the Cooper Family In the USA

The Cooper Family In the USA

Just who was the first Romany Cooper family to freely emigrate to the United States of America may never be known but of the one's that are known ,it would seem that the well known and documented "Windsor" or as they are also known the "Fighting" Coopers are among the first to take the leap across the Pond!! Also joining them were many related families including the Buckland Boswell/Stanley/Wells/Hicks/Wharton/Bryer/Lee/Palmer/Jeffs or Jeffers/Jefferies and no doubt a few more!! I intend to cover all the families in due course .

My reason for covering the Cooper family is because they come into one of my main line's of research in England.

if anyone can help in advancing the information on these families I would love to hear from you!!maybe someone in the States holds the key to connect all these families up !!

On the right is the passenger list for 1858 and who I think

is Elisha Cooper son of Elisha Cooper born 1795 ? but I must

add its JUST my theory it is not proved!!. In 1840 and 1850

the older Elisha is in Massachusetts ,but as yet I have been

unable to find him on a passenger list ,it could be possible that

he was arriving from Australia rather than England as there was

a Elisha Cooper who was transported in 1828 did he after release

go to America instead of his homeland?

The problem as always being the fact they all used the same names for their offspring!! In the USA we have Elisha Cooper b 1854 to Elisha Cooper and Defiance(Caroline) Scamp two of their children are born in Wales, Perrin a good Cooper name! baptism for Perrin 05 NOV 1843 Llantillio Crossenny, Monmouth so seems Wales was right,maybe Caroline (Defiance) came from Wales ?

The passenger list for the ship "The ISAAC BELL" arrived at New York on 6th Sept 1856 and has Elisha Cooper b abt 1856/ Angelina?(I think Tryphena) born abt 1856/Kerga?(Keziah?) abt 1833/Leonard abt 1833/Oliahana? (female) abt 1830/ Henry abt 1819/Eve abt 1830 (wife of Henry as I found them in the Census ) and Francis Cooper b abt 1800,now this I think is the Francis Cooper brother of Matty Cooper as Matty mentions a brother Francis going to America several times when talking to Charles Leland ,and making alot of money !

As no relationships are mentioned on the ships log in this instance one has to guess as to what Cooper Henry belongs but would seem likely to be a son of Francis. I think Elisha is the son of Elisha and Caroline but why arnt they on the list? or did they follow later? Or could he be yet another Elisha ? Patience Cooper who later married Richard Stanley in America said in a newspaper article:-

“SHADY HOLLOW BROOKLYN

I am Reginald Cooper gypsy she replied I am 7th daughter of 7th generation born and raised in a tent but a short remove from London My Aunt Eliza Cooper told fortunes for Royal Family and received valuable presents from them , Queen Victoria came to my Aunts Tent and it was there she learned she would become Queen of England. My Aunt was a great palmist never used cards she never told fortunes on a Sabbath I am here as a girl aged 15 with my Uncle and grandfather and at an early age married Richard Stanley he comes from a famous gypsy family tribe of England my name since then is Patience Stanley, Jack Cooper the middle weight champion of England is my own blood cousin .

I have seven children, yonder stands my wagon it cost $500 ,Bessie my daughter sleeps in it and was born in Baltimore and will take her mother's place someday when she's gone. I came here when I was 15 with my uncle and grandfather old Gentilla Cooper was my great Aunt she was a famous gypsy fortune teller of Devil's dyke near Brighton.

Now fighting Jack (John) Cooper was the son of Elisha and Truffeni and so this would seem to tally up with her statement, however I have yet to find a Patience or Regenia Cooper as she once referred to herself but as she said she was now called Patience Stanley as she married very young to Richard Stanley and there is a Patience Cooper the right age daughter of Dukey Cooper who has also been suggested as father of Stumpy Jack ? T. W. Thompson's Papers at the Bodleian Library, Oxford gives Dukey as son of a ? Cooper and Truffeni Lovall, We now know that it was Elisha or “Lusha” Cooper. however I have also read in another article that both Oliver and Dookey sons of Fighting jack Cooper were both excellent step dancers.

"""Oliver Cooper, son of Fighting Jack, used to dance at the 'music-halls, gaffs and theatres' and his brother Dookey was accounted the best Gypsy dancer in the country..." JGLS ""

Another reference to a Lusha Cooper was in a verse of Romanes that the reporter said to Patience ,unfortunately the page is very faint and I have put what I think the words are but one has to be open minded as Romanes was often spelt how a individual thought it was spelt from the pronunciation ,and another little snippet that adds weight to this theory, is that when Patience is preparing to read his fortune,the reporter starts to say a verse in romanes ,as the article was very hard to read and some words I could not make out but the ones that I did manage to read were:-

“Lusha Cooper kaka kauloratt ??tute le lova di miri Coopers.miri d?? pens diridye rummered a much navvered? Stanley was adora? Stanley as leled kellin to kurin booths paste? London bridge si tute adre Anglaterra “

Patience arose and said to him “For the first time in my life as a Gypsy I give you old Gentillas Cooper’s blessing” I have given it to no one else since it was given to me., the reporter replies to her “ that was the famous fortune teller of the Devils dyke near Brighton”.”Yes”, she said eargerly.”How do you know that? She was my great aunt, he bade her good night “Cushta radi “.

It would seem from the above story that her Aunt Eliza could be Eliza wife of Matthias Cooper “The Royal rat catcher “ as Gentilla Cooper of the Devil’s Dyke fame was Mattys sister that is certain, therefore Reginald ? ( but in other articles she refers to herself as Patience) would have been his brothers daughter(unless a sisters daughter but I think not) but the problem is that often as was the custom many older relatives were called aunt or uncle when in fact they were not ! it was a term of respect used for the elder members of the tribe ,that they were related is definite but at this moment with out more information I am unsure wether the grandfather she mentions is Elisha (Lusha) Cooper who was in fact Matthias uncle his father’s brother, and so would make patience Mattys 2nd cousin (I think!) but if there was a large age gap then to call him Uncle would also be acceptable!! Or could it be that she is in fact the Regenia Scamp from the 1857 lists with Francis Cooper ? maybe Lucy Scamp was a Cooper before marriage ? and the grandfather she mentions could of course be the Thomas Scamp also on the same list? Matty would still have been her uncle and the uncle she says brought her to America could be Mattys brother Francis who is mentioned in Charles Leland book ,where Matty recounts to Leland that “my brother Francis has been several times to America and made a lot of money. Pictured below is yet another Elisha Cooper !! Its nice to see the name carried on in America. I hope someone can add or correct any of the above !!Please!!!

To be continued :-