(1) Name: James COOPER
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Father: COOPER
Misc. Notes
James Cooper was a friend of Captain John Hinkson and was one of the original “Hinkson” party to explore Bourbon County. He was also the co-murderer of the Delaware Indian, Joseph Wipey (refer to “The Biography of COL John Hinkson” by myself).--REF
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Draper MSS3S52
Deposition of Samuel Murphy - John Hinkson & Cooper killed Wipey in Westmoreland - made a great stir with the whites & Hinkson had a small party of rangers (8 or 10, or something like that) Cooper amongst them & were brave & useful, more so than most others. Hinkson and Girty were cronies.
Arthur St. Clair notified the Pennsylvania Assembly about the murder on May 29, 1774. (PA Archives First Series Vol. IV, pg. 503, 504, 520, 524). I may have this, I'm not sure.
Letter of condolence to the Delaware Indian tribe. (American Archives, 4th Series, I, pg. 676). I don't have this but you can get from Library.
PA Colonial Records, Vol. X, pg. 199
"A PROCLAMATION
"WHEREAS, I have received information that some Time in May last, a certain friendly Indian man, called Joseph Wipey, was barbarously murdered in the County of Westmoreland; And Whereas, there is great Reason to believe that John Hinkson, and James Cooper, of the same County, were concerned in the perpetration of the said Murder; And Whereas, it is at all Times, but more especially in the present Situation of our Affairs with the Western Indian Nations, of the utmost Consequence to the Peace of the Province, that the Perpetrators of such atrocious Offenses, not only against the Authority of Government, but in direct Violation of the Treaties with those Indians, should be brought to condign and exemplary Punishment; I have, therefore, thought fit, with the advice of the Council, to issue this Proclamation, And do hereby strictly charge and Command all Judges, Justices, Sheriffs, Constables, and other Officers, as well as all other His Majesty's liege Subjects within this Province, to make diligent Search and Enquiry after the said John Hinkson and James Cooper, and to use all lawful Means for apprehending and securing them, that they may be proceeded against according to Law. And I do hereby promise and engage, the Public Reward of one hundred Pounds shall be paid to any Person or Persons who shall apprehend the said John Hinkson and James Cooper, and deliver them into the Custody of the Keeper of the Gaol of either of the Counties of Lancaster, York, or Cumberland, or the Sum of fifty Pounds for either of them.
"Given under my Hand and the Great Seal of the said Provinces, at Philadelphia, the twenty-eighth day of July, in the fourteenth Year of His Majesty's Reign and in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-four.
"JOHN PENN.
"By His Honour's Command.
"JOSEPH SHIPPEN, Junr., Secretary.
"GOD SAVE THE KING."
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Excerpt from my biography of John Hinkson:
John Hinkson and six other men, including John Haggin, returned to Pennsylvania sometime in the late fall of 1775. Hinkson and Haggin (with his family) returned the following spring along with several others, including Thomas Dunn, David Wilson, Thomas Moore, Benjamin Harrison, John Morgan, Belles Collier, Robert Keene, John Sellers, William Woods, Eneas McDaniel and William Kennedy.The men continued to improve the land throughout the spring and into the summer. However,within a few months events took a turn for the worse.
The Shawnee and Cherokee were very angry that whites had encroached upon their “happy hunting grounds ” and struck back at the settlers. On July 7, 1776, John ’s long time friend, James Cooper, was killed. In a report filed by John Hinkson to William Harrison (brother of Benjamin) on August 30,1776, we read that
“… one James Cooper, and another person, a Dutchman, being on their way to a buffalo lick, were fired upon by a couple of Indians, who shot down Cooper and frightened the Dutchman ’s horse so that he flung him; his foot hanging in the stirrup, one of the Indians walked up to him, to tomahawk him, but although in that disadvantages situation he found means to aim his gun so well (which he never gritted) as to shoot the savage dead on the spot and seeing the other Indian walking up to him, he disengaged himself from his horse, mounted Cooper’s, and got clear off to the inhabitants.”
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Depositions taken in Bourbon County, Kentucky, Chancery Suit
To settle disputes between Thos. Respess, John Haggin and John Breckenridge, complainants, vs. Thos. McClanahan, defendant, filed Oct., 1799. Deposition of James Brown, of full age, deposeth: he has been acquainted with Cooper's Run since Dec., 1784, and branch on which he lives has been known as West fork. Henry Wilson, Jr., deposeth: he has been acquainted with said run since fall of '80, having traveled down said run with Capt. Chas. Gatliff and co. to Martin's and Ruddle's Stations after they were taken by Col. Byrd and the savages. Thos. Herndon deposeth: he was acquainted with said fork since 1783. Jas. Garrard deposeth in same, also Patrick Jordan and Thos. Whitledge. Geo. Finley deposeth: he saw Mary Cooper, widow of James Cooper, who was killed by the Indians in Ky., in the State of Penn., with her child, David Cooper, in 1776, and continued there in Penn. until 1785 when they moved to Ky. Zachariah Benson and Lewis Marshall, Joseph Case, John Morris depose in same. Augustine Eastin states in 1783 Jas. Forbush was pilot for himself and others to survey lands, that he understood said Forbush had settled in this country 1776, and believes he was with the first settlers at Bryant's Station. David Cooper, 28 yrs. of age next July, states in the summer of '82 he was hunting on Cooper's Run in company with Joshua Mounce and came to a spring where he believes Mr. Elkin (Samuel) now lives, and he told deponant that was the head of the N. fork of that run that was named for his father, James Cooper.
Spouses
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1: Mary
Children: David
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Last Modified: February 24, 2003
Created: March 2, 2003