|
 Sir
John Cooper, Knight and 1st Baronet m. Ann Ashley
Sir John Cooper was a 1st Baronet, an English landowner and a politician
who sat in the House of Commons for a year (1628-1629). He married
Anne Ashley, daughter and sole heir of Sir Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet
of Wimborne St. Giles in Dorset England. Anne died shortly after
her father died, on 20 July 1628 leaving behind her husband John and
their three children:
Philippa Cooper who married Sir Adam Brown
 Anthony
Ashley Cooper,
1st Earl of Shaftesbury. There have been
nine baronetcies
created for the Cooper surname. Sir John Cooper was the first in
England. Upon Sir John's death, his son Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper
inherited his baronetcy. See portrait to right►
George Ashley Cooper (see next generation)
Cooper married a second wife, Lady Morrison, widow of Sir Charles
Morrison, but they had no children. Sir John Cooper, 1st
Baronet, died on 23 March 1630/31.
George
Ashley Cooper m. Elizabeth Oldfield
George Ashley Cooper was born on 22 July 1621 at Stratford-Upon-Avon;
and died 28 January 1682. He married Elizabeth Oldfield who was
born sometime around 1625 in England. She was the daughter of John
Oldfield, Alderman of London, who was born about 1599. George and
Elizabeth married about 1649 at Stratford-On-Avon, Warwickshire,
England. They had one known son, James (see next generation).
George was the son of Sir John Cooper Baronet and George's mom was Ann
Ashley who was born about 1602 and died 20 July 1628,
James
Benjamin Cooper (ENGLAND) m. Hester LNU
IMMIGRANT to Philadelphia in 1682.
Quaker/member of Society of Friends.
James Cooper was born May 16, 1661 in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire,
England. He was the nephew of an Earl. Hearing of the
opportunities in the new land of America as relayed by William Penn,
James came to America. He arranged with his old friend, Edward Byllynge,
to obtain land in NJ. Within a few years he sold
this land and moved to Pennsylvania. He married 1) Hester
who died in 1706 after bearing James 8 children. 2) Mary Borrows
in 1722; they had no children. Mary and James Cooper died at the
same time and were buried on the same day, December 4, in
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania Gazette of Dec. 7, 1732.)
James was a storekeeper at the NW corner of Arch Street and 2nd Street
in Philadelphia. He owned various properties. And he served
as a juror more than once.
His children with Hester were:
Esther Cooper who married Jedediah Hussey of New Castle Del in 1705.
James Cooper Jr. (who died before 1732) married Susannah Chafin at
Oxford Episcopal Church near Philadelphia.
Joseph Cooper (who died in 1720) married Mary LNU and had a daughter
Elizabeth who died in 1729.
Samuel Cooper (who died in 1750) married Sarah ?Dunning? and had two
children
William Cooper (who died in 1736) married Mary Groom and had several
children. O ne
child was James (1729-1795) who had a son Judge William Cooper, who
had a son James Fennimore Cooper, author of The Last of the Mohicans
in Cooperstown, NY. (Source: Roy Sheldon, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of English Washburn University Topeka, KS 66621).
Judge William Cooper►
BENJAMIN COOPER who married ELIZABETH KELLY in 1720 in Christ
Church, Philadelphia (See next generation).
Issac Cooper lived in Moreland township (now Montgomery County, PA).
He never married and may have been an invalid.
Rebecca Cooper died in 1755. She married Ralph Hoy at the Friend's
Meeting House (Quaker). Later she married Daniel Kelly in 1735
at the Christ Church in Philadelphia.
Benjamin Cooper m.
Elizabeth Kelly
Benjamin Cooper was born in 1697 Pennsylvania. He married
Elizabeth Kelly who was born in 1700 in Philadelphia. Benjamin
died in 1776 in Bladen, NC. In 1725 he and his son Fleet and his
wife moved from Philadelphia to the Isle of Wight, VA. Fleet was
just 4 years old then. Supposedly, Benjamin was somewhat of a
visionary who "imagined that if he could leave Philadelphia and get into
the great out of doors, he could soon become a great country gentleman."
He was granted lands in the Isle of Wight, VA. Eventually he moved
to Louden County, VA. Then, he moved to NC.
Documentation from the Sons of American Revolution :
Joseph Cooper m.
Mary Gray
Joseph Cooper (Sr.) was born in 1733 in Bladen, NC, which is where he
also passed away in 1799. He married Mary Gray who was born in VA
in 1730 and died in Warren County, NC in 1779, prior to Joseph's
passing. Joseph and Mary had three known children:
Benjamin Cooper born in 1750, as was Joseph Cooper (Jr.) also born in
1750. Young Joseph died in 1828 in Orangeburg SC (See next
generation), and his brother Ben died in 1784. Another son,
William Cooper was born in 1755. Joseph Jr. married Agnes
Franklin.
Joseph Cooper m.
Agnes Franklin
Joseph Cooper was born in 1750 in Halifax, NC. He died in
Orangeburg, SC in 1828. Joseph married. Agnes Franklin and had
several children together.
Agnes was born in Braintree, Essex, England and died in 1824, four years
prior to Joseph, in Orangeburg. 
