him is holding his grandson, Stanley Gibson COOPER, my father, born 1924, in New York City.  I find him, age 51, in the U.S. Census record in 1910 as a boarder with his youngest son, Alex S. Cooper, Jr., age 19, in Manhattan. This document tells me that both father and son immigrated to the U.S. in 1905. My next step is to find the passenger ship that brought them to America. 

They left Liverpool on 13 May 1905 on the SS Etruia. 

Alex Jr. is age 11 and father is 47. Alex Sr. is a bookkeeper who can read and write. He is Irish from Dublin. Their destination is Brooklyn and he has paid for both of their tickets. He had $31 cash in his pocket. The next line told me that he had been to the US before! Both in 1881 and 1886. He is meeting his brother-in-law, J. E. Edmonds of 450 52nd St. of Brooklyn. 

Year: 1905; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0576; Line: 25; Page Number: 104 Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

This document raises more questions for me to answer.

• Who is J.E. Edmonds?
• Why would he come to U.S. in 1881 and 1886?
• Why is “US Citizen” written over “Self and $31” in columns 13 and 14? 

I recently found an attempt for U. S. Citizenship with his Declaration of Intention dated 29 Jul 1907. The U.S.1910 Census states he is in Pa (Papers process). 1920 Census states both immigration year and US citizen status as Unknown. At least, Alexander, Sr., made the attempt.

 New York, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1940. Circuit Court, Southern District. Vol 015-017 , 11 July-7 Sept 1907 (No. 6994-8487). Alexander Sisson Cooper, No. 7412. 29 Jul 1907. Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Naturalization Records. National Archives at New York City, New York, New York : accessed 30 Dec 2016

Alex, Sr., with son, Jack, out fishing with a bunch of buddies. This photo in possession of my aunt. Love the comments written in blue pen!

I find Alexander’s death certificate. He died in Brooklyn on 28 March 1927. He is widowed. His occupation was an office clerk. He was born in Ireland. His parents are listed as Austin D. Cooper and Elizabeth Gibson, both born in Ireland. He died of pancreatic cancer. 

New York. Brooklyn County. New York City. Death Certificates. 1795-1949  Microfilm 2,048,713 : accessed Jul 2003.

Family history was given as “Austin Damer Cooper” as my 2nd great-grandfather. After connection with my distant cousin, Richard Austin-Cooper, he stated that Austin Damer COOPER was (the first cousin of MY Austin COOPER) the son of Rev. Austin COOPER, the younger brother of Samuel COOPER. I will go into further detail of this COOPER line in the future. I crossed out the “D.” Alex is buried at Evergreen Cemetery of Brooklyn, New York. This was the first time for me looking at death certificates on microfilm. I did not know to look at the next page to see who provided the derivative information. I will have to look at this document again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Alexander Sisson Cooper (1854-1927) Part 1

Alexander Sisson COOPER is the third child, second son of Austin COOPER and Elizabeth GIBSON. He was born 3 Oct 1854 in Marlinstown, Westmeath, Ireland, according to the family Bible. See previous post. http://familyfilmfabricfood.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-old-cooper-bible.html

By 1875, I find him in Dublin. He married Laura Jane BOYD on 17 Jul 1875 in St. Anne Church in the Parish of St. Anne. I find the marriage register by writing to Roscommon after finding their names in the index found online from Salt Lake City. 

Dublin, Ireland. Ireland Marriage Records. 1875. Quarter 3. Vol. 12. Page 495.Civil Registration Office, Roscommon, Ireland. Accessed June 2008.

The groom is listed as Alexander Sisson Cooper, age 20, a bachelor, occupation as a clerk, living at 27 Upper Buckingham St. His father is Austin COOPER, also a clerk. 

The bride is listed as Laura Jane BOYD, age 21, a spinster, no profession, living at 14 South Frederick St. (which is right around the corner from the church). Her father is William BOYD, a what? I could not figure out his occupation. The witnesses are listed as J. C. Boyd and Edward Grange. (The same week-June 2008- I received this record from Roscommon; on Ancestry.com, I was contacted by some Boyds in Australia, who just discovered an older sister of six younger brothers, two who emigrated to Australia before 1878.) These are the third cousins I visited in Australia in October 2016.

