William Cooper, of Otter Creek township, LaSalle county, Illinois, is one
of the well known and popular citizens of the county, and has the
distinction of being a veteran of the civil war. While he fought for this
country and is thoroughly an American at heart, Mr. Cooper is not a native
of the United States. He was born in the northern part of Ireland, November
11, 1842. His father, Edward Cooper, was a native of Ireland and a shoemaker
by trade, following that pursuit in early life, but later turning his
attention to agricultural pursuits. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane
Coughlin, was also a native of the Emerald Isle. When their son William was
a boy of six years they emigrated with their family to this country, and
settled at Salmon Falls, New Hampshire, where they lived for some time,
after which they came to Illinois and took up their abode in LaSalle county.
Edward Cooper died at the age of forty-five years. His widow, surviving him,
is now eighty-five years of age and is a resident of Streator, Illinois.
They were the parents of eight children, namely: Mrs. Maria Roberts, of
Indiana; Mrs. Sarah Berry, of Rock Rapids, Iowa; John, of Otter Creek
township, LaSalle county, who is given personal mention elsewhere in this
work; William, whose name introduces this sketch; Richard, who was a member
of the Fifty-third Illinois Volunteers, under General Grant, and was killed
in the engagement at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the civil war; Edward, of
Streator, Illinois; Mrs. Jane Litts, of Stuart, Iowa; and Mrs. Lizzie Jones,
of Otter Creek township. All of the four sons in this family volunteered in
the Union army during the civil war, rendered faithful, courageous service,
and one, as already stated, lost his life on the battlefield. Few families
can show such a war record.
William Cooper, with his brothers and
sisters, was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools, and, as
one of a large family in moderate circumstances, he was early taught
industry and economy, and for a time he worked in a cotton factory. To his
early training, indefatigable industry and his determination to succeed may
be attributed the success he has attained in life. He is now the owner of a
valuable farm in Otter Creek township, well improved and giving every
evidence of successful management on the part of the owner.
During
the civil war Mr. Cooper "donned the blue" and fought in defense of the
Union. He enlisted in 1862 and went to the front, his name being enrolled on
the 14th of August, among the members of Company F, One Hundred Fourth
Illinois Volunteers, under command of Captain McKennan. Among the
engagements in which he participated were the battles of Hartsville and
Missionary Ridge. While in the service he was disabled by deafness of the
left ear, and was honorably discharged in June, 1865, at Washington, D. C.
In January, 1867, Mr. Cooper married Miss Mary Smith, daughter of
Richard and Sarah (Booth) Smith, both natives of England. Mr. and Mrs.
Cooper have had six children, all of whom are deceased. One of their
daughters, Violet, married Mr. John Brock and died in May, 1893, leaving a
child, Clarence William Brock, who is now eight years old and who resides
with his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. Mr. Cooper is a member of G. A.
R. Post No. 68, at Streator, and is a loyal and public-spirited citizen
whose faithfulness to duty is as marked as when he followed the stars and
stripes upon the battlefields of the south.
Extracted 13 Jun 2019 by Norma Hass from Biographical and Genealogical Record of LaSalle County, Illinois, published in 1900, volume 2, pages 636-637.
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Kendall |
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