Blue pics are land plats of Joseph Cooper:
Two known children of Joseph and Agnes were:
William "Billy" Cornelius Cooper (Dec. 13, 1781 in
Halifax, NC; died 1844 in Graham County, NC. Buried
Methodist Mission Cemetery in Robbinsville, Graham County, NC.
Billy married Mary Polly Banks Warner (1783 Virginia-1876 NC).
From findagrave.com:
Billy and Polly's first six children who survived to adulthood
were born in the Orangeburg District between 1804 and 1811. They
moved to Laurens County, SC by 1814 where their sons James
Campbell and Joseph Daulton were born. Billy's brother Benjamin
& sister-in-law Nancy Warner (perhaps a sister or cousin of
Polly) had moved their family there, too, but soon moved on the
Haywood County, NC. By 1817 Billy and Polly joined them in
southern Haywood County. Billy voted in the 1835 election in
Haywood County, and some of his sons did some real estate buying
and selling.
Between February 1835 and March 1836, their son William
Cornelius, Jr. moved west to what is now the Whittier area of
Jackson County. A few families had located in Graham County
(part of Cherokee County) at that time, and Billy and Polly and
other family members joined them about 1839. It's
likely they settled on the property just purchased by son Ben at
the big Cherokee land sale in Macon County. Their new home was
on Tallulah near the present town of Robbinsville. Billy soon
opened a trading post.
Billy was a trader and an interpreter for the Indians,
as was another William Cooper from SC a generation earlier who
had come through WNC in 1730 with Sir Cummin, the English
explorer, on a expedition to the Cherokee at Tellico. William
may well have been Billy's uncle.
In 1844, soon after he and Joseph Daulton
aided in the Indian Removal to Oklahoma,
Billy died and was buried somewhere on this hilltop. His sons
Thomas and James, both Methodist ministers, may have conducted
his funeral. Polly was left a widow for 32 years before she
joined him.
The children of William "Billy" Cornelius and Mary "Polly"
Cooper were: John Russell, Thomas Jefferson, Nathaniel
Cornelius, Elizabeth, Senton Bennett, Benjamin Franklin, James
Campbell, Joseph Dalton, Harriett Mariah, Abraham Davis,
Charlotte Lucinda, Mary "Polly" Susannah, and Florence Amanda.
There may have been additional children not yet identified or
who died at birth. Several of the children moved to the
Cades Cove area
of Blount County, TN, just over the state line. Others remained
in Western North Carolina where many descendants of Billy and
Polly still reside. A few moved even further west.
Silas Cooper (1785-1865 our line). SEE NEXT
GENERATION.
Silas Cooper m. Margaret
Rebecca "Peggy" Garvin
Silas Cooper was born May 10, 1785 in Orangeburg, SC, and passed awa y
November 19,
1865 at the age of 80, in Salley, Aiken County,
SC. Silas was a farmer.
Margaret (Margarett) Rebecca "Peggy" Garvin was born August 27 1789 in SCOTLAND and
died in November of 1873 in Wagener, Aiken County, SC.
They married around 1818 in Orangeburg, SC.
Children were ►
Joseph Daulton Cooper, son of Silas Cooper
 Χ
Pvt. Daniel C. Cooper, son of Silas Cooper,
Confederate Pvt in Co. G 2 SC
Cpl. James
"Jim" Ephraim Cooper m. Mary Elizabeth Carroll
Jim Cooper was born in 1819 on the 28th of August in Orangeburg, SC.
He died on March 17 in 1887 in Salley, Aiken County, SC.
Cpl. Jim Cooper proudly served the Confederacy in the 3rd Regiment of
the SC Infantry, Company E. Starting as a Private, he rose in rank
to Corporal.
Civil War Pension Index
He is buried at the Rocky Grove Baptist Church Cem.
Photo from Ancestry butchyon
Photo
above from Ancestry pamingram118
Photo below from Ancestry WilliamHinson58
His wife, Mary Elizabeth Carroll (above), was born May 19,
1823 in Blackville, Barnwell District of SC. She died October 18,
1883 at the age of 60 in Salley, Aiken County, SC. Mary was 17
when she married James on the 18th of September in 1840. Mary is the
daughter of Thomas Carroll and his wife Sarah Walker Carroll.
Jim and Mary had the following children:
Julia Ann Cooper, born 14 Mar 1842 in Orangeburg
County, South Carolina. She died on
8 May 1916 in Atlanta GA. Buried in
Westview Cemetery, Atlanta.
Elizabeth Cooper, born about 1844 in Orangeburg
County, SC; died before
May 1887 in Orangeburg County.
James Furman Cooper, born about 1848 in
Orangeburg County.
Howell W. Cooper born January 1848 in Orangeburg
County; died 1 Oct 1907 in Aiken County, SC. Buried Rocky
Grove Cem., Perry, Aiken County.
JOHN PATRICK "Pat" COOPER (our line). See
next generation.
Mary Etta Cooper born 8 July 1852 in Orangeburg
County, SC. Died 3 Feb 1920 in same county; Buried in Gin Branch
Cem., Orangeburg County.
Henry Garvin Cooper born 12 April 1856 in Salley,
SC; died 9 May 1926 in Springfield, SC; Buried in Springfield
Cem. in Springfield, Orangeburg County, SC
Rosa M. Cooper born 2 Oct 1862 in Orangeburg
County; died after 1880.
