William Copp

William Copp, son of Thomas Copp and Isabel Gunne, was born 9 November 1589 at Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England. William Copp and Anne Rogers were married on 24 November 1614 in Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England. After Anne's death in 1633, William married Judith Itchenor.

William sailed for Massachusetts in July 1635 with his brother Richard in the barque "Blessing", commanded by Captain John Leicester. He is described on the passenger list as a "cordwainer", (shoemaker), age 26 [see Notes and Discussion, below]. He was admitted to the First Church of Boston on 20 June 1640, and was admitted freeman on 2 June 1641. Soon after arriving in Boston, William acquired a half-acre of land on the waterfront overlooking the Charles River at the head of Prince Street - originally called "Mill Field" because of a windmill used to grind corn and grain that was located on it, and subsequently called Mill Hill, Snow Hill, then Copp's Hill.

The North End where William lived became a very prosperous area, declining only after the Revolutionary War. William was a wealthy man for that period, owning two houses and outbuildings in Boston, plus 100 acres "beyond Braintree". William Copp died 27 February 1670 at Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, at the age of 80. His will dated 31 October 1662, and proved 15 March 1669/70, mentions wife Judith, daughter Tewksbury, sons David and Jonathan; daughters Ruth and Lydia; grandchildren William, Thomas, John and Mary Harvey, John and Sarah Atwood, Samuel and Sarah Norden; David was executor.

Marriages and Children

1. Anne Rogers (c.1590 Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England - 1633 Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England) married 24 November 1614 Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England
   1. Mary Copp (born 7 July 1616 England)
   2. Rebecca Copp (born 20 December 1618 England)
   3. John Copp (born 26 May 1622)
   4. Joanna Copp (13 October 1625 England - 29 July 1654) married Hugh Northend
   5. Martha Copp (born August 1630 Greenwich, Kent, England) married Tewksbury
   6. Ann Copp (August 1630 Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England - 23 June 1667 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts), married Herman Atwood August 1646
2. Judith Itchenor (1600 Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England - 25 March 1670 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts) married after 1633 England
   1. David Copp (20 September 1635 Hatton Parish, Warwickshire, England - 20 November 1713 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts)
   2. Naomi Copp (5 August 1638 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts - 8 October 1653 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts)
   3. Jonathan Copp (born 23 August 1640 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts) married Margaret Calder (born 1640)
   4. Rebecca Copp (born 6 May 1641 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts)
   5. Ruth Copp (baptized 26 November 1643 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts)
   6. Lydia Copp (born 6 July 1646 Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts)

Legacy

Copp's Hill Cemetery, in which many of Boston's pioneers and forefathers are buried, was donated to the city by William's family and was named to honor William. Founded by the town of Boston in 1659, Copp's Hill Burying Ground is the second oldest burying ground in the city. Those buried here include Increase Mather, Cotton Mather, Robert Newman (the patriot who placed the signal lanterns in the steeple of Old North Church for Paul Revere's midnight ride to Lexington and Concord), and Prince Hall (the father of Black Freemasonry).

Notes and Discussion

• Alternate DOB for William Copp is 1609. In spite of his listing on the 1635 passenger list of the Blessing as having been 26 years of age, 1589 is preferred due to the dates of his first marriage and birthdates of his children. Further research is being done.
• The birth record for William's son Jonathan lists mother's name as Goodith.
• Some allege that William was a member of Cotton and Increase Mather's church (the "Old North"), of Second Church of Boston, but the Copps kept their membership in the First Church for many years after the Second Church was established
• Copp's Hill may have been named after William, but more likely after his son Elder David Copp

Sources

• Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, By William Richard Cutter; Published by Lewis Historical Publishing company, 1908
• Genealogical guide to the early settlers of America by Henry Whittemore; published 1898 New York. 438 pages. COPP: — Richard, perhaps brother of William, came in the "Blessing," 1635, aged 24, but no more is known of him. William Copp, of Boston, came, probably, in the "Blessing," 1635, a shoemaker, from London, aged 26, freeman June 2, 1641; by wife Judith, had Joanna, probably Ann and David, perhaps born in England; Naomi, baptized July 5, 1640 (the day after his joining with the church) who died Oct. 8, 1653; Jonathan, Aug. 23, 1640; Rebecca, born May 6, 1641; Ruth, 24, baptized Nov. 26, 1643; and Lydia, July, 1646; Ann married Aug. 11, 1646, Herman Atwood. His estate was in part of that beautiful hill which bore his name; and he died March, 1670. On the 27th of the month following, his will was probated, which had been made Oct. 31, 1662, and David was executor.
  • References: — Runnel's Hist, of Sanbornton, N. H., II, 182; Morrison's Hist, of Windham, N. H., 304; Whitmore's Copp's Hill Epitaphs; Hubbard's Hist, of Stanstead County, Canada, 233; Amer. Ancestry, VII, 152; N. E. Hist, and Gen. Reg., X, 369; Savage's Gen. Diet., vol. I, 456.
• Copp Family Geneology
• [http://openlibrary.org/books/OL13446875M/Epitaphs_from_Copp's_Hill_burial_ground_Boston. Copp's Hill Epitaphs] By Thomas Bridgman. Published 1851 by J. Munroe and Company in Boston, Cambridge

