Jonathan Cooper 1808 - after 1850.

The earliest record I have found so far relating to this family, occurs in May 1833, when Jonathan Cooper of Gedding married Sophia Estling of Felsham. Sophia was the daughter of John Estling and his wife Sophia (late Chinery), born in September 1808. She had an illegitimate son, Frederick, baptised in Felsham in August 1830.

Granny’s grandmother Sophia was born Sophia Esling in the parish of Felsham on 13 September 1808. She was said to have become an “old tartar” and Granny was the only grand-daughter who was tough enough to go and look after her.

In August 1830, when she was 22, “Frederick son of Sophia Esling” was baptised in Felsham. This form of entry implies that Frederick’s mother was either unmarried or widowed. If her mother Sophia had been 18 when she married, she would have been 42 in 1830 and could have been the mother of Frederick. The registers must be checked to see whether Sophia’s father John Esling was still alive in 1830 and so whether Sophia’s mother was a widow. If this is not the case, then we have to assume that Sophia had an illegitimate son Frederick.

The IGI has two possible entries for baptisms of a Jonathan Cooper in 1808. One was the son of Jonathan Cooper and Mary Ann, baptised in Wattisham in May 1808. The other was the son of Samuel Cooper and Hannah (previously Davey) baptised in Bury in December 1808. Further investigation of these will be necessary.

                             |-Frederick bap 1830
Jonathan Cooper c1810-18??   |-Mary Jane Cooper 1841-?  mar 1860 Frederick William Pike.
mar 1833  -------------------|-Alfred Ambrose Cooper 1843-?
Sophia Estling 1808-?        |-David Cooper 1844-?  mar 1865 Mary Makens.
                             |-Emma Cooper 1846-? mar 1867 Benjamin Welham.

They then moved to Ringshall, where four of their children were baptised. However by the time the children were married, the family was living in the neighbouring village of Battisford. In 1860, when Mary Jane was married, Jonathan was described as a drover, but later on he was merely a “labourer”.

Page maintained by Susan Laflin. Last updated December 2004.