Annie V. Cooper born 8 Aug 1866 in same county.
Jackson Cooper. No other information.
John
Patrick "Pat" Cooper m. Henrietta Victoria Corbitt
(1855 - 1890; married 1871) m.
Laura King (1865-1945; married 1892)
John Patrick Cooper was born June 6, 1850 in Orangeburg, SC. He died April 20, 1 925.
There are no dates on his gravestone which is a
replacement stone at Rocky Grove Baptist Church Cemetery. His
death certificate is below. He died of senility and Bright's
Disease (Kidney disease). He was 74 years old. Pat had been
a farmer.
John had two wives. Of concern for this lineage
is his first wife, Henrietta who was born on December 14, 1855 and died
September 15, 1890. She was the daughter of William M and
Elizabeth Courtney Walker Corbitt. Henrietta
is buried at Rocky Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Salley, Aiken
County, SC.
Children of John Patrick and Henrietta Corbitt Cooper:
Charles "Charlie" Frazier Cooper born 2.18.1876 and died
6.6.1948. Charlie married Hattie Jeffcoat and had one known
son William Lee Cooper born 6 Jan 1900. Hattie died about 3 years
later at the age of 19 on Sept. 17, 1903 in Swansea SC. Charlie is
buried at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery in
Hampton, GA. 
John
John Howell Cooper: SEE
NEXT GENERATION
Emma Cooper married
Theodore "Thedie" Jeffcoat. She was born 1882 and died
1935 in Atlanta, GA. Emma and Thedie are buried at
Swansea SC Ebenezer United Methodist Church & Cemetery.
►
Ruby B. Cooper married
Leslie Paul Livingston. She was born Dec. 3, 1886 and died
Nov 9, 1943. Her husband was born March 20, 1873 and died
July 29, 1930, 13 years approximately prior to the death of
Ruby. The are buried at Penn Branch Baptist Church
Cemetery in Orangeburg, SC.
Harley J. Cooper was the
last child of Henrietta and Pat Cooper. Harley was born
July 25, 1889, the year before Henrietta died; and he died
February 22, 1919 and is buried at Rocky Grove Baptist Church
Cemetery in Salley, SC. His gravestone says "Brother" at
the bottom.
John
Howard Cooper m. Jennie Bruce Smith
John Howell/Howard Cooper was born on June 17, 1881 and died June 29, 1937.
His father was John Patrick Cooper and his mother was Henrietta Cooper. John is buried at Rocky Grove
Baptist Church Cemetery in Salley, Aiken County, SC. He died of
General Arteriosclerosis at Aiken County Hospital.
ΧDeath Certificate of John H. Cooper
John married Jennie Bruce Smith who was born on Sept. 18 in 1887
in Orangeburg County SC, and died on the 27th of May 1958 in SC.
She may have remarried after John's death and she may be buried at Oaklawn Cem. in
Winnsboro, SC.
| Children of John H. and Jennie
Smith Cooper: 1)
Victor Clifford Cooper was born in Sept. 22, 1904 and
died in Sept. 21, 1986. Buried at Sunnyside Cemetery in
Orangeburg, SC. He married Lillie Mills and they have a
shared gravestone. Victor's says "Son of John Howell and
Jennie Smith Cooper"
In the 1940 census for Winnsboro Mill, Victor lives in
the house next to his brother Jack and his mom Jennie.
Victor is 35 and widowed. Lillie, his wife died in
1936 when she was 30.
They had a daughter Lillie M. who is 14; son Victor C.
who is 13; Haywood C. who is 11; Marilyn is 8; and Victor's
sister, Jenna A. at 16 is living with his family.
|
2) Gertrude "Gertie"
Louise Cooper was born August 15, 1908 and died
14 May 1980. Gertie married Henry Tyler Russell of
Alabama. He was born Feb. 6, 1904 and died June 18,
1960. He is buried at Pine Crest Cemetery in Mobile,
AL, in Section 9.
Not known where she is buried or has been cremated. |
3) John "Jack" W. Cooper
was born in 1910 and died in 1986, the same year as
his brother Victor. In the 1940 Census Jack was the head of
his household which included his mom, Jennie, and two
siblings, Dorothy and James Dwight (our line). James
was 13 and Dorothy 21 and single. Jack was 28 and single.
Jennie was 53 and widowed. Jack was a doffer and
Dorothy as spinner at the cotton mill in Winnsboro.
According to this census, Jack completed 3rd grade; Jennie
4th grade; Dorothy 6th grade; and James Dwight is in 3rd
grade.  Some
places on the web indicate that Jack may have married 3
times: Carrie Bland, Elaine Jacobs, Jessie Jacobs Pearson.
|
4) Oscar Cooper
was born 10 Jul 1913 in Orangeburg and died 14 May 1998 in
Chickasaw, Mobile, AL. He married a Katherine I.
Watson and had a daughter named Shelby K. Cooper.
Interestingly, Oscar lived in the house between Jack and
Victor in the 1940 Census:
 Per this 1940 Census,
Oscar was 26 and completed 3rd grade. Katherine was 22
and completed half of 4th grade, and Shelby is only 3 and
does not yet attend school.
