Hello Everyone,

This is long, but I am hoping if you recognize the names you'll read it.
Basically, I am trying to figure out who are the ancestors of Thomas Cooper
who married Sarah Anthony in 1762 in Bedford Co VA???

It has been a while since I have posted any lines on any of these lists, but
I have an ancestor, the "online" information for whom has bothered me alot
for quite a very, very long while.   I did a bit of research in limited
Bedford Co records at the DAR in Washington DC recently causing me to realize
groundzero is where I probably should start.

The ancestor I am looking at is Thomas COOPER who in Bedford Co VA married
Sarah ANTHONY on Jan. 8, 1762; Isham Talbot, Surety; Consent of Joseph
Anthony (whose wife was Elizabeth CLARK, daughter of Christopher Clark and
Penelope JOHNSTON/Jonston).

My line from Thomas and Sarah (Anthony) Cooper (in Pittsylvania, Henry,
Franklin Co VA>Hancock/Greene CoGA)...Their daughter Mary Polly Cooper
married John WALLER, d/o George Waller II and Anne Winston (?) Carr.  Their
daughter Mary Polly Cooper married Crispen Robertson SHELTON son of Vincent
Shelton and Susannah ROBERTSON (of Amelia Co) and brother of all those
Sheltons in Pittsylvania, from whom I descend from two others, Gabriel and
Beverly...line ends geographically (for me bef. 1943) in 1848 in Lawrence Co
MO, from second cousin marriage of the grandchildren of  Vincent and two of
his brothers brothers plus god bless her Mary Pollly Waller.  (Second cousins
being....Moses Hurt Shelton & Nancy Clark Shelton).

Back to Thomas Cooper.  In numerous places on the internet there are parents
of Thomas listed as Benjamin Cooper and Elizabeth Kelly who were married in
1720/1 in Christ Church, Philadelphia PA.  I have been bothered about this
for quite a while because (a) there was no son/grandson Benjamin from Thomas
& Sarah, (b)the estimated birthdates given for the Thomas who is the son of
Benjamin Cooper and Elizabeth Kelly are 1724-1726 -- my Thomas Cooper is said
in a DAR application, and in "Anthony Roots and Branches" to have been born
1733/35, in FREDERICK CO?? (c) dates and burial places attributed to Benjamin
Cooper with wife Elizabeth Kelly by the descendants cover VA/NC/andKY and (d)
according to internet sources THIS Benjamin who married Eliz. Kelly 1720 in
Philadelphia, himself seems to be claimed every where in VA from Frederick Co
to Isle of Wight , plus several places in between (look at a map!). In one
entry of a Family Treemaker Pedigree, he was basically called a roving man,
when they listed all his habitats!

I'd like to know if anyone else is looking at Thomas Cooper and Sarah
Anthony. What I found that crystallized my doubts was from Bedford Co Deed
Book B-2, is that in1764 there is a Thomas Senior & Thomas Jr. Cooper in
Bedford Co. at THIS same deed book time, all of whom are dealing with land on
Possum Creek (selling to Eidsons & Hairstons).  When counties record names as
such it usually means you have a father and son and they need to keep them
straight, in my experience.

While I clearly need to clock more time looking at deeds and other records
backwards and forwards, my interpretation is that MY Thomas Cooper might have
been the Thomas Jr., NOT Sr., because he certainly hadn't been married long
enough in 1764 (3 years) to produce a son who could sign land deeds.  And his
father was probably Thomas Senior.  (Thomas (Jr.) who married Sarah Anthony
did have a son Thomas it seems b. 1777).   In a separate will book entry, it
is clear that Thomas Jr.  has a brother James Cooper.
.
I know I have alot of research to go and only made a quick pass at Lunenberg,
Henry and Franklin Co Records...nothing in Albermarle.

If anyone is researching this line in the mid 1700s,  I'd love to talk to
you.  It is one of many I think where someone did the (undocumented) research
within the past 140 years and no one has gone back to find the documentation.
  Coopers really abound in VA.

FYI,  I HAVE next to no information on these folks except my own Sheltons and
the Wallers, well Robertsons, Couts too.

Side comment..
Cooper --  Occupational names are a hazard in genealogy.  My mother's name is
Sexton  (as cemetery listings are more common..doing a search for Sexton
leads to only about 15% of hits that aren't for church sextons).

THEN two other of my grandparents are land forms...Hill and Marsh (MD/VA/NC).

My maiden name is Baugh (Henrico, probably>Chesterfield>Powhatan>Amelia>MO).
At least Baugh usually only turns up as a surname.  But not that much.

FYI, another VA line I am looking at now closer to records I actually may be
able to go see is James STARK d. 1754 of Stafford Co VA>Thomas Stark & Rachel
(WILLIAMS??) Robertson Co TN>Leah STark b. Stafford/Loudon Co,  & John COUTS,
md. probably 1790 in Robertson Co TN.  John Couts was in Augusta Co VA,
probably son of Deterich/Teter Couts (thousands of spellings for both names).

These names are just the tip of my VA iceberg though, which is growing by the
minute as I follow my kids paternal lines from TX back (Hunter-).

Janet (Baugh) Hunter
Alexandria VA

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