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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF STONINGTON, County of New London, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1649 to 1900, by Richard Anson Wheeler, New London, CT, 1900, p. 322

• Residence: Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA - Between 1630 and 1880
• Emigration: On The Blessing - 1635 - New England
• Immigration: Sailed on the barque "Blessing" - June 17 1635 - Left England for America
• Religion: Joined First Church of Boston - June 20 1640 - Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA
• Residence: Freeman 2 Jun, Massachusetts Colony, MA - 1641
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Feb 12 2017, 2:57:54 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

Category:Boston, Massachusetts

Disputed Origins ==William was a son of Thomas Copp and Isabel Gunne, baptized at Hatton, Warwickshire, on 9 November 1589.<ref name=Worthen152>Worthen, "English Antecedents Of William Copp," page 152.</ref>

A number of authors have identified him as the William Cope who on 16 June 1635, at age 26, enrolled as a passenger on the Blessing, bound for Massachusetts, apparently along with 24-year-old Richard Cope, who enrolled that same day.<ref>This conclusion about his identity wasstated, for example, by Savage in the Genealogical Dictionary of New England, (vol. 1, page 457); William R. Cutter in Historic Homesand Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1908; and Worthen, in "Descendants of William Copp of Copp's Hill," 1931.</ref> This identification is contradicted by other information. In The Great Migration, Anderson and his co-authors noted that there is no evidence that William or Richard Cope ever arrived in New England. They further observed that the William Cope who enrolled on the Blessing (who would have been in about 1609) must have been considerably younger than William Copp of Boston, as William Copp of Boston had daughters who were married adults as of the 1640s.<ref name=TGM212>Anderson, Robert Charles.The Great Migration. Vol. II, page 212.</ref>The will of Anthony Copp (died 1654) of Honiley (about 4 miles from Hatton) in Warwickshire provided a legacy to his brother William "in New England," thus identifying the William Copp, the emigrant who then resided in New England, as a native of Honiley or its vicinity.<ref>Worthen, "English Antecedents Of William Copp," page 151, citing New England Historical and Genealogical Register, v. 143, p. 156.</ref> The baptism and marriages of William Copp are recorded in the parish register of Hatton, together with baptisms of several children and life events of his brother Anthony, his parents, and other family members. Worthen suggested that if he was the same man who emigrated on the Blessing in 1635, the reported age of 26 could have been intended to be 46, but Worthen also reports that William Copp had a child baptized inHatton on 20 September 1635,<ref>Worthen, "English Antecedents Of William Copp."</ref> indicating that he did not emigrate earlier that same year.

Biography ==William was a son of Thomas Copp and Isabel Gunne, baptized at Hatton, Warwickshire, England, on 9 November 1589.<ref name=Worthen152>Worthen, "English Antecedents Of William Copp," page152.</ref>

He was married to Anne Rogers at Hatton on 24 November 1614. Children of this marriage recorded at Hatton were:<ref name=Worthen152>Worthen,"English Antecedents Of William Copp," page 152.</ref>

1. Mary, baptized 7 July 1616.# Rebecca, baptized 20 December 1618; died some time before the birth in 1641 of another daughter named Rebecca.
2. John, baptized 26 May 1622.
3. Joan (later recorded as Joanna), baptized 13 October 1625.
4. Daughter (name not legible in record), baptized 16 August 1630. At least one other daughter born to this marriage is not found in the register, as Boston records show William with two daughters, Ann and Martha, who would have been born during this marriage. Worthen suggeststhat the daughter baptized in 1630 is likely to be Martha, who married in 1650. Ann, who married in 1646, probably was born earlier. Anne (Rogers) Copp died, and on 21 July 1634 William was married at Hatton to Goodeth Itchenor. One child of their marriage was baptized at Hatton:<ref name=Worthen152>Worthen, "English Antecedents Of William Copp," page 152.</ref>

• David, baptized 20 September 1635. William Copp and family emigrated to New England some time after David's baptism and before 4 July 1640, when "Willyam Cop, a shoemaker," was admitted as a member of the church in Boston, Massachusetts.<ref>The Great Migration Newsletter (New England Historic Genealogical Society), vol. 17 (2008), page 29.</ref> He was admitted freeman June 2. 1641.<ref name=Cutter>Cutter, William Richard. Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.</ref> There is a paucity of early records concerning William Copp. His name does not show up in court records, whichsuggests that he was a law-abiding citizen who was successful in his profession and had few legal problems. His farm was on part of Copp's Hill, Boston, and his name is associated with Copp's Hill cemetery, where many of the early settlers of Boston are buried. He had also a farm at Mount Wollaston (i.e., Braintree).<ref name=Cutter>Cutter, William Richard. Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.</ref> In his will he called himself a cordwainer (i.e., shoemaker). The following children of William Copp and wife Goodeth were recorded in Boston:<ref>Worthen, "Descendants of William Copp of Copp's Hill," page 340.</ref># Naomi, born 5 August 1638, baptized 5 July 1640; died in Boston on 8October 1653.# Jonathan, born 23 August 1640.<ref name=Records78>"Records of Boston," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 2 (Jan 1848), page 78.</ref># Rebecca, born 6 May 1641;<ref name=Records78/> apparently died before 31 October 1662, when William Copp made his will and did not mentionher.# Ruth, born 24 November 1643,<ref name=Records78/> baptized 26 November 1643; was living as of 31 October 1662.