During WWII, Oscar Cooper was part of the United
States Coast Guard. They are buried at Pine Crest
Cemetery in Mobile, AL, Section 19E.
|
5) Henrietta Victoria
Cooper, named after her grandmother, was born in
September on the 6th, 1916 in Orangeburg. She married
Herman Gillam Raley on Sept. 29, 1932 at the Fairfield
County Courthouse, in Winnsboro, SC. Henrietta died on
30 October 1995 in Winnsboro. She was 79.
They had two children, Jennie Louise Raley and Hermanette
Raley. Blue ph oto
below is the obituary for Hermanette Raley Ford and includes
her photo.
Henrietta's husband Herman is buried at the First Baptist
Church Cemetery in Winnsboro:
 |
Willie Lou "Tody" Cooper
was born January 25, 1919 and died October 16, 1985. She
is buried at First Baptist Cemetery in Winnsboro, SC.
She married Thomas Edward Wilkes.
They had three children, Earl Douglas Wilkes, Thomas
Adrian Wilkes and Jack Russell Wilkes.
 |
| Dorothy Cooper was
born 1920 and died 1972. |
 Jennie
Christine Cooper was born 21 June 1923 in Orangeburg and
died on the 23rd of May in 1988 at Baptist Hospital in
Columbia SC. She married Harold Eugene Douglas Jr. and had
one child Brenda Louise Douglas.
Her husband Harold was born in Winnsboro on March 12,
1922 and he died on Saturday, October 3rd 2009 with his
children and grandchildren in attendance at his home in
Winnsboro. He
 was
87. His funeral service and burial were conducted at
Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church in Winnsboro with
his burial at First Baptist Church Cemetery in Winnsboro
following his service where Jennie is buried. |
| James Dwight Cooper, Sr.
(SEE NEXT GENERATION) (1925-2010) |
Emma Selenah Co oper
was born June 8, 1927 and died August 9, 1994 in Winnsboro.
She married James Mack Branham. They had one son, Jr.
who died in 1986, before his father passed in 1990.
Her second husband was Melvin Coley Boyter "Fuzz" (age
77) died in Winnsboro on 2/2/2014, where he was also born to
Andy and Lois Reynolds Boyter. Mr. Boyter is survived
by a loving family including one son; David Branham of
Winnsboro, one daughter; Daisy Gaddy of Winnsboro, two
sisters; Ann Ramierz (Chico) of Sierra Vista, AR and Brenda
Bennett (Alan) of Richburg, SC, four grandchildren; Kevin
Adams, Richy Adams, Patty Gay, Jennifer Boulware, eight
great-grandchildren, and family friend Becky Beasley.
In addition to his parents and loving wife, Mrs.
Selenah Cooper Boyter, Mr. Boyter is predeceased by two
children; Maxie James Branham and Pat Branham, two brothers;
David Langford and Jimmy Boyter, and three sisters;
Catherine Finger, Betty Ruth Gibson, and Vivian Boyter.
Selenah is buried at Winnsboro's First Baptist Church
Cemetery. |
James
Dwight Cooper Sr. m. Alice Rebecca Collins
James Dwight Cooper (Sr.), son of John Howard Cooper, was born on
December 7th in 1925 in Orangeburg, SC. James died Thursday
September 30, 2010 on
September 30th at the age of 84 and is buried in Royal Pines Memorial Gardens in
Winnsboro, Fairfield County, SC. His wife Alice Rebecca Collins
died approximately one year later at the age of 85. According
to his obituary (below), they were married 66 years when he died.
 They
were married on July 7, 1944. James Dwight Cooper Sr. served in the
United States Army during World War II.
Alice Rebecca Collins
was born August
7, 1926 in Fairfield County, SC and died of a stroke on the 12th of October in
2011 at the age of 85. She is buried at Royal Pines
Memorial Cemetery in Winnsboro Mills, SC and was a Mormon.
Alice retired from Uniroyal manufacturing after 35 years of service. Her obituary:
Interesting History of Alice Collins Cooper's Parents:
Alice is the daughter of Owen Rockwell
Collins and Katie Della "Curly"
Wilson Collins: NOTE:
Katie is said to be a full-blooded Cherokee Native American
Indian. Mom Katie was born on August 15, 1889 in
Fairfield, SC and she died on the 10th of March in 1958 in
Winnsboro, SC. Katie is the daughter of Fleming and Alice
Branham Collins. Dad Owen is the son of
Wyatt Wesley Collins and his wife Rebecca Elizabeth Hood.
Katie married Owen on January 7, 1906.
Alice's grandfather Wyatt
Wesley Collins established a local
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Centerville,
SC which began on March 19th 1895. Wyatt was strong in his religion, which was unknown to
many of the fellow townsfolk. Wyatt was a member of the
Centerville Sunday School board, many of the members of which
were persecuted for their religious beliefs within the Mormon
church and as a result were tarred and feathered and some were
even killed. At night groups of men would mask their
identities and attack members of this local fledgling church.
Wyatt was the first President of the church and the First Sunday
School teacher. He had himself been baptized prior to the
official opening of the church on October 7, 1894 which was the
2nd baptism session of the Mormons. His sisters Ella Jane
and Mary Marie were also baptized then. It is not known if
Wyatt was himself tarred and feathered.
Owen and Katie survived
these times and had many children, including two sets of twins.
