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

Janmim@aol.com wrote: > 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). > > I am interested in the Clarks of Bedford, Campbell and Pittsylvania Co.'s, VA. Do you by any chance know who where Nancy Clark > Shelton got her middle name and maybe the Shelton connection to the Clark family? Thanks, Jim