1. Lydia, born 23 July 1646; was living as of 31 October 1662. William Copp died at Boston before 15 March 1669/70, when his will wasproved.<ref>The Ancestral File is cited as indicating that he died before 27 February 1670/1.</ref>

Summary of Children ===In all, the identified children of William Copp and their recorded or inferred dates of birth or baptism were:

1. Mary, baptized 7 July 1616.
2. Rebecca, baptized 20 December 1618; died before 1641.
3. John, baptized 26 May 1622.
4. Joan (a.k.a. Joanna), baptized 13 October 1625.
5. Ann, born about 1627.
6. Martha, probably the daughter baptized 16 August 1630.
7. David, baptized 20 September 1635.# Naomi, born 5 August 1638, baptized 5 July 1640; died in Boston on 8October 1653.
8. Jonathan, born 23 August 1640.
9. Rebecca, born 6 May 1641; apparently died before 31 October 1662.
10. Ruth, born 24 November 1643; living as of 31 October 1662.
11. Lydia, born 23 July 1646; living as of 31 October 1662.

Will ===His will was dated October 31, 1662 and proved March 15, 1669/70. It mentions wife Goodeth (Judith), daughter Tewksbury (assumed to be his daughter Martha), daughters Ruth and Lydia, sons David and Jonathan, and grandchildren William, Thomas, John and Mary Harvey, John and Sarah Atwood, and Samuel and Sarah Norden, all of whom received bequests. Son David was executor. The will speaks of his property in Boston and his hundred acres on land "a little beyond Braintree."

Note

William married, as his second wife, on 21 July 1634 at Hattons, Warwicks., Judith Itchenor who was born in 1605 at Hattons, Warwicks. Her parentage is likewise unknown. Judith died 25 March 1670 at Boston, Ma. : : We learn a few facts of William's family in Hatton, Warwicks from the will of Anthony Copp, yoeman, of Honeley, Warwicks. Anthony's will was dated 16 Jan. 1653 and proved at Westminister on 13 June 1654. Anthony, who married Denny (-), speaks of 'his brother, William Copp, who is in New England'; his brother Walter; his nephews Thomas and Samuel;and of his sisters Hannah who married (-) Edwards, Elizabeth who married Richard Tippin, Mary who married (-) Busbie, a sister who married Richard Heath, and a sister who married John Ward. We find from this will that Anthony had some property including a fair amount of land which would indicate that Anthony was of fair means, : Elder David Copp died at Boston, Now 1713. Rev Jonathan Copp Graduated at Y.C. 1744.

Burial

: Burial: Copp's Hill Cemetery, Boston, Massachusetts

Sources

<references />* Ancestral File (R). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998) Repository: Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 USA * Ancestry Family Trees. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.* Anderson, Robert Charles, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration 1634-1635, Vol. II, C-F. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) *Cutter, William Richard. Historic Homes and Places and Genealogicaland Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1908. vol. 4. Google Books.* Drake, Samuel G., The History and Antiquities of Boston| Page787 * Descendants of William Copp, stanleyhistory.net* Holman, Mary Lovering. Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury / compiled for Helen Pendleton (Winston) Pillsbury. Concord, N.H. : Priv. print. at the Rumford press], 1938. Volume 2 at HathiTrust. Pages 673-683.* The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database:AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2013.) * The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Memorandum of the Copp Family, Volume X, Page 369| Page 369* Savage, James. Genealogical Dictionary of New England Settlers,1965 V1:456-457. * Torrey, Clarence A. New England Marriages prior to 1700, 1985: 182 and 350.*Wheeler, Richard Anson, History of the Town of Stonington, County of New London, Connectictut| Page 322 * Worthen, Samuel Copp. "Descendants of William Copp of Copp's Hill inAuthenticated Lines, Through His Older Son, Elder David Copp of the First Church of Boston." The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, v. 62 (1931), no. 4, pages 338-370.* Worthen, Samuel Copp. "English Antecedents of William Copp of Copp'sHill, Boston." The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record,v. 64 (1933), no. 2, pages 150-152.

• Hayden S Cole & Ancestry, Hayden S Cole, 1935: 322-323;
• Old Families-Salisbury/Amesbury,Ma, D Hoyt, 1897: 118 and 195. * Grantor/Grantee Deeds:Berkshire County, Mass, LDS MF 872066, 177x/183x: 389; PH217:178. <!-- Please edit, add, or delete anything in this text, including thisnote. Be bold and experiment! If you make a mistake you can always see the previous version of the text on the Changes page. -->