William Cooper

https://archive.org/details/richardhaineshis01hain/page/62/mode/2up page 63

"Camden's northern boundary was an old bridle path, which Jacob named Cooper Street. The south line of the plat was located midway between Market Street and Plum Street (currently Arch Street). Streets were laid out from Cooper Street and the river eastward as follows: King (Front), Queen (Second), White Hall (Third), Cherry (Fourth), Cedar (Fifth), and Pine (Sixth). The location by this townsite in relation to modern day Camden is illustrated in Figure 6. By 1781, Jacob Cooper had sold 123 of the 167 platted lots. The remaining portion of his lands he sold to his nephew, William Cooper, son of his brother Daniel."

This information was taken from the City of Camden, New Jersey's , website: http://www.ci.camden.nj.us/history/townsites.html. As of May 7, 2009.

During the latter part of his life he resided in Philadelphia, where he owned considerable real estate. By his will the balance of his Delaware front estate, lying north of Cooper Street to Pearl Street and from the river to Seventh Street, passed to his grandson, William, the eldest son of his son Daniel.

Daniel Cooper, who, as above mentioned, received one hundred acres from his father, William, in 1744, built the large brick house lately known as Parson’s Hotel, now demolished, near the corner of Front and Federal Streets, where he resided. On its gable was inscribed the initials, “D. C. M., 1764,”—i. e. Daniel and Mary Cooper. Daniel Cooper, son of William, married Mary, daughter of Charles and Sarah (Parsons) West, of Philadelphia, and had three sons,—William, who married Abigail Matlack; James, who married Priscilla Burrough; and Joshua, who married Abigail Stokes.

His son William (born 1740, died 1787), who married Abigail Matlack, daughter of Richard and Mary (Wood) Matlack, had five children, to wit: (1) Daniel (born 1766, died 1804), who married first Elizabeth Rogers, and secondly Deborah Middleton; (2) Richard Matlack Cooper (born 1768, died 1844), who married Mary Cooper; (3) Charles W., who married Susan Flemming, and died without issue; (4) Mary, who married Samuel Volans of Philadelphia; and (5) Sarah W., who married Samuel W. Fisher, of Philadelphia. By will dated February 15, 1768, Daniel Cooper devised the ferry property and adjacent land to his sons, William and Joshua. Daniel married Mary West, daughter of Charles West, of Philadelphia, and died in 1776, leaving three sons,—William, James and Joshua. Jacob Cooper, who received one hundred acres from his father, William, in 1764, after laying out the town plot of Camden, as mentioned above, sold the remainder of his holding October 10, 1781, to his nephew, William Cooper, the son of his brother Daniel. This remainder lay mainly south of Federal Street to Line, and east of West Street, towards Coopers Creek, and is known as Coopers Hill, a name applied to that ground rising from the marsh west of Fourth Street, and south of Bridge Avenue, forming a knoll then covered with stately oak and pine-trees and having on the eastern slope a magnificent. apple orchard. Upon this hill stands the City Hall, the Cooper Hospital, the Haddon Avenue Station and many fine private residences. In 1776 Jacob Cooper gave to five trustees and their successors the lots on Plum (now Arch) Street, at the corner of Fifth and Sixth Streets, in trust to erect a place of worship and make a grave-yard. Joshua Cooper, the youngest son of Daniel, and grandson of Wm. Cooper, of Philadelphia, inherited from his father a portion of his land south from Plum Street (now Arch Street,) and in 1803 laid out a town plot adjoining that of his uncle Jacobs—town of Camden. He established the ferry at the foot of Federal Street, and placed it under the management of his son William, but finally sold it to John D. Wessels. In 1818 Joshua conveyed to Edward Sharp ninety-eight acres of land lying along the river and south of Federal Street, which terminated his interest in this locality. He built and resided in the house No. 224 Federal Street, now occupied by the Camden Safe Deposit Company; afterward removed with his family to New Albany, Ind. Wm. Cooper, the eldest son of Daniel, inherited from his grandfather, Wm. Cooper, of Philadelphia, “the plantation called Cooper's Ferry, wherein my son Daniel now dwells,” which, with other lands purchased from his uncle, Jacob Cooper, comprised the large territory extending from the Delaware River to Sixth Street, between Cooper and Pearl Streets, and from West Street to Coopers Creek, between Federal and Line Streets. He died in 1787, and by will divided the bulk of his real estate between his sons, Daniel and Richard M. Cooper, the land at the foot of Cooper Street, to which belonged the ferry franchise, passing to Daniel, who died intestate in 1804, leaving three daughters,—Mary Ann, who afterwards married William Carman, Abigail and Esther L., whose shares in their father's estate were set off to them in severalty in 1820, with the exception of the share of Mary Ann Carman, which was divided among and sold by her heirs. The remainder of Wm. Cooper's estate vesting in Richard M. Cooper and his nieces, Abigail and Esther L. Cooper, has been kept intact and managed as one property for their mutual benefit, first by Richard M. Cooper and after his death, in 1844, by his son, William D. Cooper, who had, in 1842, laid out into town lots the land between West Street, Broadway, Pine Street and nearly to Benson Street, known as Cooper's Hill. The Cooper Street Ferry, after varying fortunes, with team and steamboats, was finally discontinued soon after the establishment of the West Jersey Ferry at the foot of Market Street, having been for many years an unprofitable asset of Abigail Cooper's share.

The lands lying north of Cooper Street, between that street and Pearl Street, and eastward as far as Sixth Street, were laid out into town lots before 1852, and mainly by Wm. D. Cooper.

Pages 411-412
The History of Camden County, New Jersey
George Reeser Prowell
L. J. RICHARDS & CO.
1886