William Willis Cooper (abt. 1798 - 1868)

Born about 21 Jun 1798 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Deborah Jane (Mason) Cooper — married 20 Oct 1840 in Goulburn, , New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 21 May 1868 at about age 69 in Denison Street, Kingston, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

^Birth - unsourced, need proof.

on Death certificate (in 1868)

age given as 68.

Father given as John Cooper - Carpenter.

Mother given as Elizabeth (Unknown maiden name).

Born in England

40 years in the colony

on Birth certificate for daughter Clara (in 1858)

Age given as 58

Place of birth given as Buckinghamshire

William Cooper was a convict after the Third Fleet.

Convict - arrived on the Phoenix in 1828 ^{[1] [2]}

William Willis Cooper

Born c1800,Buckinghamshire.England

Native place London

Status Married with one child.

Religion Prodestant

Trade Porter

Education Reads & Writes

Crime Cart robbery.

Height 4ft.11ins.

Trial 1827-02-16.London. Been in Newgate prior.

Sentence 7 years. "Pheonix"

Old Baily Session Papers

William Cooper was indicted for stealing on 10.1.1827. 14 lbs. tapioca, valued at 5 shillings. The property of Thomas Haines & others

Henry Harrington - I am cart man to Thomas Haines, who has a partner, they live in wattling street. On 10.1.1827.About half past 7 o,clock i left the cart at the door for about two minutes, there were two 14 lb parcels of tapioca in it. As i returned i saw the prisoner take one out of the cart and seized him going away with it. He begged me hard to be let go and said he was not the man. I gave him in charge.

Arthur Webb -I am a constable, i took him in charge. Property produced and sworn to William Cooper. Age 26. Guilty Transported for 7 years to Australia. 1828 Census

William Willis Cooper. Pheonix. Age 28. 7 years Assigned to Samuel Terry at Evan.

Convict Indents [convict indents evolved as a convict "passport"] ^[3]

27 yo, R&W. Protestant. Married, 1 child. Born London, Porter. Cart Robbery. 7 years. 4'11.5" Previous conviction. Ruddy Pocked complexion. Brown hair & eyes. Assigned to S Terry, Sydney.

Ticket Of Leave.

William Cooper. Pheonix . 1828.Trial London 15.2.1827

Allowed to remain in the district of Windsor on recommendation of Sydney bench. dated 18.7.1832.

33/102 dated 11 Mar 1833 ^[4]

Certificate OF Freedom

William Cooper. 34/52 dated 3.5.1834

Pheonix. 1828. Porter. London. Cart Robbery 7 years

Had ticket of leave 1833.

Marriage no 1 & 2 - noted on death certificate - at least one of these marriages was prior to transportation.

Marriage no 3 Age 42 at Goulburn to Deborah who was aged 24 ^[5]

Marriage Certificate

William Willis Cooper. Widow.

Deborah Mason. Spinster.

Marriage 20-10-1840 Goulburn.

Witness- William Tindale & James Christie.

Marriage was in 1840 - however Deborah and William had 2 children before marriage in 1836 and 1838

Deborah and William had 10 children in total between 1836 and 1858

Death ^[6]

22.5.1868. Sydney Morning Herald ^[7]

Sudden Death. Enquiry of a man named Mr. William Willis Cooper a carpenter was commenced before the coroner yesterday at Kingston Lodge Hotel. Newtown .Mr. William Willis Cooper age 68 had come down from Obley on the Bogan Road and was staying with his daughter, Mrs Standen on the Kingston Estate at Newtown. About 6 o'clock he woke up and ask his son to get him some tea, afterwards he was seized with cramps and died 10 minutes later.

Death Certificate of William Willis Cooper.

21-5-1868 at Denison Street, Kingston.

Buried 22-5-1868 Haslems Creek Cemetery ( Rookwood)

Witness - Samuel Standen & George Day

Age 68. Occupation a Carpenter.

Cause Death - natural causes . Verdict of Coroner enquiry ^[8]

Parents John Cooper & Elizabeth [formerly surname not known]

Birth England. 40 years in Australia.

Marriage Deborah Mason, 36 years Goulburn,

Marriage 1. 1 son name Unknown. Wife name Unknown.

Marriage 2. Unreadable R, Charlotte, William W, Clara - ages not known

Marriage 3. Issue - Mary Ann 31, George 28, Deborah 26, Jane Eliza 24, William W 22, Samuel 20, Thomas 17, Charlotte 15, Reuben 13, Clara 10.

Printed in The Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 23 May 1868 page 4. CORONER'S INQUESTS-

The inquiry respecting the death of a man, named William Willis Cooper,which was commenced before the City Coroner on Thursday, at the Kington Lodge Hotel, Newtown, was resumed and concluded yesterday. From the evidence it appeared that deceased, who was an old man, ordinarily enjoyed good health, but that on Thursday morning he was suddenly seized with cramps or spasms, and died in about ten minutes afterwards. He was staying at his daughter Mrs Standen's Dr Sedgwick made a post mortem examination, he found one of the kidneys very much diseased, in his opinion the spasms commenced in the legs and then spread to the upper portions of the body, producing spasms of the heart, which was the cause of death. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that death had resulted from natural causes.

Anglican Cemetery Necropolis. (Rookwood) ^[9]

William Willis Cooper - Age 68 years - Burial 23-5-1868

Grave No 165 Section Old G

Also in same grave Clara Pascoe. (Daughter) Buried 9-11-1928 age 70 years.

We have a record of a kerb around the grave but no headstone.

Research Notes

Sources

1. ↑ State Library of Queensland; South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 89, Class and Piece Number HO11/6, Page Number 321 (162)
2. ↑ https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/cooper/william-willis/121887
3. ↑ Source Citation State Archives NSW; Series: NRS 12188; Item: [4/4013]; Microfiche: 669 Source Information Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
4. ↑ Source Citation State Archives NSW; Series: NRS 12202; Item: [4/4087] Source Information Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Tickets of Leave, 1810-1869 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
5. ↑ *MARRIAGE N.S.W. Births ,Deaths and Marriages. 805/1840 V1840805 75 COOPER WILLIAM married MASON DEBORAH district JY
6. ↑ *DEATH N.S.W. Births ,Deaths and Marriages. COOPER WILLIAM W 2422/1868 (F= JOHN M= ELIZABETH ) district ST GEORGE
7. ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13166619
8. ↑ New South Wales Government. Registers of Coroners’ Inquests and Magisterial Inquiries, 1834–1942 . State Records Authority of New South Wales, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia. Series: 1391; Item: 2/767; Roll: 1783
9. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #188554924 (accessed 12 November 2023)
   Memorial page for William Willis Cooper (21 Jun 1798-23 May 1868), citing Rookwood General Cemetery, Rookwood, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia (plot: Zone B Old Common Ground Grave 165); Maintained by alisonc1109 ♣ (contributor 48349597).