Katie's Death
Certificate:
Robert Coley Joyner, grandson of Wyatt and son of Rebecca
Elizabeth Collins, wrote:
Wyatt owned a cotton gin and a corn mill combined by the road
between his house and ours. It was high off the ground on
account of the gin press and wheels underneath. The press then
is not like they are now. It worked on a large axle like an
auger and the press was in the floor. You would put the lint cotton
into it and someone had to get into it to pack it. I used to enjoy
going in there, when someone was with me, big wheels turning and
belts flopping. It was run by a steam engine fired with wood
and Uncle Owen Collins used to be the fireman. He would enjoy
getting me close to the engine so he could blow that whistle and
scare me nearly to death. On the end of the gin house, they
used two large poles they would slide the finished bale of
cotton down to keep from bursting the bands loose. The
people that the cotton belonged to would then load it on their
wagons and take it to Ridgeway to sell it. About the corn mill,
by putting a belt on another wheel, they could grind corn too,
but they only ran one at a time. He didn't die in the house by
the road where he lived for several years. It was in a small
house behind where Uncle "Will" Collins lived. The house is
destroyed now. He would make his charcoal to burn in the bellow
by cutting green pine poles and stock them up and put pine straw
on it and also dirt, except the top, and set it afire; it would
burn a day or two and then he would use the bellows to sharpen
tools. He owned about 192 acres of land in Fairfield County,
S.C. He also cut a lot of cross ties for the railroad. Down
below the gin house, he had a pasture. They called it the goat
pasture. He always had a bunch of goats. I never did
know what
he did with them. He also had a syrup mill and I enjoyed
watching them cook syrup at night with lanterns hanging all
around the shed, and several old men gathered around talking
about the old times. One Saturday morning Mamma and I was over
to their house and Grandpa asked me to go with him to get a load
of wood, so we hitched up the mule to the wagon and went out in
the woods and got the wood and came back and unloaded it. It
was the next day or a few days later he had a stroke on one
side. He had difficulty in talking but you could understand
him. He talked about me helping with the wood until he died. I
was over there to his house about every day until he passed
away. I remember someone came out on the porch and said he is
dead and I went up in the woods and sit down by a pine tree and
wept too. I don't believe I will ever forget that time.
See:
http://www.lawrencefamhis.com/rose-o/g3/p3204.htm
LtoR Back: Essie Collins, Ethel Collins, Mary Elize Collins, Nina Collins
LtoR Front: Elroy Collins, Elise Collins, Howard
Collins, ALICE COLLINS, Grace Collins
Following is additional information on Owen R. Collins and the
Centerville SC Mormon Church establishment.
Henry Robert Easler was instrumental in bringing the Mormon
faith to Centerville,
South Carolina. Having heard some Mormon Elders preach, he
invited them to his
home. The following pamphlet tells the story:
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER DAY SAINTS
IN CENTERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA
The Centerville pamphlet begins with a biographical sketch
of Henry Robert Easler of Civil War
fame. The treatise is a brief history of the Ridgeway Ward
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints. Mattie B. Easler and
Owen R. Collins
attest to
the truth and accuracy of the
document. The history contained within its pages begins in
April of 1894. -
A special thank you
goes to Ruth Bush Maynes who made them information
available.
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HENRY ROBERT EASLER
(THE ELDER)
We of the
Ridgeway Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
should long
remember
this man. Old Uncle Bob, in order to distinguish him from
the younger
Uncle Bob
Easler, was the son of Daniel Easler and Cealy Dawkins
Easler. He was
twice
married, first to Mary Reynolds Easler, who had one child, a
daughter, Ella.
After the
death of his first wife, he married Malinda Humphries.
A kindly
gentleman, he was the one who had first heard the Elders
speak in Camden,
and who
had invited them to his place in Centerville Community to
hold meetings. So,
after all,
we can thank him for Mormonism in Centerville today!
The story
is told that old Uncle Bob rode several miles horseback the
day after the
birth of a
nephew, born to his brother Algenon and his wife Sarah
Louise Reynolds
Easler.
This child, at any rate, was named Henry Robert and called
Jr. to distinguish
the two.
The younger Henry Robert married my own dear aunt, Mattie
Branham.
We the
undersigned do hereby certify that the forgoing history or
the Ridgeway Ward
of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a true and
accurate history
thereof,
having first-hand knowledge of the incidence recorded
therein.
We do
hereby sign and attest our names hereto as witnesses
thereto:
Mattie B.
Easler
Owen R.
Collins
DEDICATION
 This book,
in its entirety, is dedicated with fondest and sincerest
memory and love to my dear
grandparents,
David Wesley Branham and Kissiah Watts
Branham, about whom so
much could be said. These two dear souls, in addition to
rearing nine children
of their own, took on the responsibility of rearing five
grandchildren, of which I was one.
Upon hearing the Gospel and believing, they at once started
into rearing their
family in the same style, and fought for the preservation of
Mormonism in
Centerville. As was said by Paul of old, they had kept the
faith, had fought a good
fight, and
had finished the course.
And
memory is one gift of God that death cannot destroy.
Selected
The small,
sleepy community of Centerville lies about six miles out of
the town of
Ridgeway,
Fairfield County, South Carolina, in a southerly direction.