I was in Dublin back in 2010. I spent an afternoon walking around St. Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square. (More about that story later.) I tried to visit St. Anne’s. The door was locked on a Monday afternoon.

Years later, I was able to find this same marriage registration online, but a different written copy which answered the question of William BOYD's occupation, a Commercial Traveller!! 

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/display-pdf.jsp?pdfName=d-344-3-6-022

I find Alexander and Laura Jane listed next in the 1901 Irish Census.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003707038/

Alexander Cooper is listed as the Head of the Household and family are all listed as Protestants with the Church of Ireland. The family can read and write. He is 44 and a Bookkeeper. He is married and born in the County of Westmeath. His wife, Laura Cooper is listed as Wife. Age 47, born in Scotland. She is crossed out. I later find her listed with her mother, Jane CARRICK Boyd on the evening of 31 March 1901. More about that when I write about the Carricks.

The children are listed as:

Laura Cooper, daughter, 24, clerk, single, born in the City of Dublin.

John Cooper, son, 14, scholar, single, born in the City of Dublin.

Edwin Cooper, son, 12, scholar, single, born in the City of Dublin.

Alexander Cooper, son, 10, scholar, single, born in the City of Dublin.

I am familiar with these four children listed, as all of them came to the US from 1905-1908, as well as their father, Alexander S. Cooper, Sr. I hunt down their birth/baptism records finding six more children. 

Child #1 - Laura Jane Cooper born 29 Jan 1876 Dublin, Ireland. MF#255,946

"Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FG2P-VT5 : 8 December 2014), Laura Jane Cooper, 29 Jan 1876; citing Dublin, Ireland, reference v 2-2 p 580; FHL microfilm 255,946. Accessed 25 May 2005.

Child #2 - Male Cooper born 9 June 1877 Dublin, Ireland. MF#255,980 

"Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGXF-5RG : 8 December 2014), Cooper, 09 Jun 1877; citing Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, reference v 7-2 p 591; FHL microfilm 255,980 : accessed 24 Sep 2009.

Child #3 - Elizabeth Cooper #1 born 4 Apr 1878 Dublin, Ireland. MF#256,003

"Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGKG-ZM9: 8 December 2014), Elizabeth Cooper, 04 Apr 1878; citing Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, reference v 2-2 p 550; FHL microfilm 256,003: accessed Feb 2006.

Elizabeth died 6 hours later due to premature birth. 

Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/: accessed 14 January 2021), image, death registration of Elizabeth Cooper (4 April 1878, 142 North Strand Road, North Dublin,  County of Dublin, city of Dublin), citing Group Registration ID 7008735; registration filed 4 April 1878 by J. P. Nowlan, in North Dublin Registration District, J. R. Ferguson Register, folio 439, “First page,” stamped no. 07198165, entry 114.

Child #4 - Austin Sisson Cooper born 27 Apr 1879 Dublin, Ireland. MF#256,028

"Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGLB-43J : 8 December 2014), Austin Sisson Cooper, 27 Apr 1879; citing Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, reference v 2-2 p 586; FHL microfilm 256,028 :  accessed Feb 2006.  

Child #5 - Elizabeth Cooper #2 born 30 Apr 1881 Dublin, Ireland. MF#906,717 

Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, register of labour patients, master's ward book; records of births, admissions and discharges, 1797-1882. Master's Ward Book Vol. 4 1879-1881. Microfilm #906,707 Salt Lake City. Accessed 23 Sep 2009. 

On my second trip to Salt Lake City in 2009 for research in the Family History Library, one of my goals was to focus on Dublin Hospital birth records and Birth Registrations that were available there. On the last page of the Master’s Ward Book Vol. 4 1879-1881 I found the following. This only listed these facts. Bed No. - 83. Name of Mother - Laura Cooper. Age - 26. Date & Condition of Patient on Admission - 30th. No. of Pregnancy - 5. Date & Hour of Delivery - 30th & 5 hrs. Hours ill - 3. Length of 2nd Stage in Hours - 1/2. Length of 3rd Stage in Minutes - 12. Sex & State of Child Now Born - F & 6 1/4.  Total # of Births at Viable Period - 2 males 3 females. [On next page not posted here.] Result to Child - [blank]. Result to Mother - May. 7". This does not list name of child. I found this unindexed document going through microfilms page by page. I found this on the last page[s]. 

