> Carolyn, several of us in the Historic Genealogical Society of MCAR have > done some pretty extensive research on the many Cooper families enumerated > in the various census records to see which ones fit into family groups and > which ones don't. Mysty, I received some information from Familly History Book Hardeman Co., TN page 104-105 about Thomas T. and Maggie Cooper. Sidney W. Cooper was born in 1813 in Jamestown, VA, the son of Thomas T. b. 1786 and Maggie Patterson Cooper. In 1838 Sidney W. married Elizabeth Jones and they were the parents of the following children: John W. b 1839 was a bachelor who died of pneumonia while serving in the Civil War., Mary b 1841 married Bill Babb; Frances b 1843 d 1926 "Fannie" married Ben Pirtle. Thomas J. b 1845 moved to Arkansas died and was buried there. There are more children but I was interested in the fact that Thomas J. moved to Arkansas and died there. Do you know anything about this? You sent me an article from the Mountain Echo about John W. Cooper (my great grandfather) who was killed by the explosion of dynamite November 18, 1903. I just can't find much about John W. Cooper except one sister, Louisa Caledonia who married Ben Keeter, and one brother, Berry. Their mother, Mary Adeline, was living with Berry and wife in the 1900 census in Marion County (Liberty Township, I think.) I sent for Mary's death certificate thinking I might get some information from it. It had John C as her husband but was crossed out and said "Widowed". It listed her birthplace as Nashville, TN and parents Richard Maxie and Betty Stacie. The informant was her son, Berry Cooper. The 1900 census says she is the mother of 5, 4 living. It says that John W. Cooper, her son, was born in Tennessee as were both parents. Do you have any information that might help me? I really appreciated the newspaper article that you sent on John being killed in the explosion. Velda Jo