To a
tourist passing through, or to a stranger visiting the
community, I suppose the
little
community might seem dull, uninteresting, [and] sleepy. In a
way I suppose
these
attributes aptly suit, but the very sound of the name
Centerville fills me with
nostalgia.
I was born
there some seventy-two years ago, and spent my entire
childhood there.
Some of my
happiest hours today are spent in reminiscing about the
good old days
when as a
child I whiled away the hours of a long, summer day up
there.
INTRODUCTION
I was one of five very fortunate youngsters. I was orphaned
as a very small girl, as
were my brother, two sisters and a cousin of ours. In
addition to raising nine children
of their very own, my dear grandparents, David W. and
Kissiah W. Branham raised us.
Looking back over the years now, and thinking about the
matter, I cannot help but
wonder in amazement just how they did it.
And theres one thing most of all the folks in Centerville
can boast of: they are
directly descended from, or married a direct descendant of
these two fine people.
The little community, with the sound of the waters of
Sawneys Creek, as they roll
over their rocky bed, come to life and the hills and dales
give up their inhabitants
when on Sunday morning Sunday School and Church time roll
around. From near,
from far, from every walk of life, they come. There is but
one Church in this
community The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!
An interesting and romantic history is connected with this
Church. In approximately a
half-century, the Church at home has grown from a small
mission taking two years to
completely organize to a Ward today.
Wont you take a glance backward over the years?
I
MORMONISM COMES TO CENTERVILLE
The first
any of the folks at home heard of Mormonism was back in
April, 1894, when
old Uncle
Bob Easler invited two of the Elders of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-
Day Saints
(Mormon), by the name of W.E. Cowley and James Wyatt, up to
his home.
Not
knowing exactly where to go, the elders came to the home of
my grandfather,
David
Wesley Branham, asking directions. An old colored man, who
lived on the
place, by
the name of John Harrison, carried these two elders to Mr.
R.W. Hollis place,
where they
spent the night, going on the next day to Uncle Bobs. Uncle
Bob Easler
had
earlier that year heard these Elders in Kershaw County, and
had become
interested
in Mormonism.
This was
the first visit. Opposition arose in the form of a mob
[that] tried to stop this
meeting,
but without success. Other visits followed. The elders
continued coming to
the
community, holding meetings at the homes of various members
of the community.
Mormonism
had come at last to Centerville, and despite all the
opposition, looked like
it was
there to stay.
The first
Conference was held in August 1894, under a bowery near
Uncle Bob Easlers
place.
Elias Kimbrell was President of the Southern States Mission
at that time. On
Sept. 2 of
that year, the first baptism was held at Bear Creek, a
jester sang and
fiddled
the tune of Boil Them Cabbage Down.
On October
7, and again on November 18, 1894, there were other
baptisms, making a
total of
seventeen (17) the number baptized into the Church that
year.
The
complete list of those baptized at these services [is]
listed in the Appendix.
The first
Conference was held in August 1894, under a bowery near
Uncle Bob Easlers
place.
Elias Kimbrell was President of the Southern States Mission
at that time. On
Sept. 2 of
that year, the first baptism was held at Bear Creek, a
jester sang and
fiddled
the tune of Boil Them Cabbage Down.
On October
7, and again on November 18, 1894, there were other
baptisms, making a
total of
seventeen (17) the number baptized into the Church that
year.
II THE CHURCH
IS ORGANIZED
Organization of the Church (Ridgeway) was begun in 1895, on
March 10, but for some
reason was
not completed until January 17, 1897. On that date the
Church was
completely
organized with the following individuals as officers:
Brother
W.W. Collins Superintendent of the Sunday School
Mattie
Branham (my aunt) Secretary of the Sunday School
Assistant
Secretary of the Sunday School
Mamie
Collins Treasurer
Ella
Collins Librarian
Preston
Joyner Assistant Librarian & Clerk (of the Branch)
David
Wesley Branham (my grandfather) Second Counselor to Brother
Collins
Brother
Collins President
With the
completion of the organization of the Branch Church, the
need for a church
building
became apparent and more and more important. Mr. Jacob
Freeman gave a
tract of
land for a Church building to be erected upon. The
transaction, however, was
only
verbal, since no deed or title to real estate was ever
issued. The location of the
building
to be built was decided upon. It was to be erected on the
present-day
wooded lot
adjoining the Elton Moore property, but separated by a road.
The [male]
members,
assisted by the local elders, combined their efforts and
ability and erected
our first
Church. The building was of wooden construction, rectangular
in shape with a
door in
front and the shutter-type window on either side of the
building.
The
building was lighted by kerosene lamps set in sockets on the
wall. The benches
were
handmade out of the same lumber as was the building. The
completion of the
building
and the completion of the organization of the Church took
place about the
same time.
We were so proud of our new sanctuary, even though the
people of today
might
frown on it. Some of the happiest moments of my entire
childhood were spent
in Church,
and the very thoughts of memory itself are precious.
The joy of
having a new sanctuary in which to worship was short-lived.
In July 1897,
about six
months after the building of the Church, our meetinghouse
was burned to
the
ground. How very saddened we were!
Since we
were without a building, Sunday School was held at my
grandfathers home.
In summer,
and when the weather permitted, the classes were held
outdoors under
the shade
of the trees. The members of the various Sunday School
classes sat on
pieces of
lumber suspended across two wooden blocks. In the winter
season, and
when the
weather was bad, we sat on the beds in the bedroom.
