Maria Ida (Cooper) Watson (1865 - 1943)

Born 25 Feb 1865 in Louisiana

Ancestors

Wife of Lewis Torrence T. Watson — married 1883 in Livingston Parish, , Louisiana,

Descendants

Died 17 Oct 1943 at age 78 in Livingston Parish, Louisiana

Biography

Her obituary doesn't mention much about her life other than the amusing fact that even though she died at the age of 77 that she was a member of the Walker Baptist Church for 80 years.

Her obituary does list many of her siblings: "three sisters, Mrs. Sallie Harris of Denham Springs, Mrs. Monroe Brown of Denham Springs and Mrs. Joe Griffin of Covington; three brothers, Robert Cooper of Alabama, Travis Cooper of Beaumont, Tex., and Gardner Cooper of Monroe." This at least makes it easier to match this Maria Cooper up with some confidence to other records.

Records show that Mrs. Monroe Brown was a Julia Cooper, while Mrs. Joe Griffin was a Susie Cooper. Meanwhile the gravestone found on Findagrave for "Sarah Cooper Harris (1859-1944)" is actually inscribed as "Sallie Cooper Harris".

Thus we can infer that Maria Ida Cooper had at least the following siblings: Sarah/Sallie, Julia, Susie, Robert, Travis, and Gardner.

The 1880 census has her in the household of Joe and Victoria Cooper in Livingston Parish. The members include Joe (40), Victoria (35), Sarah (19), Mary (17), Ida (15), Oliver (10), Julia (5), and Susie (2). (There's also a Willie Chandler who appears to be no relation).

Victoria as Joe's spouse aligns with other genealogists reports that Joseph Cooper married Marie Lea / Lee and who then married her sister Victoria Lea.

Assuming that Maria Ida is the Ida in this census listing (since the age matches her birth year of 1865), then we can account for the three sisters listed in her obituary and seem to have a match.

The surviving brothers can be accounted for by virtue of them being born after the 1880 census: records indicate that Robert was born in 1881 while Gardner was born in 1886.

This supports Maria as the daughter of Joe/Joseph Cooper. I believe that her mother as Marie Lea is supported by an earlier census record of Joe, wife Marie, and oldest daughter Sarah E. in the 1860 census.

The 1940 census has her living with her daughter, Lollie Milton, and her family. She's listed as "mother-in-law"

Her death record only seems to list her father: Joe Cooper.

Name

Name: Maria Ida /Cooper/

Name: Mary /Cooper/

Name: Maria Isabela "Ida" /Cooper/

Name: Ida /Cooper/^[1][2]

Found multiple versions of NAME. Using Maria Ida /Cooper/.

Birth

Birth:

Date: 25 FEB 1865

Place: Louisiana

Birth:

Date: ABT 1865

Place: Louisiana^[3]

Birth:

Date: ABT 1863

Place: Louisiana^[4]

Birth:

Date: 25 FEB 1865

Place: Louisiana, United States^[5]

Found multiple copies of BIRT DATE. Using 25 FEB 1865

Death

Death:

Date: 17 OCT 1943

Place: Livingston Parish, Louisiana

Death:

Date: 17 OCT 1943

Place: Livingston, Louisiana, United States

Found multiple copies of DEAT DATE. Using 17 OCT 1943Array

Residence

Residence: Age: 17Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Daughter

Date: 1880

Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana, USA^[6]

Residence: Age: 15Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Daughter

Date: 1880

Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana, USA^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S12 Page: Year: 1880; Census Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana
2. ↑ Source: #S11 Page: Ancestry Family Tree Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=19221500&pid=2695
3. ↑ Source: #S12 Page: Year: 1880; Census Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana
4. ↑ Source: #S12 Page: Year: 1880; Census Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana
5. ↑ Source: #S12 Page: Year: 1880; Census Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana
6. ↑ Source: #S12 Page: Year: 1880; Census Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana
7. ↑ Source: #S12 Page: Year: 1880; Census Place: 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana

• Source: S11 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R1 NOTEThis information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.
• Repository: R1 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com E-Mail Address: Phone Number:
• Source: S12 Author: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Title: 1880 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited; Repository: #R1
• Obituary. The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Monday, October 18, 1943.
• Maria Ida Cooper Watson FindaGrave page. Retrieved from: http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin//fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=42724719
• "Louisiana Deaths Index, 1850-1875, 1894-1956," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FSB9-HV1 : 12 December 2014), Joe Cooper in entry for Ida Watson, 17 Oct 1943; citing Walker, Livingston, Louisiana, certificate number 600, State Archives, Baton Rouge; FHL microfilm 1,220,634.
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD6Y-TZ8 : 13 July 2016), Mary Cooper in household of Joe Cooper, 2nd Ward, Livingston, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district ED 136, sheet 141A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0456; FHL microfilm 1,254,456.
• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS5Z-TPS : 20 January 2015), Ida I Watson in household of Louis Watson, Wards 3, 7, Livingston, Louisiana, United States; citing sheet 15A, family 275, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,568.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPY4-35Z : 29 October 2015), Ida Watson in household of Lewis T Watson, Police Jury Ward 2, Livingston, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 64, sheet 6A, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,531.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVQY-B89 : 14 December 2015), Ida Watson in household of Torence Watson, Police Jury Ward 2, Livingston, Louisiana, United States; citing sheet 1B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,614.
• United States Census, 1940