I later find Elizabeth's baptism record with the matching above date.

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/display-pdf.jsp?pdfName=d-298-2-9-042

Child #6 - Female Cooper born 10 Apr 1884. Dublin, Ireland. 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1884/02692/1991510.pdf

Interesting to see the father listed as a Robert Cooper. I connected with my distant cousin who collaborates with me over our BOYD side of the tree. The address listed here matches with Laura's mother, Jane CARRICK Boyd and maternal grandmother, Ellen CARRICK (died in 1885) at this time. Robert must be an error from the person who recorded this birth who was present at birth. 

Child #7 - John Carrick Cooper born 5 Nov 1886 Dublin, Ireland. Roscommon order. See blog posts about John Carrick Cooper (my grandfather) in six parts. Now online. See below.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1886/02583/1954474.pdf

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/display-pdf.jsp?pdfName=d-298-2-9-085

Child #8 - Edwin Irwin Cooper born 9 Jan 1889 Dublin, Ireland.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1889/02486/1922640.pdf

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/display-pdf.jsp?pdfName=d-45-2-18-102

Child #9 - Alexander Sisson Cooper, Jr. born 24 Mar 1891 Dublin, Ireland. 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1891/02390/1891537.pdf

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/display-pdf.jsp?pdfName=d-45-2-18-125

Child #10 - Samuel Pearson Cooper born  12 Oct 1894. Dublin, Ireland. Samuel Pearson Cooper died a year later on 4 Oct 1995.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1894/02240/1843764.pdf

https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/display-pdf.jsp?pdfName=d-751-2-1-088

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1895/05916/4679531.pdf

I find Laura Jane BOYD Cooper in the [2 April] 1911 census by herself in Dublin.  

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000192382/

It states that she is married for 36 years. It lists that 5 children are still alive of birthing 11 children. I know this includes her 4 children who came to the United States and one Elizabeth who married with a family by 1911. See “The Letter That Started It All”). So, yes, she had one more child, which I now need to search for their birth records. Most of these Ireland BMD Records can now be found online at Irish Genealogy.ie. https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/ which are referred to above.

She died on 28 Nov 1921, in Dublin, at Meath Hospital, age 65, Cancer of the Liver for 5 years & ???? (Can anyone read this?) for 3 months. It states she was still married as a wife of a clerk. 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1921/05085/4395624.pdf

I asked my aunt if she was ever told why Laura Jane Boyd Cooper, her grandmother, remained in Ireland as she said "Good-bye" to her husband and four of her children as they left for the United States, some to never return home to Ireland again. My aunt told me Laura Jane was sickly and she felt she did not have the strength to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

I feel both Alexander and Laura Jane wanted a better future for their surviving younger four children by the turn of the century because of the political upheaval in Ireland at the time for independence. My cousin contains a century old scrapbook with newspaper articles covering these troubled times before Ireland's Independence from England. Two children, Elizabeth Cooper Corcoran and Austin Sisson Cooper remained in Ireland. Or did they?

Alexander Sisson COOPER's adventures in America will continue in my next blog.

Family Reunion in California

Two weeks after I returned from  Australia, I met with another Aussie cousin, Penny, who was visiting family in California. We both thought it ironic that the same evening I was flying to Brisbane from Los Angeles; she was flying from Brisbane and landing in Los Angeles. We met for lunch to catch up and share our family history with one another. I had talked with Penny on the phone when I was in Brisbane at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art with her sister, Tina.

The two hours went very quickly. I am thankful to meet and learn from my worldly family.  

Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions for 2017

This is a start! Need help to finish!

I gave up on resolutions years ago, as with most  people, I never followed through on them.

I now have so many goals swimming in my head that I realize I need to be better organized to complete them.

In my genealogy field, these include:

• Genealogy Do-Over - I confess, this is my third attempt. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing Thomas MacEntee this weekend with my local San Diego Genealogical Society.

• Start a blog. Which I did. But I am getting frustrated with the website’s technical issues. 

• More confidence with my Source Citations.  

• Complete goals with better organization of family photos, scrapbooks, letters, and documents.  

I am a great starter, but, my issue is to FINISH my goals. I also have to be able to focus on one item at a time until it is satisfactorily done. I am easily sidetracked by those Bright Shiny Objects.