By the
fall of 1898, another building, similar in size and shape to
the one previously
described,
had been completed just enough to use. It was located just
this side of the
first one.
The building was never quite completed, and in February of
1899, it also
burned.
Very disappointed, but never yielding to discouragement, we
then went back
to my
grandfathers home for services, where we worshipped until
the first of 1906.
By this
time the attendance had climbed so that the home was almost
too small to
accommodate the Sunday School. It was then decided to use
the old Centerville
School
building. The school was near my grandfathers home, and
about one-half mile
from where
the first two Churches had stood. It was convenient to the
members, and
on Sundays
was not used for school classes. The school was a long
straight building,
made of
black-heart lumber. The interior was similar to churches
today, with benches
on either
side and an aisle in the center. The benches were long and
hard, and were
handmade
of black-heart lumber, too.
III THE
GROWING CHURCH
The Old
Centerville School served as a place of worship until around
1920, when the
third
church building was erected. The building stood near the old
school building,
behind the
present sanctuary, on the left-hand side of the road. By
this time, the
Church had
grown so in membership and attendance, that it was deemed
advisable to
build a
sanctuary at that time. The building was of wooden frame
structure, similar to
the first
two, with one exception. The lumber of which the Church was
constructed
was
better, more refined lumber. It was not so crude.
A tornado
in 1927 struck the building. Although the building was not
completely
demolished, it was turned completely around and could not be
used.
The fourth
church building which the folks at Centerville have used was
built in 1927-
1928. This
building was of block-stucco construction. The building
itself was of cream
color on
the outside, resembling Spanish architecture. It was located
just this side of
the
present Church. On the front of the building was a small
entrance porch. Opening
the doors,
one would enter a foyer (vestibule) with coat and hat racks.
On either side
of this
foyer was a Sunday School room. There were rubber mats in
the aisles and the
draperies
were wine color, lined with a cream-colored fabric.
The
building was dedicated in November 1928, and was the first
church building in
which we
had a piano. Uncle Flem Wilson, who died in 1939, was the
first person
whose
funeral was preached in our Church. My grandfather had
succumbed in 1911
and my
sister in 1918, but at that time we were without a church
building.
The
stucco-block building was used until 1941, when the present
structure was built.
IV THE CHURCH
GROWS UP
The
present building gracing Centerville today (truly a
testimony to all those who have
believe),
is a beautiful structure of brick construction built in
1941. It is, in my
opinion,
one of the most beautiful of all the present-day sanctuaries
that the entire
Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can boast of.
The
original building consisted of a rectangular building, with
Sunday School rooms
adjacent
to and on either side of the rostrum and in the back also.
Entrance was
gained
through a side porch. At the time of construction there were
two such
porches;
however, since that time, one of the porches has been taken
into the
auditorium, giving room for more seats. The church was built
at an approximate cost
of $8,000.
Since that
time, in 1947, a recreation hall was added, at an additional
cost of $6,000.
Recently,
new pews have been added, and it is a consensus of opinion
of various
members
today that the present sanctuary, with its present
furnishings would value at
the least
$20,000.
The
average attendance today is from 65 to 70 at each worship
service. My brother,
Samuel
Branham (Jr.) was the first one to have his funeral preached
in this new
sanctuary
in 1942.; since that time many of my family have gone on;
but the building
itself
still stands, stately and tall, in memoriam to all those who
at one time believed,
attended,
but today whose voices are heard no more down here.
The climb
so far has been up-hill, not always easy, and not always
reciprocated. It
has grown
from a small, but humble beginning to the present-day
facilities. The
Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at Ridgeway has grown in
the past half century
from a
small mission taking two years to complete organization to a
Ward.
The Church
has been taught to many, many people over this period of
years, and has
sent forth
numerous missionaries, elders, etc. Many descendants of my
own dear
grandparents have been sent forth from this Church, and
today are higher up in the
Church
than ever before.
I shudder
sometimes when I think of where we might be if it had not
been for this
Church at
home I grew up with, which taught me, and surely without
which I could
not have
done.
V TRIED, BUT
TRUE
The climb
from the days of the elders meeting in the various homes of
the community
to the
present-day status of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints (Ward)
has not
been an easy climb. As a matter of fact, the adage tried,
but true can aptly
be
applied.
From the
very beginning, in April 1894, there has always been
opposition from one
source or
another. The devil always would present obstacles to hinder
the true Gospel
from being
preached, if possible. But, not yielding to discouragement,
and believing
that the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it, those who from
the very beginning
began
believing and raising their children in the right way today
have a true and living
monument
the present sanctuary.
The very
first trip any of the elders made to Centerville was tried,
unsuccessfully, to
be stopped
by a mob. Too, after the first church burned, Elders James
A. Smith and
Robert
Cleveland of Seneca shipped their machinery to Ridgeway to
build (make)
bricks to
build another church with. A mob met them in the road and
asked them to
leave.
They replied that there was no law that could make them
leave. The leader of
the mob
replied that he was law enough. They didnt leave, but the
plans for the
making of
bricks with which to build another church fell through for
some reason.
