Ohio became a state in 1803. At the time, it was wilderness. It was America's frontier. Our Cooper and Cole ancestors were among the first pioneers to enter this new territory. These families would contribute greatly to the growth of Ohio and the Nation.
Isaac Cooper brought his young family to Ohio in 1812. They settled in Perry County, a beautiful area of rolling hills southeast of Columbus. Five sets of grandparents are buried there. They were mostly hard-working farmers and honest folks. Isaac Cooper served in the War of 1812. Six descendants and even some neighbor children were named in his honor.
Silas W. Cole drifted down the Ohio in 1819 and made the river town of Portsmouth his new home. He married and became a prominent leader of Scioto County. Six of his sons fought in the Civil War. One never returned.
Eighty years later, in 1899, these proud Cooper and Cole families united in marriage. The children, Donald B. Cooper and Harry P. Cooper, would represent the best attributes of the combined families.
Several pedigree charts are provided to help understand the scope of this research. The focus is on Donald and Harry Cooper going back in time to our first families in Ohio. Unfortunately, some relatives outside this direct lineage have been omitted. Furthermore, women have not been fully traced after they married. Their children are also valued relatives, of course. However, tracing all the married names was beyond the practical scope of this project.
The Allen chapter is primarily for the benefit of the grandchildren and future descendants of Virginia Allen who married Harry P. Cooper. Our Allen ancestors arrived in America in the mid-1600's. This side of the family is especially rich in heritage through marriages between the Allens and other Colonial families such as Clapp, Howland, Wheaton, Cornell, Curtis, Slocum, and Pierce. All these families were present for the fight for independence and birth of our country.
This web site is an online companion to the book Cooper & Cole, The Confluence of Families in Early Ohio published in 2005. The book is available at major genealogical libraries, and a version in PDF format is provided on the home page of this site.
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