Resolutions can only be successful if one follows through on them day by day all year to become successful habits. 

Ask me how I am progressing on my goals six months from now. No, it should be monthly. I so appreciate all of the help that is available out in the internet world. 

The Old COOPER Bible

Austin COOPER and Elizabeth GIBSON (my second great-grandparents) of Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland, had 14 children after they were married on 24 Jun 1851, in the Church of Ireland. Austin also had a son from a previous marriage to Mary Agnes IRWIN who had died [in childbirth].  The names written on my grandfather’s (John Carrick COOPER, the son of Alexander Sisson COOPER) tree include * -

*Austin Irwin COOPER 

*Henry COOPER

*Alexander Sisson COOPER

 Arthur Lincoln COOPER

*Edwin Ashley COOPER

*Samuel COOPER

*John Turner COOPER

*Walter COOPER

*Ashley J. COOPER

James COOPER

Sylvester COOPER

*Jane "Jenny" M. COOPER

*Bessie COOPER

*Marion Frances COOPER

*Mary "Minnie" E. COOPER

Those highlighted in yellow were included from my (third, 1x removed) cousin’s, Richard Austin Cooper, book, Butterhill & Beyond (on a Chapeau Gules): Illustrated History of the Cooper Family of Byfleet, Killenure Castle, Co. Tipperary and Abbeville House, Co. Dublin. The one highlighted in blue is my find.

In 2006, I discovered Ancestry.com’s Message Boards. I typed in ‘Alexander Sisson Cooper’ in different formats. No show. I continued with his male sibling ‘Arthur Lincoln Cooper’ and up popped a jewel. There he was listed in a query titled ‘Old Cooper Bible’ found in Denver, Colorado, at a boarding house on Speer Blvd. back in 1960. Included was my great-grandfather, Alexander ‘Sissen’ Cooper, with birth date and location of 3 Oct 1854 in ‘Martinstown’‡ of Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland. The author who found this Bible requested that she would like to get this to the Cooper family it belongs to. I e-mailed her and had the family Bible in my own hands days later. What a treasure!

It is small measuring 4”x6”x2.” Sadly, the front title page is torn out, so I do not know when this Bible was published. The back inner cover was transcribed for the query.

“Ashley Joseph Cooper was born 22 August 1868 at Roscommon.

Henry Cooper was born on Monday Morning the 12th of April 1852 at Martinstown.

Mary Elizabeth Cooper was born the 20th of August 1853 at Martinstown.

Alexander Sissen Cooper was born on the 3rd of October 1854 on Tuesday night at half past two at Martinstown. Baptized by his grandfather the 31 of the same month.

Aurthur Linclon Cooper was born on the 20th of January 1856 on Monday at (can't read) at Canterbury Bariack. Baptized by his g Uncle August 1858 in Qubleu.

Elizabeth Cooper was born on Sunday the 31st May 1857 at Faringdon Rvan. Baptized by her grandfather July 1851.”

I turned to the pages between the Testaments and found this.

“Austin & Elizabeth [nee Gibson] Cooper were married on Saturday the 14th of June 1851.

Austin Irwin Cooper was born on Sunday the 25th of March 1849 at 10 o'clock & baptized on Tuesday the 17th of April Dublin.” (Austin Irwin Cooper was the child of Austin Cooper and Mary Irwin. Mary died in 1849, possibly in childbirth.)

-------

"Henry Cooper was born on Monday the 12th April 1852 at 10 o.ck. noon.

-------

"Alexander Sisson Cooper was born was born Oct 3 1854

-------

"Arthur Lincoln Cooper was born January 28 1856

--------

"Elizabeth Cooper was born May 31 1857”

This is in different handwriting as in the back of the Bible.

Thank you, Karen Greer, for finding this treasure to answer questions of some of Austin and Elizabeth’s children. This Bible added more questions for me to answer. The first one is: How did it end up in Denver, Colorado?

I will write about each child as I find more information about them through research and hopefully cousin contact.

‡There are both a Martinstown and a Marlinstown in Co. Westmeath, Ireland. ‘Martinstown’ is the transcription from the Bible in the query. Marlinstown is the closest to Mullingar. I see Marlinstown on the original Bible page.

I love the Bible notes at the bottom of the second page. 

◬18 parts refer to Election

⧺18 parts refer to Predestination