On August
7, 1897, there were ten (10) baptized into the Church. On
the 17th of
August,
right after the baptism, the mob came to the community
looking for the
Elders. My
Uncle Wylie Branham had taken them to Camden, and the mob
missed
them. The
mob consisted of about one hundred (100) masked men, an
awful-looking
sight, you
can well imagine. These men came to my grandfathers home,
but were
held in
abeyance by my aunts, Sallie Branham Medlin and Mattie
Branham Easler,
each of
whom had obtained for themselves double-barreled shotgun
apiece; and by
my oldest
sister, Maggie Branham Jeffers, who was using for her
protection the sledge
hammer
from my grandfathers shop.
My
grandfathers life, and the lives of all his family were
threatened. If we entertained
anymore of
the Elders, we were to be killed. My grandfather, firm in
his convictions,
told the
members of the mob he would do as he pleased; it was his
place. My
grandfather prosecuted the mob. The entire expenses were
paid by one member of
the mob,
who at that time was a wealthy man.
Then on
the night of the 20th of
August, the mob went to the residence of Jim Dixon in
Kershaw
County, and whipped the Elders Morris Wilson and Henry
Behruan.
That was
not all, either. I vividly recall the time when Elder
Shunway and his partner
came to
our home, after having been beaten in Lancaster. Members of
the mob had
beaten
them severely and had thrown rotten eggs on them. My
grandfather and his
two sons,
my Uncle David and Samuel Branham, Sr., washed them and
cleaned them
up. We
nursed them back to health. My grandfather put their
celluloid collars and
cuffs, red
and stained with blood, into his desk. He said these would
stand as a
testimony
against each member of the mob in the Day of Judgment.
Dont by
any means get the idea this was all. There were many other
occasions. I
remember
one time, during the summer heat, two elders stopped by a
house asking
for a
drink of water. The family refused them this water. Before
long, the well had
gone
completely dry. This same well has never, since that date,
had enough water in
it for the
family to use; but at one time was reported to have been one
of the best
wells of
the entire community.
There were
many other incidents. Not only were the Elders persecuted by
mobs, but
hose who
entertained the Elders; those who joined the Church, too.
Once, a group of
the
members of the Church at Ridgeway attended a Baptismal
service with dinner on
the
grounds. The service would be held on a Sunday. We were up
half the night
Saturday
night before preparing food to take with us. You can imagine
how we felt
when we
left Sunday Morning Service, when we went outside to eat,
and discovered
that
someone had stolen every particle of food we took with us.
We remained for the
Baptism
service that afternoon, but returned to Centerville probably
the hungriest we
had ever
been in our entire lives. At least, I was.
Satan is
always presenting before us as members of the Church some
obstacle to
make us
stray from our path. Though the way may not always be easy,
it is truly a
rewarding
one. May I ever live strong and firm in the way I was
taught, believe, and
in my own
convictions.
APPENDIX
A. BAPTISM
OF SEPT. 2, 1894 (First Baptism)
Members
Baptized:
1 John
Kelly
2 Mary
Branham Kelly
3 Maggie
Branham Jeffers (My Sister)
4 Mattie
Branham (Easler) (My Aunt)
5 Amanda
Freeman
6
Artemisia Parker
7 Pink
Parker
8
Catherine Parker
9 Malida
Humphries Easler
B. BAPTISM
OF OCTOBER 7, 1894
Members
Baptized:
1 Mary
Maria Collins
2
Wyatt
Wesley Collins
3 Ella
Jane Collins
4 Algenon
Madison Easler
5 Henry
Robert Easler (The Elder)
C. BAPTISM
OF NOVEMBER 18, 1894
Members
Baptized:
1 Henry
Robert Easler (The Younger)
2 Samuel
Branham, Sr. (My Uncle)
3 Mary
Alice Hoopaugh Branham
D. BAPTISM
OF AUGUST 7, 1897
[TO BE
REMEMBERED SINCE AFTER THIS BAPTISM, THE MOB BECAME ANGERED,
AND TRIED
UNSUCCESSFULLY TO STOP THE CHURCH]
Members
Baptized:
1 Thomas
Kelly
2 David
Branham, Jr. (My Uncle)
3 Sara
Jane Brigman Branham
4 Thomas
Branham (My Cousin)
5 David
Freeman
6 Fleming
Wilson
7 Lula
Cornelia Alice Branham Wilson (My Aunt)
8
Elizabeth Branham (My Cousin)
9 Kissiah
Branham (My Sister)
10 Rebecca
Branham (My Aunt)
These
words were found written in the margin of the pamphlet:
My
mothers South Carolina Family members Rachel Harriet Easler (Bush).
SEE:
Many were
baptized by my father, Joseph Edward Bush while [he was]
serving
his
mission there All very faithful to the church all of their
lives
Bernice Bush
Hutchinson
 paulheather07
Let's exchange information....
catorfamily@gmail.com
°**°.Έ☆ ★ ☆Έ.°**°
Donna Cator
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Pat Cooper's second wife Laura King Cooper: Laura King
born January 22, 1865 and died August 6, 1945.
She is buried at West End Cemetery in St. Matthews, Calhoun County, SC. 
Wyatt Wesley Collins and Rebecca
E. Collins' gravesite
Sawneys Creek Baptist
Church Cemetery
Ridgeway
Fairfield County, SC
Last Will & Testament of Jeremiah Cooper, brother of Joseph Cooper, b.
1750
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